Introduction: Musical Borrowing and Quotation in the Twentieth and Twenty-first Centuries

How has quotation been used in the music of the past quarter century or so, and what has been its purpose? Can parallels be drawn between the motivations and interests of present-day composers, performers and musicians working in often widely divergent areas? What have been the effects of quotation on our understanding of contemporary music and how have critics and audiences responded to it? This special issue attempts to address these questions and engages with some of the most important concepts to have arisen in relation to musical quotation. It will set out to do this by taking a closer look at a number of recent styles, idioms, movements and practices, ranging from postmodernist appropriations of Mahler, via minimalism and postminimalism to contemporary music, opera, rock and hip-hop. Each article approaches quotation in today’s music from a different angle, offering theoretical perspectives, historical overviews, cultural critiques or analytical insights in order to question and challenge the often held belief that quotation has gone hand-in-hand with a perceived lack of creative endeavour or is somehow indicative of artistic mediocrity. On the contrary, some of the most exciting and innovative music composed during the last few decades have harnessed the principles of borrowing and quotation to very creative and imaginative ends