Sounds and Society: Themes in the Sociology of Music (Music and Society) - Hardcover

Martin, Peter J.

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9780719032233: Sounds and Society: Themes in the Sociology of Music (Music and Society)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0719032237 ISBN 13: 9780719032233

Publisher: Manchester University Press, 1995

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In modern, industrial times society demands, and is supplied with, an increasingly wide range of music on a scale unprecedented in our history. Moreover, technology has provided us with the means to control our aural environment in ways which were unimaginable even a century ago. So why, in an otherwise rationalistic age, does music - perhaps the most emotional and ephemeral of cultural forms - matter so much? In this book, Peter Martin argues for a coherent sociology of music, using certain fundamental sociological ideas to generate a much deeper understanding of the role of music in society. Particular attention is given to the question of the nature of musical meaning, the relationship between social structures and musical ones and the music business in capitalist societies. In the course of the argument, the ideas of leading theorists such as Adorno, Schuetz and Weber are discussed. The resulting study is a clear introduction to the implications of sociology as a means of understanding music and should be as relevant to the rock fan as to the devotee of chamber music.

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From the Back Cover:

Despite the importance of music in contemporary culture, and the explosion of interest in cultural studies, the social analysis of music has remained relatively undeveloped. In this pioneering new book, Dr. Martin develops a genuinely sociological perspective on music.

About the Author:

Peter J. Martin is Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Sociology, University of Manchester -- .

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