1. In an age when technology facilitates the accessibility of countless music cultures, to what extent does the overall quality of research suffer within a specific music culture, due to the increased quantity of music cultures now available to us? Is there a threat of ethnographers being spread too thin wanting to take on numerous projects? Technology is an effective means for progression of a tradition, but does it come at a cost (i.e. loss of authenticity)? Examine the past, present, and/or future roles of technology in ethnomusicology and its inherent advantages and drawbacks. Feel free to include specific examples when technology has enhanced or held back the process of gathering information and producing an ethnography.
2. Bruno Nettl claims that “how a society transmits its culture, how a musical system transmits itself, is of enormous importance for understanding the society’s character” (37). From there he lists four ways in which a musical system is transmitted, namely oral or aural, written, printed, and recorded. Is there any one method that stands out as being the most informative? Offer critiques and criticisms of each method, and analyze the role of transcription and transmission in ethnographies. With a significant emphasis placed on Western music notation as a means of transcription, are we obliged to find alternative ways to visually represent a music-culture that does not necessarily adopt Western music tradition? Consider the ethical implications of doing so.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Critical Review #8
Questions for Kiri:
You mentioned that you had an emotional connection with Sacred Harp tradition during the “memorial lesson”. Were there any other interesting personal connections to your Sacred Harp fieldwork that you may have omitted simply because they did not fit the “flow” of your ethnography?
How does an observer with an “essentializing ear” hear an acquired Southern accent (or a loss of a Southern accent in the case of a Southerner)? Does the observer view this adaptation the same way as the practitioner of the tradition?
Discussion Question:
Technology is an effective means for progression of a tradition, but does it come at a cost (i.e. loss of authenticity)? Additionally, if a tradition is adopted by a new group of people and the original pioneers of that tradition die out, does ownership of the tradition transfer over to the new group or is it permanently associated with the pioneer?
You mentioned that you had an emotional connection with Sacred Harp tradition during the “memorial lesson”. Were there any other interesting personal connections to your Sacred Harp fieldwork that you may have omitted simply because they did not fit the “flow” of your ethnography?
How does an observer with an “essentializing ear” hear an acquired Southern accent (or a loss of a Southern accent in the case of a Southerner)? Does the observer view this adaptation the same way as the practitioner of the tradition?
Discussion Question:
Technology is an effective means for progression of a tradition, but does it come at a cost (i.e. loss of authenticity)? Additionally, if a tradition is adopted by a new group of people and the original pioneers of that tradition die out, does ownership of the tradition transfer over to the new group or is it permanently associated with the pioneer?
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Critical Review #7
Kay Shelemay’s “Thoughts on Bridging Disciplines and Musical Worlds” is concerned with the need to rid ourselves of the distinction between “Western Music and “Non-Western Music” if we are to successfully link historical musicology, ethnomusicology, and anthropology. She acknowledges the fact that the present division between the two musics has not been challenged, especially by ethnomusicologists, who seek to “preserve their own pursuits and identity” in the presence of Western music institutions. However, she does claim that boundaries are beginning to crumble/blur due to the international influence on even the most Western of musics. This leads into the rest of her paper which examines the advantages and disadvantages of studying Western music and how ethnomusicologists can continue to push towards progression. For example, she explores the ideas of “early music” and its possible connection (or disconnection) from Western music and she even touches on the aspect of authenticity. In the end, she stresses what seems to be glimpses into the “new fieldwork” and ethnography, in that she feels like ethnomusicologists should “participate in joint ethnographic ventures”; that is to say, strive to present a more intersubjective perspective.
Discussion Question: Is authenticity better described temporally or qualitatively? That is to say is it the first performance of a piece that makes it authentic or the best performance?
Discussion Question: Is authenticity better described temporally or qualitatively? That is to say is it the first performance of a piece that makes it authentic or the best performance?
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Interview Documentation
This is a partial transcript from an interview with Marcello Jatosti, a member of the Italian activist street band "Titubanda".
Where does the name “Titubanda” originate from?
Titubanda comes from the verb “titubar” in Italian, which means when we waver, when we hesistate, when we’re not certain, and when we cannot decide. So it is true that we are a wavering band, always on the verge of doing it or not doing it. This is also our handicap sometimes. We cannot decide, but maybe at the end, if somebody insists very much, like I did insist a lot, we came finally to the festival here.
Along those lines, how did Titubanda originate?
