Discussion notes from October 28, 2015 meeting on "World Music":
Readings: Philip V. Bohlman, World Music: A Very Short Introduction (2002) -- esp. chaps 1, 3, 5, 7 (scanned and online -- see http://globalutopias.weebly.com/readings.html)
"I hate World Music": http://www.davidbyrne.com/archive/news/press/articles/I_hate_world_music_1999.php
Extra links to glance through:
Rough Guide to World Music that allows a partial viewing on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Rough-Guide-World-Music/dp/1843535513/ref=dp_ob_title_bk
Songlines Magazine:
http://www.songlines.co.uk/topoftheworld/top-of-the-world.php
Readings: Philip V. Bohlman, World Music: A Very Short Introduction (2002) -- esp. chaps 1, 3, 5, 7 (scanned and online -- see http://globalutopias.weebly.com/readings.html)
"I hate World Music": http://www.davidbyrne.com/archive/news/press/articles/I_hate_world_music_1999.php
Extra links to glance through:
Rough Guide to World Music that allows a partial viewing on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Rough-Guide-World-Music/dp/1843535513/ref=dp_ob_title_bk
Songlines Magazine:
http://www.songlines.co.uk/topoftheworld/top-of-the-world.php
- There’s a tension in world music between the celebration of diversity (a utopian vision of differences and boundaries dissolving), and the themes in Byrne’s work, which point to the need of world music to be disturbing
- World music as “creepy”: the music can drown out the oppression, violence, and suffering of global processes. Can world music be seen as a dark form of utopia (i.e., blocking out the unpleasant and allowing only a sunny vision of the world to shine through)? Is there a place for anger, fury and the negative in world music?
- Fitting global music into utopia requires us to examine our definition of utopia: again, does the category end up being too broad and therefore meaningless?
- Can music (and specifically the musicians and their actions) transcend politics?
- Gilberto Gil’s presentation last year showed a utopian view of history and world music, in which he presented an idea of music as bridging divides between colonizers and colonized, and mitigating the impact of slavery. How do we use narratives like these?
- How does the magazine Songlines affect musicians around the world? It brings people from around the world to prominence, who otherwise would not have the exposure.
- To what extent can we separate the instrumental aspects of a song from its lyrics, particularly if the lyrics have a political message?
- World music is a term created with a corporate purpose. To what extent can it be divorced from its origins as a commodity? What are the differences between “world music” (the commoditized form) and “music from around the world”? There is a space for politics in the latter, but really not the former. The downside of the latter is that it can be very hard to find “music from around the world”, because it is not a product.
- What role do borders play? Can any music where musicians cross international borders be considered international music?
- How does jazz fit into this? The historiography around jazz alternatively portrays it as the “most international” and the “most American” form of music. Can it be both?
- Can music be overly intellectualized?
- How does the issue of taste factor into music? The question of taste is a personal one, so is it always helpful to attach our reaction to music to larger academic arguments, or is it better to look inside oneself? If taste is a matter of distinction, then what is the source of the distinction? Or is taste about something more visceral and less rational? To what extent is the visceral actually constructed?
- In Whole Foods, there is a section of the store dedicated to world music. They show the construction of linking “world music” both to processes of commodification and to a capitalist utopian vision.
- How does music reinforce our ideas about race and other broad analytical categories? How can we question those boundaries without losing enthusiasm?
- Students tend to be far more attuned to how visual sources are manipulated to create a specific worldview than they are for auditory sources. The work of musicology needs to be to deconstruct them in the same ways.
- How can world music be seen as a form of resistance, particularly in terms of indigenous music/musicians? How do they shake up our conceptions of categories in music and music’s purpose?
- Ethnomusicologists have debated whether or not European musical notation can be used to notate music from other places, especially Africa. What role does the concept of difference (as well as the concept of the perception of difference) play in world music?
- How do you expose students to certain forms of music? South Asian music, for example, has lots of nuances that someone not accustomed to might not notice or might mock. How do you “de-learn” your expectations to listen to music like that?
- When we analyze literature, we would reject an argument that either universalizes a single work and says it speaks to themes that affect all of mankind, or one that dismisses it because of its status as a product. How do we prevent music from being analyzed in the same way? What methods can we use to get beyond ideas of authenticity or commoditized? One needs to learn the specific terms used in musicology to analytically describe the music, but how does one analyze the socio-cultural impact and lineage of the work?
- What differences exist between the dissolving of boundaries versus homogeneity? What is the link between tearing down boundaries and a utopian vision?
- What is the role of the nation in world music? How does Eurovision, a competition in which everyone must sing in English, represent both the nation and world music? Is pop music (like most of the music shown in Eurovision) world music? Why does Eurovision often get a bad rap, and how does it relate to ideas about authenticity (or a lack thereof)?