Search Results (30)

This article presents an in-depth examination of the technical and cultural dimensions of singing practices within the traditional music of sub-Saharan Africa. Utilizing an extensive body of theoretical and ethnomusicological research, comparative transcription, and culturally situated observation, it presents a comprehensive framework for understanding the significance of the human voice in various performance contexts. The study revolves around a tripartite model—auditory clarity, ambiguous auditory clarity, and occlusion—that delineates the varying levels of audibility of vocal lines amidst intricate instrumental arrangements. The article examines case studies from West, East, and Southern Africa, highlighting essential vocal techniques such as straight tone, nasal resonance, ululation, and controlled (or delayed) vibrato. It underscores the complex interplay between language, melody, and rhythm in tonal languages. The analysis delves into the influence of sound reinforcement technologies on vocal presence and cultural authenticity, positing that PA systems have the capacity to either enhance or disrupt the equilibrium between traditional aesthetics and modern requirements. This research is firmly rooted in a blend of African and Western theoretical frameworks, drawing upon the contributions of Nketia, Agawu, Chernoff, and Kubik. It proposes a nuanced methodology that integrates technical analysis with cultural significance. It posits that singing in African traditional music transcends mere expression, serving as a vessel for collective memory, identity, and the socio-musical framework. The article concludes by emphasizing the enduring strength and flexibility of African vocal traditions, illustrating their capacity for evolution while preserving fundamental communicative and artistic values. Full article

Effort, commonly understood as the power of an action toward an intended goal, is acknowledged as an important aspect of music expressivity. Previous studies in Hindustani Dhrupad vocal improvisation, particularly those focusing on manual interactions with imaginary objects, have revealed the intricate connection between effort and various movement and melodic variables. The study employed manual annotations by participants who visually inspected and assessed the amount of effort that such interactions were perceived to require. However, since effort is inherently perceptual and subjective and the way that an observer makes assessments on effort levels remains a non-transparent process, the paper seeks to examine the applicability of the Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) system in this task. For this, it relies on a multi-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to infer manually annotated (numerical) effort levels from Laban’s (categorical) Effort Factors, namely Weight, Flow, Time, and Space, for two Dhrupad performances. The results suggest that apart from the Space factor, which was excluded for reasons delineated, a good part of effort’s variance can be explained through the remaining three statistically significant Effort Factors, leading to the rejection of the null hypothesis that they are unrelated. By ascertaining this relationship, effort-related melodic aspects in Dhrupad improvisation can be predicted using the three Laban Effort Factors. Full article

This study focuses on the construction and evaluation of a high-quality Chinese Manchu music dataset designed to facilitate Artificial Intelligence (AI) research and applications within cultural heritage and ethnomusicology. Through a systematic collection and organization of diverse Manchu music resources, including folk songs, dance music, and ceremonial pieces, this dataset effectively represents the cultural breadth of Manchu music. The dataset includes digitized and preprocessed audio data, with comprehensive metadata annotations, such as essential information, musical features, and cultural context, creating a robust foundation for AI-based analysis. Experimental evaluations highlight the dataset’s utility across various AI-driven applications: in music classification, using a CNN model, an accuracy of 90% was achieved in the “folk ensemble” category, with an overall accuracy of 85.7% and a precision of 82.3%. For music generation, a Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) model yielded a quality score of 7.8/10 and a Fréchet Audio Distance (FAD) of 0.32. In emotion recognition, the Random Forest model achieved 87% accuracy in identifying the emotion “joy”. These results underscore the dataset’s potential in supporting digital preservation and expanding AI applications in ethnic music classification, generation, and emotional analysis, contributing to both cultural heritage preservation and AI advancement in ethnomusicology. Full article

