Ethnomusicology

"We have in this book a Rosetta stone for mediating, or translating, African musical behavior and aesthetics."—Andrew Tracey, African Music "John Miller Chernoff, who spent 10 years studying African drumming, has a flair for descriptive writing, and his first-person narratives should be easily understood by any reader, while ringing unmistakably true for the reader who has also been to West Africa."—Roderick Knight, Washington Post Book World "Ethnomusicologists must be proud that their discipline has produced a book that will, beyond doubt, rank as a classic of African studies."—Peter Fryer, Research in Literatures "A marvelous book. . . . Not many scholars will ever be able to achieve the kind of synthesis of 'doing' and 'writing about' their subject matter that Chernoff has achieved, but he has given us an excellent illustration of what is possible."—Chet Creider, Culture "Chernoff develops a brilliant and penetrating musicological essay that is, at the same time, an intensely personal and even touching account of musical and cultural discovery that anyone with an interest in Africa can and should read. . . . No other writing comes close to approaching Chernoff's ability to convey a feeling of how African music 'works'"—James Koetting, Africana Journal "Four stars. One of the few books I know of that talks of the political, social, and spiritual meanings of music. I was moved. It was so nice I read it twice."—David Byrne of "Talking Heads" The companion cassette tape has 44 examples of the music discussed in the book. It consists of field recordings illustrating cross-rhythms, multiple meters, call and response forms, etc.

David B. Coplan’s pioneering social history of black South Africa’s urban music, dance, and theatre established itself as a classic soon after its publication in 1985. As the first substantial history of black performing arts in South Africa, In Township Tonight! was championed by a broad range of scholars and treasured by fans of South African music. Now completely revised, expanded, and updated, this new edition takes account of developments over the last thirty years while reflecting on the massive changes in South African politics and society since the end of the apartheid era. In vivid detail, Coplan comprehensively explores more than three centuries of the diverse history of South Africa’s black popular culture, taking readers from indigenous musical traditions into the world of slave orchestras, pennywhistlers, clergyman-composers, the gumboot dances of mineworkers, and touring minstrelsy and vaudeville acts. This up-to-date edition of a landmark work will be welcomed by scholars of ethnomusicology and African studies, world music fans, and anyone concerned with South Africa and its development.

A study of relationships between folklore and American literary theory is presented. The underlying commitment of all the figures and groups represented is based on sophisticated insights into the nature of language, literature, social structure, and political philosophy; and in a contemporary context, the traditions discussed illuminate the meaning of American art and life. Six chapters are presented. In Chapter One, Folklore and Ideology, is discussed the nature of the relationship between national literary traditions and the body of folk literature produced by an unsophisticated people. Chapter Two, the Emerson-Whitman Tradition: Emerson, concerns itself with an esthetic formulation in Emerson's thought which made it possible to use the resources of folk tradition in such a way as to avoid reproducing archaic forms. Chapter Three, The Emerson-Whitman Tradition: Whitman, points out that Whitman's intellectual commitment to the idea of progress was a check against antiquarianism or outright primitivism. In Chapter Four, Folklore and the American Character, the question of form in relation to American literature is discussed. Chapter Five, The Sources of American Folksong, concerns itself with the position of critics with regard to the history of American folksongs. In Chapter Six, The Blues as a Literary Theme, points out there is a special relationship between the Negro and the American experience in general. This chapter concerns itself with the use of Negro folklore and folksong in more recent works. An epilogue and appendix are included. (Author/CK)

Diss. -- Turun yliopisto.

1st Issued as Paperback Bibliogr. s. 307-316

8. ed

Bibliography: p. [133]-136. Originally presented as the author's thesis, Freie Universität, Berlin.

Dissertation Berkeley, Calif., Univ. of California.

Originally presented as the author's thesis (doctoral)--Harvard University, 1979. Includes bibliographical references (p. [301]-320) and index.

"Accepted as a doctoral dissertation by the Faculty of Arts of the Univversity of Zurich...1990"--T.p. verso.

