Alan W. Pollack
Alan W. Pollack | |
|---|---|
| Origin | United States |
| Occupation(s) | Musicologist,professor |
Alan W. Pollackis an Americanmusicologistbest known for having analyzed every song released by the English rock bandthe Beatles.
He started the task in 1989 and finished in 2000, with 187 original songs and 25 cover songs. The analyses have come to be known as the "Notes on..." series, as each is entitled "Notes on 'Love Me Do' "," Notes on 'Help!' "etc. The notes were released weekly, usually on Wednesdays, on the rec.music.beatlesusenetgroup.[1]
Academic career
[edit]Pollack holds a B.A. in Music fromBrooklyn Collegeand both an M.A. and PhD from theUniversity of Pennsylvaniain Music Theory and Composition. He was an instructor of music theory and composition atYale Universityfrom 1975 to 1977. From 1978 through 2013 he pursued a career in software engineering. Since 2014 he has been working as a freelance classical pianist and musical commentator.
The Beatles
[edit]Gary Burns, editor of the journalPopular Music and Society,groups Pollack with authors and academics such asWilfrid Mellers,Terence J. O'Grady andWalter Everettwho have each advanced the field of musicological study into the Beatles' work.[2]
Pollack's song analyses and comments on unifying themes were later incorporated by Everett in his two-volume studyThe Beatles as Musicians(1999; 2001).[3]The "Notes on…" series is also among the "Recommended Resources" in author and criticKenneth Womack's 2014 bookThe Beatles Encyclopedia.[4]
References
[edit]- ^Stone, Nick."Deconstructing the Beatles: Alan Pollack's 'Notes On...' Series".Learning Musician.Retrieved18 October2010.[dead link]
- ^Burns, Gary (2009). "Beatles News: Product line extensions and the rock canon". In Womack, Kenneth (ed.).The Cambridge Companion to the Beatles.Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p. 228.ISBN978-0-521-68976-2.
- ^Everett, Walter (2001).The Beatles as Musicians: The Quarry Men Through Rubber Soul.New York, NY: Oxford University Press. pp. xvi, 283, 286, 399.ISBN0-19-514105-9.
- ^Womack, Kenneth (2014).The Beatles Encyclopedia: Everything Fab Four.Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. p. 1081.ISBN978-0-313-39171-2.
External links
[edit]- Pollack's "Notes On" Series
- Alan W. Pollack's musicological journey through the Beatles' songs by Ger Tillekens
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