POPULAR MUSIC STUDIES

The course will introduce the main themes of the young discipline better known in English as "Popular Music Studies", which deals with those music that are "Popular" (Pop) for their vast audience, for the their worldwide distribution and sales numbers.
In this sense, the course intends to provide a series of conceptual tools useful for dealing critically with the musical products of contemporary popular music production, reflecting on some general themes such as: the relationship of contemporary popular music with the media and their cultural dimension; the structural construction of Pop Music; the formation of meaning and the attribution of aesthetic value to the Popular songs.

From this general introduction, we will move on to a monographic part focused, this year, on the Sanremo Festival, considered a case study in the above perspective.
Through the Sanremo successes, their styles, their arrangements, the performance techniques, the look of the performers, their way of presenting themselves, it is possible to read the Italian society and its changes and, in a more musicological sense, to rediscover reassuring clichés combined with what Philip Tagg calls 'musemes'.
It should be noted that the course is held in the third period, almost always in conjunction with the Festival itself, or close to it: some of the songs presented will be taken apart, analysed and commented on with the students. Of course, students are recommended to watch the Sanremo Festival 2023.

According to the framework for the European Higher Education, the so called Dublin descriptors, the expected results are:
1. Knowledge and Understanding
a) To know the basic terms and concepts of the young discipline and to understand the texts that use such terms and concepts.
b) To understand the peculiarities of the approaches of the so called "Popular Music Studies" and their new approach.

2. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
a) Being capable of a simple analysis of some given musical examples, being aware of the singles musical languages and cultures.
b) Ability to connect a musical tune with its cultural framework.

3. Judgement's ability
a) Being capable to formulate and to argument simples hypothesis.

4. Communicational Skills
a) Being able to communicate the peculiarities of the ethnomusicological approach to music, using an appropriate terminology.

5. Learning Ability
● Being able to take notes and to share them in a collaborative form.
● Being able to consult the texts critically and the Bibliography immanent.

No particular prerequisites are required but open mindedness, curiosity and attention.

Introduction to the main themes of the young discipline called "Popular Music Studies".
Monographic part dedicated to the Sanremo Festival and its relations with Italian society.

1) Gianni SIBILLA, I linguaggi della musica pop, Milano, Bompiani, 2003.
2) Serena FACCI, Matteo PILONI, Paolo SODDU, Il festival di Sanremo. Parole e suoni raccontano la nazione, Roma, Carocci, 2011.

Oral examination based on the reference Bibliography and on the notes from lectures given in class..

Lesson with abundant use of audio and video materials. The student is recommended to watch the Sanremo Festival 2023.

Italian

Before starting a course I order the necessary texts for the course in BAUM; obviously, being exam papers, these are not available for loan.
You can also find the texts for the exam in Venetian as well as national bookstores, online, or in the many Venetian libraries.

oral

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Human capital, health, education" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development