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Music in West Africa : experiencing music, expressing culture / Ruth M. Stone.
| Author/creator | Stone, Ruth M. |
| Format | Book |
| Publication Info | New York : Oxford University Press, 2005. |
| Description | xvi, 112 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm + 1 audio disc (digital ; 4 3/4 in.) |
| Subjects |
| Series | Global music series Global music series. ^A563337 |
| Contents | Traveling to West Africa. Journeys ; Tools ; West Africa in perspective ; Music in the arts and life ; Style areas ; Ideas about performance ; Musical instruments -- Performance facets. Vocal facets in epic performance ; Instrumental facets in horn ensemble ; Continuity in performance: woni ensemble ; Vocal and instrumental facets in bush clearing songs ; Parallels in the arts ; Faceting: cutting the edge ; Cloth pattern ; Masks and carved figures ; Greeting sequences ; Obscuring facets -- Voices: layered tone colors. Timbre in African music ; Instruments: the sounds of a triangular frame-zither ; The centrality of the voice ; Instruments: musical bow ; Sound texture in epic ; Social resonance ; Other timbral dimensions of sound ; Symbolic association of tone color ; Cloth color -- Part-counterpart: call and response. Call and response variation. Nonoverlapping call and response. Rice planting song ; Children's counting son ; Kpelle rubber camp music ; Entertainment love song -- Overlapping call and response. Musical dramatic folktale (chante fable) ; Epic performance -- Dialogic relationships ; Resonance. Drummer-supporting drummer -- Gifts that keep the performance going ; Chief-counterpart ; Poro-sande -- Time and polyrhythm. A master drummer's life history ; Fitting the pieces together ; Rhythmic patterns in the epic. Contingency ; Action -- Inner time. Kpelle performance in Liberia ; The island of Lamu, East Africa ; The Shona of Southern Africa ; The spiritual world -- The larger process ; Life history ; Time in local life ; Balancing the qualitative and quantitative -- Surveying the trip: cutting the edge. Central themes. |
| Abstract | This book discusses the diversity, motifs, and structure of West African music within the larger patterns of the region's culture, highlighting those aspects of Kpelle music that are common to many other West African traditions. It also describes how music and dance in West Africa are tied to the fabric of everyday social and political life. Kpelle musicians value musical performance where multiple performers each contribute aspects of sound that fit together in elaborate ways. Drawing upon her extensive fieldwork and research, the author--who was raised in the Bong County region of Liberia--centers on key stylistic elements that Kpelle performers articulate and emphasize: faceting or breaking music into smaller parts, layering tone colors, part-counterpart relationships in musical structures, and time and polyrhythm. She explores fascinating parallels to these analytic themes in the textiles and masks of related arts and in broader cultural practices such as greeting sequences. This book is enhanced by eyewitness accounts of local performances, interviews with key performers, and vivid illustrations. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 104-107) and index. |
| LCCN | 2003070153 |
| ISBN | 0195144996 (cloth : acid-free paper) |
| ISBN | 0195145003 (pbk. : acid-free paper) |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Music | Music Media - Ask at Circulation Desk | CD-7395 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |
| Music | Music Stacks | ML350 .S76 2005 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |