Week 1

Introduction to Music and Capitalism

  • Three distinct lots of music are identified:

    • Recordings of sacred vocal music by Cristóbal de Morales

    • A symphony by Dimitri Shostakovich

    • A traditional piece titled "Hindewhu" by a BaBenzele community in Central Africa

  • The question posed is: What might these diverse musical expressions have in common?

Features of Capitalist Social Organization

  • Four crucial features of capitalist social organization are outlined (though there are more):

    • Private Ownership

    • Definition: The ownership of land, the means of production, and other resources is held by individuals or corporations rather than the state or community.

    • Capital Accumulation

    • Definition: The focus on generating surplus profits, storing, and investing capital in order to grow wealth over time.

    • Key concept: The profit motive drives economic activity.

    • Commodity Production

    • Definition: The creation of goods and services intended for exchange in the market rather than immediate use or local barter.

    • Distinction: Focuses on products meant for sale rather than simply consumption.

    • Wage Labor

    • Definition: A social organization based on the premise that individuals own their labor and can sell it as a commodity for financial compensation (salary).

    • Implication: Reflects the commodification of human labor.

Capitalist Modes of Musical Production

  • Exploration of capitalist aesthetics in music, raising critical questions:

    • Who owns the music and images created by the band BTS?

    • Are BTS albums considered a form of capital?

    • Inquiry about the accumulation of music as a commodity.

    • Is a BTS song classified as a commodity?

    • Questions about whether BTS members can be viewed as commodities themselves.

    • Are BTS members engaged as wage laborers?

    • Examination of their economic dependency on wage labor structures.

Overview of Class Content

  • Presentation of various musical works and their socio-economic contexts.

Example: Herbie Hancock’s "Headhunters"

  • Released in 1973, this jazz funk album reflects significant Afro-centric and pan-African influences prevalent in the early 1970s.

Example: Jan Garbarek and the Hilliard Ensemble's "Officium"

  • A jazz-early music fusion album released in 1994.

  • Notable for its marketing strategy directed at New Age audiences including yoga practitioners and relaxation enthusiasts.

Example: Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 Recording

  • 1959 recording by Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.

  • Notable for the album cover which depicted the meeting of Shostakovich and Bernstein in Moscow.

  • The back cover featured translated reviews from the New York Philharmonic’s tour, characterized as a triumph of Cold War cultural diplomacy.

American Symphony Orchestras Post-WWII

  • After World War II, American symphony orchestras saw a rise in the recording industry.

  • Scarcity of new symphonies composed in a style appealing to the American public was noted.

  • Shostakovich’s symphonies stood out as exceptions because many were composed under the ideological constraints of the Soviet regime.

  • American musicians like Leonard Bernstein successfully rebranded Shostakovich’s music, enriching cultural appreciation and reviving lesser-known composers such as Charles Ives and Gustav Mahler.

Recordings of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 (1960s-70s)

  • Observations of album covers selling constructed images of Russia and engaging with a stylized Soviet aesthetic.

  • An example: The Philadelphia Orchestra's album cover mimics Socialist propaganda design elements.

Concept of the "Constitutive Outside"

  • Developed by Argentine philosopher Ernesto Laclau, this concept pertains to elements that are conceptually or physically external to a system of thought or politics, yet are essential for that system’s definition and continuity.

  • Within the capitalist context, what elements lie outside capitalism that are necessary for its self-replication?