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19 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Musical Cultures
Difficult to know how old a musical tradition may be. Difficult to know how an oral musical tradition may have changed over time. Some cultures strive to keep their sacred music traditions intact. Other cultures view music as changing as life changes. |
Musical Cultures
Music reflects the society that embraces it. Little music in the world has not undergone changes over time. People adapt their music to what they like; they aren’t too concerned with what other people THINK they should like |
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Music and Society
Music reflects the society which creates it. Each society creates the music that it wants. To understand a culture’s music, it is imperative to understand something about the culture itself |
Music as Reflection of
Society It is important to understand how music FUNCTIONS in the society in which it is produced. For example: In Gambia, the professional musician, called the “jali,” is both a historian (keeper of the genealogy) and official singer of praises. |
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Mandinka Society of
Gambia Mandinka society has social classes. Those in the highest classes have stature and status. Thus, it is important to know one’s genealogy because it determines what type of job a person can have and how one is viewed by others. |
The “Jali” of Madinka
Society The “jali” thus keeps this information alive through singing the praises and history of the patron who hires him. The “jali” has considerable power and can even determine questions of inheritance as the keeper of genealogy and family traditions. |
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Music in the United States:
An Example of Diversity Classical music--an “elitist” activity. Formal performances. Music performed is mostly from past centuries (between 100 and 250 years old!). Audience expected to exhibit specific behaviors. Relatively few composers are represented in concert programs |
Music in the United States:
An Example of Diversity Other types of music within United States culture. Popular music--especially enjoyed by young people. Jazz--a more narrow audience, but an enthusiastic one. Both types of music are shared through both recordings and live performances. Ethnic music--music that reflects the myriad sub-cultures present in United States society |
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Music in the United States:
An Example of Diversity American music tells us much about the United States. Extremely diverse culture--distinctions among ethnic groups are both preserved and lost over time. New music is constantly being produced, performed, marketed, and distributed. |
Society is fragmented in many ways, but
it is also unified in others--e.g., national songs/patriotic music functions to create unity within diversityMusic in the United States: Some Observations Music used primarily for entertainment. Separation of popular and classical music--and typically, their audiences. |
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Music can divide groups as well as bring
diverse groups together. World Music: Five Musical Areas of the World North America and Europe Latin America and the Caribbean Sub-Saharan Africa Middle East and North Africa Asia and the Pacific Islands |
World Music: Commonalities
Among Areas All have cultures that have created a sophisticated, “classical” type of music. Music is performed by trained, professional musicians. All have non-literate cultures whose music is oral/aural and not regulated by concepts of music theory. Music is performed by most members of society |
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World Music: Commonalities
Among Areas All have cultures that have created a sophisticated, “classical” type of music. Music is performed by trained, professional musicians. All have non-literate cultures whose music is oral/aural and not regulated by concepts of music theory. Music is performed by most members of society |
World Music: Commonalities
Among Areas Two types of music lie between the “classical” and “oral/aural” traditions--folk music and popular music. Folk music is often generations old and is performed in rural areas away from the urban, educated elite. Popular music is short-lived, commercial, and aimed at a typically urban audience. |
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Attitudes Toward Music
of the Past In the United States and Europe, concert music is revered and usually hundreds of years old. In oral/aural traditions, music may be viewed differently. Some cultures use works of the past as basis for improvisation (e.g., India and Japan). In some cultures music is living and flexible. Music of the past is constantly turning into music of the present. |
World Music: Texture
European and American Music-- underlying principles are polyphony (several lines of music moving at once) and harmony (chords formed by these lines). Africa--rhythm is the most salient element of music. Rest of the world--mostly one melody with an interesting rhythmic accompaniment |
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World Music: Melody
European and American classical music- -melody and text together are important; generally can’t be separated. Other cultures--melody is paramount. Iran--singers improvise on a basic melody. India--sitar players weave a complex melody over a repeated drone (two low notes that sound over and over). Japan--Shakuhachi (end-blown flute) players use every melodic possibility available from bending pitches to playing “between the notes. |
World Music: Rhythm
European and American classical and popular music are rhythmically pretty simple. Africa--very complex rhythmic patterns are played on drums, gourds, rattles, and body (e.g., clapping, slapping, stomping). Several complex rhythms produced simultaneously = polyrhythms. |
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World Music: Rhythm
Dance music of Mexico, Venezuela, Argentina: Three-beat and two-beat patterns alternate. Indian classical music: Intricate rhythmic patterns for drumming; must be studied for years to learn all of them |
