Folklore Final

Ethnocentrism

We cannot escape the position from which we view music.

Ethnomusicology

The study of why music matters and to whom.

Identity

Music helps express and shape identities.

Diaspora

People moving across countries; example: Irish diaspora caused by the potato famine.

Culture

A system of meaning expressed through music, traditions, and practices.

Nation-state

How music often ties into national identity and political boundaries.

Rhythm

Pattern of sounds and silences in time.

Beat

Regular pulse.

Meter & Measure

Organization of beats into repeating patterns.

Subdivision

Dividing beats into smaller units.

Tempo

Speed of the beat.

Scale types

(Major, minor, pentatonic, blues, etc.)

Microtones

Pitches between standard Western notes.

Ornamentation

Decorative notes around the main melody.

Staccato

Short, detached notes.

Legato

Smooth, connected notes.

Harmony

Simultaneous sounding of different notes.

Harmonization

Creating harmony that supports the melody.

Dynamics

Loudness and softness of music.

Crescendo

Gradually getting louder.

Decrescendo

Gradually getting softer.

Hornbostel-Sachs Instrument Classification

Chordophones (strings)

Aerophones (air/wind),

Membranophones (stretched membranes/drums),

Idiophones (self-sounding bodies, like bells),

Electrophones (electronic).

Texture

The way in which different sounds and melodies are combined in a piece of music.

Monophonic

Single melody, no accompaniment.

Polyphonic

Multiple independent melodies.

Harmonized Texture

Same melody, but in chords.

Polyrhythm

Multiple rhythmic patterns at once.

Drone

Sustained single tone.

Call and Response

Musical conversation.

Verse-Chorus Form

Popular music structure where verses alternate with a repeating chorus.

Gamelan music

Ensemble-based traditional music from Indonesia.

Interlocking

Different players fitting together complex rhythms.

Multi-melody

Layers of melodies.

Melodic elaboration

Embellishing a core melody.

Rhythmic approach

Cyclical, layered rhythms.

Hindustani Raga

Improvisational melodic framework in North India.

Sitar

Stringed instrument used in Hindustani music.

Microtones

Tiny intervals used for expression.

Barhat

Melodic expansion.

Gharana

Musical lineage or school.

Karnatak Tradition

More composition-based, more rhythmic complexity in South India.

Irish diaspora

Caused by the potato famine.

Air

Slow, lyrical Irish song.

Drone pipes

Bagpipe parts holding a constant note.

Standard form of traditional Irish dance

Reel, jig, hornpipe.

Traditional Instruments

Fiddle, uilleann pipes, bodhrán (drum), harp, tin whistle.

1960s revival

Rebirth of Irish cultural pride.

3 common dance rhythms

Reel, Jig, Hornpipe.

Irish music connected to

Hardship and political resistance.

Polyvocality

Many voices together.

Mande

West African ethnic group.

Jeli families

Griot families (hereditary musicians/storytellers).

Griot

Oral historians and musicians.

Afro-beat

Fusion of African music with jazz, funk.

African Diaspora

Movement of African peoples worldwide.

Kora

Harp-lute instrument.

Fontomfrom music

Royal drumming from Ghana.

Akan culture

Rich music traditions including call-and-response, polyrhythm.

5 Characteristics of West African Music

Call and response,

Polyrhythms,

Oral traditions,

Participation,

Improvisation.

Harlem Renaissance

1920s cultural explosion in Black art and music.

Civil Rights Movement

Music as activism.

Intersectionality

Overlapping identities impact music.

What is appropriation in a cultural context?

Taking cultural elements without permission or understanding.

Give an example of cultural appropriation in music.

White artists copying Black music, such as Elvis copying Black blues.

Race Records

Early recordings marketed to Black audiences.

Negro Spirituals

Religious songs from slavery.

Blues

Emotional, personal musical form.

12-bar blues

Standard blues form.

Minstrelsy

Racist theater/musical form.

Rhythm & Blues (R&B)

Linked through Black musical innovation to Rock and Roll and Hip Hop.

Dance Hall Reggae

Upbeat Jamaican dance music.

Roots Reggae

Politically conscious, slower reggae.

Cha cha chá

Cuban dance music.

Boogaloo

Mix of Latin and soul music.

Mambo

Upbeat Cuban dance.

Clave Beats

Rhythmic patterns underlying salsa music.

Music by place

Brazil: Samba, Bossa Nova, Tropicália; Mexico: Mariachi; Trinidad and Tobago: Steel Band; Argentina/Uruguay: Tango; Cuba: Danzón.

Indigenous cultural sovereignty

Control over cultural expression.

Cultural assimilation

Losing one's culture to dominant one.

Cultural genocide

Destruction of a culture.

Oral tradition

Passing down knowledge verbally.

Endonym

Name for a group they use themselves.

Exonym

Name given to a group by outsiders.

Land acknowledgement

Honoring indigenous territories.

Takt

Traditional ensemble music.

Raqs Baladi

Folk dance.

Raqs Sharqi

Belly dance for entertainment.

Belly Dance

Western term for Raqs Sharqi.

Ghawazi

Professional female dancers.

Tabla Solo

Percussion-focused dance.

Ravi Shankar

Indian sitar master.

A.R. Rahman

Modern Indian composer.

Fela Kuti

Afrobeat founder.

Seamus Ennis, Liam O'Flynn, Eileen Ivers

Irish music figures.

Tina Turner, Bessie Smith

African American music icons.

Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash

Hip hop pioneers.

Santana

Latin rock guitarist.

Bob Marley

Reggae legend.

John Angaiak

Indigenous Alaskan musician.

Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping

Chinese political figures tied to cultural shifts.