STYLE: A clustering of traits within a form. Sound patterns of a period, epoch, location, or composer that are most redundant, recurrent, transparent, or formally consistent, a core reflection of a place or time that evolves, is mastered, then discarded or superseded. (Steve Feld)
| 1) Style is a reflection of class forces | In 20th century American music, style is almost entirely an ethnic working class phenomenon |
| 2) Style has its basis in recreation through ritual | Perpetuated through performance. Mutable and fluid |
| 3) Media of dominant class is used to define and legitimate style | Radio and recordings drove the basis for stylistic definition in music |
| 4) Dominant culture's stereotypes must be accepted and transcended | By ethnic working class |
| 5) First efforts by ethnic working class communities to work through the stereotypes and the media borrow from "high" and "popular" culture, while second efforts towards the same attempt to repudiate earlier efforts |
Displacement of acoustic by electric AM radio replaced by TV and FM radio Re-emergence of acoustic |
| 6) Style has hegemonic thrust |
a) As it works out the implications of the form b) in terms of inclusion and exclusion principles |