Throughout his chapter, Titon emphasizes the importance of immersing one's self in a musical environment. He says "a phenomenological epistemology for ethnomusicology arises from our experiences of music and fieldwork, knowing people making music." He puts a lot of effort into describing the difference between simply hearing or playing music and being surrounded by music and becoming a part of it. Obviously, he supports the notion of getting out in the field and being able to communicate an experiental persepctive as opposed to simply relaying information such as transcriptions and analyses.
Titon goes on to discuss how technology can be helpful in relaying these first-hand experiences to an audience. He suggests that a video with a sound can be used to put the audience in the shoes of the fieldworker and open them up to the conclusions that have been made while in the field. "A phenomenological approach to filmmaking attempts to involve the the viewer by evoking and reflecting on the experiences and relationships that obtain in a musical community."
In my mind, technology is starting to have a new and different effect on ethnomusicology. As contact over far distances has become so much easier, new communities are being formed. Instead of forming a community based solely around location, more and more special-interest groups are being formed. It is much easier to meet and establish a relationship with a man in India who shares a common love for second-wave ska than it was thirty years ago. As a result, there might not be an area that an ethnomusicologist can travel to with the intention of working in the field. Instead, he or she would integrate him or herself into the internet community.
Discussion Question: As these special-interest internet communities continue to grow, will one be able to get the same sense of pleasure and meaning out of working in a virtual field as he or she would by working amongst a group of people? Can one gain the same experience and understanding of this music as from music heard in person?
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
SEM History
By browsing the issues of Ethnomusicology in the 1950’s, one can formulate a pretty accurate idea of how the Society for Ethnomusicology evolved. The progression of articles shows how the society started off small and simple and, as time went on and the number of subscribers increased, it grew to address specific issues and incorporate a more worldly focus.
The first issue of Ethnomusicology, published in December of 1953, is short and sweet and takes the form of a newsletter as opposed to a magazine. In its short ten pages, we find a formal introduction to the Society for Ethnomusicology explaining how and why it was formed. Willard Rhodes, the founder of the society, writes,
It must be emphasized that the present effort is the prerogative of no individual or group of individuals rather, the project is conceived as the joint effort of all those interested in seeing contact reestablished among ethnomusicologists.
This objective is clearly reflected in the contents of the publication. We find short updates on what various members of the ethnomusicology community are studying and also a section where those involved in the society and in the magazine can ask for assistance in their research. The aim of establishing a way for the world of ethnomusicologists to communicate is obvious.
The publications continue in this formal and informative manner until the September 1956 issue when the first reviews appear. Also in the issue, the first research-based article appears on African American music in the southern US. By May of 1957, these articles outnumber those formal informative pieces and by the end of the 1950’s, the fifty-page issues contain an eclectic collection of articles from the “African Hemiola Style” to a piece on the cassette tape as the new medium of music storage.
By this point, I think that the publishers are not as anxious as they might have been when the first issue was released. With the knowledge that the American Society for Comparative Musicology disintegrated only a couple years before the Society for Ethnomusicology was founded, there was definitely a pressure to make sure that their society didn’t meet the same fate. The overly formal tone that was present to establish a professional reputation has been dropped and there are articles present that might even appeal to those outside the specific realm of ethnomusicology.
Over the next forty years, Ethnomusicology continued to evolve. We’ve seen the length of the magazine increase from ten pages to almost two hundred. Issues that used to be composed of mainly bibliographies and introductions have given way to those dominated by reviews on music, art and video. Even as an outsider to the field of ethnomusicology, I was able to understand and find interest in most of the articles in the more recent publications. One can see that Ethnomusicology has grown to embody the Society for Ethnomusicology in that it is “multidisciplinary in concept and worldwide in scope.”
*quotes are from the SEM's website*
The first issue of Ethnomusicology, published in December of 1953, is short and sweet and takes the form of a newsletter as opposed to a magazine. In its short ten pages, we find a formal introduction to the Society for Ethnomusicology explaining how and why it was formed. Willard Rhodes, the founder of the society, writes,
It must be emphasized that the present effort is the prerogative of no individual or group of individuals rather, the project is conceived as the joint effort of all those interested in seeing contact reestablished among ethnomusicologists.
This objective is clearly reflected in the contents of the publication. We find short updates on what various members of the ethnomusicology community are studying and also a section where those involved in the society and in the magazine can ask for assistance in their research. The aim of establishing a way for the world of ethnomusicologists to communicate is obvious.
