Musical Exoticism: The Influence Of Musical Exoticism

Transcendentalism influenced the 19th century and emphasized on the value of the individual and intuition. It was an idea that people were at their best when they we self reliant and independent. Ralph Waldo Emerson was the movements most important figure along with his main follower Henry David Thoreau. These two people were the most influential people during this movement. Transcendentalism was all about being an individual and it still endures today in modern culture. It is particularly evident in modern music. Modern music expresses individuality and the idea of being something other than the majority.

6. Is language a reliable demarcation of musical style in Europe? Why or why not?

The adoption of Western music inspired new ways of viewing music and resulted in a transformation of Chinese music. It prompted “Chinese composers to either fuse Western music with traditional sounds or turn their back on traditional Chinese music [because they Westernized] their music modeled on the perceptions that Western music equates with modernization” (Lau 90). Additionally, because many traditionalists feared that traditional Chinese music would gradually disappear due to the modernizing Western music, “they began to focus on promoting Chinese music as a way to counteract the encroachment of Western culture and music. But they did it in a 'modernist' rather than preservationist sort of way. Many musicians experimented with new ways of composing music and modernizing traditional instruments” (Lau 92).

Ralph P. Locke’s theory of musical exoticism takes form through a spectrum that ranges from pure musical exoticism to transcultural composing. However the main requirement of exoticism is the notion of conjuring up a specific place or group of people as being perceived as different from the audience culture. In terms of pure exoticism, the composer willingly incorporates exotic sounding elements in order to mark a specific group or place as foreign. Transcultural composing is the other facet of exoticism. It is different in that it is not intended to marginalize any exotic group, rather it is a mix of Western and non-western styles. While both George Bizet’s Carmen and Benjamin Britten’s Death In Venice incorporate exoticism, they each take on an opposite form of exoticism. Bizet’s use of stereotypical gypsy music, as well as the portrayal of Carmen, explicitly marginalize and construct Carmen as different. Carmen’s lack of Spanish descent and her Gypsy ethnicity are constructed as different via musical and performative aspects of the opera. Within the exoticism framework, Bizet’s carmen is an example of pure exoticism. In contrast, Britten's Death In Venice is an example of transcultural composing because the “other” being marginalized is homosexuality, which is an identity that Britten is apart of and is not exclusive to any one group.

According to www.talks.cam.ac.uk, “Globalization emphasises difference, promotes pluralism, and increases diversity through the accelerating circulation of a multiplicity of cultural practices. In turn, music affected these elements of globalization in significant and often unexpected ways.”

Music has been with history since the beginning. It is an important topic to know while studying history. Music that was in the era has an impact on what people did, people are influenced by the music they listen to. It is even shown in American history from the early America to the Civil War it is shown drastically how this influenced many human beings.

American Music is a melting pot of different cultures, emotions, experiences, and therefore genres. It is incredible to see how as music evolves and changes with the time, so does The United States. We are a mixed bag as a country, accepting all different cultures and backgrounds. This has led to many breakthroughs and innovations in music throughout history. We are all influenced by our experiences in life and this is no different in the evolution of music in American History. The Blues was created from African American Slave songs, with lyrics that narrate the hardships of the human experience at the time. These rhythms and forms carried over and eventually created what is now Rock and Roll. Over the next five weeks, we will explore and discover five key genres and artists who are known to specialize in that genre as a way to reconnect with our history and explore the possibilities for innovation in music in the future.

In Philip J. Deloris’s Music chapter from his book “Indians in unexpected places” he talks about the influence that Native Americans had in music. Exploring how traditional Native music and modernity fused together. The new fusion leads to new expectations being placed on Native Americans. Native children at boarding school came out having were learning how to play new musical instruments. At the same time through music the boarding schools were trying to assimilate the Native children. He goes on to talk about Tsianina Red Feather and the impact she had on her audiences. She attracted people from all over to her performances because “her authenticity was the show’s most valuable commodity” (210). Showing that audiences wanted to see real Natives not people pretending to them.

Country music is constantly changing, an example of this is how women are now viewed in country music. The American form of music became popular in the 1920’s, and continued to grow, artists of this era include the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, and Vernon Dalhart. One of country’s most well-known female singers is Dolly Parton, becoming a major country star in the 1970’s. Dolly was one of the first female artists to challenge the gender stereotypes in country music, this major success led to her long career. She has contributed over 35 hits to country and popular music, including her album Coat of Colors released in 1971, by RCA records was the album that changed her career. The 8th solo album made it onto Time Magazine 's 100 Greatest

Music has played a vital role in human culture and evidence based on archaeological sites can date it back to prehistoric times. It can be traced through almost all civilizations in one form or another. As time has progressed so has the music and the influences it has on people. Music is an important part of popular culture throughout the world, but it is especially popular in the United States. The music industry here is, and has been, a multi-million dollar business that continues to play an important role in American popular culture. This is also a art form and business that is forever changing as the times and more importantly, technology changes. Technology has changed the way music is made as well as how it is produced,

The history of American music begins with a fundamental process of exchange through all different social lines, where diverse cultures meet, and mix. Music has and always will be defined as sounds that are arranged in a particular pattern that are played to be meaningful and pleasurable. The chronology of music began in the Medieval period, when chanting was introduced into the Church. Music has then moved its way through many stages: renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic and leading up to 20th century American music. American 20th century music is made up of a diverse number of styles that are reflected by cultural traditions and the era’s of the past. Immigrants from Spain, France, England, Germany and Ireland all contributed and brought their own unique styles to the forefront, hence creating American music. African Americans created influential musical traditions that include rhythm and improvisation that were later combined with European traditions and other indigenous music.

Music plays a significant rule in our lives. It’s a melody and rhythm we live in. It plays a very essential rule in our day to day to life when it comes to expressing feelings, passing time and for other uses as well. Though we in general may not think about how music has changed so much in the past few decades we must acknowledge the fact todays music is the outcome of the various change in the past. Today’s majority of music we hear is what we define as more as a “westernized” music. Considering other cultures in the world, a huge impact of western music is seen within them. Westernization and modernization are two different words with different meanings and they have two different impacts on a society. Modernization is used to define the improvements and show a progressive transition from one stage to another. Westernization is the concept of being influenced by the customs and techniques of the western society and reflecting them in a non-western culture. This essay will discuss furtherly about the impact of the western society on music cultures of North India and Korea by looking from both the positive and negative point of this impact.

So whilst some parts of the world stayed traditionalist, other parts were taking music to the next step. Western cultures have used music for almost every aspect of life. Music was used for entertainment, religion, war cries and important ceremonies. Some countries have unfortunately lost their culture and heritage thanks to more developed countries trying to expand their empires. A good example of this is when the indigenous Mexican people were murdered in their homeland by the invading Spanish – and replaced the traditional drums and flutes with more vibrant shakers and trumpets. It is no doubt that the way upper countries have acted has greatly affected the distribution of music worldwide.

China has long been the cultural hub of Asia, and has had the longest amount of contact of any Asian country with other Western countries. Ever since the Silk Road was established, China has been trading with other Western countries and exchanging aspects of their cultures with one another. One of these aspects is music. But how exactly has Western music influenced Chinese music? In order to understand this, we must look at the history of Western encounters with China in terms of music.

Music from all over the world presents a range of musical theories. Some of these are documented in writing whilst others are transmitted orally. Discuss and give examples with reference to both Western and non-Western music.