Progressive pop is a subgenre within the rock music. The term is often shortened to prog rock or simply as prog and at times people refer to the subgenre as art rock. Before the term progressive rock came into existence, the subgenre was referred to as progressive pop. The main country of origin of progressive pop was the United Kingdom and the subgenre was developed in an attempt to elevate the genre.
Although the main country of development was the United Kingdom, several other countries also took part in developing the subgenre even further. Some of the most notable countries are Italy, France, and Germany. Scandinavian prog rock is just one of the many versions that later emerged based on the country of origin. The parent genre of music from which progressive pop emerged was psychedelic rock.
The subgenre started being developed in mid 1960s and continued throughout 1970s. The primary reason for development was to give credibility and higher artistic weight to the music of the time. Compositional methods and instrumentation was now being borrowed from classical music and jazz. This was done so that the genre could earn more critical respect and be more sophisticated like other genres.
The danceable beats that earlier characterized the old version were abandoned or incorporated to a lesser extent. Instead, lyrical content, rhythm, compositional structure, and harmony started being incorporated more. Thus, the listener has to put in more effort in order to understand and enjoy the songs. The subgenre borrows musical styles from a number of other genres such as folk and jazz, making it even more sophisticated.
The song structure of verse/chorus form that dominates popular music is often avoided in prog pop. Artists play around with sections of the song to produce classical-style suites that cannot be accomplished in most popular genres. Thematic unity between sections is emphasized to achieve harmony. Dynamic contrast is often attained through transitions between acoustic and electric sections. Group improvisation is also a common technique that bands employ.
Progressive pop gives more emphasis to the whole band than to individuals. The traditional idea of a single, dominant singer being accompanied by a band is dropped in this subgenre and instead the whole group given priority. Most songs have a length of between three and five minutes, but really long pieces also exist. For instance, it is uncommon to come across songs that run for as long as twenty minutes.
The reception of this subgenre by the public was mixed. There was a great amount of criticism as well as critical acclaim since the year it was launched. Many have described it as being parallel to classical music composed by some of the most renowned artists in the music industry. Criticism resulted from the desire by many artists to expand the boundaries of the subgenre even more.
The desire to expand boundaries was often accompanied by dismissal of mainstream pop music by some musicians. Such dismissiveness was viewed as a sign of elitism. The subgenre also presented exotic themes in songs that most adolescents in Britain could not identify with because of bad economic situation at the time.
Although the main country of development was the United Kingdom, several other countries also took part in developing the subgenre even further. Some of the most notable countries are Italy, France, and Germany. Scandinavian prog rock is just one of the many versions that later emerged based on the country of origin. The parent genre of music from which progressive pop emerged was psychedelic rock.
The subgenre started being developed in mid 1960s and continued throughout 1970s. The primary reason for development was to give credibility and higher artistic weight to the music of the time. Compositional methods and instrumentation was now being borrowed from classical music and jazz. This was done so that the genre could earn more critical respect and be more sophisticated like other genres.
The danceable beats that earlier characterized the old version were abandoned or incorporated to a lesser extent. Instead, lyrical content, rhythm, compositional structure, and harmony started being incorporated more. Thus, the listener has to put in more effort in order to understand and enjoy the songs. The subgenre borrows musical styles from a number of other genres such as folk and jazz, making it even more sophisticated.
The song structure of verse/chorus form that dominates popular music is often avoided in prog pop. Artists play around with sections of the song to produce classical-style suites that cannot be accomplished in most popular genres. Thematic unity between sections is emphasized to achieve harmony. Dynamic contrast is often attained through transitions between acoustic and electric sections. Group improvisation is also a common technique that bands employ.
Progressive pop gives more emphasis to the whole band than to individuals. The traditional idea of a single, dominant singer being accompanied by a band is dropped in this subgenre and instead the whole group given priority. Most songs have a length of between three and five minutes, but really long pieces also exist. For instance, it is uncommon to come across songs that run for as long as twenty minutes.
The reception of this subgenre by the public was mixed. There was a great amount of criticism as well as critical acclaim since the year it was launched. Many have described it as being parallel to classical music composed by some of the most renowned artists in the music industry. Criticism resulted from the desire by many artists to expand the boundaries of the subgenre even more.
The desire to expand boundaries was often accompanied by dismissal of mainstream pop music by some musicians. Such dismissiveness was viewed as a sign of elitism. The subgenre also presented exotic themes in songs that most adolescents in Britain could not identify with because of bad economic situation at the time.
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