Synopsis
Acclaimed author Lanza presents an informative and entertaining historical view of background music, from its beginnings in 1922 by a former Army general to alleviate the fears of passengers in the new-fangled "elevators," through its evolution from "lite" FM to New Age to movie soundtracks. Photos.
Reviews
In this entertaining book, Lanza ( Fragile Geometry: The Films, Philosophy, and Misadventures of Nicolas Roeg ) treats background music as a serious art form, tracing its evolution and arguing that there is more to the world of engineered sound than Muzak (whose inventor he calls the "unsung hero of the electronic age") and other types of canned music. Lanza places movie soundtracks, mood music, space-age music and "lite" radio all in the realm of indirect listening, along with numerous popular performers from Lawrence Welk and Ray Conniff to the Swingle Singers and the Norman Luboff Choir. Many contemporary composers work in this sphere, maintains the author, who also includes 18th-century composers such as Vivaldi, Telemann and Boccherini, because he considers their music "feathery." Lanza covers his subject in such an engaging manner that one could almost be lulled into accepting his analysis that "Muzak and mood music are, in many respects, aesthetically superior to all other musical forms" because "they emit music the way the twentieth century is equipped to receive it." Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Philosophy and history of American background music by pop- culture historian Lanza (Fragile Geometry, 1991--not reviewed). Lanza focuses on a variety of different types of what he calls ``moodsong,'' from commercial Muzak through the sugary strings of Mantovani and the purling choruses of Ray Coniff on to '80s ``new age'' sounds. He is unabashed in his admiration for all of these styles, asserting that they are ``in many respects, aesthetically superior to all other musical forms.'' He traces the history of so- called ``functional music'' to the work of avant-garde artists of the early 20th century such as Erik Satie, who sought to wed art with the innovations of the machine age, and early heroes include Muzak's inventor/originator, General George Owen Squier, who studied the effect of music on productivity and mood. Lanza is most interesting in analyzing the psychology of Muzak programming, showing how the company developed a schedule based on the time of day, so that, for example, ``the breakfast hours offered cheery sunrise melodies and caffeinated rhythms.'' The book's midsection is a listener's guide to the golden age of easy listening, with descriptions of cocktail-conductor Jackie Gleason, the bubbly champagne music of Lawrence Welk, and the swooning voices of the Anita Kerr singers. In closing, Lanza addresses philosophical issues in Muzak; the possible evil effects of background music; the phenomena of '70s ``lite'' music and ``metarock''; and the adaptation of rock songs to the Muzak aesthetic. Still, however mightily he may argue that ``elevator music...is essentially a distillation of the happiness that modern technology has promised,'' Lanza fails to convince that the ``easy listening'' creators were really more than schlockmeisters with a commercial bent. (Eight pages of b&w photos--not seen) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
It's tempting to say that elevator music has had its ups and down since it was developed by the Muzak Corporation in 1922 to calm the fears of passengers in the newly invented device. But, as Lanza shows, mood-enhancing music designed to stay in the background has remained consistently popular in its various forms, from orchestral music on early radio to today's New Age music. Among the variations Lanza describes are avant-garde conceptions like Satie's "furniture music," movie music, 1950s easy listening (including such offshoots as pseudo-Polynesian "exotica" records and Jackie Gleason's bachelor-pad albums), and Brian Eno's "ambient" works. You'd expect such an in-depth treatment of the topic to exhibit more than a whiff of condescension, but Lanza's overview comes off as evenhanded, perceptive, and informative. He also digs up many enlightening facts--for instance, that the term canned music was coined by John Philip Souza, and that the Muzak Corporation is based in Seattle, capital of the grunge-rock movement, and the founders of the grunge record label Sub Pop once worked for it. For maximum enjoyment, read the book to the accompaniment of, say, Mantovani or Percy Faith. Gordon Flagg
Lanza's book takes "Dentist chair music" lightly, claiming for it a history extending back to Orpheus, who "used" music for his own purposes. Music was first used in elevators in 1922, Lanza claims, to sooth passengers fearful of the new machines. Background music is now a pervasive element of modern technological culture. Lanza thinks background music is often good music. As an underappreciated necessity, it makes our world more pleasant and agreeable. While no deeper than "101 Strings" or "Mystic Moods Orchestra" fare, Lanza's book may make readers feel better about the amalgamation of tastes demanded by the fact that 90 million people listen to Muzak daily. For large popular collections.
- Bonnie Jo Dopp, formerly with Dist . of Columbia P.L.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