It started in May of 1998. The first day of May, which is not a casual date. It is an important date because it is a holiday for the workers. So I don’t know if in America it is the same, but May 1st is a very important day. It is the worker holiday, a holiday and celebration for the workers always associated with demonstrations with get-togethers and rallies of originally workers, Communist parties, anarchists on the left. It is just a special day to celebrate, and there was this was a theatre performance and they wanted a group of musicians to play with them, so in a few weeks, a group of maybe seven men was built up to go and play for this occasion, so this was the beginning of Titubanda.
Is everyone from the city of Rome or do they come from all over Italy?
Yes, mostly from Rome and some possibly live around Rome, in the countryside, to people who live far from Rome. Also, there are people joining us, for example, students who are French, Spanish, or from Germany, European students that come to Rome for some exchange. They stay for one year, they play with us, learn the repertoire. They are usually good and can learn quickly, and then on great occasions like trips or festivals, we invite them to be with us. We have here a German girl here playing with us, a French girl from Paris playing with us so we like to become more and more international.
Is anyone in the band from the United States?
(Name) is a guy who invited us to the festival in Somerville. He is a good musician as you saw. He was invited to play with us. There is another trombonist from Seattle who plays with us, and we invite him to play solos. If you are a good musician, you don’t need to rehearse too much, maybe after two or three days you can learn the easy parts. Everyone does a small easy part and then when we come together, we build an arrangement.
It seems like everyone knows when the soloist is supposed to come in. How do you plan that out with such a big group?
We sometimes have structures to the songs, but it helps that a few of us at the right moment give a signal just to have and to understand we are going to specific parts of the song. We are going to the bridge. We are going to the refrain and so forth.
And a lot of it is improv?
Yeah, yes, improv and we love to make happenings, be spontaneous, especially when we are very happy, when we are feeling excited because we are playing here in the United States. So, it gives us a push and we can have brilliance being spontaneous, sometimes even involving the audience.
Is this your first time playing in the United States and how has the experience been so far?
Yes, for the band it is our first time and so far it has been really great. We have really enjoyed it and we met many bands at the festival. Of course it is an enrichment for everyone to exchange their music and their experiences. We get together because we share the same values and show some feelings and the same pleasure of playing in the street, so its always a great experience.
Is there something you can take out of your experiences here and possibly utilize back in Italy?
Yes, we will go back as a new band. We will be totally transformed by this experience. We already, for example, the American bands, they have costumes and a show. They have dancers, and normally we do not dress up for demonstration or for our concerts, and so we already have some influence from the other American bands. They are more visual and more color-graphic.
I heard that you were going to do a rally at Wall Street. What rally is this?
We heard about this. It is not clear because we discovered that this is actually a campaign rally for Ralph Nader. So, when there are such proposals, when you have to play for someone in a political campaign, we tend to be careful how to choose where we go. We discussed it a little bit, and the band isn’t so clear if we want to support Ralph Nader because we think that in these elections, if Ralph Nader takes votes, it will take votes from Barack Obama, so we would rather give a chance of him getting all the possible votes, so probably, we won’t go to this rally.
What are some of the core values or attitudes of Titubanda?
For ourselves, for example, everyone has freedom of ideas. There is no one line official that everyone must respect, but everyone is allowed to have his or her own liberty of thought, and it is true that we are a bit individualistic. Normally, a band is more like a mass. We are many individuals that come together to build up a whole musical ensemble. First off, there are no hierarchies in the band. So everyone is equal and everyone tries to help and contribute as much as he or she can to our activities. Yeah, I already described how we choose where we are going to play. We choose democratically and we discuss it and lately we found it is a very good way to discuss between us. Everyone has a goal and we sit in a circle and everyone speaks in turn, so everyone can say what he or she thinks.
Where does the name “Titubanda” originate from?
Titubanda comes from the verb “titubar” in Italian, which means when we waver, when we hesistate, when we’re not certain, and when we cannot decide. So it is true that we are a wavering band, always on the verge of doing it or not doing it. This is also our handicap sometimes. We cannot decide, but maybe at the end, if somebody insists very much, like I did insist a lot, we came finally to the festival here.
Along those lines, how did Titubanda originate?
It started in May of 1998. The first day of May, which is not a casual date. It is an important date because it is a holiday for the workers. So I don’t know if in America it is the same, but May 1st is a very important day. It is the worker holiday, a holiday and celebration for the workers always associated with demonstrations with get-togethers and rallies of originally workers, Communist parties, anarchists on the left. It is just a special day to celebrate, and there was this was a theatre performance and they wanted a group of musicians to play with them, so in a few weeks, a group of maybe seven men was built up to go and play for this occasion, so this was the beginning of Titubanda.