The publications continue in this formal and informative manner until the September 1956 issue when the first reviews appear. Also in the issue, the first research-based article appears on African American music in the southern US. By May of 1957, these articles outnumber those formal informative pieces and by the end of the 1950’s, the fifty-page issues contain an eclectic collection of articles from the “African Hemiola Style” to a piece on the cassette tape as the new medium of music storage.
By this point, I think that the publishers are not as anxious as they might have been when the first issue was released. With the knowledge that the American Society for Comparative Musicology disintegrated only a couple years before the Society for Ethnomusicology was founded, there was definitely a pressure to make sure that their society didn’t meet the same fate. The overly formal tone that was present to establish a professional reputation has been dropped and there are articles present that might even appeal to those outside the specific realm of ethnomusicology.
Over the next forty years, Ethnomusicology continued to evolve. We’ve seen the length of the magazine increase from ten pages to almost two hundred. Issues that used to be composed of mainly bibliographies and introductions have given way to those dominated by reviews on music, art and video. Even as an outsider to the field of ethnomusicology, I was able to understand and find interest in most of the articles in the more recent publications. One can see that Ethnomusicology has grown to embody the Society for Ethnomusicology in that it is “multidisciplinary in concept and worldwide in scope.”
*quotes are from the SEM's website*
Clifford Critical Review
In the middle of his piece, Clifford addresses how a written account of a certain performance cannot connect the reader with the performers involved. He says,
A textualized ritual or event is no longer closely linked to the production of that event by specific actors. Instead these texts become evidences of an englobing context, a "cultural" reality. Moreover, as specific authors and actors are severed from their productions, a generalized "author" must be invented to account for the world or context within which the texts are fictionally. (page 39)
Obviously, one takes away a different experience from attending an actual performance than reading someone’s account of it after it has taken place. The reader does not have any sort of relationship with the performers and instead, connects with the author of the piece that he or she is reading.
In Professor Subotnik’s Writing in Music Seminar, we discussed the popular ways of textualizing music. In many instances, writers use metaphors to try to convey an image or impression that they have gotten from a musical performance. This may be a viable strategy for a contemporary work but one runs into trouble as the time between the actual performance and the readings of their work increases. As time passes, metaphors come and go. It is unlikely that one of us would read a review of a performance given 100 years ago and identify with the descriptive language and comparative metaphors that the author used.
DISCUSSION QUESTION
Is there a better way to textualize music than to use metaphors and comparative language? Also, as technology expands, will this problem disappear as we will have video recordings of virtually all musical performances from here on out?
A textualized ritual or event is no longer closely linked to the production of that event by specific actors. Instead these texts become evidences of an englobing context, a "cultural" reality. Moreover, as specific authors and actors are severed from their productions, a generalized "author" must be invented to account for the world or context within which the texts are fictionally. (page 39)
Obviously, one takes away a different experience from attending an actual performance than reading someone’s account of it after it has taken place. The reader does not have any sort of relationship with the performers and instead, connects with the author of the piece that he or she is reading.
In Professor Subotnik’s Writing in Music Seminar, we discussed the popular ways of textualizing music. In many instances, writers use metaphors to try to convey an image or impression that they have gotten from a musical performance. This may be a viable strategy for a contemporary work but one runs into trouble as the time between the actual performance and the readings of their work increases. As time passes, metaphors come and go. It is unlikely that one of us would read a review of a performance given 100 years ago and identify with the descriptive language and comparative metaphors that the author used.
DISCUSSION QUESTION
Is there a better way to textualize music than to use metaphors and comparative language? Also, as technology expands, will this problem disappear as we will have video recordings of virtually all musical performances from here on out?
Fieldwork Topic
For our presentation, Drew and I will be researching the Electroacoustic Improv Ensemble here at Brown. This group is overseen by Professor Joseph Rovan and is described as follows:
An ensemble devoted to free improvisation with new media. Experimental approaches to sound and focused listening techniques are explored with acoustic instruments, live electronics, real-time video, together with networked improvisation, and more.
Drew and I plan to attend several of the weekly rehearsals and also to interview Professor Rovan as well as a few group members. As of right now, we are not sure of the exact performance dates but we will definitely make sure to be in attendance. In regards to the transcription, I don’t think that one is able to use classical notation to represent electronic music so we will have to find another way to record what we hear.
A few questions that we plan to look into are as follows:
- How does the musicality of electronic music relate to that of performance instruments?
- Is there any relation between electroacoustic improv to jazz improv?
- Is there a particular culture that dominates the ensemble and if so, why?
- Do the musicians have backgrounds in other instruments or are they specifically electronic musicians?
