Music is often seen as the phenomenon that precedes speech and the universal language that serves to convey emotions and help one express oneself fully. However, rarely is music seen s a phenomenon that is significantly affected by socioeconomic, sociocultural, and technological trends within society, therefore, tethering music to a specific cultural environment and time period. Therefore, in order to approach the notion of music as a phenomenon and a concept, the anthropological lens and the multicultural perspective are essential.
Applying the cultural lens to the notion of music and the associated concepts implies revisiting the current understanding of the specified notions. In fact, examining different cultures and their interpretations of music may make one question the very definition of the concept at hand, broadening it to expand beyond European perceptions of harmony and rhythm. Namely, the opportunity to integrate the perceptions of music as it is viewed in other cultures becomes possible (Drew, 2020). As a result, one can deviate from what Small (1998) termed as the “formalist, vacuum-packed style of listening” and, instead, embrace the entire gamut of possibilities for the cross-cultural dialogue (p. 163). Thus, the introduction of a multicultural perspective into the listening process and the following analysis of music allows abandoning the traditionalist perspective and promoting the cross-cultural dialogue.
Furthermore, the introduction of the specified perspective into the understanding sand analysis of music leads to new opportunities for its composition. Namely, the techniques and approaches that used to be overlooked or perceived as irrelevant may become the vehicle for composing music in a new way that appeals to a broader range of demographics and creates a cross-cultural experience. Additionally, the opportunities to interpret the existing compositions and represent the established and thoroughly explored narratives in a new and unique manner can be provided.
The specified opportunity to retell the story that has been communicated multiple times in a way that makes it speak to a specific audience can be considered a path toward reflecting on and even reconciling some of the current sociocultural and societal issues. As a result, vulnerable communities will recognize that “their subjective lives are not necessarily totally determined by the dominant patriarchy,” as McClary (1990, p. 1) put it. The specified opportunity to reimagine the existing narrative and introduce it so that it could represent the vulnerable and the marginalized communities can be pursued once the search for the new perspectives on and interpretations of the existing ideas is provided. As a result, the reimagining of the established narrative and the associated concepts will offer a chance to encourage cultural and societal change.
To examine the idea and notion of music, as well as determine future trends in its development and embrace new possibilities, one will need to apply the anthropological lens and encompass sociocultural, sociopolitical, and technological developments within a particular community. Though the current trends toward globalization and the efforts to encompass the broad variety of cultural interpretations of music to produce a combined musical experience are common, music as a notion remains strongly connected to the relevant culture. Thus, the possibility of encouraging change and introducing a new vision that will expand the bandwidth of the current Western cultural perceptions of music can be pursued, with groundbreaking compositions being created.
References
Drew, E. (2020). More than a party.NeverApart. Web.
McClary, S. (1990). Living to tell: Madonna’s resurrection of the fleshly. Genders, (7), 1-21.
Small, C. (1998). Musicking: The meanings of performing and listening. Wesleyan University Press.