Author Question: How can we define Europe (3 ways)? How does Worlds of Music define Europe as a concept? What does ... (Read 143 times)

Caiter2013 · **on:** Jul 25, 2018

How can we define Europe (3 ways)? How does Worlds of Music define Europe as a concept? What does Western culture mean?

What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Read the description of the Polish wedding procession while listening to the accompanying music (Wedding Procession) and following the Active Listening guide. List the three important themes from ethnomusicology described in Worlds of Music and tell how each is illustrated in the brief sketch (and music) of this particular ritual event.

What will be an ideal response?

ilianabrrr · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 25, 2018

Answer to Question 1

Europe may be defined physically (as a geographical landmass), culturally (including its Euro-American influence) and as a concept (an imagined community)
The concept of Europe includes several island nations (Iceland, the United Kingdom, and Ireland), and the nation-states on the western end of the European continent from Portugal in the west to at least the western parts of Russia in the east;
Norway, Sweden, and Finland in the north; Spain, Italy, and Greece in the south; and perhaps Turkey.
Western culture is used loosely to include all areas and cultures largely influenced and shaped by European culture.

Answer to Question 2

(A) The great diversity of cultural practices found in Europe: musical practices essential to the wedding ritual vary greatly; the music at this particular wedding is even unlike wedding music in other regions of Poland.
(B) Cultural context: Context is essential for understanding the function and meaning of musical sounds. Only when we can place these musical sounds within their particular cultural context through observation of accompanying visual images, text translations, etc., do we understand that the music is wedding music.
(C) Music and identity: Music is an essential way in which people realize and express identities, both personal and collective; the music with its polyphonic singing and violins playing duple-metered, homophonic music in a string band sounds European.