UC Santa Barbara

The study of musical styles, and their conventions and changes, is often focused simply on the styles’ characteristics. Previous research has focused on how specific musical features accrue meaning over time, but has given less attention to the role of individuals’ stylistic expertise in establishing and/or changing stylistic patterns. This dissertation aims to show how composers’ training in musical styles allows them to manifest musical references in ways unique to that composer. Building on existing work in topic theory and rock music analysis, the project asks: To what extent does the Beatles’ knowledgeable application of non-rock styles create a sound entirely their own? Topic theory is defined here as the study of conventionalized musical references and musical styles performed outside of their usual contexts, and their associated meanings. Based on a review of the literature on topic theory and rock music analysis, three non-rock styles in which the primary composing Beatles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison) possessed stylistic training and/or understanding were selected for analysis: North Indian (Hindustani) classical music, tape-based musique concrète, and the Victorian music hall. The band’s songs from 1965 to 1968 were analyzed for structural hallmarks of each style within the broader rock context. Analysis showed that knowledgeable references to Hindustani classical music, musique concrète, and the music hall are not only present in the Beatles’ music, but are also attached to particular associations. For example, characteristics of musique concrète appear alongside lyrics describing altered or alternative states of consciousness. The nature of music hall references correlates with the type of parody being explored in each song. The results indicate that for the Beatles, specific meanings are evoked through knowledgeable stylistic references, and expand on (and even create) the possibilities for making such musical references. Possible extensions for future research include: other musical topics and topical fields in the Beatles and 1960s British rock; analysis of the relationship between “exotic” topics and cultural power; expansions on the use of avant-garde Western art music more broadly in classic British and American rock; and investigation of topical combinations (troping) and meaning creation and/or specification in classic British rock.