Exploring Music and Culture

The art of performance is often distinctive of the culture from the tradition it comes from. In Trinidad and Tobago for example, many culturally specific traits accompany what is known as Calypso. Calypso music has come to be referred to as “the voice of the people,” as it allows the population to challenge the political actions of those who govern them. Over time, this understanding categorized the calypso genre as music that encourages resistance and rebellion. As a result, it allowed Calypso music to play an important role in political expressions. Calypsonian performance  occurs in two very different locations: on the road and in the tent. When performed on the road, Calypso tends to be more festive, however in the tent, a distinct persona of rebellion and political commentary is common. Shannon Dudley explains, “Calypsonians singing in the tent cultivate a distinctive stage persona through their choice of a calypso name, the style of song they sing, and the way they dress”(38

Music and politics have had a close relationship for many years and continue to be tied together today. In his book, Music in China , Frederick Lau briefly explores this idea. In regards to Confucianism in China, Lau writes, “The goal of many music scholars who adhered to the Confucian ideology of music was to avoid practical musical matters and focus instead on abstract writing about music’s relationship to cosmology and ethics” (Lau, 24). Musicians in China were using their musical ability to help influence Confucian values in China. Their goal was t o establish social values, institutions, and transcendent ideals of traditional Chinese society across the entire nation (Center for Global Education). By expressing these ideas through widespread song, their political ideas created an influence throughout China. Traditional Chinese music is not the only kind of music that has used its voice to take a political stance. In fact, there are many genres throughout history that have use

Author Bonnie Wade states, “...pitch is the fundamental element in both melody and harmony, and ideas about pitch need to be explored in order to understand how melody and harmony are cultivated in different traditions”(100). In most musical traditions, melodies are passed down using some form of notation in order to preserve the song for future generations. Distinct cultures around the world utilize individual sets of pitches that fit into their respective scales. “For communication about music and as an aid to memory, it is convenient to assign names to pitches”(102). Assigning names to pitches in the form of syllables, numbers, and letters aid in helping students how to sight sing and learn new material altogether. Around 1015 A.D, Guido d’Arezzo devised a system that would help aid singers in Italy where he lived. The idea was to assign specific syllables to each diatonic pitch within a scale, so singers would have an easier time locating half steps between the third an

   Music is capable of making people feel emotions. Whether it’s happy, sad, hectic, or mysterious, the music somehow finds a way to add a specific character. In her book Thinking Musically , Bonnie Wade briefly introduces the idea that tempos, “reveal the character and mood of the piece of music”(Wade, 96). Whether it is a slow paced piece, a song with a fast tempo, or even music that accelerates and decelerates as it goes on, the tempo can give a piece of music a specific character that makes an audience feel different emotions. With regard to determining a certain meter, humans are able to comprehend tempos from around 40 to 300 beats per minute. Any slower or faster and it becomes impossible to distinguish a set pulse. In a study done by Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil, students “found that from the 1940’s until our current decade, the average tempo of our most popular songs fluctuated no more than 5 bpm, hovering between 117 bpm to 112 bpm”(The Resonant Huma