92905 - History of Popular Music (1) (Lm)

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course students will:- know the essential lines of the history of popular music; - know how to place specific genres and styles in the historical-social context; know how to analyze critically the most important forms of popular music.

Course contents

The course examines some of the major stages in the history of popular music, focusing on the evolution from the blues to rock and roll, the reception of the latter in the Italian context, and the emergence and consolidation of the Italian singer-songwriter tradition. The main concepts and theoretical issues relating to the production and fruition of musical genres and their intrinsic relationship with the media will be illustrated. Some albums by Italian singer-songwriters will be analysed, exploring the interaction between words and music. An in-depth study will be dedicated to the fruition of Italian songs in the 1960s and 1970s.

At the end of the course, students will be able to find their way among the main musical currents in the history of song in the second half of the twentieth century, and will be able to place authors and songs in their historical context; they will also acquire methodological tools for analysing the musical languages of some albums, which will be treated as case studies.

Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities. It is suggested that they get in touch as soon as possible with the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en) and with the lecturer in order to seek together the most effective strategies for following the lessons and/or preparing for the examination

Readings/Bibliography

1. Jacopo Tomatis, Storia culturale della canzone italiana, Milano, Il Saggiatore, 2019 (chapters 1-6).
2. Richard Middleton, Studying Popular Music, Milan: Feltrinelli, 2009 (or any other edition), Chapter 1.
3. Materials uploaded by the teacher on the Virtual platform.

Teaching methods

Lecturing, group work.

Assessment methods

The teacher will then ask some questions relating to the bibliography. The programme is the same for attendees and non-attendees.

The assessment will primarily focus on the accuracy of the content, followed by the clarity of the presentation.

The use of AI tools during the examination is strictly prohibited in any form, including chatbots, text generators, advanced translation tools, content summarization tools, and AI features integrated into electronic devices. Any use of AI constitutes a violation of the principles of academic honesty and integrity set out in the University's Policy and may result in the examination being declared invalid by the instructor.

Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities. It is suggested that they get in touch as soon as possible with the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en) and with the lecturer in order to seek together the most effective strategies for following the lessons and/or preparing for the examination.

Teaching tools

Audio, video, materials shared on Virtuale.

Office hours

See the website of Anna Scalfaro