World Music: Tone ColorVoices (examples)
Vocal sounds range from very relaxed, smooth and flowing (European tradition) to tense, strained sounds (Native American tradition). Tibet, Mongolia, Siberia--two tones at once. Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan (fast, clean runs with trills and ornaments). |
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World Music: Tone ColorInstruments (categories)
Chordophones (strings) Sound produced by bowing or plucking. Aerophones (winds) Sound produced by blowing. Membranophones (drums) Sound produced by striking a stretched material over a hollow object. Idiophones (scrapers, gongs, triangles, etc.) Sound produced by striking, shaking, or waving a solid object. |
World Music: Tone
Color-- Instruments Types of instruments used by a culture depend on raw materials available to make them. Africa--wood, animal skins, and animal horns. China--bronze (gongs and chimes). |
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World Music:
Percussion Instruments Largest class of instruments in the world: Can be pitched (e.g., xylophone, chimes, bells, gongs, kettle drums). Can be non-pitched (e.g., snare drum, rattles, shakers, gourds). Can be produced by human body (e.g., hand clapping, foot stomping). |
World Music:
Percussion Instruments Some European instruments have counterparts in other cultures. They may be played differently and constructed with different materials. Other instruments have no European counterpart. Examples: Mbira of Africa--thin metal strips fastened to a small wooden box; played with thumbs. Didjeridoo of Australia--long hollowedout eucalyptus branch played like a trumpet. |
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World Music: Social
Contexts (examples) Part of Ceremonies or Group Activities Most common context = dance Facilitate work Part of traditional theater To demonstrate refinement Part of spiritual rituals Cure illnesses Distinguish among age and gender groups |
World Music:
Participation of Women Closely defined and often severely restricted (examples) Japanese Kabuki theater and Chinese traditional opera--all performed by men. Some cultures--women can sing but not play instruments. Islamic countries--women only sing at weddings. Korea--both men and women sing narrative songs. Pwo Karen people of Northern Thailand-- both women and men sing funeral songs. |
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World Music: Time
European and American 20th century-- performance length is fairly conventional. Classical concert--2 hours with a 15 or 20 minute intermission. Usually starts at 8:00 PM and ends at about 10:00 PM. Rock concert--can be longer. Religious (church) services. Modern--often last about 1 hour. In Bach’s time, possibly lasted 4 hours. |
World Music: Time
Peyote Ceremony of Native American Culture--9 days and nights with hundreds of songs. Pygmies of Africa--sing to forest every night over period of months. |
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Listening to Music From
Around the World Japanese Shakuhachi Music Shakuhachi--a bamboo flute with five finger holes. Blown from one end. Name means “one and eight tenths”-- based on the exact length of the instrument. Music has a mystical quality. Played by masters. Requires high levels of control and subtlety of expression. |
Listening to Music From
Around the World Music and Islam--A Turkish Call to Prayer. Thought of by Muslims as a heightened recitation rather than as music. Heard five times a day; echoes from the top of a minaret--tall tower of a mosque. Sharia (Muslim) law provides detailed instructions for what types of musical entertainment are acceptable. Work songs, family or celebratory music, singing of noble poetry are OK. Sensuous music is not OK |
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Listening to Music From
Around the World African Drumming and Mbira Music: Africa contains several hundred ethnic groups. Today’s countries were created by European dominance and colonization. Diversity of social organization, language, ethnicity, race, and religion is reflected in music. |
African Drumming and
Mbira Music Generalizations about African Music Broad cultural division between Northern Africa (more like Middle East) and Sub-Saharan Africa (what we think of as “African”). Sub-Saharan African music has some common elements of context, style, aesthetics, and practice. |
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Sub-Saharan African
Music--Generalizations Music is strongly associated with dance. Numerous instruments are used; they are widespread throughout the continent. Percussion is heavily favored (drums and others). Polyphonic (multiple) sounds predominate. Melodies are made up of repetition, variation, and improvisation on short melodic fragments (called motives). Two most widespread instruments = drum and mbira |
The Mbira
Mbira--consists of a small wooden box or gourd with a row of thin metal strips attached to it. Plucked by thumbs of both hands. Different types depending on material of resonating body, size and number of strips, and objects (like beads, shells, bottle tops) attached to instrument. |
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Playing the Mbira
Short melodic pattern is played over and over again. As time passes, player gradually weaves slight changes into and around the melodic pattern creating variation. Variations are then played over and over again before a new change is introduced. Change happens over a long period of time. |
Playing the Mbira
Shows African fascination with complex, multiple sounds. Each note resonates for a while so it sounds while the next few notes are played. The attachments (e.g., bottle tops) cause a buzzing sound giving each note a slightly hazy quality |
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Playing the Mbira
Melody consists of interlocking tunes played by each thumb. Sometimes these instruments are played in groups, creating a very complex sound indeed. In some ceremonies, mbiras are accompanied by gourd rattles, handclaps, and sounds of people singing. |
continue in chapter 2
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