Title and performers unknown
(traditional Irish folk/fiddle tunes)
Culture of origin: Irish
Instrumentation: fiddles, banjos
In deciphering how the study of ethnomusicology informs world music pedagogy, it is important to first define some terminology. Wade (2013) says "music is not only a thing - a category of organized sound or compositions - but also a process" (p. 6). Ethnomusicologists have suggested that "music is not a thing at all, but an activity that people do" (Wade, p. 7). These approaches to understanding music is evidenced in the music of many cultures around the world, including Ireland. The fiddle tune in this example is very lively and the product by the performer is clearly a result of his energetic activity in the process of making this music. Wade (2013) also comments specifically on Irish musicians stating "they embellish their playing with ornaments and small melodic or rhythmic variations that make each repetition of a tune slightly different" (p. 8). Examples of this are heard at several points in the recording. The same few melodies are repeated several times in this performance but there are subtle differences between them. This approach encourages creativity from the performer which in turn results in a unique listening experience for the audience. A mix of repeated ideas with slight variations is a perfect balance of old and new, which continues to engage listeners for the duration of the piece. Examining such differences as these and contrasting them with music of other cultures which may range from music that is entirely improvised to music strictly performed according to printed notation, influences the pedagogy of music within a culture.
References:
Wade, B. C. (2013). Thinking musically (3rd ed.) Oxford: Oxford University Press
Matt,
ReplyDeleteI really like the choice of piece you selected for this blog entry. Your description of the lively celtic fiddle music and of the piece itself is very nice and includes some stylistic details of this Irish piece. One of the points of understanding in ethnomusicology is the comparative study of the world's music. Thinking about this brought to my mind how this celtic fiddle tune compares with and reminds me of the fiddle music we might hear in America with our Bluegrass music. The idea of relating another culture's music to some of our own American music I believe is a way to gain further insight of not only another's culture, but our also our own. Matt, I enjoyed your blog entry.
Hi Matt,
ReplyDeleteMusic as a process rather than as a thing, as you described from the Wade readings, echoes the philosophies of David Elliott and Christopher Small. Music is about "doing" or musicking as Small has termed it. You fleshed out the embellishments in the recording, thank you for that because I don't know if I would have heard it on first experience of this recording! Also, Lori ties the music to Bluegrass; both musics incorporate a great deal of improvisation and embellishments of their folk music.