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Ethnomusicology Handout
Ethnomusicology Handout
ETHNOMUSICOLOGY
A word Ethnomusicology is a composed of three words.
Ethno prefix: indicating race, people, culture, ethnic group
Music: sounds that are arranged in a way that is pleasant or exciting to listen to
Ology: is a suffix used with words the scientific study a particular subject.
Ethnomusicology provides an understanding into the interaction of musical academic study with
ideas about culture, folklore, heritage and tradition in cultural context of social structure
Ethnomusicology is the scientific study of music, especially traditional or non-western music, as
an aspect of culture.
It is the comparative study of music of different culture
Is the study of folk or native music, especially non-western culture and its relationship to
the society to which it belongs
The study of the music of a particular region or people from the view point of its social or
cultural implications
The comparative study of the music of more than one such region or people
Ethnomusicology studies:
Folk music, ancient music, ethnic music and world music
Folk music that is lives in oral tradition
All music that a given locality
The music that given population groups regards as their particular property of everyone
of country
(Ethno) Musicology is a field of knowledge having as its object the investigation of the art of
music as:
A physical: needing bodily strength
Existing in the real material world
Involving a lot of bodily contact
Psychological: is mental processed, designed to affect mind
Existing in human mind, soul, feeling, sprit
Aesthetic: appreciating beauty
Sensitive to art
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Folk Music
Folk Music: a community’s cultural historical background presented and passed on from one
generation to the next in spoken stories and song.
Like folk literature lives in oral tradition
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The central tradition and folk music are transmitted orally that is:
Learned through hearing Small social networks of relatives or
In a normal way in informal friends
On the certain days of the year, particular songs celebrate the yearly cycle, seasonal
(limited to specific time of the year), occasional (irregular event), periodic (reappearing
from time to time).
Weddings, birthdays and funerals…noted with songs, dances, and special customs
Religious festivals often have a folk music component.
A folk music has been performed by custom, over a long period of time, usually several
generations.
Composition: Most folk songs are composed without notation
Notation: a system of sings or symbols used to represent information in music, musical notation
Note: a single sound of a particular length and PITCH (=how high or low sounds), made by the
voice or a musical instrument, the written or printed sign for a musical note.
Among the most important genres of folk music are ballads, short or a poem that tells a story
Epics: longer narratives in heroic style along poem about the actions of great men and women or
about nation, history; this style of poetry.
Work songs and other lyrical songs
Lyrical: expressing strong emotion in an imaginative way
: Expressing period’ personal feelings and thoughts
Songs of a ceremonial nature accompanying the life cycle of man or the annual agricultural cycle
Lullabies: a soft gentle song sung to make a child go to sleep
Praising horse, cattle and countries, war song
Chants: words or phrase that a group people shout or sing again and again
The origins
Much of traditional music was originally vocal music, since it did not require an
instrument.
Its forms are lyrical (showing passionate interest in something eagerness, having strong
emotions)
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The concussion of sonorous bodies, in the winds, high winds heavy rain moves with
speed and force around
Concussion: Sudden shock
Sonorous: producing sound
The beginning of music is lost I the day of yore (distant past) as are the beginning of speech.
Subject matter
The idea/ information contained in folk music most traditional folk music has meaningful
lyrics (romantic, emotional, expressive).
Many epic heroic songs (a lengthy narrative poem in high language celebrating the adventures
and achievements of a legendary or traditional hero) of various cultures were pieced together
from shorter pieces of traditional narrative verse.
Other forms of traditional narrative verse relate the outcomes of battles and other tragedies or
natural disasters
Sometimes songs celebrate victory
Laments for lost battles and wars, and lives lost in them are equally prominent in many
traditions.
Lament: a song, poem or other expression of great sadness for who has died or for something
that has ended:
: Regrettable, Unfortunately
: These laments keep alive the cause for which the battle was fought
The narratives of traditional songs often also remember folk heroes
Some traditional songs narratives recall super natural events or mysterious deaths
Traditional songs a present religious lore in a mnemonic form
Mnemonic: word, sentence, poem etc. that helps you to remember something
Work song: frequently feature call and response structure and are designed to enable the laborers
who sing them to coordinate their efforts in accordance with the rhythms of the songs.
