Introduction to World Music Dr. Tamara Livingston htm

Course Goals Think critically about music Be able to see music as more than “just entertainment” Understand how music means; how is musical meaning created? Develop respect for the significance of non-Western music systems in their respective cultures

Ethnomusicology The study of music in culture (cultural context); the study of music as culture. –Sounds –Concepts –Behaviors

Defining the Issues “Music” or “Musics” –Music systems: is Western Art Music one or many music systems? Universality vs. Differences –Universal language vs. “personal” music Defining Music Politics of Music (musical meaning and discord) (exs. Wagner in Israel; Mozart in Berlin)

Music Examples Is it “music”? What can we say about it? What does it mean? How does it mean? (what other information might we need before addressing this?)

Defining Music Soundscape – the characteristic sounds of a particular place, both human and nonhuman – R. Murray Schafer (Canadian composer) Music is … “sound that is humanly patterned or organized” – J. Blacking (British ethnomusicologist) Music-culture – the way of life of a people, learned and transmitted from generation to generation, as it relates to music.

Culture “that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society” – E.B. Tyler (anthropologist)

Elements of a Musical Performance MUSIC PERFORMERS AUDIENCE TIME AND SPACE

A Music-Culture Model AFFECTIVE EXPERIENCE PERFORMANCE COMMUNITY MEMORY/HISTORY

Another Music-Culture Model SOUND: CONCEPT BEHAVIOR Melody Rhythm and Meter Texture Form How music is produced Who produces it Who participates Ritual Rules Audience/Performer interaction Movement Aesthetics Ethos Theory Meanings Repertoires Identity History

Thinking / Writing About Music Why do we need music-culture models? Isn’t music analysis all that is needed? Why do ethnomusicologists seem to be more interested in cultural aspects rather than the “music itself”?

Description and Theory Description of musical practice includes: Face-to-face observation and participation; insider interviews; fieldwork (immersion in a music-culture) Theoretical analysis: attempts to ground the “what” in the “why” by linking description to meaning within a cultural context;

Ethnomusicological Theories Cultural Evolutionism and Diffusionism (Comparative) Structural-Functional Approaches Linguistic Approaches Marxist Approaches Performance Theory Gender, Ethnicity and Identity Approaches Postmodernism, Postcolonialism, and Globalism

Analysis Example Gilberto Gil (Brazilian Singer/Songwriter), from “The Spirit of Samba: The Black Music of Brazil,” Jeremy Marre.