Simon Frith

Initially it is difficult to understand the meaning Frith places on the terms “gestures” and “utterances”. Though, he states both are ways of making meaning in music:

…what is the relationship between the voice as a carrier of sounds, the singing voice, making “gestures,” and the voice as a carrier of words, the speaking voice, making “utterances”? The issue is not meaning (words)

Since reading this assignment in class I have been unable to just listen to music. Now I break it down, and get so involved that the song is over before I know it. Finally, Frith is stating that we listen to music in many different ways, consciously and unconsciously, and all at the same time. We can hear the voice as an instrument or as a body, but we also hear it as a person or a character. As we listen to music we break it down into the components that are most important to us whether it be the gestures or the utterances. Frith says that we listen to music in four ways: as an instrument, body, person, and character, and that we can hear the voice as all at the same time.

From this, the reader begins to understand that Frith defines “gestures” as the sounds a song makes; the music, the notes, the melody, and so on. “Utterances” are defined as words or lyrics of the song; they tell what a song is about. These words bring up the conflict of words versus music in the way we listen to and interpret music, what means more to us on a personal level the music or the words for the music?

A person’s voice is easy to change, making it a matter of personal identity. We use voices to identify people and to tell what their mood is.

When people speak, it is their voice that sort of gives them away. As “experienced listeners” we can tell if a person is happy, sad, mad or being sarcastic. Singers become different people in their music, in a sense “lying” to their fans. They become different people as the songs, and music change. For just that song they are “experts” on the subject (love, life or whatever the case may be). Take Destiny’s Child for example, they began the group with four girls: Le Toya, Beyoncé, Kelly, and La Tavia. All of them best friends since they were young, yet Destiny’s Child fell apart. Beyoncé and Kelly went on introducing two new members: Michelle and Farrah. Once again friends since they were little. One day Farrah left and it has been Beyoncé, Kelly and Michelle ever since. Yet, with these terrible separations you feel as if you could go to them and ask them for their advice on a fight that you had with your best friend the day before. Or Jennifer Lopez and her marital status, divorced two times and soon to wed the male heartthrob Ben Affleck. When she sings a love song you believe that you could talk to her about your love life. By listening to the music and reading the lyrics, these artists take their fans to a “fantasy” world by leading them on for the duration of the song, and then it is back to reality the harsh truth of real life.

Some topics in this essay:
Backstreet Boys, Music Frith, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Destiny’s Child, Michael Jackson, Ben Affleck, Finally Frith, River” Throughout, Kid Rock, listen music, backstreet boys, destiny’s child, *n sync, meaning music, “backup” singers, “boy bands”, model femininity, kid rock, beyoncé kelly, instrument body person, backstreet boys *n, male backstreet boys, boys *n sync, body person character,