Is everyone from the city of Rome or do they come from all over Italy?
Yes, mostly from Rome and some possibly live around Rome, in the countryside, to people who live far from Rome. Also, there are people joining us, for example, students who are French, Spanish, or from Germany, European students that come to Rome for some exchange. They stay for one year, they play with us, learn the repertoire. They are usually good and can learn quickly, and then on great occasions like trips or festivals, we invite them to be with us. We have here a German girl here playing with us, a French girl from Paris playing with us so we like to become more and more international.
Is anyone in the band from the United States?
(Name) is a guy who invited us to the festival in Somerville. He is a good musician as you saw. He was invited to play with us. There is another trombonist from Seattle who plays with us, and we invite him to play solos. If you are a good musician, you don’t need to rehearse too much, maybe after two or three days you can learn the easy parts. Everyone does a small easy part and then when we come together, we build an arrangement.
It seems like everyone knows when the soloist is supposed to come in. How do you plan that out with such a big group?
We sometimes have structures to the songs, but it helps that a few of us at the right moment give a signal just to have and to understand we are going to specific parts of the song. We are going to the bridge. We are going to the refrain and so forth.
And a lot of it is improv?
Yeah, yes, improv and we love to make happenings, be spontaneous, especially when we are very happy, when we are feeling excited because we are playing here in the United States. So, it gives us a push and we can have brilliance being spontaneous, sometimes even involving the audience.
Is this your first time playing in the United States and how has the experience been so far?
Yes, for the band it is our first time and so far it has been really great. We have really enjoyed it and we met many bands at the festival. Of course it is an enrichment for everyone to exchange their music and their experiences. We get together because we share the same values and show some feelings and the same pleasure of playing in the street, so its always a great experience.
Is there something you can take out of your experiences here and possibly utilize back in Italy?
Yes, we will go back as a new band. We will be totally transformed by this experience. We already, for example, the American bands, they have costumes and a show. They have dancers, and normally we do not dress up for demonstration or for our concerts, and so we already have some influence from the other American bands. They are more visual and more color-graphic.
I heard that you were going to do a rally at Wall Street. What rally is this?
We heard about this. It is not clear because we discovered that this is actually a campaign rally for Ralph Nader. So, when there are such proposals, when you have to play for someone in a political campaign, we tend to be careful how to choose where we go. We discussed it a little bit, and the band isn’t so clear if we want to support Ralph Nader because we think that in these elections, if Ralph Nader takes votes, it will take votes from Barack Obama, so we would rather give a chance of him getting all the possible votes, so probably, we won’t go to this rally.
What are some of the core values or attitudes of Titubanda?
For ourselves, for example, everyone has freedom of ideas. There is no one line official that everyone must respect, but everyone is allowed to have his or her own liberty of thought, and it is true that we are a bit individualistic. Normally, a band is more like a mass. We are many individuals that come together to build up a whole musical ensemble. First off, there are no hierarchies in the band. So everyone is equal and everyone tries to help and contribute as much as he or she can to our activities. Yeah, I already described how we choose where we are going to play. We choose democratically and we discuss it and lately we found it is a very good way to discuss between us. Everyone has a goal and we sit in a circle and everyone speaks in turn, so everyone can say what he or she thinks.
Critical Review #6
Bruno Nettl’s Heartland Excursions is a reflection on the way groups of people in schools of music, or in this specific case, a fictitious Heartland U., interact. He presents four possible perspectives for viewing schools of music: the first being the view that a music school is “like a religious system or social system in which both living and deceased participate” (5); the second perspective divides specific aspects of music and examines the similarities and contrasts between the two parts; the third attempts to create a universal forum, so to speak, for the interaction of musics and cultures; finally, the fourth examines how the people of music schools explicate the music they study. He spends the entire first chapter on the theoretical view of music schools being like a religious system, comparing the musical deism of Mozart and Beethoven, and their relationship to other not-so-well-known composers (i.e. Wagner, Bach, Chopin, etc.). Within this view, Nettl makes a clear distinction, however, between composers (i.e. Mozart) as historical figures and composers as “heroes” in present light.
