Music 329
American Music
á Some different issues apply to this study because Westerners think written accounts are essential to history. In many American Indian cultures, the origins of music are a matter of belief rather than documentation. Oral transmission sustains tradition
á There are some written accounts of early interactions between Indians and Europeans; the viewpoint of these writings must be understood as that of an aggressor
o Old world colonizers were imperialistic
o Europeans saw Indians as profoundly different from themselves e.g. in dress, custom, behavior; the differences caused contempt
o They considered that ÒredemptionÓ might be possible through education and religion; thus there were missionaries, especially in the Northeast and Southwest.
á Some early accounts discuss instruments and uses of music
á Because of Native AmericansÕ efforts to preserve traditions, we can assume some similarities in musical practices from then to now.
á Current Native American music yields some generalizations:
á Music is still very tied with dance and religious significance, healing, etc.
á There are some geographic differences: east coast Indians tend not to use falsetto, while western Indians do often use it.
á Repetition is used to lengthen performances for ceremonies and rituals
á Texts of traditional music are often not in lexical words but rather non-lexical syllables called vocables. These are NOT Nonsense syllables!
á Instruments in Native American Music: lots of drums (skin over resonating cavity), rattles (idiophones ); also flutes.