Scarlet & Grey
Ohio State University
School of Music


Basic Problems in Musical Stylistics


  1. The Descriptive Problem: How do we characterize musical styles? What language(s) do we use to describe a style? How do we recognize a good stylistic description?

  2. The Esthesic Problem: Where do styles come from? How do styles emerge? Who creates a style?

  3. The Terminological Problem: Why are styles often named with some verbal label? Who get's to name a style? (N.B. Many stylistic labels originated as terms of derision or insults: e.g. baroque, minimalism, atonal, jazz.) Why do people get so exercised about what they call a style?

  4. The Preference Problem: Why do people like some styles and dislike others? What is the relationship between style and preference?

  5. The Aesthetic Problem: Apart from individual preferences, are some styles inherently better than others? For example, is "classical music" better (in some sense) than "popular music?" How do we talk about the aesthetic merit of a style? On what basis can or do people judge the value of a style? Is style independent of aesthetic value?

  6. The Identity Problem: Apart from individual preferences, people often form attachments to certain styles. Many people appear to link their sense of "self" or sense of "cultural belonging" with particular musics? Why? How?

  7. The Developmental Problem: What are the causes of stylistic change? How do we describe or trace the evolution or transformation of a style?

  8. The Taxonomic Problem: What is the relationship between different styles? Are there sub-styles or classes of styles? Are stylistic taxonomies individual? cultural?

  9. The Propagation Problem: How do styles spread?

  10. The Longevity Problem: Why are some styles short-lived while others last a long time? What makes a style a fad?

  11. The Perceptual Problem: How are styles mentally represented? How do listeners identify a style?

  12. The Commercial Problem: What are the business opportunities provided by style? What pitfalls are associated with style? How does commerce influence or interact with stylistic change?



This document is available at http://csml.som.ohio-state.edu/Music839C/Notes/problems.html