INTRODUCTION

As we begin our study of World Music, we must start by not only questioning what role music plays in society, but also what is the actual definition for this expression that we call "music." Let's start with a question. Do you believe that music is an accurate reflection of the society that creates it? Actually, for each culture, music has a slightly different meaning. Music is representative of a culture, but not necessarily since time began. Some cultures regard their musical heritage as sacred and try to keep it intact. Others regard music as a part of the living present and adapt it to meet their current needs and state. (Its a good thing or some of us might be forever known by the Barney Song that we loved as a child watching t.v.) This phenomenon is not limited only to advanced civilizations. The music of an unfamiliar small tribe or society may be no "purer" or "natural" than our own. Each culture possesses its own musical language based on traditions, concerns, and activities. If that is true, then understanding the music can help us understand the culture. Since the culture forms the music, the music represents the culture. Therefore, by studying the music, we can gain unique insights into the culture that created it. In order to try to see how we will apply this concept to other regions and cultures around the world, let's start out by looking at some styles of music from the United States. If we can listen to some styles of music with which we are familiar and analyze them in their context, we should be able to apply the same principles of analysis to forms of music with which we are unfamiliar. Think about "classical" music and the stereotypes that surround it. It has been portrayed by ad agencies as an elitist activity (i.e. ads for wine, diamonds, luxury cars). The way in which it is conveyed is quite prescribed. For example, the audience listens quietly till the end of the piece; concerts are usually held in formal surroundings; most of the music was composed in previous centuries; it is performed exactly as it was written, with few variations. Now consider "rock/pop"music. The music itself is far simpler and less formal than classical. It can be conveyed through informal concert settings (lots of dancing, singing, etc.), and is taken wherever you go (car, work, bedroom, walking around) on iPods and other mp3 players. To the dismay of some, performers are often rewarded financially out of proportion to their talent, as well as to others in society. When we look at "jazz" music, we see yet another facet to our society. This is a more informal type of music. The performers don't necessarily play from written music since

improvisation is key element. Often times audiences are relatively small. Performers are often shunned until the audience perceives that they have "paid their dues." There are many other categories of musics in the U.S. that we could examine such as religious music, country music, nationalistic music, hip-hop/rap, etc. All would show us a unique set of characteristics and approaches. If all of these styles of music coexist within a single country, what does this tell us about the U.S.? I would suggest that it tells us that we are: 1. a diverse culture- divided by age, class, ethnicity. (Music reinforces the sense of membership within a group) 2. a rapidly changing society. Audiences for classical music tend to be older. Newer, popular styles are embraced by most young people. 3. a fragmented of society - not very homogenous. 4. a society where music is used primarily for entertainment . This analysis can only be applied to the scenario in the United States. Other cultures may be very different in their views. A cornerstone of our study of world music will be that each society or culture evaluates its own works of music by its own criteria Now let's practice this process by listening to some music from the U.S., then thinking about what it could tell us about the culture that created it. Listen to this song and you will quickly be transported to Bourbon Street in New Orleans. Do you suspect that this culture uses this music as an escape from their regular life? Is it loosely constructed and based on improvisation, or it is based on highly defined rules? What are the surroundings where you might be hearing this music? Is it usually performed by large musical ensembles or by small combos? Now listen to this song to hear yet another slice of American life. Does this bring you back to a particular era in the last century? What age group embraced this music? Do you think their parents accepted this style, or was there a sense of, "What's wrong with these kids?" Was there any musical instrument in this music that had not been heard in popular music prior to this? (Hint: it has 6 strings and fed through an amplifier.) What was the primary use for this music? Finally, listen to this song. (This one might take a bit longer to load and has some silence at the beginning. ) You might think that I have lost it by having you listen to this, but it serves the purpose of stretching your thinking a bit. This is a piece from a cycle of songs called "Ancient Voices of Children" by George Crumb, an American composer.

What do you think the composer's musical mindset was. . . conformist or non-conformist to traditional music theory? Is it for a sense of rebellion from conventional means, simply as a more expressive way to get his message to the listener, or a little of both? Does your initial impression of liking or disliking it disguise the fact that it is technically quite complex? Check out the composer's own account of the background of this composition at George Crumb's website.

ELEMENTS OF MUSIC
In order to be able to discuss how music from various cultures are similar and/or different, we will need to have a means of expressing what we are hearing. There are a number of musical terms that will assist us in this task. Since these are covered in detail in your textbook, you should read that chapter carefully first, then just use this page to confirm that you understand their meaning. I have also provided many of these terms as a list on the left of this page as well as a Word document in the "Unit Resourses" folder of this unit. Here are some of the terms and their definitions. Rhythm: - Sonic action (where the notes occur) in time. - It is also described as the arrangement of durational sonic patterns or tone lengths that fall on or between a "beat". (not pitched) Melody: - A series of individual pitches one occuring after another in order that the composite order of pitches constitutes a recognizable entity. Melody is the horizontal aspect of music. Harmony: - Harmony is the simultaneous occurrence of two or more tones. - The procedure by which chords of music are constructed or by which one chord follows another chord in time. Timbre: - The quality of a sound that distinguishes it from other sounds of the same pitch and volume. Dynamics:

- Changes in the volume (louds and softs) of the music. Tempo: - The rate of speed of a composition or a section of a composition (measured by the number of beats-per-minute). Metronome markings are used to indicate tempo; (e. g. 60 beats-per-minute is "slow" while 120 beats-per-minute is "fast".) Meter : - The grouping of beats into equal units - The basic scheme of note values and accents which remains unaltered throughout a composition or a section of a composition which serves as a basic skeleton for rhythm and represented in notation as a fraction. Here are some typical meters for these styles: a. 4/4 Rock & Pop b. - Waltz c. 2/4 Polka Form: - The shape or the outline of a piece of music. Perception of form ranges from the shortest and smallest elements (tones, motives) to the longest and largest elements of music (movements and compositions). Texture: - The combination of sounds played or sung simultaneously to yield a composite sound - It is the "fabric" of the music, several examples of which are: a. monophony unison line b. polyphony multiple independent lines c. homophony- melody with chords/accompaniment d. antiphony alternating lines e. heterophony duplication of melody at any interval and different embellishments Another thing that becomes apparent very quickly is that even describing musical instruments from different cultures presents many challenges. Many times we see

instruments from several regions that are virtually identical to one another, or at very least, share many common characteristics. Yet each of these instruments has a different name in each culture. It is clear that we need some system by which we can classify instruments in order to compare and contrast them. Many attempts have been made to come up with a definitive method. The system that has been adopted by most ethnomusicologists (those that study music in its cultural context) arranges the instruments into groups categorized by what makes the sound. This is the HornbostelSachs system. Aerophone - All wind instruments - both woodwinds and brass (flutes, horns, trumpets, whistles, etc.) Chordophone - String instruments - (violin, sitar, tamboura, harp, dulcimer, ud, etc.) Idiophone - Instruments made of naturally sonorous material not needing additional tension to create sound. These can create sound by being: 1. struck - such as a triangle, gong, bell 2. shaken - such as a rattle 3. plucked - such as a Jew's harp 4. rubbed - such as a glass harmonica. Membranophone - Instruments that have a stretched membrane over an opening (drums) Electrophone - Instruments creating sound by an electronic circuit (synthesizers, electric guitars, etc.)