World Music Bakan Exam I, Watkins

Music (as defined by the book)

the art of tones

Five Propositions of Music

1. The basic property of all music is sound.

2. The sounds (and silences) that comprise a musical work are organized in some way.

3. Music is a form of humanly organized sound.

4. HIP: Human Intention and Perception. Music is a product of human intention and perception.

5. The term music is inescapably tied to Western culture and its assumptions.

Human Intention and Perception

The two basic processes of human cognition involved in determining what is and what isn't music. This is preferred because it is more inclusive.

Music is inseparable from the people that make and experience it

Ethnocentrism

belief in the superiority of one's own ethnic group. Avoid by balancing perspectives

Emic

insiders view of culture

Etic

outsiders view of culture

Four Basic Properties of Tones

1. Duration (length)

2. Pitch (frequency)

3. Loudness (amplitude)

4. Timbre (tone color)

Rhythm

The Musical Manipulation of Duration

Metric Cycles

Used to describe music in some musical traditions in place of measures because the beat groupings are so long and complex

Melody

The Musical Manipulation of Pitch in a Temporal Line

Four Characteristics of Melody

1. Range

2. Direction

3. Contour (shape)

4. Character (intervals)

Disjunct

lots of large intervals

Conjunct

lots of small intervals

Warao Shamans of Venezuela

-Use descending melodies to heal

-Use ascending melodies to cause illness or death

Terraced Contour

Staple of Plains Indian culture. The motion of a melody that moves up or down through a series of stages, remaining in one general area a while before moving up or down to the next.

Western Pitch

-12 tones

-Major, minor, pentatonic and blues

Determinate pitch

tone can be identified by any of the 7 notes (A, B, C, D, E, F, G) (instrument ex. piano, guitar, violin)

Indeterminate pitch

a single pitch cannot be identified - many rhythmic instruments (drums, triangles, shakers)

Octave

The relationship between two notes with frequencies that can be divided or multiplied by 2 to equal each other

Indonesian Gamelan Pitch Systems

Five notes

-Slendro (sounds pentatonic)

-Pelog

Indian Classical Music System

Often use 7 note scales, but draw these 7 notes from 22 pitches per octave instead of 12.

Arabic Tradition of M.E. Music

24 microtones per octave

Harmony

The Musical Manipulation of Pitch in Simultaneity

Dynamics

The Musical Manipulation of Loudness

Absolute vs Relative Dynamics

Highest and lowest possible decibels on an instrument v.s. relative to each other in the context of a piece.

Scoring

The Musical Manipulation of Timbre

Musical Instrument

Any sound-generating medium used to produce tones in the making of music

Hornbostel-Sachs classification system

music instrument classification system (originally published in 1914) that classifies the world's instruments into four main categories: chordophones, aerophones, electronophones, and idiophones. A fifth category, electronophones has since been added.

Chordophones

Instruments with strings that can be plucked or bowed

Lute

Strings parallel to soundboard and extend beyond it

Lyre

Strings parallel to soundboard and suspended on crossbar of yoke

Zither

Strings parallel to soundboard but don't extend beyond it

Harp

Strings at/close to right angle with soundboard

Aerophones

Sound is generated by a vibrating column of air passing through a tube or some kind of resonator

Edge

1. Notch-- mark on the edge you put your lip on to blow

2. Duct-- Has a channel of air that does the work of directing air for you

3. Reed-- Cane or canes oscillate(s) to generate the sound

4. Lip concussion-- Lips oscillate to generate the sound

Membranophones

Vibration of a membrane stretched tightly across a frame resonator produces sound.

Strike, rub, kazoo

Idiophones

Vibration of the body of the instrument produces sound

Electrophones

Pure-- Electronics generate and amplify sound, but cannot function w/out electricity

Hybrid-- Acoustical instruments modified to have their sound amplified and processed by electronics

Music Recording-- Most important subcategory

Two categories of Electrophorus

1. Sound generators-- produce sound

2. Sound modifiers-- alter and enhance sound

Seven elements of musical style

Rhythm, Melody, Harmony, Dynamics, Scoring, Form and Texture

Texture

How a piece is built up

Monophonic

single-line texture, or melody without accompaniment

Heterophonic

Texture in which two or more voices (or parts) elaborate the same melody simultaneously, often the result of improvisation. "Thick Unison"

Homophonic

Melody with accompaniment

Polyphonic

multi-melodic, two or more melodies

Polyrhythm

a rhythm that makes use of two or more different rhythms simultaneously

Interlocking

A single line is divided between two voices

Hocket

Interlocking pitches between two or more sound sources to create a single melody or part.

Form

How a piece is laid out

Varied Repetition Form

Repetition that is slightly varied from one instance of the repeated material to the next (theme and variations)

Ostinato-based form

a short pattern that repeats over and over, can refer to a repeating melody or rhythm

Cyclic Form

A unifying technique of long musical works in which the same thematic material recurs in succeeding movements.

Art

"Artificial."

Human, cultural phenomenon. Best understood in relation to its culture

Ethnomusicology

the study of music in cultural context

Fieldwork

the study of geographic phenomena by visiting places and observing how people interact with and thereby change those places

Culture

Complex whole of knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by humankind as a member of society

Musicultural

Conception of music in which music as sound and music as culture are regarded as mutually reinforcing and essentially inseparable.