Personally, I am very excited to compare this improvisation to that in jazz. I have never been too receptive to electronic music and I hope that this work will open my eyes to the musicality involved in working with computers and music.
An ensemble devoted to free improvisation with new media. Experimental approaches to sound and focused listening techniques are explored with acoustic instruments, live electronics, real-time video, together with networked improvisation, and more.
Drew and I plan to attend several of the weekly rehearsals and also to interview Professor Rovan as well as a few group members. As of right now, we are not sure of the exact performance dates but we will definitely make sure to be in attendance. In regards to the transcription, I don’t think that one is able to use classical notation to represent electronic music so we will have to find another way to record what we hear.
A few questions that we plan to look into are as follows:
- How does the musicality of electronic music relate to that of performance instruments?
- Is there any relation between electroacoustic improv to jazz improv?
- Is there a particular culture that dominates the ensemble and if so, why?
- Do the musicians have backgrounds in other instruments or are they specifically electronic musicians?
Personally, I am very excited to compare this improvisation to that in jazz. I have never been too receptive to electronic music and I hope that this work will open my eyes to the musicality involved in working with computers and music.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Critical Review of Shelemay
I took particular interest in the Shelemay's passage about the similarities between secular melodies. She describes how she was asked by a leader of the Syrian Jewish community in Brooklyn to write a letter from a professional standpoint that would console those rabbis who were concerned that many of the melodies that were used in the pizmonim were borrowed from other secular tunes. Instead of refuting this claim and offering arguments that the melodies were original, Shelemay explains that the adoption of melodies from other peoples and using them in the creation one's own cultural music is natural. She says,
Music is always part of the surrounding cultural milieu and I know of no tradition that is "pure" and does not borrow a variety of things with which it is in contact. The very nature of musical expression is that it is transmitted from person to person across geographic, social, and cultural boundaries.
Most cultures that are still seen today have borrowed something, whether it be a recipe, a prayer or in this case, a melody, from a people that existed before them. It is almost impossible for a culture to evolve void of any influence from an already existent people. For this reason, Shelemay said, the Syrian Jews did not have to worry about the legitimacy of their pizmonim.
DISCUSSION QUESTION
In Tuesday's class, we began to discuss what constituted a tradition. The question of how long something had to be in practice before it could be considered traditional was raised and the answer of 3 generations was discussed. I am curious as to unique a given practice must be for a people to claim it as their own. I agree with Shelemay that if it is only the melody that is borrowed, a piece of music with different words can be considered a new work. However, is this the limit? Can lyrics be borrowed as well? At what point does it become plagiarizing and not borrowing?
Thursday, September 11, 2008
24 Hour Music Log
Okay so here goes my first blog post ever. Below is a list of all the music that I heard in the 24-hour period between 9 PM on September 5 and 9 PM September 6. I wasn't sure about the best way to format this being that there is no way to post charts so bear with me.
9:00 PM --> American Pie by Don Mclean (dorm room from roomate's speakers)
9:15 - 9:45 --> Now's the Time by Charlie Parker (dorm room from my tenor sax)
10:00 - 10:45 --> Ever True to Brown by James Andrews DeWolf, I Touch Myself by The Divinyls, Stacy's Mom by Fountains of Wayne, Don't Stop Believin' by Journey, Build Me Up Buttercup by The Foundations, Ever True to Brown by James Andrews DeWolf (all played in Wristan Quad by the Brown Band)
