Chapter1
Q1. What do ethnomusicologists mean when they say, “Music is universal, but it is not a universal language?”
A1. “Ethnomusicologists use this phrase to bring cultures together. The problems with the metaphor are many. First, music is not a language, at least not in the sense of conveying specific meanings through specific symbols, in standard patterns analogies to syntax, and governed by rules of structure analogies to grammar. While attempts have been made to analyze music in liquistic terms, these ultimately failed because music is a totally different realm. Second, it is questionable whether music really can transcend linguistic barriers and culturally determined behaviors, through some forms of emotional communication, such as crying, are so fundamentally human that irrationally all perceive it the same way. What we see with music does not support the motion that music is a universal language, unfortunately, and we do not believe such a concept to be useful in examining the world’s music.”(3)
Q5. In what ways does world music study require an interdisciplinary approach?
A5. “World music causes have no such canon, and certainly no list of great composers. The world is too large and there are too many choices consensus to form. Therefore, one must consider not only how to organize such a course but what to include. What should every world music student knew? If the organization is geographical, what genres and particular examples should ‘represent’ a country or culture? There is no way to resolve these questions except by agreeing that any world music course is only the beginning, the first few steps of a learning journey that could last a lifetime. In a way, it does not matter how one begins as much as it matters that one actually begins.”(12)
Chapter 2
Q1. Which of the four basic components of music is most helpful in identifying a world music