World Music (MUS 250) presents some sound cultures from around the world, and seeks connections between music and culture.

 

Syllabus (pdf)

 

AFRICA

Africa components of a sound culture outline

RESERVE CD 1 includes African examples Africa, Arab, Persian, Spanish, Cuban CD Listening Guide

AFROPOP Listening Guide examples & information – includes link to Thomas Turino interview. 

 

ARAB, PERSIAN, TURKISH, ISRAELI

Arab, Persian, Turkish sound culture components outline

RESERVE CD 1 Africa, Arab, Persian, Spanish, Cuban CD Listening Guide

 

CENTRAL ASIA

to be added. 

 

INDIA

the elements of raga

Notes on Indian Music Theory

 

CHINA

China components outline

 Handout: Attitudes about Music & Society in China

CHINA CD listening guide

 

JAPAN

Japan –- components outline of Japanese sound cultures

JAPAN CD Listening guide

 

INDONESIA [Part 8 in Alves textbook]

Java Outline

Bali Outline

Java & Bali CD Listening Guide

 

EASTERN EUROPE [Part 9 in Alves textbook]

track listings and comments for music examples used in class

A simple chart that explains all of European cultural history, 1800-1955 (small PowerPoint file)

 

Musical Autobiography assignment

Examples of student essays: 

            Greg Wallace 

            Sonal Daas 

 

Concert Reviews - instructions

 

Concert recommendations

A list of SF Bay Area concerts that would be appropriate and recommended for this class.

 

Various Bay Area Flamenco events: http://www.sfflamenco.com/pages/nightlife.html

 

 The San Francisco-based group Melody of China lists its performances on this calendar.

 

GENERAL –

Elements of music (pitch, rhythm, meter, timbre, etc. . . all in the textbook, but here is a condensed presentation of this basic info)

 

Components of a sound culture (generic outline) 

These outlines, found under each subject region, are methodically suspect in terms of proper ethnomusicological approaches, in that they apply a single cookie-cutter format to diverse societies.  For example, the first entry in the outline is about pitch, something that reveals a Euro-centric frame of mind.  These sins being now confessed, please consult these outlines as a way of organizing the diverse facts of music and society as presented in class.

 

Perspectives on ethnomusicology:  Steven Feld & the Kaluli – Feld’s questions

 

 

Interesting supplemental websites:

The Virtual Instrument Museum (http://learningobjects_devel.wesleyan.edu/vim/has a selection of excellent instrument sounds and images, but is as yet frustratingly incomplete.) 

 

 

rev. Aug 2010

David Meckler

web page

music class web pagesmusic course offerings

 

Archive – previous versions of this page

2008, using Alves text