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.