UNIT 1. WORLDWIDE MUSIC

Ethnomusicology studies traditional music from different cultures.

Characteristics of traditional music:

* It’s anonymous

* It’s transmitted orally

* It’s usually collective

* It’s functional

AFRICA

NORTH OF AFRICA

Countries:The Maghreb(Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya), Egypt and Sudan.

Characteristics:

  • Monorhythmic music
  • Monophonic texture
  • Most of the music is vocal, a capella
  • Instruments: Darbuka ( drum)

Zorna (wind instrument)

Rabab (violin)

Ud (lute)

Darbuka / Zorna / Rabâb / Úd

BLACK AFRICA

Characteristics:

  • Ritual music (work, celebrations…)
  • Collective music. Call-response / soloist-group structure
  • Polyrhythmic music
  • Instruments: Drums

Sanza (made of metal bars)

Kora (string instrument)

Tambor parlante / Sanza / Kora

Black African music exerted a great influence on jazz, Latin and Caribbean music.

ASIA

CHINA

Characteristics:

  • Use of pentatonic scales
  • Simple and repetitive melodies, with slight variations.
  • Instruments are made of different materials, like silk (string instruments) as the erhu, bamboo (flutes –paixiao-, sheng -mouth organ), metal (gong), skin (drums)

Erhu Sheng Paixiao

Theatrical forms:

  • Chinese opera (Beijing opera)
  • Shadow theatre

JAPAN

Japanese music is similar to Chinese. It uses pentatonic scales and similar instruments.

  • Gagaku: It’s court music. It’s also the instrumental group which plays this music.
  • Theatrical music: Nöh (religious)

Kabuki (burlesque)

  • Instruments: Similar to Chinese. Eg. Shamisen (string instrument played by geishas), koto.

Koto Shamisen

INDIA

Hindu music sounds to us as if it were a little bit “out of tune”.

Characteristics:

  • Intervals smaller than a half-step are used.
  • They use a rhythm system made up of rhythm patterns called talas.
  • They use a melody system based on ragas (groups of sounds and melodies associated with certain emotional states)
  • Instruments: Sitar and tambura (string )

Tabla (drums)

Sitar / Tabla / Tambura

INDONESIA

Gamelan: instrumental group made up of gongs, metallophones of various sizes, flutes, drums and other instruments.

Gamelan

LATIN AMERICA

ALTIPLANO

Countries: North of Argentina, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador

  • Dance: Carnavalito
  • Instruments: Flutes (quena and sikuri)

Charango and cuatro (similar to the guitar)

Charangos / Quena Cuatro

SOUTH AMERICA

ARGENTINA

Tango:

  • It was born in the 19th century
  • Binary form, 4 time signature.

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  • Instruments: double bass, piano, violins, bandoneon.
  • Composers: Carlos Gardel (Por una cabeza), Astor Piazzolla (Libertango, Oblivion)

Bandoneon. A. Piazzolla

BRAZIL

African, Portuguese and Amerindian influences.

Genres

  • Samba
  • Bossa nova: fussion of jazz and Brazilian music

Composers: Joao Gilberto, A. Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de

Moraes (La chica de Ipanema)

COLOMBIA

  • Dance: Cumbia

VENEZUELA

  • Instruments: Harp
  • Famous songs: Alma llanera

Harp

CENTRAL AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN

MEXICO

  • Rancheras
  • Corrido (La cucaracha)
  • Performers: Mariachis ( guitar, violins, trumpets, guitarrón)
  • Titles: La Bamba, Cielito lindo…

Mariachis

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

  • Dance: merengue
  • Singer: Juan Luis Guerra

CUBA AND CARIBBEAN

  • Son
  • Rumba cubana
  • Habanera
  • Salsa
  • Bolero. Los Panchos

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