the types of hits are standardized, with ‘characters’ such as songs for
mothers, homes, laments pining for a girl, pseudo-nursery rhymes –
the harmonic cornerstones of each beat out the standard I V vi IV in
root position (A Bird in a Gilded Cage is a perfect example of a lament
for a lost girl). This standard emphasises the most ‘primitive’ harmonic
rhythm possible in music, allowing for no complications, and this
structure guarantees that regardless of what anomalies occur, the hit will
create the same familiar experience with nothing fundamentally new or
revolutionary being introduced (Adorno, 2002, p439).
Serious music, in comparison, can be characterized by the precision
in every detail. The creation of a concrete tonality is never a mere
enforcement of a harmonic scheme. For example, the introduction
of Beethoven’s seventh contains a theme in C major, which can only
be appreciated for its expressive quality when taken as a whole with
the rest of the symphony (Adorno, 2002, p440). However, there is no
counterpart to this in popular music, for Adorno. If any part was taken out
of context, the listener can supply the framework as the rest of the song
is so replaceable, unoriginal and repetitive that even a non-musician can
fill in the blanks.
The correlation to standardisation is pseudo-individualisation, where
the listener endows the mass production of culture with the incorrect
understanding that it is a free choice: ‘standardisation of song hits keeps
the customers in line by doing the listening for them’ (Adorno, 2002,
p445). Adorno makes it clear that pop music is not something that you
choose to like, it does not make you individual, as the song has been
carefully crafted specially to cater to everyone’s regressed minds. It’s a
qualitive point about musical forms- pop music is ‘better’ if you want less
involvement, which most people do, and hence its popularity. Yet calling
the music ‘popular’ implies that there is an unpopular music, which would
be classical. Ultimately, Adorno is making a political commentary on how
we relate to music. Music is not just music as it reflects revolutionary
periods and emotions. Popular music is ubiquitous but can only serve
the dominant ideology of the times. Classical music, on the other hand,
has the power to enthral you in deep political and societal commentary.
Adorno is not saying we should not like popular music - he is saying we
should know why we like it.
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