The increased flow of cultural artefacts and practices brought about by the internet has both expanded the possibilities of musical practice whilst simultaneously advancing the cross-pollination of musical forms (see Reynolds, 2012). If every cultural experience is now readily accessible and the ease with which cultural works are produced, is it time we reappraise the role of the contemporary composer? This paper seeks to present a critical analysis of the effects that the information age has had on the compositional approach to genre during the 21st century and argues that a new taxonomy is now required to better locate a composer within the increasingly interconnected cultural space they now reside in (see Grossberg, 2002).

Through an interrogation of the stylistic cross-pollination exhibited by diverse contemporary artists such as Vulfpeck, Punch Brothers and Joby Talbot, this paper shall locate those cultural issues which are unique to our time. Once located, the artistic reaction to these issues (among them the recursive culture of “retro” (see Reynolds, 2012), the dangerous protectionism of genre distinctions (see Moore, 2002) and the rise of the musical auteur) shall be analysed both with reference to the previous examples and within the author's own compositional work. Through this analysis it shall become apparent that the issues presented challenge the concept of 'the composer' as a genre-based, locationally-situated, author of music.

By way of conclusion this paper shall propose a new compositional taxonomy that will better help composers both understand their cultural works and locate their role within the vastly expanded aesthetic in which they now live.

References

Reynolds, S. Retromania: Pop Culture's addiction to its own past (Faber and Faber, 2012)
Grossberg, L. Reflections of a disappointed Popular Music Scholar, in Rock Over The Edge (Duke University Press, 2002)
Moore, A. Authenticity as Authentication, in Popular Music Vol. 21, No. 2 (Cambridge University Press, May 2002)