John Covach: "The Long Song: Extended Form in Popular Music"

Most twentieth-century songs in the popular style are of relatively short duration, clocking in at about three to five minutes in length. But there are also songs (or pieces) that stretch beyond this typical duration to reach as much as ten, twenty, or even forty minutes in length. This presentation will explore how such “long songs” employ extended form, outlining a number of formal strategies and possibilities while drawing on music from across the twentieth century, including film musicals of the 1930s and 40s, jazz of the 1940s and 50s, psychedelic rock and ambitious pop from the 1960s, and progressive rock since 1970. This event is free and open to the public.

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