Scarlet & Grey
Ohio State University
School of Music


Musical Stylistics: Some Guiding Questions


  1. What is "style"?
  2. How does style differ from fashion?
  3. Is musical style the same sort of phenomenon as literary style? Architectural style? Culinary style? Automotive style?
  4. What are the defining features of a style?
  5. How do listeners recognize different musical styles?
  6. How do listeners learn to distinguish styles?
  7. What is the relationship between style and taste?
  8. How does style relate to personal preference?
  9. How do styles arise?
  10. Why do styles change?
  11. What is the role of style in social or cultural identity?
  12. What are the main theories about style?
  13. Who defines a style?
  14. Why do certain musics "go out of style?"
  15. How do we analyse musical style?
  16. What is the difference between musical style and genre?



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