popular music

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popular music

Also known as: pop music

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Mar 14, 2024 • Article History

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Category: Arts & Culture

Key People:: George Gershwin; Bob Dylan; Frank Sinatra; Elvis Presley; Michael Jackson

Related Topics:: jazz; rock; nueva canción; rhythm and blues; African popular music

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popular music, any commercially oriented music principally intended to be received and appreciated by a wide audience, generally in literate, technologically advanced societies dominated by urban culture. Unlike traditional folk music, popular music is written by known individuals, usually professionals, and does not evolve through the process of oral transmission. Historically, popular music was any non-folk form that acquired mass popularity—from the songs of the medieval minstrels and troubadours to those elements of fine-art music originally intended for a small elite audience but that became widely popular. After the Industrial Revolution, true folk music began to disappear, and the popular ...(100 of 416 words)

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