Cross-cultural Perspectives on the Performance of Traditional Music in Contemporary Contexts: Views from Ethnomusicology

Description

This presentation provided a broad foundation for discussions throughout the day, as well as outlining a set of key topics that we wished to address in our opening panel. I introduce some of the models developed by ethnomusicologists for understanding the place of traditional music in the contemporary world: these include sets of metaphors that help us to appreciate, from multiple perspectives, the meaning of music and its performance in society and the impulses behind revival initiatives. I refer to studies of recent trends in the very different worlds of English folk music and Gnawa trance music in Morocco as a way of illustrating the kinds of questions we might ask, or stories we might tell, about the performance of traditional music today. Broader questions include: how have performers responded to, or been impacted by, the popularity of world music, the growth of the heritage industry, UNESCO-style safe-guarding programmes and developments in digital technologies? What kinds of new off-shoots have been produced by revivals as the revived music itself has moved closer to the mainstream? I conclude with examples of the different paths pursued by Corsican musicians as they engage with a world populated by more diverse, cosmopolitan audiences and new musical inspirations. How do they situate their own creative work in relation to ‘the tradition’? How has their work been received by different audiences?

Period	23 Sept 2024
Event title	Sakartvelo Festival Study Day: Performing Traditional Music in the Contemporary World: Sharing Experiences and New Perspectives
Event type	Conference
Location	Tbilisi, GeorgiaShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International