Journal 4

Genre is essentially the defining factor of any composed work. It dictates the context of the work as well as the audience it is intended for. When composing a work, the genre is one of the main concepts to be taken into consideration. When considering the audience that you would like to appeal to, genre choice is extremely important. Audiences identify with genres through interests and personality types. In regards to reading a text or observing a work of art, the genre will help the audience understand the context of the work. The genre of a work can be very vague or it can be extremely specific, depending on the context of the work and its intended audience. Genre also has a large impact on a work considering the circulation and distribution process. Depending on the genre and the feedback it receives from its audience, a work will can be determined as one of the better works of a specific genre. For example, if I would like to watch a comedy movie, comedy being the specific genre, I would look to specific movies that have received positive feedback as a comedy movie. A work can be considered mediocre as a work itself, but be praised in its specific genre. For example, some scary movies are terribly made and have bad plots, making them bad movies, but they get the job done to scare the intended audience, making them successful in their specific genres. These examples relate to why genre is so important to consider when composing a work. The work has to appeal to the audience interested in which ever genre it is that you intend to appeal to.  When I consider the concept of genre, I realize that many composers stick within one specific genre. Musicians for example, won’t usually make a rap song and then a country song. It is better to work within one genre and gain a sense of understanding for that specific genre rather than experimenting with others. This concept of sticking to a specific genre does not only apply to musicians, all composers of work generally stick to the genre that defines their work best.