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rican / Qpiental Music ‘Superb ... will be of interest to anyone who shares a fascination with m usic’ Evelyn Glennie Traditional AFRICAN and ORIENTAL Music Otto Karolyi @) PENGUIN BOOKS PENGUIN BOOKS Published by the Penguin Group Penguin Books Ltd, 27 Wnghts Lane, London w8 51Tz, England Penguin Putnam Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA Penguin Books Australia Ltd, Ringwood, Victoria, Australia Penguin Books Canada Ltd, 10 Alcorn Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4v 3B2 Penguin Books (NZ) Ltd, Private Bag 102902, NSMC, Auckland, New Zealand Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England First published 1998 10987654321 Copyright © Ottd Karolyi 1998 All nghts reserved The moral nght of the author has been asserted Typeset in Monotype Bembo and Monotype Gill Sans Typeset by Rowland Phototypesetting Ltd, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk Printed in England by Clays Ltd, St Ives plc Music setting by Barnes Music Engraving Illustrations by Oxford Computer Illustration Except in the United States of America, this book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser To Benedikte Contents Preface 1X Acknowledgements X1i1 CHAPTER ONE I African Music Introduction / Rhythm / Melody / Harmony / Instruments / General Considerations: religion; language, poetry and music; drama, dance and music; improvisation; music and musicians in the community CHAPTER TWO 55 Islam and Music Introduction / Rhythm / Melody / Harmony / Instruments / General Considerations: religion; Qur’an recitations; the call to prayer; the Prophet’s birthday; hymns in praise of the Prophet; Sufi worship; postlude CHAPTER THREE 95 The Indian Subcontinent Introduction / Rhythm / Melody / Harmony / Instruments / General Considerations: religion: Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Islam; qawwali; dance and music; ragamala paintings CHAPTER FOUR 143 China and Tibet Introduction / Rhythm / Melody / Harmony / Instruments / General Considerations: religion: Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism; Peking opera; Tibet; dance in China and Tibet; epic song vil Contents CHAPTER FIVE 18] The Far East Introduction Japan Background / Rhythm / Melody / Harmony / Instruments / Instrumental and theatrical ensembles: Gagaku, Bunraku, Kabuki and Noh; General considerations: religion: Shinto, Buddhism in Japan, Zen Indonesia: (i) Java; (ii) Bali Background / Rhythm / Melody / Instruments / Theatrical ensembles and music / Bali Afterword 247 Select Bibliography 249 Discography 257 Notes 261 Index 264 Preface Listening to non-Western music in concerts, on the radio, television or CDs has become by now an accepted part of our musical experience. The encounter with the musical cultures of other nations is no longer restricted to occasional world fairs or pioneering travels. Modern technology has facilitated communication and interaction between continents to an unprecedented level of speed and effici- ency, especially since the end of the Second World War. Today we are all aware, or should be, that there is, for example, African, Chinese and Indian music, not just in anthropological terms as curlosities, somewhat strange and removed from us, but rather as a living reality of equal interest to the music which we are accustomed toin the West. Yet in spite of the growing popularity of non-Western music, the general tendency is still one of passive acceptance. One is entertained and stimulated by fascinating sounds and rhythms but without bothering too much about the underlying principles which give non-Western music its marked coherence and characteristic profiles. One of the two main aims of this book is to offer readers background information that will enable them to gain some insight into what is going on and why, in both technical and cultural terms, when they hear music of non-Western cultures. The other aim is, of course, to do some justice to a subject which is manifestly one of the great expressions of mankind. As there is no human life without language, similarly there is no human life without some evidence of music making. Animals do communicate, but it is x Preface mankind which has evolved languages as a complex system of intercourse. Animals also make meaningful sounds, some very attrac- tive and sophisticated, but it is mankind which has evolved the art of music. As such, music is revelatory of the human psyche whether in its individual or social manifestations. The understanding of the signs of music is of paramount importance if we are to overcome the all too human tendency of thinking ourselves superior to those cultures which we do not comprehend. Since the publication of Edward W. Said’s book Orientalism: Western Conception of the Orient in 1978, any Westerner who ventures on a topic in this field must be acutely aware that it is an entry into dangerous territory, where the likelihood of making blunders, however well meaning, is enor- mous and perhaps inevitable. Let us hope that in spite of the possible stumblings, the direction of the journey towards its goal, which is to gain a basic understanding of other fellow human beings’ musical traditions beyond our own, will not be lost. As with learning a language, there is a minimum which it is necessary to grasp in terms of technicalities before one can start to have the joyful feeling of understanding and communicating. It is hoped that this book will provide that foundation. In order to help the reader find information in a relatively easy way, each chapter follows a similar structural pattern: a map and background information, followed by the discussions of rhythm, melody, harmony, instruments and customs. The bibliography and discography at the end are to enable the reader to explore beyond the introductory nature of this book. It is hoped that this layout will allow readers to follow their interests in an easily findable format. Anyone with, for example, particular interest in rhythm will know from the onset that this topic appears in the third section of each chapter. Thus the book can be read and studied chapter after chapter or across chapters according to specific topics. To avoid any misunderstanding and possible disappointment, it must be made clear at the onset that this book aims to introduce the traditional music of five diverse regions in terms of their main