The fast-paced zouk of Kassav', the romantic biguine of Malavoi, the jazz of Fal Frett, the ballads of Mona, and reggae of Kali and Pôglo are all part of the burgeoning popular music scene in the French Caribbean. In this lively book, Brenda F. Berrian chronicles the rise of this music, which has captivated the minds and bodies of the Francophone world and elsewhere. Based on personal interviews and discussions of song texts, Berrian shows how these musicians express their feelings about current and past events, about themselves, their islands, and the French. Through their lyrical themes, these songs create metaphorical "spaces" that evoke narratives of desire, exile, subversion, and Creole identity and experiences. Berrian opens up these spaces to reveal how the artists not only engage their listeners and effect social change, but also empower and identify themselves. She also explores the music as it relates to the art of drumming, and to genres such as African American and Latin jazz and reggae. With Awakening Spaces, Berrian adds fresh insight into the historical struggles and arts of the French Caribbean.

For centuries the gamelan beleganjur percussion orchestra has been an indispensable part of political, social, and spiritual life on the island of Bali. Traditionally associated with warfare and rituals for the dead, the music has recently given rise to an exciting new musical style featured in contests that are attended by thousands. Ethnomusicologist Michael Bakan draws us into these intensely competitive events, in which political corruption, conflicting notions of identity, and irrepressible creativity rupture the smooth surface of cultural order. Building from his own experiences as a beleganjur drummer, Bakan also takes us inside a distant musical world and into the lives of musicians connecting across vast cultural divides. Rich with musical examples, photographs, and an accompanying compact disc, Music of Death and New Creation is an unprecedented exploration of how music embodies and shapes life in contemporary Indonesia and beyond.

Studying Gregorian chant presents many problems to the researcher because its most important stages of development were not recorded in writing. From the sixth to the tenth century, this form of music existed only in song as medieval musicians relied on their memories and voices to pass each verse from one generation to the next. Peter Jeffery offers an innovative new approach for understanding how these melodies were created, memorized, performed, and modified. Drawing on a variety of disciplines, including anthropology and ethnomusicology, he identifies characteristics of Gregorian chant that closely resemble other oral traditions in non-Western cultures and demonstrates ways music historians can take into account the social, cultural, and anthropological contexts of chant's development.

The religion and music culture of the Toraja of southern Sulawesi (Indonesia) have undergone dramatic changes in the last century. Most of these involve the way that a formalized traditional belief system and an accompanying set of ritual musics were challenged by the advent of Christianity and pressures from the Indonesian government. In the Torajan ancestral religion, traditional music was strictly organized : balance of musical repertoires participated in the building of ritual morphology. Since the early twentieth century, several interrelated factors have contributed to changes in musical performances. As some rituals were prohibited, some of the old songs have been forbidden, others have been absorbed in Christian rituals and new songs have been introduced. The decontextualization of rising sun ritual songs has lead to artistic changes. External musical features were brought inside the traditional culture and also, native musical features were thrown inside the Christian ritual (inculturation). These two movements gives birth to a new musical identity in the context of monotheistic Indonesia.

This article is posted with the full permission of the publisher.

Exploring dance from the rural villages of Africa to the stages of Lincoln Center, Judith Lynne Hanna shows that it is as human to dance as it is to learn, to build, or to fight. Dance is human thought and feeling expressed through the body: it is at once organized physical movement, language, and a system of rules appropriate in different social situations. Hanna offers a theory of dance, drawing on work in anthropology, semiotics, sociology, communications, folklore, political science, religion, and psychology as well as the visual and performing arts. A new preface provides commentary on recent developments in dance research and an updated bibliography.

