European voices

More about the book

While the fundamental meanings of terminology are established in scholarly disciplines, many concepts are often questioned and redefined. This is particularly true in ethnomusicology, where researchers explore diverse music cultures. The varying worldviews of resource persons, who are both holders and presenters of tradition, add complexity, especially in multipart singing with its unique musical aesthetics and vocabularies. Change within musical cultures and the field of ethnomusicology further complicates matters. Examining folk terminology involves understanding concepts of cultural listening—paying attention, concentrating, and focusing—which arise from music listening and making, as well as local discourse involving singers, musicians, and communities. This discourse serves as a communication category that validates rules and influences power dynamics within communities. Singing itself is a crucial aspect of this discourse. Music becomes both the object and subject of research, with particular attention to gender roles in communities where women engage in multipart singing or primarily listen, yet significantly contribute to discourse. Additionally, issues of brain research are relevant, particularly regarding motor control systems for timing and movement organization in performance. While music performance and listening are culturally conditioned, they are also innate human abilities. Thus, studying these processes can r