Understanding music is our main task in this course. Why music? Music is one of the most ancient, universal and persistent aspects of civilization. Like spoken language, music is both a form of communication and a universal human activity. However, the structure and function of music varies greatly between cultures. Some cultures use music to synchronize work activities, enhance rituals and preserve history. In modern Western societies, music mainly functions as entertainment, a lifestyle accessory and as a product come-on.
On the other hand, art music 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.”
To help understand the diversity of music, we study musicians and their culture, as well as technical aspects of music making such as instrumentation, technique and structural forms.
A World of Music
This World Music Literature course is a survey of Western and Non-Western music. We focus on culturally significant art and traditional music from major regions of the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Hawaii, the Americas and beyond, encompassing music from prehistory to modern times. These music cultures are framed within the historical eras of the West, allowing a familiar point of reference for students with a basic knowledge of history and geography.
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 written word. Thus, the term prehistory refers to the time when humans existed without the written word and, hence, no recorded history. Many scholars define prehistory as the time between the initial use of stone tools by our hominin ancestors and the invention of writing. So, beginning about three million years ago and ending around 3000 BCE.
The scientific designation of prehistory is the Paleolithic era, also called the stone age, an expanse of time encompassing nearly three million years. Lucy the Australopithecus and other hominins are, in many ways, more ape than human. We don't know if Lucy made music but she probably lacked speech due to an ape-like vocal tract and chimpanzee sized brain. Thus, for the purposes 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 thereafter.
We know something about the music of our closest human relatives, the Middle Paleolithic and Upper Paleolithic Neanderthals and Homo sapiens. Artifacts such as flutes, percussion and cave paintings confirm that music and art existed in populations of Neanderthals and Homo sapiens during those eras. There are no audio recordings or scores from the Middle and Upper Paleolithic eras, so we can only guess what their music sounded like. However, the music of existing hunter-gather populations has been studied by ethnomusicologists and provide a model for how music in Paleolithic cultures may have been used.
Ancient History
The invention of writing, c. 3300 BCE in Mesopotamia, marks the beginning of ancient history, c. 3000 BCE to c. 500 CE, and a watershed of information about human culture, including music theory texts, scores and instruments. There is much to discuss about the surviving historical accounts and artifacts of ancient music. Indeed, we can even listen to this music: music notation inscribed on stones and cuneiform tablets excavated at archaeological sites are playable.
The music of the last millennium is illuminated with numerous historical accounts, treatises, scores, surviving instruments and ongoing performance practice. Thus, the bulk of the music surveyed in this course begins at the 1000 CE mark, the midpoint of the Post-Classical on our history timeline. As we pass through the Early Modern (1500 CE to 1800 CE) and Late Modern (1800 CE to present) epochs, musical activity and information increase exponentially.
One thousand years of music from multiple regions of the world is a lot to cover in one semester! Consequently, course materials been distilled to representative styles and pieces from selected regions.
Featured music will be examined from stylistic, historical, social and cultural perspectives. Musical style—melody, harmony, texture, form, etc.—will be explored. 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? Finally, the times and lives of the musicians will be examined and linked to their creations. In short, we won't merely listen to pretty pieces but will also 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.
The subtitle of World Music Literature is Brief Guide to Music from East to West. Indeed, for a textbook, it 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 a 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 $200, 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
Musical Elements
Video and Audio Tracks
