Overview
This book applies a flexible and fluid concept of tradition, conceived as an aesthetic alliance, to the historical analysis and description of diffusion of Anglo-American forms of popular music into Austria. The book covers the period from the mid-1950's to 1990, including forms such as rock and roll, beat music, folk, punk and new wave. It also discusses changes to the volkstuemliche and Schlager genres. In addition, the book details the evolution of Austropop, a transitional, heterogeneous variety. The book analyzes creative responses, adaptations and accommodations by Austrian musicians, audiences and industry representatives to the diffusion.
Full Product Details
Author: Edward Larkey
Publisher: Peter Lang Publishing Inc
Imprint: Peter Lang Publishing Inc
Volume: 9
Weight: 0.490kg
ISBN: 9780820421704
ISBN 10: 0820421707
Pages: 342
Publication Date: 01 October 1993
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Available To Order
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Reviews
Dr. Edward Larkey's study... is exceptionally well researched and the theoretical foundations (and implications) are fully explored. His analysis is... exemplary and should be interesting for anybody dealing with similar subjects (and not only the Austrian case-study)... Dr. Larkey's work ironically shows that the construction of a separate Austrian pop-culture identity, as opposed to German pop-culture, was only achieved by a combination of the grammar and means of Anglo-American musical forms with the medium of Austrian German (and other supposedly typical Austrian texts). (Reinhold Wagnleitner, University of Salzburg) 'Pungent Sounds' represents an important contribution to German/Cultural Studies as it is evolving in this country. Beyond its encyclopedic treatment of all phases of contemporary popular music in Austria, its critical discussion of mass culture and national identity formation offers a fascinating interdisciplinary model for further work in the field of modern German culture. (David Bathrick, Cornell University) ...'Pungent Sounds' moves the study of popular music in important new directions. Larkey argues that the contemporary sound of Austrian pop neither negates the Austrianess evident in folk music and 'volkstuemliche Musik' nor does it embrace totally the techniques and mass-produced messages of an international rock-music industry, but rather it negotiates between these, forming historical patterns both Austrian and global...This book is essential reading for ethnomusicologists and scholars of popular music... (Philip V. Bohlman, The University of Chicago) Larkey's theoretically informed and detailed study stands as an important interdisciplinary model for further research into connnections between sound, sonority, and identity in an increasingly globalized mass culture. (Brett Mizelle, Austrian Studies Newsletter) Larkey does a very good job in describing the development of Austrian pop/rock. The book is loaded with examples from the history of popular music in Austria and will be useful to anyone interested in the particularities of contemporary Austrian culture. (Motti Regev, Popular Music) Larkey's book has great breadth, examining many aspects of the music industry usually ignored. A rich selection of interviews, press excerpts, and thorough documentation make the book a gold mine of information, with detailed biographical portraits, photos, and almost twenty song texts. (Alan Lareau, Monatshefte) Das vorliegende Buch ist schon darum aufschlussreich, weil es bislang kaum wissenschaftliche Literatur zum Thema 'Populaere Musik in Oesterreich' gibt. Es enthaelt eine Fuelle von konkreten Informationen, sowohl ueber die oesterreichischen Medien und die Tontraegerindustrie wie zu einzelnen Bands. Besonders wertvoll sind die zahlreichen Interviews, die der Autor mit den Protagonisten der Szene gefuehrt hat. Auf diese Weise konnte er Angaben aus der Sekundaerliteratur durch intime Schilderungen der an der 'Konstruktion' des 'Austro-Pop' direkt beteiligten Personen belegen. (Alenka Barber-Kersovan, Jahrbuch fuer Volksliedforschung)
Author Information
The Author: Edward Larkey is an associate professor of German at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He has done extensive research on popular music in the German Democratic Republic, Austria and Switzerland. He is the author of several articles on popular music and national identity in German-Speaking countries.