Local hymnals are cultural artifacts that express a community’s values, history, and identity and serve as vehicles for communal agency. This study investigates the role of local hymnals in shaping cultural identity and theological expression within four Indonesian Christian communities. Through interviews with church leaders, songwriters, and musicians, and an analysis of four hymnals from different communities in Indonesia, this study explores how these communities exercise agency in creating, perceiving, experiencing, and utilizing locally created songbooks. The research reveals that local hymnals are not only tools for shaping communal identity and transmitting theological understanding but also instruments through which communities assert their agency, fostering cultural dynamism. The study also considers the impact of colonialism and globalization on the development of local hymnody, highlighting how these communities have actively adapted and reinterpreted external influences to create unique and meaningful expressions of faith. The research concludes that local hymnals are not merely collections of songs but living artifacts embodying the agency of communities: the ongoing dialogue between tradition and innovation, faith and culture, and the individual and the community. By fostering autogenic cultural reflection and asserting communal agency, local hymnals fuel momentum and sustainability within a culture. Full article

Māori conceptualisations of ancestral environs and its connections to memory often reside in the realm of whakapapa (genealogy) having originated from Papatūānuku and Ranginui (primordial ancestors and gods), their loving embrace, and their eventual separation that carved the space for nourishing lands and waters. These stories of whakapapa were passed down intergenerationally through many Māori creative expressions, including waiata (songs), haka (posture dance), pūrākau (stories), whakataukī (proverbial sayings), ruruku (sequence of incantations), and karakia (prayers). This has resulted in a genealogically and environmentally derived Māori music theory. The disruption of settler-colonialism aimed to sever whakapapa from the memory as being reflected in our ancestral environs and within the hearts of Māori. ‘He Whiringa Wainuku’ refers to the weaving of water elements on earth and sets the imagery for decolonising the interconnections of whakapapa, land, water, and memory through Kaupapa Māori methodologies and Māori creative expressions. Full article

With the recent advent of research focusing on the body’s significance in music, the integration of physiological sensors in the context of empirical methodologies for music has also gained momentum. Given the recognition of covert muscular activity as a strong indicator of musical intentionality and the previously ascertained link between physical effort and various musical aspects, electromyography (EMG)—signals representing muscle activity—has also experienced a noticeable surge. While EMG technologies appear to hold good promise for sensing, capturing, and interpreting the dynamic properties of movement in music, which are considered innately linked to artistic expressive power, they also come with certain challenges, misconceptions, and predispositions. The paper engages in a critical examination regarding the utilisation of muscle force values from EMG sensors as indicators of physical effort and musical activity, particularly focusing on (the intuitively expected link to) sound levels. For this, it resides upon empirical work, namely practical insights drawn from a case study of music performance (Persian instrumental music) in the context of a music class. The findings indicate that muscle force can be explained by a small set of (six) statistically significant acoustic and movement features, the latter captured by a state-of-the-art (full-body inertial) motion capture system. However, no straightforward link to sound levels is evident. Full article

Les Six and their mentors stirred a debatement of French nationalist music in the early 20th century. However, this movement faced serious criticism and mockery from various quarters and eventually fell apart amid challenges. This critical review explores the ethnosymbolic dynamics within the nationalism music movement of Les Six, and drawing upon ethnomusicological perspectives, the study examines how their compositions reflected and resonated with French national identity and cultural heritage. By analyzing primary sources, scholarly literature, and musical compositions, this article meticulously uncovers the chain reactions generated in the process of constructing national identity and cultural identity within this movement by examining the French societal backdrop, musical traditions, as well as the relationships and attitudes among relevant figures in this movement. The conclusions highlight the multifaceted nature of ethnosymbolism in their work, shedding light on the complexities of national identity construction through music. Full article

Nonhuman animal protagonists of folklore texts in the European space have tended to be perceived primarily as performing a symbolic and metaphoric function. But behind the symbols and the metaphors hide real flesh-and-blood nonhuman animals, and flesh-and-blood humans interacting with them, mostly from a position of power. The emerging discipline of zoofolkloristics considers nonhuman animals in their own right. Through critical analysis of folklore material, zoofolkloristics examines the role of animals and power relations within the interspecies entanglement with the aim of deconstructing the oppressive system and establishing multispecies justice. We begin this paper with a brief reflection on the ‘historical animal’ as an embodied being and a human construct. We then perform a critical re-reading of three animal-related folklore texts from the Slovenian tradition and, applying Hubert Zapf’s concept of imaginative counter-discourse, consider the potential of imagination as a methodological tool in the transformative program of zoofolkloristics. Implications for animal ethics, liberation, and conservation are also discussed. Full article

