Understanding music is the primary objective of this course. Why music? Since the Paleolithic era, music has been a universal and persistent aspect of human culture. Like spoken language, music is both a form of communication and a ubiquitous human activity. However, like language, music exhibits remarkable diversity, with its structure and function varying significantly across different cultures. Ancient cultures used music to synchronize work activities, enhance rituals, preserve historical records, or express reverence towards deities. In contrast, in modern Western societies, music primarily functions as a form of entertainment, audio wallpaper, and as a product come-on.
On the other hand, composers such as Ludwig Van Beethoven did not consider music to be mere entertainment and stated:
“I must despise a world which does not know that music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy.”
Beating all “wisdom and philosophy” is a tall order, but now you know we will be doing important work in this course!
A World of Music
World Music Literature examines the rich diversity of Western and non-Western music spanning from the Paleolithic era to the present day. Specifically, we explore music cultures from Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, examining their differences and similarities in function, musical style, and instruments. Through this cross-cultural inquiry and analysis, we unravel the intricate patterns of interactions between these diverse musical traditions. Ultimately, this course aims to foster a deeper appreciation for diverse music cultures, cultivating increased sensitivity and respect for cultures beyond our own.
Historical Eras
Human history is divided in five epochs: Prehistory, Ancient, Post-Classical, Early Modern, and Late Modern. For the study of music history, the last three epochs are subdivided into smaller stylistic eras such as Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern.
Human history begins with the emergence of the written word. Consequently, the term “prehistory” refers to the era when humans existed without the ability to record their existence, hence, lacking any documented history. Some scholars define prehistory as the period spanning from the initial utilization of stone tools by our hominin ancestors to the invention of writing. Therefore, prehistory commences approximately three million years ago and concludes around 3000 BCE.
Much of prehistory can be referred to as the Paleolithic period (Stone Age), an expanse of time encompassing nearly three million years. This period is commonly defined as beginning with the appearance of tool artifacts and ending with the last ice age (c. 8,500 BCE).
Lucy, the Australopithecus, roamed the Earth approximately 3.2 million years ago. While it’s uncertain whether Lucy possessed musical abilities, it’s plausible that she lacked speech due to her ape-like vocal tract and chimpanzee-sized brain. Consequently, for the purpose of music, we exclude hominins from the Lower Paleolithic (3,000,000 BP) and focus on early humans in the Middle Paleolithic (300,000 to 30,000 BP) and beyond.
We have noteworthy insights into the music of our closest human relatives, the Middle Paleolithic and Upper Paleolithic Neanderthals and Homo sapiens, and will discuss their musical artifacts later in this course. Excavation of bone flutes, shell and bone trumpets, percussion instruments, and cave paintings attest to the existence and cultural significance of music during those eras. Obviously, there are no audio recordings or scores from the Middle and Upper Paleolithic, so we can only speculate about the sounds of their music. However, contemporary hunter-gatherer populations offer a model for how music might have been used in Paleolithic cultures.
Ancient History
The invention of writing around 3300 BCE in Mesopotamia marked the beginning of ancient history, spanning from approximately 3000 BCE to 500 CE. This pivotal moment brought about a significant advancement in our understanding of human culture, including the preservation of music theory texts, scores, and instruments.
The surviving historical accounts and artifacts of ancient music offer a wealth of insights into this fascinating aspect of human history. Moreover, we have the remarkable ability to listen to this music, as music notation inscribed on stones and cuneiform tablets excavated from archaeological sites has been successfully deciphered and played.
The Last Millennium
The music of the last millennium is illuminated with numerous historical accounts, treatises, scores, surviving instruments, and, in rare cases such as gagaku, gamelan, and plainchant, centuries of uninterrupted performance practice. Consequently, much of the music we’ll explore in this course begins at the 1000 CE mark, marking the midpoint of the Post-Classical period on our historical timeline. As we transition from the Early Modern (1500 CE to 1800 CE) to the Late Modern (1800 CE to present) epochs, musical activity and information exponentially increase.
One thousand years of music from multiple regions of the world is a lot to cover in one semester. Consequently, course materials have been distilled to representative styles and pieces from selected regions.
Featured music will be examined from stylistic, historical, social, and cross-cultural perspectives. We'll also delve into the function and purpose of this music. Was it created for ceremonies, worship, or entertainment? Who listened to this music? Are there any stylistic similarities between this music and other musical cultures? Finally, the times and lives of the musicians will be examined and linked to their creations. We won't merely listen to pretty pieces but will learn the how, why, and where of what we listen to.
Musical Elements
Before embarking on our musical journey, we'll build a foundation of musical concepts and terms as a basis for listening and discussion. For example, we will examine the attributes of sound, investigate musical structure and form, survey instrument families, and learn terms for musical sounds and technique. These concepts and vocabulary are called Musical Elements, and the first month of the semester will be spent studying them. An understanding of the elements of music will increase both your involvement in listening and enjoyment.
Ancient Musicians | Female performers depicted during the New Kingdom Dynasty in Egypt, c.1400–1390 BCE | Metropolitan Museum of Art
This Textbook
I decided to write a web (HTML) textbook because this format allows integration of text, video, audio, and images for a streamlined learning experience. No jumping around between PDF, paper, web, and video sources. Also, a web textbook gives me full control of course materials: I choose topics and materials and can revise at a moment's notice.
Compared to the paper textbooks of yesteryear, World Music Literature is the essence of brevity: sixty-five pages. Those pages are populated with 16-point type and a generous helping of embedded videos and graphics. Not long ago, I used a textbook with an MP3 download card. It had 800 pages of exhaustive detail rendered in 9-point text! In contrast, World Music Literature focuses on fewer topics and has greatly reduced reading. Finally, this web textbook will save each of you $225, the cost of the paperback textbook and download card I required in prior semesters.
This textbook was produced pro bono in my spare time and on a shoestring budget. There was no support team, so, out of necessity, I spent several years wearing the hats of author, editor, music scribe, designer, and photographer! Years later, I still find the occasional typo or grammatical slip. Indeed, this project sharpened my Premiere, Final Cut Pro, Photoshop, Logic Pro X, Twisted Wave, Dreamweaver, and Finale skills considerably!
Video and Audio Tracks
Throughout this textbook, video and audio tracks are embedded. They introduce repertoire to study or illustrate a point in the text. To watch a video, click the red play button in the middle of the video thumbnail. Here's the Frary Guitar Duo performing a popular Renaissance melody, Greensleeves:
To listen to an audio track, click the arrow on the audio player. The author playing the "Sounds of Silence" on 'ukulele:
On the next page, learn how to get the most from your listening sessions.
Vocabulary
prehistory, Paleolithic era, Lower Paleolithic, Middle Paleolithic, Upper Paleolithic, ancient history, Post-Classical, Early Modern, Late Modern
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Prehistory
Ancient History
Musical Elements
This Textbook
Video and Audio Tracks
