D. R. M. Irving
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195378269
- eISBN:
- 9780199864614
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195378269.003.0010
- Subject:
- Music, Ethnomusicology, World Music
This chapter emphasizes the importance of looking beyond the geocultural boundaries of Europe in the writing of music history. It calls for a neostructuralist approach to global music histories, one ...
More
This chapter emphasizes the importance of looking beyond the geocultural boundaries of Europe in the writing of music history. It calls for a neostructuralist approach to global music histories, one that seeks to transcend the incommensurabilities of distinct (and seemingly irreconcilable) musical cultures within colonial contexts by reading sources contrapuntally and analyzing them with reference to macro‐historical frameworks. The conclusion goes on to summarize the main arguments of the book, and reiterates the proposal that European musical counterpoint mirrored many of the objectives of early modern imperialism, in terms of attempting to rationalize sound and society. Yet it also acknowledges that the thesis, antithesis, and synthesis embodied in colonial counterpoint can be subjected to more nuanced interpretations, and that contrapuntal structures could be inverted and subverted by subaltern societies.Less
This chapter emphasizes the importance of looking beyond the geocultural boundaries of Europe in the writing of music history. It calls for a neostructuralist approach to global music histories, one that seeks to transcend the incommensurabilities of distinct (and seemingly irreconcilable) musical cultures within colonial contexts by reading sources contrapuntally and analyzing them with reference to macro‐historical frameworks. The conclusion goes on to summarize the main arguments of the book, and reiterates the proposal that European musical counterpoint mirrored many of the objectives of early modern imperialism, in terms of attempting to rationalize sound and society. Yet it also acknowledges that the thesis, antithesis, and synthesis embodied in colonial counterpoint can be subjected to more nuanced interpretations, and that contrapuntal structures could be inverted and subverted by subaltern societies.
Reinhard Strohm (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- January 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780197266564
- eISBN:
- 9780191889394
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197266564.001.0001
- Subject:
- Music, Ethnomusicology, World Music
The book, derived from the Balzan musicology project ‘Towards a global history of music’, describes cultural traditions and communication patterns of music, dance and theatre in the world region ...
More
The book, derived from the Balzan musicology project ‘Towards a global history of music’, describes cultural traditions and communication patterns of music, dance and theatre in the world region between India and the Mediterranean in the last 2000 years. The new metaphor of the ‘Music Road’—the western half of the ‘Silk Road’—refers to the travels of musical songs, instruments and ideas across both space and time. The book has an introduction and 16 chapters, each by a different author. Highlighted are the following cultural traditions: ancient Gandhāra (first centuries ce); traditions of the Alexander legend; the musical philosophy and practice of Muslim societies; colonial India and the West; Greek music and nationalism (19th–20th centuries); travelling music-theatre companies in the Eastern Mediterranean; the ‘Gypsy rhapsody’ in European art music. The keynote chapter by Martin Stokes reviews the work of Villoteau and Lachmann, advocating a fusion of historical thought and ethnomusicology. The book offers case studies not only on music per se, but also on fine art, dance, musical theatre, on the theology, philosophy, historiography and literature of music, and on East–West relations in the musical practice of colonial and modern times. It is argued in the introduction and implied elsewhere that the musical culture of this world region, and its interactions with the West, have always been on the move, that its diversities and disruptions are counterbalanced by numerous internal and external linkages, and that the reifying term of ‘orientalism’ might be replaced by ‘the East–West imagination’.Less
The book, derived from the Balzan musicology project ‘Towards a global history of music’, describes cultural traditions and communication patterns of music, dance and theatre in the world region between India and the Mediterranean in the last 2000 years. The new metaphor of the ‘Music Road’—the western half of the ‘Silk Road’—refers to the travels of musical songs, instruments and ideas across both space and time. The book has an introduction and 16 chapters, each by a different author. Highlighted are the following cultural traditions: ancient Gandhāra (first centuries ce); traditions of the Alexander legend; the musical philosophy and practice of Muslim societies; colonial India and the West; Greek music and nationalism (19th–20th centuries); travelling music-theatre companies in the Eastern Mediterranean; the ‘Gypsy rhapsody’ in European art music. The keynote chapter by Martin Stokes reviews the work of Villoteau and Lachmann, advocating a fusion of historical thought and ethnomusicology. The book offers case studies not only on music per se, but also on fine art, dance, musical theatre, on the theology, philosophy, historiography and literature of music, and on East–West relations in the musical practice of colonial and modern times. It is argued in the introduction and implied elsewhere that the musical culture of this world region, and its interactions with the West, have always been on the move, that its diversities and disruptions are counterbalanced by numerous internal and external linkages, and that the reifying term of ‘orientalism’ might be replaced by ‘the East–West imagination’.
Reinhard Strohm
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- January 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780197266564
- eISBN:
- 9780191889394
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197266564.003.0001
- Subject:
- Music, Ethnomusicology, World Music
The introduction first explains the relationship of the book to the discourse of the ‘Silk Road’, the western half of which is discussed here. It is differently related to Europe than the eastern ...
More
The introduction first explains the relationship of the book to the discourse of the ‘Silk Road’, the western half of which is discussed here. It is differently related to Europe than the eastern one. The ‘music road’ metaphor emphasizes the historical and geographical flux of cultures across this region, justifying the keywords of diversity and yet, coherence in musical developments. The topics covered in the book are then gathered under three cultural paradigms: mobility, transmission in time, East–West imagination. The last-named is proposed as a more sensitive term for attitudes formerly subsumed under ‘orientalism’. An extended survey of the topic of all individual chapters reveals many different forms of transfers, connections, bridges and also disruptions in the musics of this special world region.Less
The introduction first explains the relationship of the book to the discourse of the ‘Silk Road’, the western half of which is discussed here. It is differently related to Europe than the eastern one. The ‘music road’ metaphor emphasizes the historical and geographical flux of cultures across this region, justifying the keywords of diversity and yet, coherence in musical developments. The topics covered in the book are then gathered under three cultural paradigms: mobility, transmission in time, East–West imagination. The last-named is proposed as a more sensitive term for attitudes formerly subsumed under ‘orientalism’. An extended survey of the topic of all individual chapters reveals many different forms of transfers, connections, bridges and also disruptions in the musics of this special world region.