Multicultural Issues

Levels of identity

Music In Dance/Ritual

Spirituality

Music as Commodity

Music Creation Process

Music in Tradition

Levels of Identity

Society, cultures, nation, Nation-state, diaspora, the individual

Diaspora

A dispersion of people from their homeland with a low likely hood of return

Syncretism

a blending of beliefs and practices from different religions into one faith

"Rabbit Dance" performed by the Northern Plain Indians

Performed in a style identified with Native American (U.S.) and First Nations (Canada) music cultures of the Great Plains

-Vocables

-Terraced vocal lines

-Percussive accompaniment

-Powwow song combined with rock

Gamelan Music of Bali

consists of a large number of instruments—mainly percussion instruments such as gongs, drums, cymbals, and xylophone-like bronze metallophones—played by a large group of musicians in an intricately coordinated way

-Heterophonic

Mettalophone

Any musical instrument in which the sound-producing body is a piece of metal (other than a metal string)

Sekehe gongs

Principal institution linked to musical performance in Bali

-People from other villages are not allowed to join

-They prepare gamelan music for ceremonies and competitions

-Originally exclusively male

-Perform on a set of processional gamelan instruments called the gamelan beleganjur during cremation processions

Zar

Egyptian ritual. Rhythms are played and the woman who is believed to have been possessed dances until they are healed

"Ibis"

Alan Maralung, aboriginal Australian.

-Didgeridoo

"Dance"

Eagle and Hawk (1994-present)

-Rock and First Nation blend

Vocables

meaningless sung syllables that take the place of song lyrics

Identity Fundamental Questions

1. Who am I?

2. Who are we?

3. Who is she/he?

4. Who are they?

Shakuhachi

Japanese bamboo flute that is blown from the top

Improvisational Forms of Music

Jazz, Indian Raga, Arabian Taqism

"Kargyraa Moan"

Paul Pena

-Fusion of blues and Khoomei

-Mongolian throat singing and guitar

Vihuela

Spanish relative of the LUTE with a flat back and guitar-shaped body. Chordophone

Guitarron

A large, plucked, four- or five-string bass lute with an expanded belly that serves as the bass instrument in a mariachi ensemble. Chordophone

Vina

South Indian plucked chordophone; one of the main melodic instruments in Karnatak music

Mrdangam

Double-headed South Indian drum used in Karnatak music

"In the Evening"

Etta James

-African American Blues

"Wave"

Antonio Carlos

-Brazilian composer

-Bossa Nova

Flamenco Guitar

similar to a classical acoustic guitar, with a thinner top and a plastic tap plate. It produces a brighter, louder, more percussive sound. Players use different posture, strumming patterns, and rhythmic percussive techniques.

"Thgirbla"

-Traditional Chinese zither music

-Chordophone

'Are'are

-Solomon Islands people

-Think of high to low pitches inverse to the way we do

-Primary classification of instrument is called 'au (means bamboo)

Kanjira Tambourine

South Indian origin

-Membranophone

mbira dzavadzimu

an instrument of the Shona people of Zimbabe that is one of the plucked idiophones in Africa; tongues of metal plucked by thumbs for different pitches (essentially a kalimba)

BaMbuti people

- one of several indigenous pygmy groups in the Congo region of Africa

- languages are Central Sudanic languages and Bantu languages

-Melodies are waterfall-like

-No soloist, related to their egalitarianism culture of equality

-Elephant hunting songs

Ewe People

People with a hierarchical social organization in Ghana, West Africa.

-Polyrhythmic texture

-Lively social dancing

Sikuri Despedida

Played by Andean Panpipes

-Half of the melody is contained in one instrument

Akandinda Xylophone

African Idiophone.

Makes use of interlocking melodies.

Nkokwane

Qwii hunting bow.

Came from the Qwii people of the Kalahari desert in Southern Africa.

-Chordophone, struck to make noise.

Ingculaza (AIDS)

Dumisani "Ramadi" Moyo

-Sung in Ndebele native language to Ramadu

-Utilizes "clicking" mouth noises, characteristic of the language

-About the AIDS epidemic in Africa

-Incorporates neo elements and traditional elements

Accordion

A portable free-reed musical instrument.

-Aerophone

-Used in Irish contemporary music

Concertina

a small musical, instrument, like an accordion.

-Aerophone

-Used in Irish contemporary music

Jig

lively dance

-Mixolydian

-6/8

Hornpipe

Country dance of the British Isles, often in a lively triple meter. A type of duple-meter hornpipe is still popular in Irish traditional dance music.

-Major

-12/8

-Slower than jig

Reel

-Dorian

-Faster than hornpipe

-12/8

Strathspey

A Scottish dance with four beats in a bar and usually featuring the Scotch snap.

-Features double stops

Irish Ornaments (TTCCR)

Roll-

A turn or encircling of the 3rd eighth note of a beat

Cran-

Grace notes on the 2nd eighth note of a beat

Treble-

16th notes of the same pitch in the place of an 8th note

Cut-

Like a treble?

Triplet-

It's 3 eighth notes where there'd normally be a quarter 8th

Characteristics of Celtic Music

-Melodies are in particular modes

-Has certain ornamentations, forms, and dance rhythms

-Has a strong connection to dance

Potato Famine 1845

An extreme shortage of food (potatoes) in Ireland that led to the deaths of more than 1 million people; led to max exodus of Irish to US

-8.5 mil to 3.5 mil ppl in Ireland

Irish Diaspora

Relocated to America, Boston and New York

-Diasporas kept Irish culture alive and transformed it