In the African musical context, writes John Miller Chernoff in African Rhythm and African Sensibility, “Expert art makes for effortlessness even in the most fantastic displays.” (Chernoff 150) Indeed, in direct contrast with the more outward expressions of effort characteristic of Western music-making, even, and perhaps especially among virtuosos of their art, those of African music display their mastery of their craft through the effortlessness with which they communicate. This effortlessness, described as coolness, or baalim, by Ibrahim Abdulai, Chernoff’s chief instructor in his studies of African drumming, appears to be native to and widespread throughout Africa. In African music, as well as in African dance and visual art, there exists …show more content…
A performance of hers of Antonio Vivaldi’s furious, virtuosic aria “Armatae face et anguibus,” from his oratorio Juditha triumphans, contrasts strongly with the account given by Chernoff of one by Senegalese kora virtuoso Koyaté Djimo while on tour with Senegal’s National Dance Company. While, “at the moment when his improvisations were reaching their most difficult and wonderful point, he [Djimo] raised his head and looked out at the audience, smiling slightly as he turned his head and his eyes to survey the scene,” (Chernoff 142) the most difficult part of Bartoli’s performance, marked by wild, lengthy coloratura runs, was performed with her eyes closed in a deep scowl as she moved violently along with the music’s jagged line. Their performances, contrary to what a Western …show more content…
In Africa, there is a marked emphasis placed upon the common good of all which is reflected strongly in its art forms. In music, this is reflected in the emphasis on making the occasion sweet for all in attendance. This criterion of excellence depends, in fact, on the pervasive notion of coolness. Robert Farris Thompson, in his article “An Aesthetic of the Cool,” notes that, “the cooler a person becomes, the more ancestral he becomes.” (Thompson 1) He goes on to elaborate, writing that, “mastery of self enables a person to transcend time and elude preoccupation. He can concentrate or she can concentrate upon truly important matters of social balance and aesthetic substance…” (Thompson 1) The African master musician, then, cannot make the occasion sweet unless he has a degree of detachment from it which allows him to better understand the social forces at play within it, nor can he change and balance those forces to shape the occasion and make it successful. In African societies, coolness’s role is not limited solely to musical and artistic contexts, but is a component of a successful society, for just as the master musician must detach himself to understand the social forces at play in a musical scene, so must Africans detach themselves from their individual roles in their daily lives to contribute to and work towards the common good of all in their social
Despite its non-Italian origins and because of its timing and specific achievements in the portrayal of the human form, emotions, and artistic balance, Jean Hey’s “Annunciation” can be considered a natural representative of the culmination of the transition from the learning process of the Early Renaissance to the perfect execution of the High Renaissance.
“Together the matrices of race and music occupied similar position and shared the same spaces in the works of some of the most lasting texts of Enlightenment thought..., by the end of the eighteenth century, music could embody differences and exhibit race…. Just as nature gave birth and form to race, so music exhibited remarkable affinities to nature” (Radano and Bohlman 2000: 14). Radano and Bohlman pointed out that nature is a source of differences that give rise to the different racial identities. As music embodies the physical differences of human, racial differences are not only confined to the differences in physical appearances, but also the differences in many musical features, including language, tonality and vocal expression. Nonetheless, music is the common ground of different racial identities. “In the racial imagination, music also occupies a position that bridges or overlaps with racial differences. Music fills in the spaces between racial distinctiveness….” (Radano and Bohlman 2000:8) Even though music serves as a medium through which different racial identities are voiced and celebrated individually, it establishes the common ground and glues the differences
If one were to look back into the world’s history, one would find that an important and consistent element is the world of music. Music has presented itself in various forms throughout its spread and through our identification of its magical realm, people have been fortunate enough to come across a means of relation. Whether it is blues and reggae or rap and pop rock, there is music out there for everyone. Music can serve as a stabilizer for some, a relaxant to others, and to many a form of inspiration.
Monson, I. (2010).Freedom sounds : civil rights call out to jazz and Africa. New York Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Slavery is a form of forced labor in which people are taken as property of others against their wishes and will. They are denied the right to leave or even receive wages. Evidence of slavery is seen from written records of ancient times from all cultures and continents. Some societies viewed it as a legal institution. In the United States, slavery was inevitable even after the end of American Revolution. Slavery in united states had its origins during the English colonization of north America in 1607 but the African slaves were sold in 1560s this was due to demand for cheap labor to exploit economic opportunities. Slaves engaged in composition of music in order to preserve the cultures they came with from Africa and for encouragement purposes..
