Modernity, Complex Societies, and the Alphorn
Modernity, Complex Societies, and the Alphorn

Author: Charlotte Vignau

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 331

ISBN-13: 0739167979

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Modernity, Complex Societies, and the Alphorn provides a fascinating examination of the musical instrument the alphorn, alphorn music and its performance. Indeed, it is the first book about this extraordinary instrument to appear in English. It analyses the alphorn phenomenon as a symbol of the Swiss nation, going back to the Swiss nation building process in the nineteenth century and the "invention of tradition" which began in the second half of the nineteenth century, before arriving at important issues of contemporary alphorn practice such as: what is tradition? How is it being negotiated? The insightful and valuable comments from key Swiss alphorn players add to the extensive ethnographic and archival material. Departing from this analysis, the case studies of Bavaria, the Netherlands, and Japan shed a light on the issues of worldwide migration of alphorn practice in the modern world, as well as on the diverse concepts of a Swiss imagery. Intellectually sophisticated yet easily accessible, the book ends with an exploration of how to use video and film for musical ethnography, considering the practical issues of filmmaking as well as the theoretical implications of shooting and editing for an ethnomusicological film. Drawing from the alphorn film as a sample, this book covers the entire filmmaking process, from the conception of the film to the feedback-sessions with the protagonists, providing fundamental insights into this technique for ethnomusicologists. Based on solid, careful, and complete research, this work will especially appeal to scholars of musicology, Swiss history, and filmography.

Música de Chiloé
Música de Chiloé

Author: Waldo Garrido

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2018-12-03

Total Pages: 145

ISBN-13: 1498528864

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The islands of Chiloé, in southern Chile, have developed a distinct culture over several centuries, blending indigenous traditions and Spanish settler heritage to create a vibrant pattern of folklore, music, dance, and related creative practices. This cultural heritage has become an important aspect of the islands’ identity and is key to their successful marketing as a tourist destination. However, these elements exist in tension with new developments, most particularly the introduction of salmon aquaculture, which has disrupted traditional livelihood patterns and polluted the region’s marine environment. This volume analyzes the development of the islands’ distinct culture with a particular focus on music and dance. Key topics include the relation of tradition and modernity, the impact of tourism on cultural practice, and the relationship between social activism and music culture. The authors complement this focus with a discussion of their own creative engagements with the region through the production of the music album Viaje a Chiloé (2018) and through the work of the audiovisual ensemble The Moviolas (in 2015–2018).

Mahler in Context
Mahler in Context

Author: Charles Youmans

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2020-11-19

Total Pages: 561

ISBN-13: 1108540147

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Mahler in Context explores the institutions, artists, thinkers, cultural movements, socio-political conditions, and personal relationships that shaped Mahler's creative output. Focusing on the contexts surrounding the artist, the collection provides a sense of the complex crosscurrents against which Mahler was reacting as conductor, composer, and human being. Topics explored include his youth and training, performing career, creative activity, spiritual and philosophical influences, and his reception after his death. Together, this collection of specially commissioned essays offers a wide-ranging investigation of the ecology surrounding Mahler as a composer and a fuller appreciation of the topics that occupied his mind as he conceived his works. Readers will benefit from engagement with lesser known dimensions of Mahler's life. Through this broader contextual approach, this book will serve as a valuable and unique resource for students, scholars, and a general readership.

Septimus Winner
Septimus Winner

Author: Michael Remson

Publisher:

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13:

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Most Americans are familiar with such classic folk tunes as "Ten Little Indians", "Oh Where, Oh Where, Has My Little Dog Gone?" and "Listen to the Mockingbird." But the composer behind these childhood favorites has been all but forgotten. Septimus Winner: Two Lives in Musicchronicles the life and achievements of one man's extraordinarily unusual career in music. Though Septimus Winner was considered one of the forefathers of nineteenth-century American popular song, he published his most popular and enduring works under the female pseudonym of Alice Hawthorne. The author sheds some much needed light on one of the most interesting anomalies in American musical history--Septimus Winner a.k.a. Alice Hawthorne. While Winner was certainly not the first male artist to publish under a woman's name, his case is distinct in that he created an entire persona for Alice Hawthorne and consistently used the pseudonym for well over three decades. "The Hawthorne Ballads", as they were generally known in the nineteenth century, were among the most successful songs of their day, rivaling Foster in popularity. Why would Winner make such a choice at a time when women were either struggling against the social conventions of the time or were disguising their own identities with male pseudonyms? Remson addresses this question and numerous others, shedding light on one of the most interesting anomalies in American musical history. The book is supplemented by alphabetical and pseudonymous listings of Winner's songs and arrangements of his music, as well as annotations for books, articles, and poetry written by Winner.

