Performed Literature: Words and Music by Bob DylanBob Dylan is not a poet. He is a singer-songwriter, a performing artist. The unit of his art, as collected and documented by his intended audience, is the live performance. Right now, no existing technological tool can give researchers ready access to his entire corpus of work. Revised from the author's Ph.D. dissertation (UC Berkeley, 1978) and again from its first edition (Indiana UP, 1982), Performed Literature develops a methodology for close analysis of verbal art that is heard, not seen, using as comparative examples 24 performances of 11 songs by Bob Dylan. The second edition adds a preface, two major appendices and one minor one, and a detailed index. |
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Page 33
... Throughout the song , the drum's steadiness provides security . Its one repeated variation sets apart the sung line that tells what the narrator can offer to the lady . Dylan's harmonica also spotlights the " warehouse " line — not during ...
... Throughout the song , the drum's steadiness provides security . Its one repeated variation sets apart the sung line that tells what the narrator can offer to the lady . Dylan's harmonica also spotlights the " warehouse " line — not during ...
Page 78
... through this song is not the sense but the sound of the lyrics , in rhyme and assonance / consonance that appear even in print . Poetic meter holds its own against musical beat , as well , and the harmonica is no more voicelike than are ...
... through this song is not the sense but the sound of the lyrics , in rhyme and assonance / consonance that appear even in print . Poetic meter holds its own against musical beat , as well , and the harmonica is no more voicelike than are ...
Page 98
... song over with . The tempo actually speeds up during the course of the song . Beginning at M.M. d = 112 , it increases to about 116 and then , during the first refrain , to 120 ( the tempo of the studio version ) . The musicians tend to ...
... song over with . The tempo actually speeds up during the course of the song . Beginning at M.M. d = 112 , it increases to about 116 and then , during the first refrain , to 120 ( the tempo of the studio version ) . The musicians tend to ...
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Common terms and phrases
aesthetic ain't album alliteration appear artistic audience Babe Baby beat becomes begins Blues Bob Dylan breaks chords closing comes concert continues contrast couplet create culture drums Dylan's voice effect emotional example express eyes fall feel female final follow four fourth give guitar hard harmonica Idiot Wind imagery instrumental Isis it's Italy John lady lead leave less listener live Lonely looking mark meaning measures Miss move narrator narrator's never notes opening oppositions organ outtake patterns performance phrase pitch plays poetic rain recorded refer refrain released repeated response rhyme rock Rolling Stone sad-eyed scene seems sense shift Side sings song song's sound stands stanza structure studio suggests sung tell third throughout tradition understand verse vocal voice Warner Bros woman words York