Aesthetics @ AIP: Music & the Marketplace - Adorno & Brown

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Reading Notes

Reading philosophical essays is more challenging in that you often have to scan once, read once, and review once before you can adequately explain the author's position. In order to be sure that you are receiving maximum benefit from your time spent studying, try to answer the guide questions posed below. If you cannot answer them, it is time to read or review to be sure you understand the main arguments presented. See more tips here.

Theodor W. Adorno & Lee B. Brown

Lee Brown makes a convincing argument against Adorno's position on popular art. Here are links to resources that will broaden the scope of our considerations: 

1. Resources
2. Guide Questions
3. Smartboard Notes

Here are some web sites that will enhance your understanding of this week's reading:

• The assigned readings for Adorno are online. Get both parts of Adorno's essay, "On Popular Music" here
  • Part 1
  • Part 3
• Adorno biography & links: The European Graduate School provides an awesome resource site featuring a short bio and links to other resources.
• Adorno's writings online: The obvious exception on this site is the famous essay on jazz. 
• Adorno links on Popcultures.com: good resource site for the true explorer

Guide Questions:

The following questions are designed to fine tune your understanding of the reading. The subject matter and answers to these questions form the basis of what you will be required to know for exams.

Objective: to discover the possible aesthetic value of popular art, especially popular music.

Adorno Guide Questions:

1. Outline Adorno's position on standardization in popular music.
2. What is "serious" music  and what are the characteristics that make it "serious" according to Adorno?
3. What does Adorno mean when he states that music acts as a social cement?
4. Do we listen to music to escape from the everyday stresses of life? If so, is Adorno's description of the listener in part three (¶s 28-43) of the article accurate? 
5. Adorno chronicles a six stage process to explain how "popular recordings work their way into the consciousness of listeners." Summarize the process and evaluate the underlying assumptions. (Brown also provides a nice summary of Adorno's six stage process in his article.)
6. Be sure you can describe the two types of listener's identified as rhythmically obedient and emotional.

Brown Guide Questions:

1. Is Adorno correct in charging that "art as commodity" has no redeeming aesthetic value?
2. Must art be non-commerical to be "true art?"
3. Describe in detail why Adorno believes that simplicity and standardization render popular music incapable of claiming aesthetic value.
4. What is a "hook" and how is it used to further the goal of standardization?
5. Does popular music resist the system? Explain the connection to the current MP3 file-sharing debate with Napster.
6. Summarize Brown's defense of popular music including the reasons he believes that Adorno's critique is biased.

Smartboard Notes

Smartboard Notes from Adorno Lectures:

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