Hernanez Critical Review

I like the way that Hernandez describes how authenticity is different in relation to world music than it is to world beat. We learn that within the realm of world music, one would base the degree of a work’s authenticity on the prevalence of the traditional elements. The use of customary patterns and instruments contributes to how the piece is viewed. However, when evaluating a piece in the world beat spectrum, it is not necessarily how similar it is to an established work but how much effort is made to embody the original culture. For example, while the instrumentation may be different, a musical work would be considered authentic if the lyrics and/or costumes reflected the struggles or customs that those who came before had experienced.

I associate the world beat view of authenticity to the “invention of tradition.” Instead of striving to flawlessly recreate music from past generations, those in the world beat arena are creating new music that embodies the same elements that have been stressed for generations. While the culture is not mirrored, it is in no way lost. Instead, it is “updated” and “reinvented” so as to be more appealing to younger generations.

It is my sense that in the world today, there is much more of the world beat view than the world music view. I am curious as to whether the ability to record and preserve music has had an effect on this shift. Now that we can record music with such ease, is there less of a need to recreate music exactly as it was when it was written?

Miller Questions 2004

How do you stand on the issue of progress in the Sacred Harp community? Do you think that changes should be made to incorporate advancements in the musical world or do you think that keeping the traditional tunes alive is most important?

It seems that the Sacred Harp community takes pride in welcoming newcomers. When I attended singings at Brown, I was very well-received and wasn’t seen as a beginner who someone had to teach. Have you found that this is true of all groups? Are traditionalists and progressives both welcoming or is one group more open than the other?

Discussion Question
You mention that many singers will add their own harmonies to songs that they know well. Is this disrespectful to the composer? Parts are written so that everyone knows what to play and so that a particular sound is produced. Don’t these added parts contradict this notion?

Campbell Critical Review

In “Old Can Be Used Instead of New,” Campbell tells the story of the evolution of Sacred Harp singing. We learn that after the Civil War, there were essentially two different camps. One was the progressive camp that had adopted a seven-note system that was a lot like gospel. Many new tunes had been added to these books since the days of The Sacred Harp and new harmonies and melodies that had previously appeared in gospel were showing up as well. These progressives felt that in order to keep Sacred Harp singing alive, changes had to be made. The opposing group was the traditionalists. These people stuck with the traditional four-note system and kept using The Sacred Harp as their tune book. They felt that the inclusions of new tunes and new techniques took away from Sacred Harp singing and just made the art less authentic.

Eventually, Joseph James was able to merge both camps. He converted some of the newer gospel tunes into four-note notation. He recognized that the drastic changes to the songbooks were not well-received but that at the same time, something had to be done to modernize Sacred Harp singing.

Discussion Question
Have there been any recent attempts to modernize Sacred Harp music? If so, how have these movements fared?

Neustadt Critical Review

In this article, Robert Neustadt compares two Cuban albums. “The Buena Vista Social Club,” produced by Ry Cooder and “Tremendo,” by Charanga Habenera were both released in 1996. “The Buena Vista Social Club” became the most internationally successful album to ever come out of Cuba while “Tremendo” was the best-selling album in Cuba. Each album represents a completely different style.

“The Buena Vista Social Club” can be seen as representing classical Cuban music. The style on the album is based on the son music that was popular in the 1940’s and 1950’s. Those artists who are featured on the album are all older men and women who are portrayed as having overcome many hardships to attain their success. These “seasoned veterans” are perceived much like the American jazz greats. Their lyrics reference the topics of lost love and the “good old days.”

The members of Charanga Habenera are exactly the opposite. Their style is based around timba music which combines African beats with hip-hop and rap. Charanga Habenera is made up of younger members who claim to depict the new identity of Cuba. Their lyrics criticize the political and social scenes in Cuba. In 1997, Charanga Habenera’s music was banned from Cuban radio for six months after they made sexual gestures and spoke about marijuana use at a televised concert.

In the end, Neustadt explains the effect that “The Buena Vista Social Club” had on Cuban music. Today, in order for Cuban music to make it to an international stage, it has to be reflective of the styles used in “The Buena Vista Social Club.” Thus, we see many new Cuban bands resorting to son music as opposed to new and more innovative styles.

Discussion Question
What would it take for a new style of Cuban music to gain international popularity? Is there a way to popularize timba to the same extent as son?

Titon Critical Review

In this piece, Titon compares the written ethnographies to those that have been videoed. He points out that the ethnomusicologist is asked to perform a very difficult task in making the strange familiar yet keeping it strange. The readers will not understand the words and language that the people of a foreign culture would use to describe themselves and thus, the author is forced to translate these terms into a language that the readers will understand. In doing so, the authenticity is lost as these people are no longer understood in their own terms.

Titon suggests that a video can help to preserve this authenticity. With video documentation, the audience can observe these foreign people in their own culture. Although they may not understand what is being said, they can hear the language, observe the people and gain a better perspective of what the culture is actually like. In other words, video representation is more accurate than written representation.

Titon goes on to explain how he and his colleagues went about the filming and editing of Powerhouse of God. He talks about how ideas are thrown out because they have already been utilized, about how to give the viewer the sense that what they are seeing is real and not being acted out. He makes sure that the reader understands that producing a video ethnography is not as easy as simply filming a foreign culture for an extended period of time.

Discussion Question
While the presence of a narrator is necessary in the filming of an ethnography, at what point does narration take away from the authenticity of a film by distracting the viewer from the culture being studied?

Feld Critical Review

Feld’s piece addresses the issue of ownership in the musical world today. As technology has advanced, it has become easier and easier for musicians to access music from all over the world. Thus, musical cultures that were once completely isolated have started to merge and the world-beat scene has come into existence. As artists with different backgrounds begin to collaborate, the issue of ownership becomes complicated. How can Paul Simon claim to be the owner of Graceland when the vast majority of the music comes from South African musicians? He does contribute his own compositional techniques and ideas and does most of the vocal work but even so, the music is not his. Feld says,

All of the performance styles, grooves, beats, sounds, and genres are South African in identity, whatever other influences they synthesize and incorporate. The contribution of Simon’s lyrics is clearly important and clearly acknowledged, but the distinct, formative influence of these appropriated musical forms on the quality and particularity of the record is downplayed, both conceptually, in the presentation, and physically, in the audio mix.

Feld does not suggest that the South African bands are more entitled than Simon. He simply raises the question of whether any single party can claim to “own” these songs. Feld goes on to cite other examples of artists who sample the works of others and make enormous profits while those who are sampled are left out for the most part.

Discussion Question
How could Paul Simon have gone about writing the liner notes of Graceland in a more respectful and accurate way that reflected the contributions of the bands that he worked with?

Hamm Critical Review

Hamm is very critical of Paul Simon’s Graceland. He gives several examples of South African musicians that have “made it” and consequently ventured further and further away from South Africa and its culture. With the opportunity to gain money and fame, these artists spend most of their time abroad and rarely, if ever, return to their homeland. Hamm thinks that these artists who gain popularity have a duty to stay true to their roots and committed to their people. Thus, he finds fault in the lack of political lyrics that are present on Graceland. Ladysmith Black Mambazo is cited as an example of such a group. Hamm describes them as having benefited from the South African government and being “willing to remain abroad as long as it is financially advantageous.” They have no attachment to the black liberation movement and there music is of no help to the South African people.

Discussion Question
How can an artist determine when he or she has made enough of a name for him or herself and that it is time to return home to give back to his or her community?