Spent a while listening to Dean Martin today and realised how music has a definite sound in every generation. This is something I should have found obvious because of my classical music appreciation studies that went through the development of classical motifs and styles. This is very pronounced in the electronic age with different equipment and sound studio techniques, but if you think about it is just as obvious in past centuries as musical instruments were created and refined at different times.
And just because it is new it becomes a generations ‘thing’ and lights up their dancing, adding to the milieu so that every generation gets its characteristic music. Even within the traditionally differing music of countries. Layers and layers if generational nuances.
Listening now to the music that is my mother’s generation I hear the distinct melody, the resonance of the voice given prominence over the music. And this is before one listens to the words. And so one can see how generations define themselves as different from each other and yet after those generational differences fade, you can look back over a hundred years and find styles you love that were your grandparents or great grandparents. Because there is no competition, after a while there is just the music, the times, the places, the living.
And of course the dancing.