So You Want to Sing Spirituals
So You Want to Sing Spirituals

Author: Randye Jones

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2019-10-14

Total Pages: 315

ISBN-13: 153810735X

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With their rich and complicated history, spirituals hold a special place in the American musical tradition. This soul-stirring musical form is irresistible to singers seeking to diversify their performance repertoire, but it is also riddled with controversy, especially for singers of non-African descent. Singer and historian Randye Jones welcomes singers of all backgrounds into the style while she explores its folk song roots and transformation into choral and solo vocal concert repertoire. Profiling key composers and pioneers of the genre, Jones also discusses the use of dialect and other controversial performance considerations. Contributed chapters address elements of collaborative piano, studio teaching, choral arrangement, voice science, and vocal health as they apply to the performance of spirituals. The So You Want to Sing series is produced in partnership with the National Association of Teachers of Singing. Like all books in the series, So You Want to Sing Spirituals features online supplemental material on the NATS website.

The Unbroken Circle
The Unbroken Circle

Author: Fred Metting

Publisher: American Folk Music and Musicians Series

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 328

ISBN-13:

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Using a rich selection of reviews, interviews, and articles, Metting (American literature, U. of New Hampshire, Manchester) explores and attempts to codify the creative process behind the work of these two musicians, exploring the wide range of styles they borrowed and adapted. Because of their lifelong interest and use of these traditional musical forms, the history of blues and folk music is interwoven into Metting's story, which is made lively by the frequent quotes from Ry Cooder and Taj Mahal. Annotation copyrighted by Book News Inc., Portland, OR

We Shall Overcome
We Shall Overcome

Author: Victor V. Bobetsky

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2014-12-23

Total Pages: 151

ISBN-13: 1442236035

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“We Shall Overcome” is an American folk song that has influenced American and world history like few others. At different points in time it has served as a labor movement song, a civil rights song, a hymn, and a protest song and has long held strong individual and collective meaning for the African-American community, in particular, and the American and world communities more generally. We Shall Overcome: Essays on a Great American Song, edited and compiled by Victor V. Bobetsky, comprises essays that explore the origins, history, and impact of this great American folk song. Inspired by a symposium of guest speakers and student choirs from the New York City Public Schools, chapters cover such critical matters as the song’s ancestry, Pete Seeger’s contribution to its popularization, the role played by the SNCC Freedom Singers in its adoption, the gospel origins and influences of the song, its adaptation by choral arrangers, its use as a teaching tool in the classroom, and its legacy among other freedom songs. We Shall Overcome: Essays on a Great American Song constitutes an invaluable resource for the music and music education community as well as for members of the general public interested in music, education, history and the civil rights movement. The book provides readers with a wide and unique spectrum of information about the song relevant to researchers and teachers.

Korean P'ansori Singing Tradition
Korean P'ansori Singing Tradition

Author: Yeonok Jang

Publisher: Scarecrow Press

Published: 2013-11-26

Total Pages: 307

ISBN-13: 0810884623

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In 2003, the Korean singing tradition of p’ansori joined the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, a distinctive honor bestowed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. P’ansori is a music genre—an oral tradition comprisingi arias and narratives. Often the individual singer acts out the story of young and old, good and bad, and male and female. In Korean P’ansori Singing Tradition: Development, Authenticity, and Performance History, Yeonok Jang studies the periodical developments and changes in the performance context, vocal developments, singing style, audience involvement, contemporary performance, cinematic history, and private and government sponsorship of p’ansori. Covering the period from the early development of p’ansori, including the origins and early formation of the genre, to contemporary performance, Jang surveys this remarkable genre of storytelling, song, theater, and performance. Throughout, she considers not only issues of historical context but also questions of cultural identity, past and present. Researchers in the fields of Korean studies, folk music, oral history, ethnic music, narrative and theatrical music, and cultural studies will find this work of significant value.