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Melody: short piece of music, voice or line sequence of musical distinctive sound quality
(tone) that listener perceives as a single nature.
Melodic closure may occur simultaneously with textual ending
The form of stanza will very often come into view by the nature of textual verse
Stanza: division of poem: a number of lines of verse forming in a separate
Musical form
Refers to the arrangement of various components in a piece of music
Forms through repetition and difference
Difference is the distance moved from a repeat being the smallest difference
How to describe form
There are various ways of describing the repetition, change and variation that occurs in a musical
composition
Below table permits us to see forms of any folk music through specific stanzas.
Name Description Letter
First verse First words and music A
Refrain(chorus) New words and music B
Second verse Sound like first verse, but with some changes (like new words) A’
Refrain Same as first refrain B
Bridge New material, usually instrumental solo or different voice C
Third verse Sound like first verse, etc A’
Refrain Same as first refrain B
Refrain Similar to previous refrain, but with modest changes B’
(improvised vocal, B’ fade, etc)
Refrain: line or group of lines return repeatedly at regular intervals
Using the letter method, we can describe this song as having the form ABA’BCA’BB’
The small marks to the upper right of one A and one B designate variation.
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The typical folk song is strophic: the tune is repeated several times with successive stanzas of
poem:
Tunes may have from two to eight lines, but most often there are four
The musical interrelationship among the lines is described as the form.
Popular folk music
Popular folk music evolved from traditional folk music. This process and period is called folk
revival
This form of music is sometimes called contemporary folk music or folk revival music to
distinguish it from earlier folk music.
Modern folk music was understood to be a particular kind of popular music which was culturally
descended from. This kind of folk music is most often performed by gifted amateur and
professional musicians with play-for-profit performances and recordings.
The impact of recording technology makes folk music popular folk music
The popularity of “contemporary folk “recordings caused appearance of the category popular
folk music
Folk dance
Folk dance:- is the traditional dances of a country that evolve from natural processes,
driving motivated from internal rather than from planning no external influences.
It is developed gradually for all non-professional reasons
Those that are performed for all non-professional reasons
Ceremonial dance performed usually by members of the community
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Community dances that are forms of communication and co-operation, done for a
purpose (at marriage, births) and in public places
Originated and regular occurred through a long period of time established within a
particular racial or cultural division belongs to specific human group
Display dances which fulfill some of the criteria of purpose, place, performer, time of year
associated with ceremonial forms
Nature and function of folk dance
Many folk dances best expresses their ancient functions when performed in their native habitat.
In the village they enhance spirit of communication, shared feelings and beliefs and brotherhood
Celebrates original festivals
Oromo folk dance is diverse because of Oromo’s vast cultural diversity.
Again, here, according to the nature and functions, the vast body of folk dances can be further
subdivided according to the basic character or particular occasion of performance of dance
Among Oromo society the range and variety of folk dance traditions are still surviving through
difficulty
The Oromo has many cultural regions
In each there are different styles of folk dance
The tribal dance are either ritualistic or simple celebrative
Mostly performed with participants of that occasion
The vast body of Oromo dances can be further subdivided according to the basic character or
particular occasion of performance of the dance.
Such as ritual dances
Ceremonial dances
Harvest dance Social dance
Dances of boys as girls
Form and techniques
Elements of dance
1) Design, 2) step, 3) gesture, 4) dynamics, 5) technique
Steps Dance patterns are made up of stapes. Which are developed from man’s basic
movements (locomotive) actions such as, walking, running, jumping, hopping (to move by
jumping on one foot), skipping (move with jump), sliding (move smoothly), galloping and
leaping ( to jump high or a long way), stamping (to put your foot down heavily and noisily
on the ground), turning and swaying (move slowly from side to side).
Gesture Dance may also use gesture whish express specific emotions or ideas mime or
sign language. Brandishing (in an aggressive or threatening way, clasping (hold tightly in
hand s in supplication (the act of asking for with very humble request.