According to Albert Murray, the African-American musical tradition is “fundamentally stoical yet affirmative in spirit” (Star 3). Through the medium of the blues, African-Americans expressed a resilience of spirit which refused to be crippled by either poverty or racism. It is through music that the energies and dexterities of black American life are sounded and expressed (39). For the black culture in this country, the music of Basie or Ellington expressed a “wideawake, forward-tending” rhythm that one can not only dance to but live by (Star 39).
Western Music has developed in many ways since the middle ages through its form, sound, and message. Throughout these different periods in western music one thing has remained constant, the true essence of music, a way to communicate with someone on a much more divine level than be by rudimentary conversation. Though Ludwig Van Beethoven and Paul McCartney may seem completely opposite they have one in common through their music they changed the world’s perception of its self
Hip-hop music and the culture embodied within it has become a global and hybrid phenomena. The latter has been both adopted and arrogated by many different cultures, ethnicities, races, and nationalities all over the globe. Globalization plays a notable role in the significant growth presence of hip-hop in major cities around Africa in the past two to three decades, by gaining access to information through the Internet and television (Charry 2012, p. 170). Specifically speaking, Nigeria has become the hub of the television and entertainment industry in Africa gaining a large following, influence, and adoption of hip-hop music but specifically the rap genre. Nigeria is among the very few nations that have successfully incorporated hip-hop culture amidst the youth but also creating their own form of authentic Nigerian hip-hop called Naija hip-hop (Oikelome 2013, p. 85). More so, this form of hip-hop has created an outlet for the youth to listen to something new with a global edge...
“How Musical is Man?” was published in 1974. This book was written by John Blacking, a musician turned social anthropologist. His goal in writing this ethnography, and several other papers during this same time period, was to compare the experience of music-making that takes place within different cultures and societies throughout the world. In this book, he discusses and describes the musicology of the Venda people in South Africa. Though he does go to Africa to research and learn about the Venda people and their music, he specifically states that his book is “not a scholarly study of human musicality” (ix), but rather it is a summary (written from his point of view), which is both expressive and entertaining, of several different issues and ideas that he has seemingly been contemplating for some time.
"Music is a common experience and a large part of societies. In fact, anthropologists note that all human communities at all times and in all places, have engaged in musical behaviours. Music as a mode of human activity is a cultural phenomenon constituting a fundamental social entity as humans create music and create their relationship to music. As cultural phenomeno...
Music played a very important role in the lives of people is diaspora communities. It served as a reminder for the immigrants of their homeland, which allowed them to proudly express their national and cultural identities. Diaspora refers to an international network of communities linked together by the identification of a common ancestral homeland and culture. People in these communities are no longer living in their homelands, with no guarantee of a return either. (Bakan, 19). Music played a large role in African diaspora communities. This was first started by the slave trades many years ago when slave traders traveled to the coast of West Africa to capture Africans and brought them back to the United States to be slaves on plantations. Slaves were more prone to loose a sense of their own culture because every new aspect of their lives was forced upon them, therefore they were undoubtedly forced to abandon their n...
Antonio Vivaldi was born on March 4th, 1678, in Venice, Italy, and died on July 28, 1741, in Vienna, Austria. His father, a barber and a talented violinist at Saint Mark's Cathedral himself, had helped him in trying a career in music and made him enter the Cappella di San Marco orchestra, where he was an appreciated violinist.
Throughout the semester, various styles of music and the aspects of culture associated with these styles have been analyzed. Musical elements such as dynamics, texture, form, timbre, melody, instruments, etc., have been used to thoroughly explore each kind of music from different areas of the world, with an emphasis in music from Africa, India and Indonesia. These aspects of music go far beyond just music itself. Culture also plays a huge role in music and the accompanying musical elements. Each country and culture has a different style and distinctiveness that add to what makes the music of that certain culture unique. Music in Africa may differ dramatically from music in Indonesia or India not only due to those certain elements but also due to how it is interpreted by people and what it represents for those people. In addition to this, what one may consider music in one culture may not be music to another. These differences have been made apparent in the several demonstrations that we have been exposed to in class.
Music before the 20th century was very different when compared to the music of the 21st Century. There were distinctive occasions for each type of African music. West African music, the African Diaspora, and the music of the Colonies each had different musical instruments.
Music has played a role in society since the dawn of man. Said to be the beginning of communication in early civilization, music and dance have influenced how we think, act and treat members of our own society. Song and dance is used in rites of passage ceremonies such as births, weddings and funerals throughout the world. Jamaican and Yoruba cultures have made many contributions to our society. The uses of this music as a vehicle for political issues, values, and beliefs have been used by many musicians from different cultures. I intend to discuss the Contribution of these two contemporary cultures music and their effect on society.