It encompasses a wide range of styles, from instrumental arrangements to smooth jazz, light pop, and orchestral works. Phil Patton, author of Made in the U.S.A.Delve into the World of Easy Listening MusicĮasy listening music is a popular genre that features soft, melodic tunes perfect for relaxation, background ambiance, or enjoying a peaceful moment. "A fascinating tour of a genuine piece of American surrealism, diligently researched, sparklingly presented, surprising at every turn. In doing so, he's written one of the few pop-history books that won't put you to sleep - not to mention the only one that dares to probe the very real connections between shopping-mall music and Devo." "Lanza takes background music seriously as both music and social utility. "It's still a surreal world, after all, and Lanza's neat tome is a great way to reflect on some of the aural factors that make it so." a valuable addition to collections supporting music and culture." Wendy Carlos, composer, soundtracks for "A Clockwork Orange" and "The Shining" "Snobby musicologists ignore this fascinating topic, but I learned a lot while being well-entertained by Lanza's delightful book." Ballard, author of "Crash" and "Empire of the Sun" " Elevator Music is a fascinating tour of the sonic inferno we all unconsciously inhabit." Errol Morris, director of "The Thin Blue Line" "Not until Joseph Lanza's Elevator Music have I been privileged to read what I consider the definitive history of twentieth-century music. In a current climate where the noises are louder, and the background beats are ever more aggressive, this history of music intended as a pleasing background makes for a captivating read. These reactions, Lanza argues, are based more on cultural prejudices than honest musical appraisal. The author also adds an afterword about some of the actual musicians who arranged and conducted Muzak® sessions-respected names like Nelson Riddle.Įlevator Music confronts the criticisms of elites who say that elevator music is "dehumanizing" or less than music. This revised and expanded edition delves deeper into the surreal phenomenon of "metarock"-the art of reinterpreting rock songs into dreamlike, string-laden, easy-listening alternatives. Along the way, Lanza addresses mood music's social and even governmental uses, raising questions about music's role in modern life while challenging aesthetic assumptions. More recent "ambient" soundscapers like Brian Eno and practitioners of what some still call New Age also enter the picture. Lanza also chronicles the parallel development of the "easy listening" instrumental, discussing such "mood maestros" as Ray Conniff, Percy Faith, Andre Kostelanetz, and Mantovani. Lanza traces mood music's mystifying presence from the mind-altering sirens who lured Odysseus to the harp David played to soothe King Saul, but the tale gets more intriguing in the early twentieth century, with Erik Satie's "furniture music" experiments, the birth of the Muzak® Corporation, and various science fiction stories that featured mood music as a futuristic staple. With an arsenal of historical anecdotes and facts, Joseph Lanza sings seriously, with healthy doses of humor and wit, the praises of this misunderstood musical genre. For a sound intended to be comforting, unobtrusive, and inoffensive, "elevator music"-i.e., easy listening, mood music, "Beautiful Music," and "Music by Muzak®"-has ignited strong and often heated opinions.
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