Lines of longitude and latitude. Defining text genres in popular music discourse

This paper explores the discourse of popular music (PMD) and the complex
ways in which language is used to represent popular music (PM). After tracing the
development of PMD, which established itself as a self-standing type of discourse notably
after the rise of rock 'n' roll as a significant phenomenon of mass culture, this paper
examines – through a qualitative analysis – the interrelation and characteristics of three
main PMD genres: musicology, musicography, and musical biography. Musicology
genres, typically authored by music experts, are found to offer top-down categorization
and precise analyses of PM as an object of art and craftsmanship and, as such, an object of
study and investigation. Musicography genres, mostly written by journalists and critics,
focus on the organisation and canonisation of PM as an ongoing process of collective
creation. Biography genres, written by musicians themselves or by their acolytes and
collaborators, disclose the musicians’ personal sphere and present PM as the product of
their subjective and emotive creativity. This study highlights the varying rhetorical and
semiotic strategies employed in each genre, aiming to contribute to a deeper understanding
of PMD as a multifaceted and socially significant discourse practice, revealing how
different genres shape and reflect our perception of PM.