Features and Characteristics - Historical aspects of music

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Music and

Society

Historical usesof music

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Session objectives

Understand unit content

Historical uses of music presentation

Proposed assignments

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Four uses:

Religion and worship

Cultural identity

Communication and storytelling

As a source of income

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Religion and worship

Music is used in religion as an offering to God or

any other deity.

A way of allowing many to worship at once.

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Early Christian music

One of the earliest references to music in the

bible is the last meeting of the disciples before

the Crucifixion.

It was around the 5th Century that the first

reference to instruments was mentioned in the

bible.

The 7th century saw the evolution of the organ inchurch music

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Gregorian chant

A way of celebratingCatholic mass (in Latin)

Single

monophonic

linesof music known as

plainchant

Used one of the firstsystems of notation:

neumes

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Gregorian chant

Thought to be invented bya pope named Gregory,but was not the case.

Used until around the14th/15th century whenpolyphonic (multi lined)music evolved

Performed by men andboys only

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIDaUJx59m4

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Carols

Festive songs, whichbegan life as secularcommunal songs.

Believed to have first beenseen as far back the 13thcentury.

Often used modes and

pentatonic scales.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCnR8JiiizM

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Hymns

Some of the earliest Christian hymns found in the

6th/7th century.

Catholic hymns were the first to use four partharmony, which became accompanied by

organ.

During something called the Protestant

Reformation (where Catholic rituals andstructures were questioned), the purpose and

performance of hymn were split two ways by

different groups of believers.

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One group felt that hymns which were not

directly taken from the bible were to be

rejected. Hymns like this were banned, as was

the accompaniment of them by instrumentssuch as the organ.

The other approach encouraged composers to

paraphrase biblical texts, in order to make them

easier to understand for their followers. Thisencouraged much more congregational

singing.

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A hymn

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iFVSzJAeQ0

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Spirituals

Spirituals have always been favoured by the

African-American community.

Often very folk-like in their melodic structure,spirituals were often used as an escape from

slavery, and a way to express their religious

beliefs.

The gospel song as we know it derived fromthe spiritual

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Spiritual

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esklHOn4frs

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Contemporary worship music

Many churches today use contemporary

worship music which include a range of styles

often influenced by popular music.

This style began in the late 1960s and remains

popular without.

Why do you think this is the case?

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Contemporary worship music

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKLQ1td3M

bE

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Cultural identity

Here are a few ways in which music can aid us in

recognising and assimilating (understanding) a

culture:

Music and words

Youth culture

A cultural voice for minority groups

Music and dance

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Music and words

Direct message or source of communication

The use of a particular language or

colloquialism (slang) can help to identify aculture (what examples can you think of this?)

The type or source of information delivered

through the music itself (e.g. Government or

religious propaganda)

A social messagee.g. a protest song

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Little Boxes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONEYGU_7E

qU

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Music and Youth culture

Music has also served as a starting-off point for

resistance to culture that is seen as the norm. In

this way, music has served as a means of

rebellion.

For example, pop music, especially that sung by

more risque female singers, is dominated by

looser sexual references and practices than

what is generally acceptable in broader,Western society.

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In the 1950s, when rockn roll was born, one ofthe first demographic groups to gravitate to it

was teenagers, attracted to said musical style for

its themes of rebellion and non-conformity.

Certain subcultures have sprung up around

certain musical styles. We will look at these in

more depth in another session.

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The Beatles

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoF-

7VMMihA

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Music and minority groups

Minorities have often found a voice for theirculture and an outlet for their frustrations inmusic.

For example, Gypsies have long beenpersecuted in many countries, but one of theconstants they enjoy is that music has alwaysbeen able to give them an outlet for theirgrievances.

In that sense, music has also been used byGypsies as a way of giving themselves anidentity.

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In another case, blues originated in a period oftime in the US that coincided with theemancipation (freedom) of slaves and the move

from slavery to smaller-scale, agricultural work.

The lives of African-Americans who experiencedthe combination of hard times from prejudicealong with rough working conditions found agreat release in blues.

Today, what started as a cultural voice forpoorer blacks has exploded into a popular formof music that is accessible to anyone.

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The Blues

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ge0_tGkWI

7g

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Music and dance

Music has always had a natural tendency to

inspire people to dance along to it.

Dance can related to many different elementsof society. For example:

The female gender was traditionally said to use

dance more as a way to use her femininity. For

example, have a look at this Turkish belly danceas a way of self-expression.

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Turkish dance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHpg-

7n7QvQ

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Same, but different..

Different cultures also utilise dance as a way of

marking a ceremony.

However, this is often done in a different way.

Think about the difference between the dancing

you may find at a traditional western wedding

compared to this example..

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Zulu wedding dance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQtRKqnuq

vc