Non western music

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CHAPTER 2 MUSIC FROM THE NON-WESTERN WORLD

GENERAL BACKGROUND TO NON-WESTERN MUSIC

The Western world has a vast musical heritage that has evolved over many centuries; however, some Asian, Polynesian, African and Near-Eastern musical traditions have thrived for THOUSANDS of years. While Japan, China, India and Indonesia have long-standing art-music traditions (in which music is performed by a select few well-trained artists), the majority of non-Western societies do not have art music ("formal concert") traditions—instead, they perceive music-making as a functional part of everyday life in which the society as a whole participates. Much of this music is improvised and survives solely through oral transmission; thus, it cannot be described in standard Western musical terms, or written down using Western notational symbols. Such music can only be studied through a painstaking combination of musicological and anthropological means.

Important Musical Considerations in non-Western Music

Most types of Non-Western music are founded on concepts quite different from those of the Western tradition:

• Rhythm

Non-Western music (especially African) can make greater and more creative use of rhythm than Western idioms.

• Dynamics Non-Western music rarely uses dynamics as an independent concept. Changes in loudness/quietness occur by increasing/decreasing the number of performers.

• Melody Non-Western music often uses microtonal melodic intervals that are smaller or larger than those of the traditional Western scales

• Harmony In general, harmony is not as important in non-Western idioms as it is in the West. Non-Western music may have no harmony at all, or it may base its harmonies on completely different scale systems than Western music.

• Tone color Though non-Western music is primarily vocal in nature, some cultures have also developed unique independent families of instruments. Colorful percussion sounds, and unique string and wind instruments are most commonly employed.

• Texture Since harmony is not an important consideration, non-Western music is often either monophonic (a single note or melody sounding alone) or heterophonic (two slightly different versions of the same melody being performed at the same time).

• Form Non-Western music is more freely-structured than Western music, and most types are heavily reliant on improvisation (on-the-spot creativity). Such music is transmitted orally; thus, it is rarely—if ever—performed the same way twice.

CHAPTER 2: Non-Western Music

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SELECTED EXAMPLES OF NON-WESTERN MUSIC

MUSIC OF THE NORTH-AMERICAN INDIAN

The diverse array of American Indian cultures—from the Arctic Eskimos, to the Sioux of the Dakotas and the Apaches of the Southwest—have created instrumental and vocal music that is an integral part of daily tribal life—most often associated with religious rituals, dancing or courting. Many American Indian songs are sung to vocables (syllables of chanted prayers that often sound like as "hey-ah" or "yu-way"), emphasizing melodic or rhythmic subtleties. Because of this focus on the chanted text, most traditional American Indian music is "monophonic", even though it is usually accompanied by various rattles or drums (which have universal spiritual significance in American Indian traditions). Simple flutes and whistles can also serve important functions. Long before the invention of the telegraph and telephone, American Indians were using instruments to communicate "secret" alarms or information over vast distances.

EXAMPLE of AMERICAN INDIAN MUSIC

Sioux Indian Love Song See MUSIC GUIDE 2 (page 14)

AFRICAN MUSIC

Music—especially vocal music—is an integral part of daily life in the African world. Practically any event of importance to an individual or to the culture as a whole is celebrated with music. Many African languages are "tonal" (the meaning of a word depends on the pitch-level at which it is spoken); thus, African melodies usually follow the pitch contour of their texts. African melodies are based on scales that are quite different from those found in the West.

A common feature of African vocal songs is "call and response," in which the leader of the song will improvise a narrative "call" about a past or current event, and then the group at-large will sing a repeated "response," that remains the same throughout the song. Call and response technique eventually became an important feature of Black-influenced popular music in the Western world.

Improvisation and intricate polyrhythms (the simultaneous combination of two or more different rhythmic patterns) are richly abundant in African music, and African musicians have developed these to a much higher level than usually encountered in traditional Western musical styles.

EXAMPLE of AFRICAN "Call and Response"

Gangele Song (Song of Angola) See MUSIC GUIDE 2 (page 14)


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ART MUSIC FROM INDONESIA The Republic of Indonesia is comprised of some 13,000 islands in the

Pacific Ocean, of which only 4,000 are named and only 1,000 are inhabited. This complex society fuses more than 300 ethnic groups and over 250 different languages. Out of this diversity has arisen a universal variety of distinctly "Indonesian" music—the Gamelan of the islands of Java and Bali (especially Bali, which has a very complex tradition). A Gamelan is a colorful instrumental ensemble, comprised primarily of unusual percussion instruments including drums, gongs, and xylophones made of wood (such as the gender) or bronze (such as the bonang). These percussion instruments may be supplemented by a small bamboo flute or a simple string instrument, and can be used as an accompaniment to traditional ritual dances. The instruments of the gamelan feature pitches that sound "out-of-tune" to Western ears (microtones). As a result, this music cannot be represented accurately with Western notation.

