October lectures Flashcards
three stages of ethnomusicology
- comparative
- anthropological
- crisis of representation
What is a total social fact?
the physical, behavioural, cognitive aspects of a human activity
Alan Merriam’s model of the total musical fact
concept/cognition —sound— behaviour
Wallin, Merker and Brown’s model of the total musical fact
Biology— culture
— cognition
emic
insider, culturally informed knowledhe
etic
outsider, observed knowledge
Flores vocal duets: when and how are they sung
- mens songs are different from women’s; they sing separately
- monogamous vocal partners, exclusive for life
- for agricultural work and rituals
- they have an understanding of the music and how it should sound
- polyphonic
Flores vocal duets: the myth of the rice characteristics
- performed four times a year according to the agricultural cycle
- about sacrificing a girl as an offering for good crops
Are Flores vocal duets sung today?
No, tourism :(
The the myth of the rice features
- sing four times a year at night with dancing for 24 hours (lines up with agricultural cycle) and ritual continues the following day
- Girl was sacrificed
- They celebrate her to ensure good crops
- Sad
Ju’wasi Lion songs
- humans and lions coexist and respect each other
- They sing a song in honour of the lions: repetition, imitation, and heterophony
Concepts from “The Old Way”
- Music is a way of interacting with environment
- tool for empowerment and protection
Shamon
A person with access to the unseen world
animism
belief that the natural world is inhabited by soul spirits
Katajjaq sound (Northern Quebec)
- rhyhmically staggered (interlocked) panting style
- for time passing, to make people laugh
- imitate different sounds (like animals, chainsaw)
Diffusionist explanation of separated cultures
- Ainu, Chukchi, Inuit
- migration
Pylogenic explanation of separated cultures
- pygmies, bushmen
- genetic heritage
Universalist explanation of separated cultures
- Krk, Croatia, Flores
- human nature
Characteristics of Flores culture
- agricultural society
- music for rice cultivation and festivals
- gendered/monogamous duets
- counterpoint, weaked pulsed rhythm, small intervals, scale unnamed
Characteristics of Bushman culture
- hunter-gatherer society
- music to harness natures power
- in groups
- counterpoint, strongly pulsed songs
- anhemitonic (no semitones)
Moravian characteristics of culture
- agricultural society
- music for cultivation and festivals, socializing
- group solo singing
- monophonic texture
Inuit characteristics of culture
- hunter gatherer society
- domestic music suitable to the north
- duet singing
- interlocking texture
- cyclic and pulsed
- unnamed scales
Two most important things in History of Music in the past 500 years
- the spread of European music
- The survival of African musical principles (slave trade etc.)
- Sound recording
diaspora
people having to leave their homeland
Time line (African music)
repeating rhythm
What is the difference between interweaving and interlocking
interweaving uses different sounding timbres (Jayden vs Jess) interlocking uses similar sounding timbres (Jayden vs. Madison)
Supporting rhythms
drum rhythms that support the main line
Inherent rhythms
Rhythms that can be heard even though not one person is playing it you just hear it in your head
Agbekor characteristics
- interwoven rhythms
- 12 subdivisions of the cycle
isochronous
- equal beats. (like 4|4 vs. 7|8)
What kind of scale does the musical bow use?
anhemitonic pentatonic scale
Features of African music
sound: cyclic structure with variations, layers of rhythm (interlocked, interwoven), inherent rhythms
concept: strong sense of pulsation, flexible approach to pitch, improvisation, importance of timbre
behaviour: give-and-take, community participation and dance, having your own sound
