Music Criticism Reference Guide
Hugo Reyes LIS 702
Purpose
Music Criticism Subject Guide is intended to give people a deeper look into the rich history of music criticism. Its origins are centuries old, but it has become popularized in the last few decades with the rise of rock music. It is intended for general use and for scholars as well.
Book Resources
All books were found using Dominican's Crown Libary quick search.
Music Criticism 1900-1950Ballester, J., & Quesada, G. G. (2018). Music criticism 1900-1950. Brepols.
The source is a 525-page book. Contents include writings from 22 contributors talking about music criticism. The book's main subject is music criticism, which directly relates to the main topic of the research guide. The book is called Music Criticism 1900-1950. It has several editors whose credentials are that they are scholars. The resource was published in 2018. The resource is well organized with a table of contents. The intended audience is more scholarly. All contributors come from that background, and the book seems oriented towards them.
The Cambridge History of Music Criticism
Dingle, C. P. (Ed.). (2019). The Cambridge History of Music Criticism. Cambridge University Press.
The Cambridge History of Music Criticism is 826 pages. The book's contents are split into multiple parts, each with a different author. The first part, for example, is the history of early music criticism. The title itself refers to the subject as it is about the history of music criticism. It will also be useful for people looking to delve more into the history of music criticism.
The publisher of the book is Cambridge University. The authors' credentials are that all of the contributors are scholars with great expertise on the subject. It was published in 2019 and hasn't been updated since. The resource is well organized and split up into different parts, so it's easy to find whatever you want. According to the genre tag, the reference material is historical. The intended audience is a little more academic-oriented, as that is many authors' backgrounds. It provides more insight into the history of music criticism, dating back to when it was not as popular of a medium. But laypeople could still get some use out of it. I found the resource through a search on Crown Library. I typed in music criticism and found the book.
A Style and Usage Guide to Writing About Music
Donahue, T. (2010). A Style and Usage Guide to Writing About Music. Blue Ridge Summit: The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group.
The source is a book published in 2010. The contents include a bibliography, glossary, and a collection of formatting guides to help writers. The description notes that it is helpful for students, scholars, teachers, and writers. Some of the subjects included are music criticism and academic study.
The book's title is A Style and Usage Guide To Writing About Music. It is by Thomas Donahue. I'm unsure how the information is organized, as the description does not provide that information. Based on my limited information, the book is more like a handbook for writers to reference when needed. The intended audience, as shown by the description, is wide-ranging. But it seems more practical than others, trying to guide the reader in writing about music. For that reason, anyone could get something out of the resource.
Haskins, R. (2016). Classical Listening: Two Decades of Reviews From The American Record Guide. Rowman & Littlefield.
The source is a book. It was published in 2016. Its contents include reviews across decades in the American Record Guide. Specifically, there are reviews of Bach and John Cage included. The main subject matter is music criticism. The book's title is Classical Listening: Two Decades of Reviews From the American Record Guide by Rob Haskins. From what I can see, the book seems relatively well organized. The intended audience is for people interested in classical music. But anyone with a passing interest in music criticism can get something out of the book. I found the book while searching through Crown Library's quick search.
On The Record: Music Journalists on Their Lives, Craft, and Careers
Hilleary, M. (2020). On The Record: Music Journalists on Their Lives, Craft, and Careers. University of Massachusetts Press.
This source is a 336-page book. Some of the subjects related to it are music criticism, interviews, and music journalists. Crown Library's description does not show a table of contents, so I do not know how the information is organized. For people looking to delve into music criticism, it provides firsthand accounts from writers through interviews.
The author of the book is Mike Hilleary, whose credentials include bylines at publications like Pitchfork and GQ. It is called On The Record: Music Journalists On Their Lives, Crafts, and Careers. It was published in 2020 and has yet to be updated since. I cannot discern how the information is organized. The intended audience is broad. Aspiring writers are the main focus, as are people interested in music writing. It is useful to researchers because it works as a primary resource for gleaning what it is like for people working in the field.
The first collection of criticism by a living female rock critic
Hopper, J. (2021). The first collection of criticism by a living female rock critic. MCD x FSG Originals, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.
The First Collection of Criticism by a Living Female Rock Critic puts together the music writing of Jessica Hopper. The book's content is split into multiple parts, including a section devoted to Chicago. Other content is themed, such as the part called nostalgia. According to Crown Library, the genre is criticism, which directly relates to the subject of the research guide. The book will be helpful for people looking to see how music criticism works in practice, as Hopper has written for various publications, ranging from alt-weekly Chicago Reader to more established publications like Spin Magazine.
The book was first published in 2015, but I chose to include the expanded edition that came out in 2021. The subject matter is criticism, consisting of reviews and feature writing. The book is relatively easy to navigate, and the information is displayed via a table of contents. The intended audience is mainly generalists. Anybody interested in music criticism could read it. It isn't overly formal. It could still be useful for a teacher instructing a class in a university setting. I found the book by searching for music criticism books on Google. I also have read the previous edition of the book.
Song Means: Analysing and Interpreting Recorded Popular Song
Moore, A. F. (2016). Song Means: Analysing and Interpreting Recorded Popular Song. Routledge.
