While the previous example is extremely apparent, an example of a paradigm shift that is more interesting to me is the shift from classical music to romantic music to 20th century atonal music. Music being produced today by modern affluent composers is known as "atonal" and is, put simply, the equivalent of abstract art. There is no "tonal center" around which a piece is built so the notes are almost completely independent of each other and sound almost random. This is completely different from the tonal music of the early classical periods, which has "consonance," or sounds right and pleasant most of the time. "Dissonance" is when notes clash together and are unpleasant to the ear, which is the root of modern atonal music. Since tonal music has dominated Western culture for hundreds of years, composers of the 20th century and on began to push the envelope to develop more innovate ways of composing music. Just like the development of abstract art, artists and composers are always looking for ways to make their works creative and unique while still appealing to audiences. I provided two examples below, one of classical music and one of atonal music (respectively) to demonstrate the paradigm shift.
Thursday, October 15, 2015
The Rise of the Abstract
Paradigm shifts occur often in society. We may not notice them as they occur, as they are usually subtle and gradual, but they tend to be quite noticeable over long periods of time. One example that immediately comes to mind is the shift in education in America and the levels of education needed for one to secure a stable career path. While a high school degree used to be sufficient, a bachelor's degree is now expected, and some say that a master's degree is thew "new bachelor's degree." One reason for this shift is that with new technology came a need for more educated employees in all fields of employment. Additionally, education gradually became more and more common and the establishment of more and more universities as well as the addition of education laws by the government made it easier for students to pursue higher education.
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I think both of these topics are very interesting and fresh. They're points that I've noticed but never paid much attention to, but they really do effect everyone, especially your first idea. Personally, I think your first idea is very appealing and relevant, but your second idea also has the potential to be great, especially if you're more passionate with it. I would just recommend explaining the different types of music a little more clearly as it is still a little fuzzy to me, but that could be because I was unable to hear the videos in class; once I get home I'll listen to them and hopefully they clear things up. I look forward to seeing you present whatever you choose!
ReplyDeleteIf you could come up with a societal impact that the shift in classical music caused, that seems like an interesting topic! Not a lot of people could investigate it so by doing your paper and talk on the topic you'd be educating a lot of us in the process. Very cool.
ReplyDeleteThe shift in education might be a worthy topic as well, but it seems like you're more interested in the shift of classical music so even for that reason you may want to go in that direction. Good luck!
I think that the first topic is good; while I am a little familiar with that shift, I don't think that it's overexposed. Your second paradigm shift is more unique, but my only concern is its relevance. Could you connect it to some greater meaning or issue beyond artistic tastes? I can think of several ways you can accomplish this, however. This seems to be the topic you are leaning to, so I'd say go for it.
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