World Music: Middle East, Europe, and Sub-Saharan Africa

1421 Words3 Pages

There are various aspects of our lives and of those there is music. Music is an inextricable part of life. It can be dated back to the most primitive of time. Where there are humans there is some form of music varying from culture to culture. Languages, belief systems and many other variables within a nation have great influence on what is considered music and what’s not music. This is why it is very important when listening to music to consider the context in which it was created in. This will enable you to appreciate the different sounds and musical constructions such as rhythm, melody, harmony and also the lack thereof. American music is fundamentally diverse because of the many ethnicities and subcultures. These attributes of society are also found in other nations around the world. The Middle East, Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa are nations of varied ethnic groups whom have expressed their beliefs, culture and other extra musical influences in their music. Through the study of many ethnomusicologists in these regions we can acknowledge and or comprehend the different sounds of music apart from our ethnocentric understanding of music.
Europe is one of the world's seven continents and is home to twenty-seven countries with many spoken languages. Language is a complex part of music and is why there is a wide-ranging representation of music throughout Europe. According to Terry E. Miller and Andrew Shahriari authors, of “World Music A Global Journey” European music is classified into three categories Classical, Folk, and Popular music. Classical music in Europe refers to art music created during the time of the aristocrats. It’s learned and study in a formal setting which is the opposite of how Folk music is taught. Folk music ...

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...ant in sharing something extraordinary that unites us all. Music is truly an indication of success for the expression of an emotion is a redemptive experience that not only one person feels but others as well. Traditional music as well as international music is a form of artwork that colors our world.

Works Cited
1. Caton, Margaret. “Performance Practice in Iran: Radīf and Improvisation”. Garland Encyclopedia of World Music Vol. 6: The Middle East. Eds. Danielson, Virginia; Marcus, Scott & Reynolds, Dwight. Routledge, 2001. 129-145. Web.
2. Collins, John. “African Popular Music: A Historical review of Sub-Saharan Africa”. African Art, Traditional and Popular Music.com. 2002. Web. 06 May, 2014. http://aatpm.com/AfricanPopularMusicCollins.htm
3. Miller, Terry E., Sharhriari, Andrew. World Music: A Global Journey. 3rd ed. New York & London: Routledge, 2012. Print.

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