Here is the nice page with a number of good, or interesting categorised definitions of culture. If ethnomusicology is, as Nettl says, the study of music in culture [or possibly as culture], it might be as well to spend some time and consideration on what culture might be:
http://varenne.tc.columbia.edu/hv/clt/and/culture_def.html
List (not comprehensive) of Concepts/Theories/Ideas to bear in mind while critically considering music—would be great to see others appear in the comments.
- uses and functions
- identity
- power
- hegemony
- imperialism/colonialism
- violence/aggression
- process or thing?
- industry
- intellectual property/ownership (copyright? tradition?)
- dissemination/distribution
- tradition
- regionality
- space/place
- production/consumption
- recording
- literacy/orality/memory
- memory
- reception
- audience
- performance
- community
- psychology/psychoacoustics
- brain function (cognitive science neuroscience?)
- meaning
- value
- culture (high/low/other?)
- time
- emotion
- gender
- race
- spirituality
- religion
- technology
- class/strata/distinction
- construction/material culture
- semiotics
Music mentioned/played in class
For anyone interested, the two things I played in class were, the
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, 2011
and Public Enemy,
"Don't Believe the Hype"
and "Bring the Noise"
from their album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (sorry, it appears they're not into having their stuff embeded)
By the way, if anyone is into drumming and/or precision, check this mob out from the Military Tattoo a couple of years back—they're uncanny:
Finally, if you were wondering what I was on about at the strangeness of the way that Western art music (classical) has become conventionally performed, here is a decent quality vid of Beethoven's 5th Symphony. Check out the first movement (ends about 8.20—give yourself a least a minute or so before that even if you don't want to listen to the whole thing—if you're into it, put it on HD and plug it into the stereo, or good earphones) and have a look and listen to what's going on while this ferocious and fantastic music is being played and what happens (at 8.20) when it reaches its ending climax—does it not seem a little odd that the audience is dressed up and sits their woodenly throughout, and that when you get Beethoven's brilliant finish what happens is... nothing—that the audience must actively shut down its excitement? Also, what is the orchestra wearing? Why are they? etc. etc.
For those with more interest in this direction, some of the writings on Western art music that I know of are:
Small, Christopher. 1998. Musicking: The Meanings of Performing and Listening, Music/culture. Hanover: University Press of New England.
He writes about the sorts of things I've just mentioned above, and coins the word musicking, and applies it very broadly, to make it clear that music, in his view, is a process, not a thing.
Born, Georgina. 1995. Rationalizing Culture: IRCAM, Boulez, and the Institutionalization of the Musical Avant-Garde. Berkeley: University of California Press.
She writes about IRCAM, the Paris conservatoire of new/computer music.
Born, Georgina. 1995. Rationalizing Culture: IRCAM, Boulez, and the Institutionalization of the Musical Avant-Garde. Berkeley: University of California Press.
She writes about IRCAM, the Paris conservatoire of new/computer music.
Kingbury, Henry. 1998. Music, Talent, Performance: A Conservatory Cultural System. Philadelphia: Temple University Press
Kingsbury is the ethnomusicologist I mentioned who, having closely examined/taken apart the conservatory system in this book, found it very difficult to get a publisher and subsequently get/keep a job (a brain injury was also difficult to overcome), but the book is very interesting if you are interested in the conservatory etc.
Oh, and, finally, the French intellectual I mentioned who is "post-structuralist"—still sees strong structures but that work and are rearticulated through people, rather than being separate and simply working on them, is Pierre Bourdieu:
Kingsbury is the ethnomusicologist I mentioned who, having closely examined/taken apart the conservatory system in this book, found it very difficult to get a publisher and subsequently get/keep a job (a brain injury was also difficult to overcome), but the book is very interesting if you are interested in the conservatory etc.
Oh, and, finally, the French intellectual I mentioned who is "post-structuralist"—still sees strong structures but that work and are rearticulated through people, rather than being separate and simply working on them, is Pierre Bourdieu:
Bourdieu, Pierre. 1984. Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste. Translated by R. Nice. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.
