"Despite all that has been argued to demonstrate to the contrary, it is tradition that makes the folk-song a distinct genre, both as to text and music.”
-Fannie H. Eckstorm and Phillips Barry
Home What is Ostinato, Anyway? My Theory of Ostinato Protest Music History of the Protest Song Awesome References
Wow, this sounds just like...that other band. When listening to the new releases, ever get the feeling that you've heard almost the same song before? I sure have, and that's exactly why, first year of college, I decided to study music for my honors term paper. The development of music is both linear and cyclical in what I like to call the “ostinato effect“, where the art of music continues to evolve and develop, while at the same time continually recycles old material. For reasons that are not quite clear, whether it be the feeling of nostalgic familiarity, a lack of imagination, or just the natural flow of gradual change, completely new styles of music emerge very slowly. This “Darwinistic” behavior can account for the notable similarities between different musical genres, no matter how obviously different they seem to be at first listen. The ostinato effect reflects the tendency of musical themes to be reused over several decades or time periods; so long as the social and political environment allows for a similar situation. Some commonly reused themes are dissatisfaction with the government, social awakening, and unemployment, particularly when considering protest music.