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Western Influences on Other Societies Music

Ancient civilizations emerged in historical times with a thriving musical culture. Over the

past three decades has been marked by great diversification of the western Musical tradition.

Music and tradition are interjoined. Countries in the western world have institutions that

safeguard the history of music genres such as classical music and jazz music (Connell and

Gibson 22). Regarding the topic of music and cultures of other societies, it is possible to believe

with a high degree of certainty that music played a crucial part in the development of society

over the years (Winnington-Ingram 6). In order to comprehend the value of music in human life,

it is essential to look at it from a cultural perspective (Pohlmann 228). Having a wider

transcultural view ensures that individuals comprehend not just their cultures but the cultures of

other regions. Just like other cultural aspects, music tradition is passed from one generation to

the next.

Music preferences are skewed towards culturally familiar understanding and

identification of music, which starts from childhood. One's culture also plays a role in shaping

music preferences and emotional acknowledgments as well as music memory. Individuals tend

to recall music from their culture (Connell and Gibson 7). At the same time, music can develop

and grow from its cultural setting. The art of music-making is driven by people's experiences,

where they use music as an avenue of expressing their emotions and relay the relevant message
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(Pohlmann 236). As such, in each culture, music plays a specific role and is associated with a

particular context, which means that music has status across different cultures.

There are numerous influences of European music from other societies. For instance, rap

music that originated from the black church has significantly influenced western music. Original

rap based on the "call and response" approach helps establish a connection amidst the speaker

and the audience. Another close example is the influence on hip hop culture (Connell and Gibson

27). The hip hop culture originated from the oral competition, which comprises oral skills and

rhymes in a battle to silencing the opponent.

Other than influence from music genres that originated from other countries, a significant

number of musical instruments used by musicians in the western world originated from other

regions, which are often termed as "developing societies." For example, the tambourine, which

belongs to the percussions category, originated from ancient Egypt. The Egyptian temple dancers

used the instrument during festivals. Historical evidence also indicates that the Cree people used

the tambourine in South India, China, and Eastern Europe. By the mid-eighteenth century, the

tambourine has gained popularity as a vital instrument in orchestral performances in Western

Europe (Dorf 37. Specifically, the instrument was commonly used by Wolfgang Amdeus Mozart

in several of his compositions.

The second musical instrument that has been influenced by the western world is the

accordion. The instrument's history is traced back to African and Asian societies. The wind

instrument is made by the "free reeds," which generate a unique sound when air moves over the.

The use free reeds have been used in Chinese musical instruments for more than two millennia

(Winnington-Ingram 8). The first modern accordion in the western world was made in Austria in

the early nineteenth century. Contrary to the modern accordions, the one designed in Austria
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only had a keyboard on one side, whereas the other end was used to operate the bellows.

Nonetheless, there are three types of accordions in the contemporary world: the button

accordion, the keyboard accordion, and the concertina (Connell and Gibson 72). All three types

of accordions are operated by squeezing and expanding the bellows. The action then forces air

over the reeds, causing vibrations and the keys determine the pitch of the music being played.

The third instrument from another society that has influenced by the western world is the

harmonica. The instrument's origin can be traced back to the 1800s when Mathias Hohner from

Trossingen started to design "mouth organs." Hohner made the instruments using an 1821 design

by Christian Buschmann (Connell and Gibson 76). By 1868, Hohner became the first individual

to mass-produce the harmonica and shipped them to the United States (Winnington-Ingram 16).

Later, the mouth organ became a crucial component for a wide range of music genres, including

folk, the blues, and country-western.

Another instrument from a different region that has had influence from the western

musical culture is the kettle drum. The use of the instrument differs greatly across different

cultures, with some versions dating back to 4000 B.C.E in Mesopotamia (Winnington-Ingram

24). At the same time, some Babylonian artifacts have been found bearing instructions on how to

make kettle drums. The instrument was used in Islamic culture, particularly in the Middle East. It

first arrived in Western Europe with the soldiers returning from their expeditions, which could

explain why the instrument is often linked with the army. The kettle drum was used on the

battlefield to counter noise that indicated the opponent army's likely defeat and to encourage

soldiers to keep marching.