The source is a 412-page book. Some of the subjects included in the book are analysis, history, and criticism. It traces the popular song from the 1920s to the present day, according to the description. It is called Song Means: Analysing and Interpreting Recorded Popular Song by Allan F. Moore. It was published in 2016 and has yet to be updated since. I would call it more history and criticism if I had to categorize it as reference material. I cannot say how the material was organized since that information was not included. The intended audience is more scholarly, as evidenced by the mention of musicology in the description. It shows a different framework by looking at music criticism, which could also be useful to a general audience. I found the source by searching though Crown Library.
Writing The Record: The Village Voice and The Birth of rock Criticism
Powers, D. (2013). Writing The Record: The Village Voice and The Birth of rock Criticism. University of Massachusetts Press.
The source is an e-book. Some of the contents in it include identity and pop. Some of the subjects included in the book are history, journalism, and criticism. The source would be useful since it discusses The Village Voice, a publication that shaped how rock criticism would change in the 1960s. The source is Writing the Record: the Village Voice and the Birth of Rock Criticism by Devon Powers. It was published in 2013. From the few contents I can see, the book seems relatively well-organized. The intended audience is more generalists. Village Voice, when it was around, was meant for a general audience, and the book doesn't seem to have a scholarly bent. I found the book while searching through Crown Library.
Web Resources
Sources were found via google search
https://www.robertchristgau.com
Robert Cristagau.com is an archive of all the writings for the author, who is best known as a rock critic for Village Voice. The contents of the blog can be found on the left hand side. It includes the books he has published along with all of his writing across several decades. The website gives a look into music criticism in the modern day and how it has shifted across several decades. For people who are interested in reading old music writing, it could be a useful resource. Much of the websites Cristagau wrote for are no longer active and a significant part of culture is lost as a result.
The layout of the website is pretty user-friendly. Clicking on reviews will give you a bunch of different writing to explore. That is just one option of several different links to look through. The information is relatively up to date, though I cannot say how often it is updated. There is a bit of a bias as the website just collects one writers collection. There is no publication voice to keep things in check. But the content is still reliable. Cristagau was one of the foremost music critics for a long time. The intended audience is more generalist. People who want to keep up with Cristagau will find it useful. But it also shows a peek into what music criticism used to look like when rock music was just developing in the 60s. So historians and people with an academic bent can glean a lot from the writings.
. https://www.rockbackpages.com
Hoskyns, B. (Ed.). (n.d.). Music reviews, articles & interviews from the online library of pop writing. Rock's Backpages. https://www.rocksbackpages.com/
Rockbackpages is an archive of music journalism. The contents vary, depending on whether you have a subscription or not. You can search the library according to subject, publication, or author. Those are only a couple of the options. A subscription will open up even more content for a user to look through. It is a necessary resource for someone interested in music criticism. It allows access to over 50,000 articles that may not be available elsewhere.
Rockbackpages has a big team that makes up the website. Some are musicians, while others are writers. The subject matter is anything about music, boasting articles on Joni Mitchell and The Ramones on the front page. The information is well-organized, though it is overwhelming when you first enter the homepage. I didn't necessarily know what to click on. The website is updated weekly according to a note on the website. The information is relatively reliable. It operates like an archive with no real editorial bent besides a podcast Rockbackpages hosts. The website is useful for all sorts of people. It is useful for someone interested in diving into what old music criticism looks like. But scholarly writers can get a lot out of the website, too. Anyone with a passing interest in music criticism can get something out of Rockbackpages.
https://www.stereogum.com/
Lapatine, S. (Ed.). (2023, November 12). Stereogum. https://www.stereogum.com/
Stereogum is a music blog that was started in 2002. In the present day, it is one of the main sources of music criticism. The contents of the site can be seen through a toolbar on the top left corner. Some of the notable categories are Album of The Week and New Music. For people who are interested in how music criticism operates for the general public, the website is a necessary resource. It shows some of the balance a music publication must have, showing coverage of new music and more in-depth features. It is an invaluable tool for people who still want to keep up to date with music or someone with an academic interest, as it also gives some insight into the culture surrounding it. Along with a couple of other sites, it is one of the few places that covers pop and indie music equally. There is some built-in bias depending on who the writer for each article is. It is part of the reality of any kind of criticism; each person has inherent biases that are unavoidable. However, several editors are on staff to help ensure the information is as reliable as possible.
https://www.maximumrocknroll.com/
Yohannan, T. (2023, November 6). Home. MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL. https://www.maximumrocknroll.com/
Maximumrocknroll started as a physical magazine in the early 80s, covering punk and hardcore. It is now a website for covering anything that could be considered "underground." The website's contents can be found at the bottom, which includes columns, news, and more. The primary content is the reviews. You can find more recent ones, along with ones that date back to when it was a physical magazine. For someone interested in aggressive music, it can work as a guide as to whether to spend time listening to a particular record. And it is one of the few active places where you can find reviews of old records from the 80s.
Like a lot of places for music criticism, there is not one singular author. The website adheres to a general voice, which is conversational. There is a bit of a bias dating back to Maximumrocknroll's inception. The reviews were combative to the point where objectivity could not be claimed. But that was part of the magazine's allure in the first place. It served a particular audience that felt their preferred music was not covered by mainstream publications. It provides a different lens from which to view music criticism. It presents itself as the random person at the bar who knows much about music but is not snobby about it. Because of that, the intended audience is other music obsessives who need help deciding whether to listen to a particular album.
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