11:00 PM - 12:30 AM --> Fijate Bien by Juanes, Fuego by Pitbull, Go Girl by Pitbull, In the Ayer by Flo Rida, Mr. Carter by Lil Wayne, Got Money by Lil Wayne, My Life by Lil Wayne, The Anthem by Pitbull, All for One from High School Musical II, Our House by Crosby Stills Nash and Young, Demons by Guster, Nada Valgo Sin Tu Amor by Juanes, La Camisa Negra by Juanes, Prendiendo Fuego by Alan, Nadie Te Tira by Ozomatli, La Noche by Juanes, Heard the World by OAR, Lavios Compartidos by Mana (all played in my dorm room from my roomate's speakers)
12:30 - 2:00 --> Hero by Nas, No Matter What DJ by T.I., Viva la White Girl by Gym Class Heroes, Put on by Young Jeezy, Stand Up Guy by T.I., My LIfe by The Game, Swagger Like Us by T.I., Whatever You Like by T.I., Trap Star by Young Jeezy, Boss Life by Snoop Dogg, I Luv It by Young Jeezy, What It Is by Nas, Peace Sign by Gym Class Heroes, Ain't Sayin' Nothing by Fat Joe, Giant by Slum Village, Fried Chicken by Nas, Miscommunication by Timbaland, What Up by T.I., Cookie Jar by Gym Class Heroes (all played in the Phi Psi Lounge through their DJ speakers)
2:15 - 2:45 --> Chopin's Prelude in e minor played by Martha Argerich (Sears kitchen through my computer)
2:55 --> My Love by Me (i sing to myself in the Sear's bathroom)
zzzzzzzz SLEEP zzzzzzzz
11:45 --> Sportscenter Theme Music (in my dorm room from the TV)
11:50 --> Sportcenter Top 10 Montage Music (in my dorm room from the TV)
12:20 PM - 12:30 --> Numb by Jay-Z and Linkin Park, Bullet by Citizen Cope (in Alex Baker's Car from the stereo)
1:40 --> somebody's ringtone hip-hop/rap ringtone (at the tennis courts from a phone)
5:30 --> some european techno club mix (in Alex Baker's Car from the stereo)
6:15 - 8:15 --> Beethoven's Fifth Symphony conducted by Leonard Bernstein, Chopin's Prelude in e minor performed by Martha Argerich, Schubert Waltzes performed by Paolo Bordoni (all in my dorm room from my computer)
So that's what I heard in 24 hours. I don't know if that's a lot or not so much but it is definitely cool to see how much of my day is spent listening to music, whether consciously or subconsciously.
9:00 PM --> American Pie by Don Mclean (dorm room from roomate's speakers)
9:15 - 9:45 --> Now's the Time by Charlie Parker (dorm room from my tenor sax)
10:00 - 10:45 --> Ever True to Brown by James Andrews DeWolf, I Touch Myself by The Divinyls, Stacy's Mom by Fountains of Wayne, Don't Stop Believin' by Journey, Build Me Up Buttercup by The Foundations, Ever True to Brown by James Andrews DeWolf (all played in Wristan Quad by the Brown Band)
11:00 PM - 12:30 AM --> Fijate Bien by Juanes, Fuego by Pitbull, Go Girl by Pitbull, In the Ayer by Flo Rida, Mr. Carter by Lil Wayne, Got Money by Lil Wayne, My Life by Lil Wayne, The Anthem by Pitbull, All for One from High School Musical II, Our House by Crosby Stills Nash and Young, Demons by Guster, Nada Valgo Sin Tu Amor by Juanes, La Camisa Negra by Juanes, Prendiendo Fuego by Alan, Nadie Te Tira by Ozomatli, La Noche by Juanes, Heard the World by OAR, Lavios Compartidos by Mana (all played in my dorm room from my roomate's speakers)
12:30 - 2:00 --> Hero by Nas, No Matter What DJ by T.I., Viva la White Girl by Gym Class Heroes, Put on by Young Jeezy, Stand Up Guy by T.I., My LIfe by The Game, Swagger Like Us by T.I., Whatever You Like by T.I., Trap Star by Young Jeezy, Boss Life by Snoop Dogg, I Luv It by Young Jeezy, What It Is by Nas, Peace Sign by Gym Class Heroes, Ain't Sayin' Nothing by Fat Joe, Giant by Slum Village, Fried Chicken by Nas, Miscommunication by Timbaland, What Up by T.I., Cookie Jar by Gym Class Heroes (all played in the Phi Psi Lounge through their DJ speakers)
2:15 - 2:45 --> Chopin's Prelude in e minor played by Martha Argerich (Sears kitchen through my computer)
2:55 --> My Love by Me (i sing to myself in the Sear's bathroom)
zzzzzzzz SLEEP zzzzzzzz
11:45 --> Sportscenter Theme Music (in my dorm room from the TV)
11:50 --> Sportcenter Top 10 Montage Music (in my dorm room from the TV)
12:20 PM - 12:30 --> Numb by Jay-Z and Linkin Park, Bullet by Citizen Cope (in Alex Baker's Car from the stereo)
1:40 --> somebody's ringtone hip-hop/rap ringtone (at the tennis courts from a phone)
5:30 --> some european techno club mix (in Alex Baker's Car from the stereo)
6:15 - 8:15 --> Beethoven's Fifth Symphony conducted by Leonard Bernstein, Chopin's Prelude in e minor performed by Martha Argerich, Schubert Waltzes performed by Paolo Bordoni (all in my dorm room from my computer)
So that's what I heard in 24 hours. I don't know if that's a lot or not so much but it is definitely cool to see how much of my day is spent listening to music, whether consciously or subconsciously.
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