A Theory for All Music: Problems and Solutions in the Analysis of Non-Western Forms

Description

Professor Rahn takes the approach to the analysis of Western art music developed recently by theorists such as Benjamin Boretz and extends it to address non-Western forms. In the process, he rejects recent ethnomusicological formulations based on mentalism, cultural determinism, and the psychology of perception as potentially fruitful bases for analysis music in general. Instead he stresses the desirability of formulating a theory to deal with all music, rather than merely Western forms, and emphasizes the need to evaluate an analysis and compare it with other interpretations, and demonstrates how this may be done. The theoretical concepts which form the basis of Rahn’s approach are discussed and applied: first to individual pieces of non-Western music which have enjoyed a fairly high profile in ethnomusicological literature, and second to repertoires or groups of pieces. The author also discusses the fields of anthropology and psychology, showing how his approach serves as a starting point for studies of perception and the concepts, norms, and values found in specific music cultures. In conclusion, he lists what he considers to be music universals and takes the more controversial issues implicit in his discussion. Cover Contents Acknowledgments Part I Preliminaries 1 The question 2 Choosing a basis Criteria Mentalistic bases Cultural bases Psychological bases Summary 3 Choosing a method of interpretation Criteria for adequacy Objectivity Determinacy Terminology Quality of interpretations Part II A theory for all music 4 Basic concepts and ultimate values Aesthetic criteria in the sciences Theoretical elegance Undefined concepts Conclusions 5 The isomorphism of pitch and time Pitches and moments Spans and bands Intervals Interval bands and durational spans Quantification Bisection Cycles and selection Summary 6 Orientation and reference Relative orientation Absolute orientation Loudness Timbre and sonance Proximity Summary Two interpretations of a children’s song Part III Applications 7 Some pieces reinterpreted Sweathouse song of the Flathead ‘Du:,’ a Hukwe bow song Taqsim Conclusions 8 Some repertoires reinterpreted Asaadua of the Akan Lin YÜ’s music for the Confucian temple The hornpipes in Harding’s Collection Conclusions Part IV Beyond music theory 9 Perceptual correlates Limitations of psychology Compatibility of psychology and the theory advanced here Conclusions 10 Cultural correlates Music and culture among the Venda Conclusions Part V Review 11 Conclusions Implications for music theory Implications for ethnomusicology Some apparent universals 12 Some possible objections Minds The theory presented here as a theory Causality The best interpretation Other approaches Binarism Musical facts Ethnocentricity The twelve-semitone system The comprehensiveness of the theory Glossary References Index