Dynamics Dance involves dynamics which is tension, effort, or energy with which a
movement is made and range from transition, or changes. It may be smooth or sharp.
Related elements
MUSIC dance because of its basis in rhythm is related to music and accompanied by it.
Folk dance is part of one ritual act performed by whole community.
COSTUME AND PROPERTIES
The visual elements of costumes and properties also contribute to dance.
For example headdress, stylized makeup, elaborate head dress, stick, special clothing.
Broken circle,
Hand joined in a formation of as shoulder height full circle
Two/ Parallel Single Line
8. Styles of movement
Jumping : Leaves surface with both feats
Count stapes Neck dance Leaves surface with both feats
Walks
Head shake dance
Roll, turn over and over
Begin falling clock wise/ anti clock wise
Face to face
Count stages of walks to right side onto the right front hold slow
(Counts) continue walking with the left front, then the right foot (quick, quick), slow
For two or more dancers:
Mirroring: - facing each other and doing the same
Retro age: performing a sequence of moves in a reverse order moving background in space and
time.
Idiophones
Instruments that are self-sounding, that is the material of which they are made, weather wood,
metal, or substance, is somehow set into vibration.
Vibrate: to move or make move from side to side very quickly and with small movement.
: Self-sounding instrument like bells, your tow hands and feet when they are clapped together or
stamped (act of hitting down foot) on the ground.
: Material which is set into motions such as by: Strike (striking/ hit) shaking, scraping/rubbing
and making sound or by stamping.
Idiophones are classified by the way they are cased to vibrate, concussion, struck /hit stamped,
shaken, scarped, plucked or rubbed.
Chordophones
String instruments have one or more vibrating strings as the sound source. Instruments with
strings that can be plucked or bowed
Pluck: to play a musical instrument by pulling the strings with your finger.
Bow: rubbing stretched strings.
Aerophones
Aerophones are instruments in which an enclosed column of air vibrates to produce sound.
The size and shape of the inside of the instrument, termed to bore (deep hole). Have an opening,
or mouthpiece through which the player blows air.
Blow: to send out air from the mouth.
Membranophones
Popularly known as drums
Membrane stretched over an opening across one or both ends of the instruments.
:Membraphones are distinguished by their material shape, skin or heads are how fastened,
playing position and manners of playing.
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Characteristics of Sound
If music is the purposeful organization of sound that enters our consciousness through the
sense of hearing, we need to subdivide the listening process into manageable parts.
We can break down sound into four the sense of hearing characteristics that are useful in all
cultures: quality, pitch, duration intensity.
Quality
The distinctive sound of a particular voice or instrument is termed its quality/tone color
/timbre
Each sound source generates certain harmonies that produce distinctive sound and enable
listener to distinguish between the voices of two singers or two musical instruments sound.
:Factors such as the construction of an instrument,
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Duration /Rhythm
Any sound we hear has its duration. So, sound exists in time, the length of time we
hear it in minutes, seconds, or micro seconds.
Rhythm is the follow of music through time.
We also enjoy allowing the rhythm of music stimulate movement in our bodies , as
when we dance.
Beat
• When you clap your hands or tap your foot to music, you are responding to its beat.
• Beat is a regular, repeatedly occur that divides music into equal units of time
Ethnomusicologists
Who they are and what they actual do?
Many ethnomusicologists have initial background in academic music,
as the students of performance, theory or composition, anthropology and folklore
Many students of ethnomusicology specialized the music of a particular culture or area,
and
even a particular genre of music
Most of them actually do is to carry out research about non-western, folk, popular
and vernacular music, music in culture
Ethnomusicologists, anthropologists, and folklorists
Understand the music as product of culture
Deal with musical concepts, attitudes, or form of behavior
Analyze the interaction of various domains in culture
Non Western and folk-music research
1. Ethnomusicologists believe that music must be understood as
• a part of culture, and
• as a product of human society
• society musically defines itself, in its study of classification of music
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• None western music is most often transmitted orally form parent to child or from
teacher to student.
