| dc.description.abstract | This paper aims to apply the sociology of deviance and the concept of metaculture
to the sociology of high-art and music. Examples of classical music criticisms over
time are presented and discussed. Music critics have engaged in metaculture and
norm promotion by labeling certain composers or styles of music as negatively
deviant in a number of ways. Composers or styles of classical music have been
labeled as not music, not worthy of being considered the future of music, a threat
to culture, politically unacceptable, evil, and even criminal. Critics have linked
composers they are critical of with other deviant categories, and ethnocentrism,
racism, and other biases play a role in critics’ attempts to engage in norm
promotion and affect the public temper. As society changes, musical norms and
therefore deviant labels concerning music also change. Maverick composers push
musical ideas forward, and those music critics who resist these changes are unable
to successfully promote their dated, more traditional norms. Implications of the
findings for the sociology of deviance and the sociology of music are discussed. | en_GB |