Bourdieu, Pierre. 1990. The Logic of Practice. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press.
Bourdieu, Pierre, and Randal Johnson. 1993. The Field of Cultural Production: Essays on Art and Literature. Cambridge: Polity.
hello!
ReplyDeleteHi Vivian.
DeleteIn response to the unnatural format of the concert-going experience, I think the current one that we find today is much the same as one would have found as far back as the mid-Classical period. Historically, changes in one of the most popular concert hall genres, the opera, had effectively split performance venues into a two-class system, with "low" theatre and comic operas catering to lower-class audiences, while "serious" opera demanded larger orchestras, larger venues, and of course, more money; money usually provided by the wealthiest of patrons, such as royalty, other heads of state, and members of noble families. I think it may be a kind of double-edged-sword, though; while the upper-class venues with their upper-class audiences may by nature have excluded all but those potential audience members who could afford to attend such concerts, the state of the art may have benefited, as the transition from the Classical to the Romantic era probably saw the most innovation and expansion of the orchestra and its capabilities up to that time. I don't think the results of such transformations trickled down below the upper-class until the advent of radio (phonographs were so expensive that they were also generally upper-class possessions).
ReplyDeleteYeah Ryan, certainly some things reach as far back as the middle classical period, no doubt. But that still leaves a great many questions and I'm a bit sceptical about "much the same". Have a look again, approach it from the opposite angle and ask yourself what doesn't and see what you can find. A few things occur to me:
DeleteWhat about the way the opera was watched?
When did classical audiences applaud, and how?
I'm reasonably sure that the musicians didn't dress in that fashion—why do they now?
What about the hall, who owns it?
Where do the resources to maintain the orchestra now come from? Is it really the same all the way through as you suggest? Who was Brahms writing for? Puccini? What about Shostakovich (not to mention some interesting other pressures on him). Same sort of people as Mozart?
Here's an interesting one (at least I think). What is the relationship between the audience and the orchestra—more so, them and the conductor, more still, them and the composer—same power dynamic as now? If not, when did it begin to change and how did it?
Also worth checking out the language you use there and a couple of built in assumptions in your description:
"serious opera demanded". I don't think opera demands one way or the other—who actually did the demanding and why? How did the change come about?
Does the state of the art benefit by orchestras being bigger? later western art music is better? Is Bruckner better than Beethoven, is he better than Mozart, who in turn is better than Haydn, himself a clear improvement over Bach?
An innovation—certainly a lot between classical and romantic... maybe, do we mean late classical early romantic?—that huge? If mid classical to mid romantic is it any more than than between say Palestrina and Bach?
I do find it extremely odd (now that it's been pointed out to me) that when I go to a 'classical' music concert such as Symphony or Chamber music performances in fancy concert halls I find myself sitting quietly in between movements and clapping as enthusiastically as possible at the end to express my appreciation for the performance. Clapping? I try clapping loudly...and standing up. OOH standing up in a concert! And yet, when I go to 'non-classical' or Rock concerts (I guess 'rock' being extremely generalized in this sense..) I can be as boisterous & vocal (& mobile) even DURING the songs, let alone after each set. This isn't to say that I have different emotional reactions to Classical vs. Rock music because I don't think I do. When I think something sounds awesome, it doesn't matter what genre/type of music it is..like a reflex, I can't help but like it.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Classical/Western Art Music benefits from this strict format especially nowadays given the current climate of cuts & closures of many big ensembles/symphonies. It's great when I see my peers enjoying these concerts but a lot of the time I am surrounded by ancient people who spend half the time sleeping or coughing, clearly only there because they need something to do and this seems like a classy way of spending their time. Not saying old people shouldn't go, especially when they are genuinely interested in the music & not just the Act of Being At A Classical Concert, but there has to be a change (in my opinion) that makes these concerts more accessible both financially & emotionally if they want to survive. The only way of ensuring its survival may rest in the hands of the young but as long as Classical music is seen as stuffy & unexciting (in terms of performance/audience etiquette, not the music itself!), the state of the art is only going to decline...