Music and Celebrity from Orpheus to Gaga

Undergraduate

We are all audiences for celebrity. Across film, television, sports, and, of course, music, celebrities profoundly shape our culture and our identities. We look to celebrities not only as entertainers, but also as friends, fashion advisors, and even thought leaders on political issues and current events. Yet celebrities are made, not born: these figures are created by a complex and contingent set of cultural, social, and economic factors. So where did the peculiarly modern phenomenon of “celebrity” come from? And how does it continue to evolve today under the pressures of social media and the broader “de-massification” of culture? This course takes up the figure of the musical celebrity across Western modernity, tracing the conditions of possibility that have formed and re-formed this figure at different historical moments. From early prototypes of musical celebrities (including Orpheus and 19th-century opera divas) to mainstream musical artists of the 20th century (like Bob Dylan and Madonna) to (para)social media-savvy performers of the 21st century (like Taylor Swift and TikTok influencers), we consider how social, political, and economic systems have inflected modes of musical celebrity throughout history. In so doing, we’ll also explore how technology and media innovations—from the printing press to sound recording technology to social media—have facilitated our fascination with musical celebrities. Ultimately, by examining the evolution of musical celebrity, this course invites students to critically examine their own relationships to music and to fandom more broadly. All students with interests in music, cultural history, media history, and popular culture are welcome in this course. No prior knowledge of Western music notation or Western art music history is required. HU TTh 2:35pm-3:50pm