• Compositions and performance techniques are learned by rote (repetition and
memorization and imitation).
Improvisation
• to invent music while you are playing/singing, instead of planning it.
• Improvisation is basic to many nonwestern musical cultures.
Voices
-Singing is the most important way of making music in the vast majority of nonwestern
cultures.
-Vocal quality varies widely from one musical tradition to another.
Example:-Middle East and North Africa singers cultivate
-Nasal:-produced partly through the nose
-powerful:-vary great, extreme
-Nervous tone:-worry
Sub-Saharan Africa
Opened throated sound is generally preferred by singers. The vast range of vocal techniques
including: shouting, loud voice. Crying:-used to emphasize that you think something is
extremely bad on shocking, Whispering:-to make a soft, quiet sound. Sighing:-to make and then
let out along deep breath that can be heard to show that you are disappointed, sad, tired.
Humming : -to sing a tone with your lips closed, to make allow continuous sound.
Yodeling:-changing your voice frequently between its normal level and a very high level.
Singing through the teeth; an amazing vocal technique is used among African’s can produce two
sounds at the same time, a low ,sustained tone together with, a high, frightening melody.
Elements of African Music
Rhythm and Percussion
Rhythm: ordered flow of music through time; the pattern of durations of notes and silences in
music Percussion: musical instruments that you play by hitting them with your hand or with a
stick. Rhythm and percussion sounds are highly emphasized in Africa music. This emphasize
reflects the close link between music and dance in Africa culture.
Characteristics of African Music
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Ono of the characteristics that gives Africa music its distinctiveness is the large number of
colorful instruments used both individually (as accompaniment to singing) and large and small
ensembles (group of performers: a group of musicians, dancer or actors who perform together
with roughly equal contributions from all numbers). Two or more events tend to occur
simultaneously within a musical context. E.g. in a single ceremony/ festival female at one group,
male another group, male groups also possibly perform separated in different groups.
Even players of simple solo instruments (such as the musical law or flute (wind instruments with
high sound/ a wood wind instrument with a cylindrical arrow body) manage to manipulate
(operate) the instrument is such a way to produce simultaneous sounds by playing overtones with
the bow, by humming (sing with lips closed).
Bow, musical instrument, causing which the instrument emits (culture sound) as sound. The vast
majority of bows are used with string instruments plucked string instruments opposed to bowed
strings while bowing and the lice. Melodies often consist of two balanced phrases. There is often
a leader, chorus relationship in performance and polyphonic performances are generally
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structured so that two parts or two groups of vocalist or instruments titlists often perform in
antiphony
Antiphonic: music performed in altering sections. Responsive charting, a musical response
or answering phrase.
This binary musical form often occurs with variations or improvisations on short-melodic motifs.
Much of traditional Africa music is associated with dance, which adds to the multidimensional
effect of the presentation. Overlapping choral antiphony and responsorial singing are principal
types of African polyphony. Various combinations of Ostinato (repeated melody: a short
musical phrase or melody that is repeated over and over, usually at the same pitch) Drone-
ostinato (a drone is a harmonic or monophonic effect or accompaniment where a note are chord
is continuously sounded through most or all of a piece). Poly melody (mainly two part), and
parallel intervals are additional polyphonic techniques frequently employed.
Monophony: is the simplest texture, consisting of melody without accompanying harmony. This
may be realized as just one note at a time, or with the same note duplicated at the octave (such as
often when women and men sing together) if an entire melody is played by two or more
instruments or sung by a chair with a fixed interval between the voices or unison, it is also said to
be in monophony.
African music
African music is the main manifestation of culture in its broadest sense. Traditional Africa may
be defined as that music which is associated with indigenous Africa music may be defined as that
music which is associated with indigenous Africa institution of the pre-colonial era. African
music is basically the music of the indigenous people of Africa. Music and dance are terms that
are usually used to denote musical practices of African people. This explains that ancient African
society did not separate their everyday life activities from their music and other cultural
experience It is widely observed that African traditional music has undergone changes thought
the centuries. What is termed Africa traditional music today is probably very different from
Africa music in former times. In view of the role Africa music and learning, Africa music is a
path through which knowledge is transmitted. According to Tchebwa (2005) there fivefold of the
purpose of Africa music.