The final instrument with an origin from a different country is the saxophone. The

instrument was initially shown at the 1841 Brussels exhibition by Adalphe Sax. The original
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design comprised fourteen different keys and sizes (Dorf 47). The contemporary saxophone

comprises three or four horns, with the soprano, tenor, alto, and baritone being the most

common. In 1845, Adalphe Sax organized a "battle of the bands," which involved one group

playing his new saxophone, whereas other groups played traditional instruments that were

popular with the French military band (Winnington-Ingram 43). The audience was impressed by

Sax's band a gesture that made the French government adopt the saxophone as one of the

instruments in its band.

Ancient Greek music is often linked with poetry and dancing. The earliest music was not

well known. However, it was later recognized in the Homeric period when a national music

culture existed, and it was regarded as an inspiration for the later generations. The main

instrument in ancient Greece music was the phorminx which was used to accompany poet-

singers who composed songs that comprised traditional short phrases (Dorf 64). One of the

earliest known Greek musicians is Terpander Lesbos. Ancient Greece music comprised of two

systems of notations: the vocal and an instrument which were challenging for the composers. In

earlier years, Greek music profited from the discovery of numerical notation of tones which is

attributed to Pythagoras of Samos (Dorf 69). The emergence of Pythagotheran tuning results in a

series of rations that have played an instrument in music over the years.

The ancient Greek women's laments are recorded in women's ceremonies that went on for

several hours. In almost all cultures, women have developed linguistic, musical capabilities. The

application of these life skills has enabled them to teach themselves and develop social networks

among themselves. The singing by Greek women was often spearheaded by a small section of

skilled soloists who were backed by a chorus. However, there were limits, and contravening

attracted disciplinary actions (Connell and Gibson 31). The music enabled women to express
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their emotions and air out their challenges, as well as forming a support system for their roles in

society. An example of women laments is the mentation of women in epic poetry (Dunham 4).

The music piece is centered on the narrative of tragedy about the loss of freedom and loved ones

as well as the loss of homeland experienced by prisoners of war. The piece shows that lament is

a key epic of one source and subversive element is an epic that can work against itself (Dunham

6). Another example is Homeric poetry, which entails a narrative of a hero's hard-earned fame

and status (Dunham 8). When the hero returns to his family, the wife listens, comprehends his

story, takes ownership, and coins the narrative in her future laments. At the same time, the

lament from the widow shows her sorrows while describing the miserable predicament of those

left behind.

Overall, western music has an impact on music from other societies. It has influenced

different music genres in other societies. Some of the musical instruments used today have a

great history and were used in other societies before getting into the western musical culture.

However, the instruments were crucial in the transformation and development of music over the

years. As people continue to enjoy music across the world, it is essential to reflect on the

influences from other societies.

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Works Cited

Connell, John, and Chris Gibson. Sound tracks: Popular music identity and place. Routledge,

2003. 4-52

Dorf, Samuel N. Performing Antiquity: Ancient Greek Music and Dance from Paris to Delphi,

1890-1930. Oxford University Press, USA, 2018. 27-89

Dunham, Olivia. "Private speech, public pain: the power of women's laments in ancient Greek

poetry and tragedy." CrissCross 1.1 (2014): 2.

https://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/crisscross/vol1/iss1/2

Pohlmann, Egert. "14 The Regain of Ancient Greek Music and the contribution of

Papyrology." Ancient Music in Antiquity and Beyond. De Gruyter, 2020. 227-250.

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110668100-014

Winnington-Ingram, Reginald Pepys. Mode in ancient Greek music. Cambridge University

Press, 2015. Pp.1-100