Discussion Question: With regard to the idea that the creator and inherent authenticity of his or her creation deeply impact the interpretation of the work, (i.e. Wagner’s Meistersinger would not be the same had it been discovered that it was actually not written by him) how is one to to achieve such a status in the first place? Is it by sheer volume or quality of work that distinguishes a composer as being great?
Discussion Question: With regard to the idea that the creator and inherent authenticity of his or her creation deeply impact the interpretation of the work, (i.e. Wagner’s Meistersinger would not be the same had it been discovered that it was actually not written by him) how is one to to achieve such a status in the first place? Is it by sheer volume or quality of work that distinguishes a composer as being great?
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Critical Review #5
In Chapter 13, Gregory Barz focuses on the role of fieldnotes in the process of field research. He makes a distinction between two models of the position of fieldnotes in the process of field research. In one, the linear approach, fieldnotes are essentially a transition phase from experience to interpretation, with no real opportunity to re-evaluate the field research, or the fieldnote. That is to say the ultimate goal of field research is the ethnography. On the other hand, however, he proposes a more integrative model, one that metaphorically utilizes the fieldnote as a fulcrum supporting both the experience and the interpretation. In my opinion, a more representative framework, the fulcrum model allows for retrospective re-evaluation of the experience and more importantly, the fieldnote. Barz comments on this notion, exemplified by Titon as “backward glances”, saying that there are some advantages and disadvantages to being able to look back on the experience and what one has jotted down. He mentions that the one main disadvantage is the temporal aspect of a fieldnote, the fact that a fieldnote is time-sensitive, saying, “time seems to become the enemy of fieldnotes, creating an awkward distance between inscription and event” (218). There are, however, benefits to retrospective analysis specifically being able to critically question what one has written down, which could ultimately lead to formulating new ideas for future research. As an aside, I am a bit confused about the term field research. It seems to be used as a broad, overarching term for the process of experiencing an event, writing fieldnotes, and interpreting the experience through a written ethnography, but at the same time, the term also seems to represent only the experiential aspect of the process (as indicated in the model). Is their a secondary definition for the term “field research”?
Discussion Question: Looking from a more extreme angle, with regard to Barz's proposal that "a more interactive model, one that locates fieldnotes in a position straddling the ranges of both field research action and ethnographic production", what would the consequences be to placing fieldnotes in a position of greater impact where, say, the reader does most of the interpretation, and how would this relate to Mjema's belief that we must "listen with our ears, and not with our pencils"?
Discussion Question: Looking from a more extreme angle, with regard to Barz's proposal that "a more interactive model, one that locates fieldnotes in a position straddling the ranges of both field research action and ethnographic production", what would the consequences be to placing fieldnotes in a position of greater impact where, say, the reader does most of the interpretation, and how would this relate to Mjema's belief that we must "listen with our ears, and not with our pencils"?
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Fieldnotes #1
For my fieldwork project, I plan on researching a 35-piece brass band from Rome, Italy called “Titubanda” that will be performing here in Providence on October 13-14. Prior to coming here however, they will be performing in Somerville, Massachusetts (Davis Square) for this year’s third annual Honk! Festival. I have contacted one of the band members and have an interview scheduled. Unfortunately, the interview and the performances are scheduled after the due date of this assignment, so instead of writing my fieldnotes on an actual performance and interview, my current fieldnotes will consist of my impressions on the band’s website and a few of their songs I managed to obtain through iTunes.
The first song entitled “Mra” begins with a steady snare beat with voices and whistles intermittently interrupting in the background. From the sound of it, it seems like this was a live performance being recorded. It is difficult to pick out the source of the yells and whistles, whether it is the band members or the stirred up crowd, but nevertheless, the isolated shouts of encouragement and cat-like calls elicit comparisons to the kakagoe of taiko players. Within a few seconds a trumpeter joins the scene and begins to solo over the drumline. One by one, each of the band members joins in, adding to the accompaniment and filling out the overall sound. About 00:54 seconds into the song, after everyone sounds like they have joined in on the song, the entire band breaks into the song’s main catchy riff, which continues on for the next four minutes or so with very little variation on the main line. What strikes me the most is the fact that although the song began with an improvisational solo, there were no apparent breaks in between the main riffs of the song for solos. Even though in another song the band seems to dedicate parts of the song to improvisation, I am curious to find out whether the band has a specific reason for doing this and whether it highlights any striking ethics of the band. They seem to favor unison over individual improvisation; however, when the time comes and the band opens up for solos, it always seems to veer towards dissonance and cacophany. A band that prides itself on stirring up crowds and just plain having fun, Titubanda surely has the audible aspect going for itself. Now, I am curious to see them live to see if the their performance aesthetic contains the same amount of energy and eccentricities as their music.
