1. Music: An Appreciation 10th Edition by Roger Kamien
Part XI
Nonwestern Music
2011 © McGraw-Hill Higher Education

2. Nonwestern Music Reflects/expresses world’s diversity
Each culture has its music practice
Some have all 3—folk, pop, & classical
These musics influence western music
Especially true in the 20th Century
French composer Claude Debussy
British rocker George Harrison
Jazz artist John Coltrane

3. Ch. 1 - Music in Nonwestern Cultures
Characteristics of Nonwestern Music
It reflects its supporting culture
Frequently linked with religion, dance and drama
Often used to communicate messages & relate traditions
Oral Tradition
Frequently transmitted by oral tradition
Music notation far less important than in western culture
Many cultures do not have a music notation
When they do, it serves as a record, not for teaching or performance

4. Improvisation Voices Improvisation is frequently basic to the music
Improvisation usually based on traditional melodic phrases and rhythmic patterns
Voices
Singing usually main way of making music
Vocal approach, timbre, and techniques vary throughout the world
Nasal sound
Strained tone
Throat singing
Many others

5. Instruments Four types based upon sound production:
Membranophones—stretched skin
Primarily drums
Chordophones—stretched string
Harp-type
Aerophones—performer’s breath
Flutes, trumpets, etc.
Idiophones—instrument’s body is sound generator
Bells, gongs, scrapers, rattles, etc.
Style and application within culture causes particular types of instruments to dominate
Strings allow great flexibility of pitch
Idiophones/membranophones: rhythmic emphasis
Aerophones aid in outdoor performance
Geography & materials availability influences
Religion also influences instrumentation

6. Melody, Rhythm, and Texture
Most nonwestern musics are monophonic
Sometimes accompanied by a drone
Some cultures use heterophony
All perform same melody with different ornamentation
Scales in nonwestern music are frequently quite different than western musical scales
Intervals between tones can be larger or smaller
Much nonwestern music has very complex rhythms

7. Interaction between Nonwestern and Western Music
Nonwestern music has been greatly impacted by western influences due to:
Increased urbanization
Spread of technology
Almost worldwide access to recorded music
Some governments subsidize traditional music to preserve cultural heritage

8. Ch. 2 - Music in Sub-Saharan Africa
Africa is divided into two parts: above and below the Sahara desert
Above: Moslem, Arabic-speaking, music closely related to that of the Middle East
Below: Extremely diverse, many religions, cultures, and languages (over 700)
Though Sub-Saharan music is diverse, there are some similarities:
Complex rhythms and polyrhythms
Percussive sounds
Wide variety of instrumental ensembles
Vocal music usually a soloist & responding chorus

9. Music in Society
Music permeates African life from religion, entertainment, & magic to rites of passage
It is so interwoven into life that the abstract word “music” is not used by many peoples
Closely associated with dancing in ceremonies, rituals, & celebrations
Dancers frequently play and sing while dancing
Music is a social activity—everyone joins in
No musical notation—passed by oral tradition

10. Elements of African Music
Rhythm and Percussion
Complex rhythms & polyrhythms predominate
Dancers choose to follow any of the various rhythms
The body used as an instrument
Clapping, stamping, slapping thigh/chest
Vocal Music
Wide variety of sounds, even within a single piece
Call and response extremely common
Percussion ostinato frequently accompanies singers
Short musical phrases repeated to different words
Texture
Often homophonic or polyphonic
This is unlike most nonwestern musics
Same melody often sung at many pitch levels

11. African Instruments Idiophones Membranophones
Most common African instrument
Most are of indefinite pitch
Xylophones, a favorite, come in many sizes
“Talking drum” w/ slit in side can produce 2-4 tones
Membranophones
Used in many ceremonial & work-pace applications
Drum manufacture often accompanied by special rites
Drums usually played in groups—multiple players
Variety of shapes, sizes, and forms
Aerophones and Chordophones
Flutes & trumpets (of wood & horn) most common
Reed instruments less widespread
Chordophones plucked or struck, gourd resonators

12. Listening Ompeh (from Ghana) Basic Set, CD 9:44 Brief Set, CD 5:61
Listening Outline: p. 534
Male voice w/ choral responses
Percussion ensemble

13. Listening Mitamba Yalagala Kumchuzi
(dance song of the Zaramo people in Tanzania)
Basic Set: CD 9:47
Listening Outline: p. 535
Polyrhythms

14. Ch. 3 - Classical Music of India
Musical traditions date back over 3,000 years
Two main types of classical music
Hindustani: secular, court music from Northern India (including now-Pakistan)
Absorbed many Persian elements due to Muslim Persian rulers
Karnatak: temple music from South India
Developed along its own lines
Performers
Music viewed as a spiritual discipline
Oral tradition—study by apprenticeship
Improvisation
Very important, sophisticated, & developed
Guided by melodic & rhythmic formula
Must study for years before allowed improv.

15. Elements of Indian Classical Music
Music is based upon the human voice
Pitch range limited to about four octaves
Highly embellished melody, both vocal and instrumental, is characteristic
Melodies almost always accompanied by a drone instrument
Melodic Structure: Raga
Melody exists within a framework called a raga—a defined pattern of notes
Rhythmic Structure: Tala
Rhythm is organized into blocks or cycles, each called a tala
Tala range from beats in length
6-16 is most common

16. Instruments Vocal music most important in India
Many types of instruments
Many instruments associated w/ specific gods
Sitar most popular chordophone
Long necked, lute (guitar) like instrument
7 plucked strings, 9-13 sympathetically vibrating
Drums of many sizes
Tabla and mridangam drums most common

17. Listening Maru-Bihag by Ravi Shankar
p. 540 Basic Set, CD 9:48 Brief Set, CD 5:64
Raga and tala (beat cycle) organization
Heavy reliance on stringed instruments
Extensive improvisation
Nonwestern musical form

18. Ch. 4 - Koto Music of Japan The Koto Godan-Ginuta, by Mitsuzaki Kengyo
Listening Outline: p. 544
Brief Set, CD 9:51
Duet for two kotos, each tuned to different scales
Lively dialogue
Monophonic, heterophonic, & polyphonic textures
Many tones “bent” upward or downward
Duple meter, flexible tempo