Embodiment lies at the core of music cognition, prompting recent pedagogical shifts towards a multi-sensory, whole-body approach. However, the education of oral music genres that rely exclusively on direct teacher–disciple transmission through live demonstration and imitation is now undergoing a transformation by rapidly adapting to technology-mediated platforms. This paper examines challenges in embodied facets of video-mediated synchronous distance Hindustani music pedagogy. For this, it takes an ethnomusicological stance and showcases a thematic analysis of interviews featuring Dhrupad music practitioners. The analysis is driven and organized by the 4E Cognition principles, which stress the intimate relationship between body, mind, and environment. Findings indicate that while this adaptation aims to make music content more widely accessible, it comes at the cost of reducing opportunities for multi-modal engagement and interaction among participants. Results reveal limitations in transmitting non-verbal, embodied, multi-sensory cues, along with visual and acoustic disruptions of a sense of shared spatial and physical context, that hinder effective interaction and a sense of immersion, elements that are deemed vital in music education. They prompt concerns about the suitability of conventional videoconferencing platforms and offer key insights for the development of alternative technologies that can better assist embodied demands of the pedagogical practices involved. Full article

“Performing” and “performance” are potentially contentious words within the context of contemporary Christian worship. However, performative elements are explicit in the lyrics of contemporary congregational songs (CCS), and in video recordings of CCS, through the actions of those on stage and in the congregation, as well as in the broader context of staging, lighting, projection, production, and video editing. However, to date, there is only a handful of scholarly works that explore performing in contemporary worship or contemporary worship as performance and most of them are ethnomusicological. This paper seeks to address notions of performing and performance through a broader lens of the most-sung CCS globally, examined through the disciplinary fields of performance studies, musicology, media studies and theology. It involves a two-fold complementary textual analysis of the most-sung CCS lyrics and the most-watched ‘live worship’ videos of those songs on YouTube. In so doing, this study identifies how the Christian music industry at large officially portrays and languages performance in worship songs and also identifies how performative elements are enacted in the live worship videos released. These analyses are finally synthesized to identify how performing and performance are understood and actively portrayed to and by the contemporary church. Full article

This article explores gospel music as one of the ways people negotiate spirituality and everyday meaning-making in Lagos. Beyond sonic spheres and analysis, this article provides insight into ways in which people ‘perform’ spirituality and negotiate wellbeing amidst Nigeria’s social, political, and economic uncertainty through a focus on the ‘celebrity’ character and self-fashioning of one of Nigeria’s gospel music stars, Tope Alabi. Gospel music and its infrastructures of modernity constitute one of the ways Nigerians negotiate wellbeing and respond to global economic tensions ‘from below’. We explore the nexus between gospel music and how the ‘spirituality’ it facilitates shapes people’s subjective ideas of social and economic wellbeing. We ask: what is the link between gospel music, spirituality, and people’s everyday meaning-making and self-making? Using Harry Garuba’s animist unconscious’, we explore ways in which the social life and superstar image of Nigerian ‘celebrity’ gospel musicians constitute sites where people negotiate spirituality and everyday subjective happiness, and social and economic wellbeing. We argue that spirituality, ‘being spiritual’ or the understanding thereof does not only manifest at the intersections of sound and emotion. Instead, we suggest that people’s subjective idea of spirituality or ‘being spiritual’ in a place such as Lagos can also be understood through a focus on the social life and the self-fashioning of gospel musicians. The self-fashioning and superstar image of gospel musicians become a medium through which the everyday idea of spirituality and meaning-making is negotiated, staged, and performed, and a channel through which these processes of meaning-making can be explored and understood. Full article