Almost on cue, four minutes into the song, the entire band diverges from the main melodious riff and completely transitions into a slower, more dissonant sounding ending with a drum fill that draws out more cries and yells. In an attempt at musical humor, after the quick and final burst of a chord, amidst the applause and cheers from the crowd, some of the band members extend the ending with random outbursts of trumpet and horn, almost teasing the audience into guessing when the actual ending of the song is. It seems to have generated the desired effect as a few of the crowd members chuckle in amusement. This bring about the theme of connection between the street honk bands and their audience or crowd. Unlike several other musical performances, this type of performance seems to be more interactive and arousing. How does this work towards the band’s ultimate goal of making their ideologies known/heard? Do we hear them through the music? Or is the music merely an accent to their pre and post-performance message?
Taking a step back from the musical aspect of Titubanda’s performances, I think it is equally if not more important to discover why this band decided to make the trip all the way from Rome, Italy to participate in this “grassroots, non-profit event” dubbed Honk!Fest. What is most intriguing is that none of the bands performing in the festival will be making any money off their performances. Locals from all over Cambridge and Somerville are generous enough to provide these musicians with places to stay and food to eat, and the fact that all of these performers are making this great personal sacrifice to come together to “honk their horns” in rousing unison to support their causes, speaks volumes about the strength of their convictions. I hope to uncover what their convictions are and how they intend to make them known, when I participate in Honk!Fest this weekend and attend their performance here in Providence.
The first song entitled “Mra” begins with a steady snare beat with voices and whistles intermittently interrupting in the background. From the sound of it, it seems like this was a live performance being recorded. It is difficult to pick out the source of the yells and whistles, whether it is the band members or the stirred up crowd, but nevertheless, the isolated shouts of encouragement and cat-like calls elicit comparisons to the kakagoe of taiko players. Within a few seconds a trumpeter joins the scene and begins to solo over the drumline. One by one, each of the band members joins in, adding to the accompaniment and filling out the overall sound. About 00:54 seconds into the song, after everyone sounds like they have joined in on the song, the entire band breaks into the song’s main catchy riff, which continues on for the next four minutes or so with very little variation on the main line. What strikes me the most is the fact that although the song began with an improvisational solo, there were no apparent breaks in between the main riffs of the song for solos. Even though in another song the band seems to dedicate parts of the song to improvisation, I am curious to find out whether the band has a specific reason for doing this and whether it highlights any striking ethics of the band. They seem to favor unison over individual improvisation; however, when the time comes and the band opens up for solos, it always seems to veer towards dissonance and cacophany. A band that prides itself on stirring up crowds and just plain having fun, Titubanda surely has the audible aspect going for itself. Now, I am curious to see them live to see if the their performance aesthetic contains the same amount of energy and eccentricities as their music.
Almost on cue, four minutes into the song, the entire band diverges from the main melodious riff and completely transitions into a slower, more dissonant sounding ending with a drum fill that draws out more cries and yells. In an attempt at musical humor, after the quick and final burst of a chord, amidst the applause and cheers from the crowd, some of the band members extend the ending with random outbursts of trumpet and horn, almost teasing the audience into guessing when the actual ending of the song is. It seems to have generated the desired effect as a few of the crowd members chuckle in amusement. This bring about the theme of connection between the street honk bands and their audience or crowd. Unlike several other musical performances, this type of performance seems to be more interactive and arousing. How does this work towards the band’s ultimate goal of making their ideologies known/heard? Do we hear them through the music? Or is the music merely an accent to their pre and post-performance message?
Taking a step back from the musical aspect of Titubanda’s performances, I think it is equally if not more important to discover why this band decided to make the trip all the way from Rome, Italy to participate in this “grassroots, non-profit event” dubbed Honk!Fest. What is most intriguing is that none of the bands performing in the festival will be making any money off their performances. Locals from all over Cambridge and Somerville are generous enough to provide these musicians with places to stay and food to eat, and the fact that all of these performers are making this great personal sacrifice to come together to “honk their horns” in rousing unison to support their causes, speaks volumes about the strength of their convictions. I hope to uncover what their convictions are and how they intend to make them known, when I participate in Honk!Fest this weekend and attend their performance here in Providence.
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