This Must Be the Place - An Architectural History of Popular Music Performance Venues

This Must Be The Place is the first architectural history of popular music performance space, describing its beginnings, its different typologies, and its development into a distinctive genre of building design. It examines the design and form of popular music architecture and charts how it has been developed in ad-hoc ways by non-professionals such as building owners, promoters, and the musicians themselves as well as professionally by architects, designers, and construction specialists. With a primary focus on Europe and North America (and excursions to Australia, the Far East and South America), it explores audience experience and how venues have influenced the development of different musical scenes.

From music halls and Vaudeville in the 1800s, via the seminal clubs and theatres of the 20th century, to the large-scale multi-million-dollar arena concerts of today, this book explores the impact that the use of private and public space for performance has on our cities' urban identity, and, to a lesser extent, how rural space is perceived and used. Like architecture, popular music is neither static nor standardized; it continuously develops and has multiple strands. This Must Be The Place describes the factors that have determined the development of music venue architecture, focusing on both famous and less well-known examples from the smallest bar room music space to the largest stadium-filling rock set.

List of contents

List of Plates
List of Figures
Preface

1 Introduction: Popular Music, Architecture and the Home
2 Music Halls, Variety and Vaudeville
3 Juke Joints and Honky Tonks
4 Jazz Clubs, Social Clubs and Riverboats
5 Cabaret, Speakeasies and Supper Clubs
6 Pleasure Gardens, Ballrooms and Dance Halls
7 Pubs, Barrooms and Coffee Bars
8 Theatres, Halls and Auditoria
9 Festival Stages and Travelling Sets
10 Arenas
11 Record Scenes
12 Conclusion: The significance and value of popular music venues

Appendix I: Venue Types
Appendix II: Principle buildings described in the text
Bibliography
Index

About the author

Robert Kronenburg PhD RIBA is the Roscoe Professor of Architecture at the University of Liverpool. His research engages with innovative forms of architectural design, film and popular music. He is a past Fulbright fellow, visiting fellow at St. Johns College, Oxford University, and British Academy/Leverhulme Trust Senior Research Fellowship holder.

Summary

This Must Be The Place is the first architectural history of popular music performance space, describing its beginnings, its different typologies, and its development into a distinctive genre of building design. It examines the design and form of popular music architecture and charts how it has been developed in ad-hoc ways by non-professionals such as building owners, promoters, and the musicians themselves as well as professionally by architects, designers, and construction specialists. With a primary focus on Europe and North America (and excursions to Australia, the Far East and South America), it explores audience experience and how venues have influenced the development of different musical scenes.

From music halls and Vaudeville in the 1800s, via the seminal clubs and theatres of the 20th century, to the large-scale multi-million-dollar arena concerts of today, this book explores the impact that the use of private and public space for performance has on our cities’ urban identity, and, to a lesser extent, how rural space is perceived and used. Like architecture, popular music is neither static nor standardized; it continuously develops and has multiple strands. This Must Be The Place describes the factors that have determined the development of music venue architecture, focusing on both famous and less well-known examples from the smallest bar room music space to the largest stadium-filling rock set.

Foreword

The first architectural history of popular music performance space, describing its inception, development, and consolidation.

Additional text

Between 1900 and 1934, Magic-City was a vast area in Paris devoted to popular entertainment, often referred to as un temple de plaisirs populaires. Sadly nothing has survived of Magic-City’s ballrooms and music-halls – only a few photographs and postcards. The story of popular music performance venues is rooted in architecture and in cities. I’d like to think of Robert Kronenburg’s book as a wonderful tribute to all the Magic-City temples, past, present and future!

Product details

• Authors: Dr Robert (University of Liverpool Kronenburg, Robert Kronenburg, Robert (University of Liverpool Kronenburg
• Publisher: Bloomsbury
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.03.2019
• EAN: 9781501319280
• ISBN: 978-1-5013-1928-0
• No. of pages: 304
• Subject: Humanities, art, music > Art > Architecture