Lecture 5 - Musics of Latin America and Participation

participatory performance

a special type of artistic performance in which there are no artist-audience distinctions, only participants and potential participants performing different roles, and the primary goal is to involve the maximum number of people in some performance role, music is not merely for listening but primarily for inspiring participation

presentational performance

musical events where one group of people, the artists, prepare and provide music for another group, the audience, who did not participate in making the music or dancing, music is primarily produced and performed to listen to

where is the sikuri (panpipe) ensemble

peru and elsewhere in andean south america, most common among ayamara speaking people

instrumentation (sikuri panpipe ensemble)

siku are the end blown flutes, kind of aerophone), has a breathy timbre, bombos are large drum, instruments overlap and have dense texture, in terms of vocal distributions there are occasional whistles that are heard signaling musicians to increase tempo

melody (sikuri panpipe ensemble)

short and repetitive, one pipe cannot play melody hocket/interlocking so musicians play in pairs, and each player’s panpipe contains only every other pitch of the melodic state

parallel polyphony (sikuri panpipe ensemble)

occurs when two melodic lines follow the same melodic contour but start on different pitches, thus moving in parallel but with a polyphonic structure as well, the most commonly used between the two parallel lines are the forth and fifth

rhythm (sikuri panpipe ensemble)

steady and regular beat

cultural considerations (sikuri panpipe ensemble)

music is rarely played alone, typically around 20 ppl in the ensemble, men are encourages to perform panpipes or flutes with their community’s ensemble, men and women are welcome to dance, participate regardless musical ability or familiarity with tune, emphasis on community and social interaction rather than musical accuracy, response of audience determines success, interlocking parts of the siku express the aymara ideal of playing as one

participatory elements

density, repetition, open and flexible forms, feathered beginnings and endings, short motives (ostinato) and cloaking, loud volume and buzzy timbres that cloak individual mistakes, minimal emphasis on virtuoso soloing, musical roles of varying difficulty, allowing people of different skill levels to participate, strong experiences of flow and synchrony, which foster belonging and identity, prioritizes inclusion, egalitarianism and communal responsibility over individual expression

presentational elements

transparency of texture, solo virtuosity, predetermined, closed forms, organized beginnings and endings, coordinated changes, specialized playing and listening, value placed on artistic refinement and innovation, individual skill and virtuosity, fixed forms with planned contrasts, evaluation based on sound quality and audience reception, aligns closely with professional concerts and capitalist cultural values

samba instrumentation

mainly percussion, agogo (west african double bell), tambourine, reco-reco (notched scraper), cuica (friction drum, makes squeaking sound), guitar and bass

samba voice and singing style

lead mixed ensemble, single male soloist, historically male dominated but women are reclaiming their voices, call and response, melody comes more from singers than instruments

samba rhythm

duple meter, made up of layered, steady rhythmic parts (polyrhythm), syncopation (accenting the off beats), emphasis on the third beat by inserting a short pause before it

samba cultural considerations

associated with the atmosphere of carnival, dance music that is strongly afro brazilian, in the 30s, vargus used samba to create brazilian national identity, viewed as vulgar adopted as national music during vargas era

bossa nova

means new wave or new trend, blending of samba and jazz, rose out of a guitar school in rio de janeiro’s copacabana neighbourhood in 56, soft vocals, lush acoustic instrumentation (especially nylon stringed guitar), the lyrics are about love, youth, leisure and beauty (mostly apolitical), unlike samba in the 60s that tended to address issues of working class, critique of this style in the 50s and 60s was alienation from local cultural traditions and the experiences of the nation’s poor

culture

a set of beliefs, practices, and symbols that are learned and shared, together they form an all encompassing, integrated whole that binds people together and shapes their worldview and lifeways, total way of life for a particular set of people, cultural norms and values get expressed through, embodied by and reaffirmed by routine activities as well as innovative and expressive practices

latin american music

its everywhere, naturalized by listeners throughout the world, its more than just music, it stands as a symbol of the entire region, its the history of a musical conversation about latin america, the result of the sedimentation of projects, diplomatic, aesthetic, political, that invented it

colombian music

examples include bambuco, salsa, cumbia, porro, vallento and reggaeton

narino

a musical zone for latin music, european style conservatory that reflects the priorities of the ruling classes of the country (university of narino), providing a more rigorous and methodical musical schooling than the self taught and empirical studies that preceded it

tulpa

said to exist at the centre of life, the fire, hearth, the home, this fire which serves to cook food and heat the home, also serves to read signs of the future, ward off bad energies, attract good ones and above all, bring the family and community together, this fire is fueled by everyday conversation, traditional knowledge and the desire to preserve tradition

minga

a word that comes from the quechua term minka meaning collective work done in favor of the community

conclusions of guest lecture

music of Colombia is extremely diverse, plays a lot of different functions and sometimes it makes sense to think of it more so in terms of these functions than in terms of sound, participation which takes on different forms and serves different functions can become very important for people who may have not allowed to participate in the past, it matters because its the construction of a we, it allows access, celebrates individual contributions, recovers and maintains voices

what is turino’s main argument?

he argues that music should not be understood as a single art form but as different fields of musical practice shaped by distinct social goals, values and modes of participation, he focuses on the contrast between participatory and presentational performance,

what is the social function of the distinction between participatory and presentational performance?

Turino emphasizes that neither form is superior, they just serve different social functions, problems arise when participatory music is judged by presentational standards or when participatory traditions are marginalized in societies that prioritize professionalized art, he argues that participatory performance is especially important for social bonding, identity formation, and everyday well-being even though it is often undervalued in modern, capitalist societies