A Challenge to Monolithic Elitism: Eclecticism in Rock Music

Abstract

This project aims to explore how eclecticism reflected in rock music as a sign of postmodern culture, explain the cultural background and expression intention of it by musical analysis, then apply the relative theory of Jonathan Kramer in his Postmodern Music, Postmodern Listening. As a characteristic of musical postmodernism, eclecticism changed the original features of rock music and led it to a fresh style which broke through its own performance category, to show new connotations and values. By elucidating how rock musicians use eclecticism to deny the authoritative value represented by traditional classical music, it can be seen that in a specific historical context, an anti authority voice sounded outside the traditional historical line of music, which has changed the single line historical narrative. Through the acceptance of music style that were considered noble in the past, rock music became a powerful force to challenge the value made by monolithic elitism, and successfully created an environment in which multiple voices can exist.