Crossover : boundaries, hybridity, and the problem of opposing cultures

Classical crossover is a term regularly used but not yet adequately defined. This thesis attempts to redress this imbalance through a study of the relationships between high and low musical cultures. Starting from the separation of highbrow and lowbrow, the concepts of genre and musical taste are considered in relation to their connections to social hierarchies, leading to an analysis of what happens when they hybridise. Sociological scholarship, cultural criticism and contemporary musicology are combined to offer insights into ways in which we can control music, and ways in which music can control us, with particular emphasis on the field of classical crossover. Case studies reflecting issues of aesthetic preference, celebrity and image, promotion and marketing, and expanding demographic access feature as part of a broader examination of the benefits and drawbacks of cross-cultural collaborations. This thesis clearly shows that generic affinity no longer defines either audience identity or social status, and that musicology's ideas of public reception, informed by social theory, are no longer relevant. It proposes that crossover indicates music that crosses boundaries of public reception, and that these boundaries can be unconsciously or deliberately manipulated. It recognises a need to keep pace with social change, and a need to reevaluate the separation of classical, popular, and non-Western cultures, both in musicology and in other humanities disciplines.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo