- published: 20 Jul 2012
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Although background music was by the end of the 20th century generally identified with Muzak or elevator music, there are several stages in the development of this concept.
In the Baroque and Classical music era music could be performed as a background to other activities. For instance:
Incidental music is music in a play, radio/tv program or some other form that is not primarily musical, adding atmosphere to the action. It can be dated back at least as far as Greek drama. A number of classical composers have written incidental music for various plays.
Furniture music was an invention of Erik Satie around 1920. This type of "background music" fell into oblivion when the composer died a few years later, and was not again executed until it was rediscovered several decades later. Typical of Furniture music are short musical passages, with an indefinite number of repeats.
Elevator music is a more general term indicating music that is played in rooms where many people come together (that is, with no intention whatsoever to listen to music). There is a specific sound associated with elevator music, usually involving themes from "soft" popular music or "light" classical music being worked over by slow strings. This type of music was produced, for instance, by the Mantovani Orchestra, and conductors like Franck Pourcel and James Last, peaking in popularity around the 1970s.
Actors: Tupac Shakur (actor), Darryl McDaniels (actor), Mos Def (actor), Debi Mazar (actress), KRS-One (actor), Joseph Simmons (actor), Sway (actor), Muhammad Ali (actor), Eminem (actor), Ahmir-Khalib Thompson (actor), Talib Kweli (actor), Shelly Tatro (producer), Kool Moe Dee (actor), Ghostface Killah (actor), Michael Hirschorn (producer),
Plot: From neighborhood ciphers to the most notorious MC battles, "Freestyle: the Art of Rhyme" captures the electrifying energy of improvisational hip-hop--the rarely recorded art form of rhyming spontaneously. Like preachers and jazz solos, freestyles exist only in the moment, a modern-day incarnation of the African-American storytelling tradition. Shot over a period of more than seven years, it is already an underground cult film in the hip-hop world. The film systematically debunks the false image put out by record companies that hip-hop culture is violent or money-obsessed. Instead, it lets real hip-hop artists, known and unknown, weave their story out of a passionate mix of language, politics, and spirituality.
Keywords: audience, battle, competition, freestyle, hip-hop, improvisation, live-performances, rap, rap-music, rapper