Towards a holistic interpretation of musical genre classification
Chris Kemp · Jyväskylä University Digital Archive (University of Jyväskylä) · 2004
In the past, exploration of music has focused on analysis by formalists, referentialists and through social, semiotic and anthropological viewpoints including Schenkerian-Yeston (1977), Semiotic-Eco (1977), and Motivic-Ruwet (1987). Although each has its merits in the formal analysis of music, few explore genre identification. In musical genre studies the exploration of musical, paramusical (extramusical) and perceptual elements are essential to facilitate a full understanding of the subject area. Johnson in Zorn supports such a perspective in his argument for a holistic approach to musical analysis (Zorn 2000:29). The multidisciplinary nature of music and the discourses embodied in its creation, development and dissemination utilise a range of signifiers for identification advocating the utilisation of a ”hybrid” (Wickens 1999) methodology combining quantitative and qualitative analysis. This thesis focuses on the music industry through music managers, the media, the artist and the consumer. A successful holistic interpretation of music genre identification would make a substantial contribution to the work in this field. This holistic exploration is validated through qualitative interviews and focus groups supported by quantitative exploration focusing on the placing of musical episodes in specific categories. The main conclusions of the thesis relate to the key role that the media plays in music genre identification, the development of both organic and synthetic musical episodes and the way in which variables within the experimentation indicate both homogeneity and difference separating parent and sub genre identification.