In the Course of Performance is the first book in decades to illustrate and explain the practices and processes of musical improvisation. Improvisation, by its very nature, seems to resist interpretation or elucidation. This difficulty may account for the very few attempts scholars have made to provide a general guide to this elusive subject. With contributions by seventeen scholars and improvisers, In the Course of Performance offers a history of research on improvisation and an overview of the different approaches to the topic that can be used, ranging from cognitive study to detailed musical analysis. Such diverse genres as Italian lyrical singing, modal jazz, Indian classical music, Javanese gamelan, and African-American girls' singing games are examined. The most comprehensive guide to the understanding of musical improvisation available, In the Course of Performance will be indispensable to anyone attracted to this fascinating art. Contributors are Stephen Blum, Sau Y. Chan, Jody Cormack, Valerie Woodring Goertzen, Lawrence Gushee, Eve Harwood, Tullia Magrini, Peter Manuel, Ingrid Monson, Bruno Nettl, Jeff Pressing, Ali Jihad Racy, Ronald Riddle, Stephen Slawek, Chris Smith, R. Anderson Sutton, and T. Viswanathan.

Thesis--University of California, Los Angeles, 1965. Vol. 2 : Musical compositions. Vita. Bibliography: v. 1, leaves [392]-396. Includes index for v. 1. Microfilm of typescript. Ann Arbor, Mich : University Microfilms, 1966. -- 1 reel ; 35 mm.

Music Version of Record

This article examines aboriginal fiddle music in the western Canadian province of Manitoba as it is enabled by two modes of musical sociability: face-to-face interactions between musical and social intimates, and “imagining” forms of sociability that generate musical publics. These modes of acquaintanceship have distinct implications for musical interactions and for the metrical and structural organization of fiddle tunes. Nevertheless, the two modes of sociability also interlace in myriad ways, as publicly circulating tunes and styles are embedded in intimate performance and daily life, and as expressions of musical intimacy are oriented to audiences of strangers.

"This introduction to the study of folklore and folklife contains an inspiring and spirited mixture of essays, theoretical contributions, practical instructions, and pure encyclopedia articles. It is a very well put together book, written by eighteen researchers who have something to say. One can see here that it is competent educators who have come forward and are narrating. . . . All in all it is a very use-oriented handbook with attractive typography and layout."—Iorn Pio, Journal of American Folklore

Contiene: Huéhuetl y teponaztli (percutores); Ayacaxtli y Chicahuaztli (sonajas); Omichicahuaztli (instrumentos dentados); Atecocolli o tecciztli (trompetas); Siringas o flautas de pan; Huilacapiztli (silbatos y ocarinas); Tlapitzalli (flautas); Flautas ceremoniales; Flautas dobles; Flautas múltiples; Fabricación de instrumentos; El arco musical; Escalas; Músicos y música; Armonía; Instrumentos indígenas actuales de orígen precotesiano.

The research for this study was carried out in Spain during the academic years 1964-65 and 1965-66, thanks to a Fulbright grant. I am, therefore, very much indebted to Mr. Ramón Bela and his staff at the Fulbright Commission in Madrid for their considerable assistance in making my two years in Spain both fruitful and pleasant. Miss Matilde Medina was especially helpful in arranging access to various libraries and introductions to numerous people. Also very helpful in this respect was Professor Luis Vcizquez de Parga. The Benedictine community at Santo Domingo de Silos could not have been more generous. The warmth of their hospitality made working with their manuscript treasures an extremely pleasant experience. Dom Ismael Fernandez de la Cuesta saw to my every need in the library there and very freely gave me the benefit of his own studies on Mozarabic Chant. Dom German Prado, who now resides in Madrid, was also very generous with his time and his counsel. In León, I was very graciously assisted by D. Luis López Santos and in Santo Domingo de la Calzada by D. Mariano Santamaría Alonso. I must also thank D. José López Toro in Madrid and D. Juan Francisco Rivera Recio in Toledo for facilitating the use of the collections which they oversee. Special thanks are due to Professors Kenneth Levy and Lewis Lockwood for having read an earlier draft of this material and having offered some helpful suggestions. Professor Oliver Strunk inspired this project and oversaw its earliest stages, and to him go my profoundest thanks and admiration .