1. Educational: music is used teach traditional tales, word and thinking games (proverb),
guessing game (charades, etc..). it is also used during imitation periods to teach Africa values.
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Characteristics of Sound
If music is the purposeful organization of sound that enters our consciousness through the sense
of hearing, we need to subdivide the listening process into manageable parts.
We can break down sound into four the sense of hearing characteristics that are useful in all
cultures: quality, pitch, duration intensity.
Quality
The distinctive sound of a particular voice or instrument is termed its quality/tone color /timbre
Each sound source generates certain harmonies that produce distinctive sound and enable
listener to distinguish between the voices of two singers or two musical instruments sound.
:Factors such as the construction of an instrument,
materials from which it is made or
the ability of craftsmanship,
an instrument made from.
the ability of a voice to produce and
the ability of instrument to use are also other aspects of sound production that shape
quality
Sound –producing mechanism
Chest voice: produces a low, powerful, throaty vocal quality, sound vibrated from within the
chest, with a low, powerful, throaty vocal quality. ►Naahoo Gobana
Head voice : a light, bright, high tone resonated in the head.
Falsetto : the process of singing by men in a high register above the normal male singing range.
Nasal : a buzzing vocal quality produced by using the sinuses and mask of the face as sound
resonators.
Pitch
Is the highness or lowness that we hear in a sound
The pitch of a sound is determined by the frequency of its vibrations,
The faster the vibrations, the high the pitch; the slower the vibrations, the lower the pitch.
The scientific for the rate of sound vibration is frequency
The musical term for the quality of sound which is recognized so instinctively, is pitch.
Low pitches (low frequencies) result from long vibrating elements. High pitch from short
one.
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The distance between the highest and lowest pitch that can be sung or played by or
instrument is called range
The distance between two pitches this is called interval.
Intensity /Dynamics
Degree of loudness or softness in music
A tone has a dynamic level –is soft or loud – in relation to others tones around it .
The volume at which music is played
when instruments are played more loudly or more softly, or when there is a change
in how many instruments are heard, a dynamic change result; such a change may be
made either suddenly or gradually.
Duration /Rhythm
Any sound we hear has its duration. So, sound exists in time, the length of time we
hear it in minutes, seconds, or micro seconds.
Rhythm is the follow of music through time.
We also enjoy allowing the rhythm of music stimulate movement in our bodies , as
when we dance.
Beat
• When you clap your hands or tap your foot to music, you are responding to its beat.
• Beat is a regular, repeatedly occur that divides music into equal units of time
Monophony literally a “single sound, the simplest musical texture. The simplest musical texture
is monopoly, literally a single sound. A texture is monophonic when an individual voice or
melody instrument performs alone (solo), or when more than one voice or instrument sing or
play the same melody together, sounding the same pitch in the rhythm at the same time.
For example: singers sung, in which one hares first an individual voice and then a choir
singing in monopoly.
Biphonic singing: two tones, the fundamental and an overtone, are made audible
simultaneously by a single singer; also known as harmonic singing.
A biphonic texture has two distinct lines, the lower sustaining a continuous pitch (drone)
while the other performs a more elaborate melody above it.
Homophony: a physical texture, as in the western hymn, where the parts perform different
pitches but move in the same rhythm a same sounding “texture, occurs when a melody is
supported by other vocal or instrumental parts, all of which move along in roughly the same
rhythm as the melody, but on different pitches.
Polyphony: combinations of more than one voice or instruments can create textures called
polyphony, literally “many sounds.” While polyphony generally occurs when several voices or
instruments perform different melodies or different rhythms together, some instruments, such as
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the piano, the accordion, and some zithers, have the capability to produce multiple musical lines
on their own.
Heterophony: a musical texture in which two or more parts sound almost the same melody at
almost the same time: often with the parts or unlamented differently. Heterophony, produced by
several voices or instruments that perform similar but slightly different melodies and rhythms at
the same time.