Editors’ Introduction
On (Examining) the Popularization of Brass Music
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/jwpm.33364Keywords:
brass bands, popular music, twenty- first century, hybridity, transformationAbstract
Brass music across various regions appears to be undergoing a moment of (re)new(ed) visibility and cultural re- (e)valuation. Today, brass bands appear on major stages, participate in large- scale festivals, and engage in different forms of socio- political resistance. These developments raise broader questions about parallels, divergences, and regionally specific dynamics in the global dissemination and transformation of brass music. This special issue reflects upon brass music’s changes and continuities since the 1990s and examines how brass music has become popular— or has failed to do so— within particular musical, cultural, social, political, and historical contexts.
The articles in this issue resonate with the growing body of international scholarship indicating that recent developments in brass music are neither uniform nor linear. Rather, they reflect regionally specific negotiations with broader sociocultural transformations, including globalization, urbanization, digital media proliferation, postcolonial reconfigurations, and evolving conceptions of identity and community.
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