World Music
Fall 2003
MUSIC 171 World Music
Prof. Madelyn Byrne
Fall 2003
Office: D-3L, Ext. 2809
Office Hours: Wednesday 2:30 – 6:00
Thursday 11:30 – 1:00
Email: mbyrne@palomar.edu
Concert reports – 20%
Quizzes – 20%
Group work – 10%
MT – 25%
FE – 25%
SCOPE OF COURSE
A survey of world music including that of the
North American Indian, Africa, African American, Latin America, Mexico, Japan,
India, Indonesia, the Middle East and China, with emphasis on understanding the
cultural background, instruments, musical characteristics and the impact of
world music on 20th and 21st century culture.
SPECIFIC COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Upon
completion of course student will be able to:
1.
Identify the music and its importance in the belief systems, the rituals, the
work songs, as well as entertainment music in each of the specific cultures
prominent in the U.S. such as African
American, Native American, Asian-American (Japan, China, and Indonesia), and
Latino.
2. Compare
the social and artistic position of women and men in the composition and
performance of music of various cultures as pertains to their ritual, work, and
child-rearing, as well as their contribution to the music which has as its goal
artistic expression for its own sake.
3.
Identify in each musical culture that music which reflects class difference,
social concern, political protest and religious
fervor as well as that music which is written specifically for dance and
entertainment.
4. Explain
music as a cultural phenomenon.
5.
Characterize the significance of music in religion and in the integration of
society.
6. Identify the traditional meanings
of music in each culture, what its powers are, and how it relates to other
aspects of life.
7. Deduce some aspects of each
culture's view of the world as seen through each music.
8. Define the nature of musical sound
from a holistic picture of musical life and musical culture.
9. Identify musical instruments and specific
characteristic of each music.
10. Identify each musical culture in its
geographical setting.
11.
Compare and contrast musical cultures as they exist in the 20th and 21st
centuries.
12.
Contrast the specific worldview of Euro centrism with a variety of worldviews
about music.
CONTENT IN TERMS OF SPECIFIC BODY OF
KNOWLEDGE
This
course will survey the music of several cultures around the world and will
include the philosophy upon which each musical culture has emerged, the
instruments developed, and general technical aspects of each musical
theory. Each section will be based
upon an opening philosophical précis, which includes those aspects,
which all cultures have in common.
I. Introduction
A.
Definition, purpose and importance of world music studies;
B.
Basic assumptions underlying our understanding of musical cultures;
C.
Pre-judgment in a Euro centric society;
D.
Universal elements pervading all musical cultures;
E.
Why different cultures have different kinds of music;
F.
Meaning of ethnomusicology;
G.
The world music opportunities in San Diego Country.
II. The
following musical cultures will be studied throughout the semester:
A.
North American Indian
B.
Sub-Saharan Africa
C.
African-American
D.
India
E.
China
F.
Indonesia
G.
Japan
H.
Latin America
I. Mexico
J.
Middle East
K.
Cross cultural music
III. The
following considerations will be addressed during the study of each
musical culture:
A.
Historical significance
B.
Development of instruments
C.
Specific musical traditions of each culture
D. The religious and/or philosophical and social basis out of which each music
specifically evolves including music for ritual, dance, work, and child
rearing.
E. The music that expresses class difference, social concern, political protest
and religious fervor.
F. The significance of women and/or men in musical composition and
performance
G.
The importance of music in dance and poetry for its own sake;
H. The impact of each world music tradition or contemporary society through the
musical poetic and social attitudes it expresses, through its immediate influence
upon changing rituals in our society and in commercial popular and/or classical
music.
I. The theoretical aspects of each music which can be understood by non-
musicians.
J. The identification of unique musical characteristics in each culture through the
listening of music.
IV. During the
last two weeks of the class, a discussion will evolve around the similarities
and differences of world cultures with the traditional European classical
culture.
REQUIRED READING:
Tilton,
Jeff Todd. World of Music: An
Introduction to the Music of the World's Peoples. 3rd edition. New York: Schirmer Books, 1996.
REQUIRED LISTENING:
A
3-CD set comes with the text and includes several pieces of music for each
chapter. Students must listen to
this music and read the appropriate pages about each piece in the text.
SUGGESTED READING:
At
the end of each chapter in the text additional reading, listening and video
viewing is suggested. Students are
encouraged to pursue additional study from this list on some aspect of the
music they are particularly interested in.
REQUIRED WRITING:
Students
are required to do the following:
1. Take notes on
their text and lectures in class;
2. Write a two-page
report on each of three (3) concerts attended throughout the semester; at least
one of these concerts must involve African American, Native American, or Latino
music.
3. Answer in
paragraph form approximately fifteen questions on every test given throughout
the semester.
4. Develop in
outline form a chart comparing the music cultures studied throughout the
semester. This chart outline will include for
each culture the significant historical dates and events; instruments; types of
rhythms and scales used; the philosophical and/or religious background, and
social settings and rituals out of which music evolves; and the significance of
gender in musical composition and performance.
OUTSIDE ASSIGNMENTS:
Students
are expected to spend a minimum of three hours per unit per week in class and
on outside assignment, prorated for short-term classes.
1. Read and take
notes on assigned readings in the text;
2. Listen to the
assigned taped musical examples each week and read the appropriate section in
the text which explains the technical aspects of the music as well as the place
of each piece of music within the culture (as ritual, work song, child rearing
song, dance and entertainment).
3. Attend three
different concerts of world music, one of which must be from either the African American, Native American, or Latino music culture. Write a two page report on each concert
which should include the name of the person or group, the types of instruments
used, the form and/or social settings of the songs sung or instrumental music
played, the content of the lyrics (if possible), whether a narrator or program
attempted to place each piece performed in its cultural or historical settings,
and an evaluation of whether the music itself showed the influences of its own
culture by way or religious and/or philosophical beliefs, social rituals or
work ethics, or child rearing attitudes.
In a final paragraph students will express their opinions as to whether
they liked or disliked the concert and why.
4.
There will be group presentations at the end of the
semester. There will be some time
allotted in class to work on these.
8/25 Introduction/ Chapter One
The Music-Culture as a World of Music
Assignment:
Read Chapters One and Three
9/1 Labor Day. NO CLASS
9/8 The Music of Africa/Ewe,…
Assignment:
Read Chapter Four
9/15 North America/Black America
Assignment: Read Chapter Six
QUIZ ONE
9/22 India/South India
Assignment:
Read Chapter Two
9/29 North America/Native America
10/6 Review for Midterm
QUIZ TWO
10/13 MIDTERM EXAM
Assignment:
Read Handout on the Music
of China
10/20 The Music of China
Assignment:
Read Chapter Seven
10/27 Asia/Indonesia
Assignment:
Read Chapter Eight
11/3 East Asia/Japan
Assignment: Read Chapter Nine
QUIZ THREE
11/10 – Veterans Day. NO CLASS
11/17 Latin America/Ecuador
Assignment:
Read Handout on Celtic Music
11/24 Celtic Music
Assignment:
Work on class presentations
QUIZ FOUR
12/1 Class Presentations
12/8 Review for Final Exam