The Malay World has been home to a range of social formations, from nomadic hunter-gatherers on land and sea, through (semi-)sedentary swiddeners and forest traders, to state-incorporated peasants and aristocrats. In their religious and secular musics, these populations display differing performance manners and organisation that reflect their distinctive socio-cultural and religious orientations. The musics serve to embed those orientations as aesthetically felt rather than conceptually talked about. The differences are encoded mainly onto contrasts between, on the one hand, highly heterophonic and/or starkly non-melismatic performance and, on the other, more homophonic and/or melismatic styles. Full article

The meningeal lymphatic, or glymphatic, system is receiving increasing attention from the scientific community. Recent work includes noninvasive techniques to demonstrate relationships between blood–brain barrier (BBB) activity and the glymphatic system in the human central nervous system. One potential technique is the use of music/sound to enhance BBB permeability regarding the movement of small molecules in and out of the brain. However, there is minimal knowledge regarding the methodical investigation(s) of the uses of music/sound on BBB permeability and glymphatic clearance and the outcomes of these investigation(s). This review contains evidence discussing relationships between music/sound, BBB permeability, and meningeal lymphatic clearance. An overview of the anatomy and physiology of the system is presented. We discuss the uses of music/sound to modulate brain and body functions, highlighting music’s effects on mood and autonomic, cognitive, and neuronal function. We also propose implications for follow-up work. The results showed that music and sound interventions do, in fact, contribute to the opening of the BBB and subsequently increase the function of the meningeal lymphatic system. Evidence also suggests that music/sound has the ability to reduce the collateral effects of brain injuries. Unfortunately, music/sound is rarely used in the clinical setting as a medical intervention. Still, recent research shows the potential positive impacts that music/sound could have on various organ systems. Full article

Overview: Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has emerged as a severely debilitating psychiatric disorder associated with critical illness. Little progress has been made in the treatment of post-intensive care unit (ICU) PTSD. Aim: To synthesize neurobiological evidence on the pathophysiology of PTSD and the brain areas involved, and to highlight the potential of music to treat post-ICU PTSD. Methods: Critical narrative review to elucidate an evidence-based neurobiological framework to inform the study of music interventions for PTSD post-ICU. Literature searches were performed in PubMed and CINAHL. The Scale for the Assessment of Narrative Review Articles (SANRA) guided reporting. Results: A dysfunctional HPA axis feedback loop, an increased amygdalic response, hippocampal atrophy, and a hypoactive prefrontal cortex contribute to PTSD symptoms. Playing or listening to music can stimulate neurogenesis and neuroplasticity, enhance brain recovery, and normalize stress response. Additionally, evidence supports effectiveness of music to improve coping and emotional regulation, decrease dissociation symptoms, reduce depression and anxiety levels, and overall reduce severity of PTSD symptoms. Conclusions: Despite the lack of music interventions for ICU survivors, music has the potential to help people suffering from PTSD by decreasing amygdala activity, improving hippocampal and prefrontal brain function, and balancing the HPA-axis. Full article

This paper discusses the history of Cantor Cristão, the first official Brazilian Baptist hymnal, published in 1891, revealing important aspects of the development of Protestant hymnody in Brazil. It also exposes a web of long-distance connections, multiple linguistic and cultural elements, and distinct perspectives of those who chose to do missionary work and those who chose to welcome them. More specifically, I describe and reflect on the contributions of Solomon L. Ginsburg, an Orthodox Jew from Poland, converted to Christianity in England, and turned Evangelical missionary, who played a crucial role in the history of Cantor Cristão as publisher, author, and translator of hymns. In my analysis, I adopt a historical ethnomusicological perspective and utilize the concept of musical localization, as well as the complementary notions of negotiation of proximity and ethics of style as interpretative lenses. I am drawn to a more nuanced view of the legacy of the mission enterprise, one that is not blind to issues of power, ethnocentrism, and wealth, but makes room for a robust examination of all sorts of capital transfers and investments (economic, cultural, and social), and the real phenomena of musical localization and individual agency. Full article