Classics and Popular Music (the C. May Marston Annual Lecture 2017)

Owen Ewald (Seattle Pacific)
Seattle Pacific University, Demaray Hall, Room 150

Classical literature has inspired popular music of the last six decades in often surprising ways.  Four ancient genres-epic, tragedy, philosophy, and historical writing-seem to have the most influence on Anglophone popular music from Bob Dylan to Sarah Dougher.  Some examples are brief allusions or metaphors, but others rework ancient narratives or evenoffer creative translations set to music.