Course Description
In-depth study of the music of a select culture, area, topic, or genre. Investigates historical aspects, social functions, aesthetic preferences, the musician, musical instruments, structures and forms, performance contexts, and practices.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate students will be expected to write a paper on topics of wider scope than undergraduates and will present oral reports.
Athena Title
Topics in Musical Cultures
Prerequisite
MUSI 3020 or MUSI 3021 or MUSI 3030 or MUSI 3210 or MUSI 3220 or permission of department
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
To introduce basic skills to listening to any music culture analytically and critically. To discuss issues of definitions and boundaries of music and the world view of the specific culture, area, topic or genre. To identify, discuss and write about the socio-cultural, political and music history of the specific culture, area, topic or genre. To identify the salient features of the instruments, musicians, musical structures and composition, musical aesthetics, performance contexts and performance practices. To critically analyze musical selections.
Topical Outline
Example: For the Topic, Religious Music in Africa 1. Definitions of Music and religion: world views, african views, listening and analyzing music 2. Perceptions of music and religion in Africa:socio-cultural perceptions, historical perceptions, political perceptions, gender perceptions 3. Music and religion in indigenous society: Case studies, Yoruba of Nigeria, Luyia of Kenya, Zulu of South Africa 4. Music and Islam: historical, cultural and religious perceptions 5. Music and Islam in Africa, case study, Yoruba. 6. Music and Christianity: historical, cultural and religious perceptions 7. Music and Chritianity in Africa. case Study Luyia 8. Synchretism, adaptation and appropriation of music and religion in Africa with examples from the case study cultures 9. The religious music industry:Disseminating music and religion 10.Religous music industry in Africa with case studies from Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa 11.The african musician as artist and/or for religion and the industry. Sample ethnographies and repertoire. 12. The academie and the religious musician and repertoire For the Area: East Africa 1. Broad introduction to Africa;, history, culture areas, cultures 2. General features of music in Africa 3. Introduction to East Africa; history, cultures, cultural histories, languages etc. 4. Survey of music instruments in East africa 5. Categories of music, musicians 6. Indigenous music: Case studies, Baganda and Acholi of Uganda, Nyamwezi and Chagga of Tanzania, Luyia and Luo of Kenya 7. Music and Islam: Swahili case studies 8. Music and Christianity: Catholic church, Protestast, Pentecostal and Charismatic, Idependent Churches 9. Popular music: General secular, Islamic base, Christian base 10.Music in contemporary formal education 11..Urban folk and political genres 12.The musician in contemporary society. For the culture: Yoruba Music 1.Introduction to the culture in historical, contemporary, social, political context 2.Yoruba musical world view 3.Traditional Yoruba music in Nigeria 4.Traditional Yoruba music in their African Diaspora 5.Traditional Yoruba music in their N. American Diaspora 6.Traditional Yoruba Music in their Carribean Diaspora 7.Traditional Yoruba music in their S. American Diaspora 8. Yoruba, Islam and music 9. Yoruba, Christianity and Music 10.Yoruba Popular music and musicians 11.Yoruba and European Art music 12.Other diasporic compositions and performers 13.The impact of Yoruba music and musicians For the Genre: Soukous 1. Introduction to music for entertainment in Africa 2. The diaspora and popular music 3. The beginnings of soukous in Congo Republic 4. The cuban connection 5. The African reification: 6 Development of form: major composers, performers, structures, instruments etc. 7. The spread of soukous in Africa: African Jazz 8. The Francophone factor, Paris as a center 9. Other genres arising in Central africa 10.Development of national genres in other african nations: Case study Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Mali, Cameroun 11.Soukous and the "world music" label: Globalization 12.Contemporary musicians in Africa, in Europe and the in Carribean
Syllabus