EXAMPLE of GAMELAN MUSIC from Bali

Kebjar Hudjan Mas See MUSIC GUIDE 2 (page 14)

Gongs

Gambung Saron

Bonang Gender

Common Instruments of the Gamelan


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ART MUSIC FROM INDIA The musical traditions of India date back some 3,000 years. Indian classical

music is improvisatory, using sophisticated melodic and rhythmic systems called ragas (melodic patterns) and talas (rhythmic patterns) that govern the performer's choice of complex pitches, ornaments, and rhythms. Indian performers consider their music to be spiritual in nature—each raga is associated with a particular mood, such as tranquility, love or heroism. Indian music is transferred orally from master-teacher (guru) to the student, who learns by strictly imitating the teacher—not from a written tradition. Only the basic elements of a piece are notated—the essential ornaments and elaborations cannot be written down, and must be internalized through years of intense study.

The most important art-music instrument of India is the Sitar—a long-necked lute with a wide fingerboard and moveable frets. During the 1960s, when rock artists such as the Beatles sought enlightenment through Indian gurus, the Sitar became popular in the West. The most well-known Indian guru/Sitar master is Ravi SHANKAR, best-known in the West for his performance at Woodstock in 1969. The Sitar may be accompanied by a percussion instrument called a Tabla.

EXAMPLE of SITAR MUSIC from India

Mara-Bihag (performed by Ravi SHANKAR) See MUSIC GUIDE 2 (page 14)

THE MUSIC OF MEXICO

Before the Spanish Conquest (1519-21), music was a vital part of Aztec and Mayan social life on the Mexican peninsula. With the arrival of the Spaniards, European instruments were quickly blended with native musical traditions. The most noteworthy outcome of this combination of influences is Mexican Mariachi music—a lively song and dance tradition featuring singers, treble and bass acoustic guitars, violin, trumpet, and sometimes harp. Despite their European genesis, these instruments render sounds that are uniquely Hispanic.

sitar tabla


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ART MUSIC FROM JAPAN Japanese music has enjoyed a rich popular and classical tradition that has

spanned over 1,000 years, with many styles and idioms. The most important Japanese instruments are the koto, the shamisen (a 3-stringed "banjo"), and the shakuhachi (a 4-holed bamboo flute). The 13 strings of the koto are tuned to a 5-note pentatonic scale. The strings are plucked, scraped or struck by ivory "finger picks" to produce a variety of musical effects. The player may also alter the pitch of a string by pushing or pulling on the string with the left-hand.

EXAMPLE of KOTO MUSIC from Japan

Mitsuzaki KENGYO: Godan-Ginuta See MUSIC GUIDE 2 (page 14)

ART MUSIC OF THE NEAR- AND MIDDLE-EAST

The Near- and Middle-East includes many countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, West Asia and North Africa, and dominated by Islamic Arabic-, Persian-, and Turkish-speaking peoples who share folk and art-music traditions dating back to the 7th century. One of the most pervasive aspects of Middle Eastern art-music is the 'Ud—a short-necked fretless lute with a pear-shaped body and five pairs of strings. Unlike the Western lute, the 'Ud is played as a monophonic melodic instrument, often joined by the colorful rhythmic accompaniment of the darabukkah—a small clay drum that changes its pitch when the player applies variable finger pressure to the drumhead.

Koto

ShakuhachiShamisen

Darabukkah'Ud


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Music Guide

2Kamien 4-CD setCD4/Tracks 58-59

Selected NON-WESTERN Styles

Sioux Indian Love Song—(functional music from the Dakotas) Monophonic; played on a hand-made flute with a unique melodic scale—very personal, for the music can only be played on this instrument. Various manipulations of a short basic melodic idea.

Kebjar Hudjan Mas—(art music from the INDONESIAN island of BALI) This piece is played by a GAMELAN (an orchestra of Indonesian percussion instruments). Complex POLYRHYTHMS, unusual tone colors; rondo-like form alternates between a repetitive "circular" melodic idea vs. slower sections with pauses. The final section of this piece has an intensity reminiscent of modern rock music.

Example Style Traits

Japan

Africa

Indonesia

India

American

Indian

Gangele Song—(functional music from Angola) Intricate syncopated POLYRHYTHMS; the leader sings verses to which the followers respond ("Call and Response"); then all sing the REFRAIN. This example has many aspects that sound like modern rock music.

Maru-Bihag—(art music from India) This piece for SITAR is introduced by Indian Hindu Guru, Ravi Shankar, who describes the stylized melodic RAGA and rhythmic TALA structures.

Godan Ginuta—(art music from JAPAN) This piece is played by Japanese KOTO master Mitsuzaki KENGYO. The intricate POLYPHONIC texture is created by one performer. Melodic IMITATION can be clearly heard in the middle section.

This selection is on CD4/Track 59 of The Kamien 4-CD set

This selection is on CD4/Track 58 of The Kamien 4-CD set

Documents

Non western music