MUS103 - Final Exam Terms & Definitions

consists of musical genres, concepts, places & people from late 50s to early 2000s.

Urban Folk

a music genre that combines traditional folk elements with urban sensibilities, often featuring contemporary social issues.

example:

Heavy Metal

a genre of rock music characterized by loud, aggressive sounds, distorted guitars, and emphatic rhythms, often addressing dark or controversial themes.

Punk

a music genre characterized by its fast tempos, aggressive melodies, and anti-establishment lyrics, often reflecting a rebellious attitude.

ex. London’s Calling by The Clash

Funk

a genre that originated in the 1960s, characterized by a strong rhythmic groove of bass and drums, and is often associated with dance music.

Motown

a genre of music that originated in Detroit, characterized by its blend of soul and pop, popularized by artists like the Supremes and Marvin Gaye under Motown Records.

ex. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell

Toasting

a vocal style originating from Jamaican reggae music, where the performer speaks or chants over a rhythm, often improvising lyrics that include storytelling or social commentary.

Gangsta Rap

a subgenre of hip-hop that emerged in the 1980s, characterized by themes of street violence, crime, and the struggles of urban life, often featuring aggressive lyrics and beats.

Grunge

a music genre that emerged in the late 1980s and early 1990s, blending elements of punk rock and heavy metal, often characterized by its use of distorted guitars and themes of angst and alienation.

Electronica

a broad genre of electronic music that encompasses various styles and subgenres, often incorporating synthesizers and computer-based production techniques to create diverse soundscapes.

Ed Sullivan

an American television personality and legendary host of "The Ed Sullivan Show," which showcased various musical acts, including the Beatles and Elvis Presley.

George Martin

a British record producer, arranger, and composer, best known for his work with The Beatles, shaping their sound and music production techniques.

Shea Stadium

the famous stadium in New York City where the Beatles performed in 1965 and significant events in sports and music history took place.

Newport Folk Music Festival

an annual music festival held in Newport, Rhode Island, known for its influential role in the folk music scene, featuring artists like Bob Dylan and Joan Baez.

Malcolm McLaren

a British music manager and promoter, best known for managing the Sex Pistols and shaping the punk rock movement.

Holland-Dozier-Holland

a songwriting and production team known for their work with Motown artists in the 1960s, creating hits for The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, and others.

Giorgio Moroder

an Italian record producer, songwriter, and DJ, known as a pioneer of electronic dance music and for his work in disco and film soundtracks.

Max Martin

a Swedish record producer and songwriter who has written and produced numerous chart-topping hits for various pop artists, significantly shaping modern pop music.

Lou Pearlman

an American music producer and talent manager known for creating popular boy bands in the late 1990s and early 2000s, including Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC.

Counter Culture

a social movement or lifestyle that rejects mainstream values, often characterized by alternative beliefs, artistic expressions, and political activism, especially prevalent in the 1960s.

Mainstream

the ideas, attitudes, or activities that are prevalent or dominant in a society, often contrasted with alternative or countercultural movements.

Rock Revolution

a significant shift in popular music during the 1960s and 1970s that challenged traditional musical norms and promoted new genres like rock, folk, and punk. This movement was associated with cultural changes and youth rebellion.

Beatlemania

a phenomenon of intense fan frenzy surrounding the British rock band The Beatles in the 1960s, characterized by mass gatherings, unprecedented media attention, and cultural influence.

MTV

a cable television network that revolutionized music consumption by airing music videos, starting in the early 1980s.

Boy Band

a vocal group typically made up of young male singers, often focused on pop music and characterized by highly coordinated performances and appeal to teenage audiences.

Girl Power

a feminist concept emphasizing women's empowerment and independence, popularized in the 1990s by groups like the Spice Girls.

ex. In 2000s, Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) by Beyoncé

Sound Collage

a form of experimental music that combines various audio elements, including samples from recordings, spoken words, and found sounds, to create a new auditory experience.

Selling Out

the practice of compromising artistic integrity for commercial gain, often leading to the perception that an artist has abandoned their original values.

Performativity

the concept that gender and identity are constructed through repeated behaviors and expressions, emphasizing that these are not inherent but rather performed.

Napster

an online file-sharing service that was instrumental in popularizing digital music distribution, allowing users to share and download music files illegally. shut down in 2001.

ex. Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana (most downloaded song)