Music Around the World: Reading/Listening for Week 6

Sunday, May 6, 2007

Reading/Listening for Week 6

Monday--Good luck on the Midterm!

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
After the midterm, we viewed a film entitled Latcho Drom ("Safe Journey"), made in 1994 by director Tony Gatlif. He recreates the journey of a group of nomadic people, who eventually come to be called, usually in a derogatory manner, "gypsies." They are depicted traveling from the northern part of South Asia into the Middle East and Europe. We saw three main scenes of music:
1) the nomads celebrating under the full moon
2) a celebration with a couple dancing in Egypt
3) a takht ensemble playing in a teahouse in Istanbul, Turkey
*What were the common instruments found in all three scenes? How were they similar and different in each scene? Can you compare them to other instruments we studied from other parts of Asia? The director was trying to demonstrate how the "gypsies" absorbed the various music cultures they encountered into their own music. How did the director depict this? What else about this film interested you?

This week's featured blogs:
1. http://tvuethno5.blogspot.com/2007/05/week-5.html
2. http://joeytanzere5.blogspot.com/2007/05/blog-5-modern-day-and-age-influences.html
3. http://staceysethno5.blogspot.com/2007/05/influence-of-real-lifes-events-on-music.html
4. http://ethnomusicology5mahasami.blogspot.com/2007/05/post-4-may-2-2007.html
5. http://shaaaronz.blogspot.com/2007/05/week-5.html

Wednesday--Music of the Near/Middle East

Read: http://www.kanzaman.org/articles/article01.html
http://www.maqamworld.com/instruments.html

Listen:

1. Sama'i Bayyati
Performers: Takht Ensemble of Cairo
Philips, 6586 010
Library call number: ARLP 1676

#32 Sama'i Bayyati

2. Excursions in World Music MIDDLE EAST
#30 Arabic: Taqsim Nahawand (first 2 sectons)

3. Excursions in World Music MIDDLE EAST

#28 Iran: CHAHAR MEZRAB in Mahour (excerpt)

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Concert Ethnography

Due: June 6, Wednesday, at the beginning of class, 15% of final grade Submit a 4-5 page (double-spaced) musical ethnography on a live world music concert you attended this quarter (see http://www.ethnomus.ucla.edu for a schedule of FREE UCLA concerts). Include a title page, with the title, your name, student ID, and major/year along with a concert program, handed out during the concerts, stapled to your paper IF POSSIBLE. Start with a statement of what your essay will address--some concept we covered in class such as identity, representation, context, aesthetics, ritual, etc., that ties all your information together (just like you've been doing in your blog assignments). Then, the ethnography will describe the music being played, the context or setting, the musicians, the audience, as well as your own experience, using the relevant analytical terms and techniques learned in class. You may also compare the music with another type of music (one studied in class) for further analysis. Pay attention to the (1) types of instruments being used (2) types of vocal music used (solo or chorus?) (3) Musical features such as call-and-response, complex meters, heterophonic textures, all the types of musical elements were learned in class. Other questions: Do you hear Western-style harmony in any of the pieces? What about the tempo and rhythms of the pieces? Does any one instrument seem to be featured or are they all more or less equal? Do you hear monophony, heterophony, or polyphony? Pay attention to the performers—are they mostly students or professionals or a mix? Is the audience composed of other students, relatives of the performers, or people who appear to share the same cultural heritage, or a mix? How do they respond to the music? Is the audience quietly listening, or are they clapping along and responding out loud? Anything else of interest should be noted. IF POSSIBLE, interview someone from the ensemble—why do they participate in the ensemble? How did they become interested in the music? How do they learn the music (by written notation or by aural transmission)? Would you want to perform or participate in this music? Why did you choose this particular concert to attend? Demonstrate your knowledge of class material by using information from the lectures, guest lectures, films, and textbook. Compare the original context (what one might find in the country of origin) to the one you attended (in a university setting, with students and professors, mixed audience). How do the audience, setting, musicians, and music differ? You can use outside sources IF WE DID NOT COVER THE MUSIC IN CLASS such as books, articles, recordings, interviews, videos, etc. Use the appropriate manner of in-text citation and of listing your references cited at the end (see the journal Ethnomusicology as a guide). The TA or I will be happy to look at preliminary drafts and advise you on any aspect of your project. Please proofread your paper and avoid mistakes in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and vocabulary usage (they do count!).

Assignment: Week 8

In class, we discussed general principles of African music through aesthetics such as dense texture, and the relationship between social organization and musical organization (community participation vs. professional musicians). Think of a popular music artist/group or genre that you listen to...Can you list three to five aesthetic qualities that characterize the artist/group's music or that genre? What type of identity/image does that artist/group try to project through their music? In other words, how does the music sound reflect the artist/group's image/identity?

Music Around the World

Sunday, May 6, 2007

Reading/Listening for Week 6

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Concert Ethnography

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Assignment: Week 8

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