Up@dawn 2.0

Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Forbidden Music



The idea that some music should be forbidden is one that has been around since the Middle Ages. During the Gregorian era, most music was written for praise and worship; so naturally it was intended to sound angelic. Because of this, certain chords known as Tritones were forbidden for their dark and evil sound which can be heard here…

This combination of notes was named “diablos in musica” or the devil in music by the Gregorian Church, and was said to bring forth evil spirits. Due to this stigma, musicians who made the mistake of playing a triton were severely punished or even executed. As time passed, the tritone began to become accepted, and found its first home in Jazz music, and can be found in many forms of music today including Metal, Rock, and Hip-hop. As we have seen throughout history, these same genres have been forbidden by certain sectors in society due to their unconventional styles and lyrics. Beginning in the 50’s Rock and Roll was hated by the older generations for its raunchiness and hints of sexuality. It too was labeled “the devil’s music” by certain groups. By the time the Beatles had invaded America and found their way onto every teenager’s radio, it had begun to become more accepted, but this was only temporary. The rise of a call to civil rights led musicians such as The Beatles to become more politically motivated in their writing and so it was labeled as another source of brainwashing for the youth. The reaction to such music by the older communities can be seen here...
But again, it was slowly allowed to exist and so Rock music became less of a taboo in the world until a new sub-genre was formed; Metal. The dark and sinister tone of Metal set many people of the divine faith into a fit during the latter part of the 70’s. It implemented one of the most formally “forbidden” tritone chords of all; that being the minor 2nd. The dissonant sound of this chord can be heard in the music of artists such as Black Sabbath or Iron Maiden and was again instantly labeled “the devil’s music.” The difference between classic rock and metal is the fact that Metal embraced this stereotype and used it to its advantage. People like Ozzy Ozbourne took it as far as to do something like this…


Yes, that’s a real bat, pretty gross. But as  the saying goes, time heals all wounds, and as world moved on, Metal became more accepted. As the fear of Metal began to fade, the fear of Hip-hop began to rise. The emergence of hip-hop brought the label of a “criminal’s music” and was the most lyrically explicit type of music to date. The vocal technique of rapping was also branded as chanting by certain constructs and again was deemed as satanic. The combination of controversial lyrics, sometimes dark sounding music, and an unconventional culture made hip-hop one of the most stigmatic forms of music of all time. Because of this, it was banned in many neighborhoods and could only be consumed by those above the age of eighteen. Society’s expectations and rules had yet again put a choke hold on self-expression.

2 comments:

  1. I don't guess time healed the bat.

    Healthy self-expression is both therapeutic and instructive. But some self-expression is unhealthy, no? How would you draw that distinction (even if you wouldn't want to invoke it or actually prohibit any particular forms of expression)?

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  2. I don't think that anyone can draw the line when it comes to self expression. Art and self expression is a release of emotion for its creator, and I don't think anyone should or can be restricted about how they feel. It's a double-edged sword in many ways because art also influences other people, no doubt. I think the best way to handle harmful self-expression is with a balanced and strong upbringing that allows individuals to interpret and dissect different types of art without letting it get to their head.

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