Music and Song

*WARNING THIS BLOG MAY CONTAIN GENERALISATIONS*

A large part of my research focuses on the use of music and dance within warrior communities.  The different musical traditions are fascinating and culturally revealing, this is true of all societies.

For instance, take what is loosely defined as folk music/traditional music (why is that every country has ‘traditional’ music but Britain has ‘folk’? Anyway . . .)  If you listen to the American Indian tribes and their ‘traditional’ songs they are often prayers, which makes sense as their religious practices incorporated a lot of rituals based around music and dance.  With ‘traditional’ far eastern music (perhaps most prominently Japanese) words are very scarce and quite often non-existent, relying more on the purity of individual notes; maybe connected with the more contemplative nature of Shinto and Buddhism?

When it comes to the ‘West’ or perhaps we should just discuss Britain, as that is what is usually meant, we have two musical traditions; firstly the religious songs that have evolved into the wide range of hymns to gospel.  If one looks at the wording of these songs they are not prayers and therefore no part of a religious ceremony as such, they do obviously have a great effect on the people but they are of celebration not invocation.  The second tradition seems reminiscent of the Ancient Greek poet tradition of what is essentially a story to music; ‘folk’.  British folk songs are both entertaining and amusing because they are the relaying of stories from people who enjoy telling stories; see here for some modern wandering mistrels who have tried to reignite the traditional songs of old.

This form of song writing has obviously changed almost unrecognisably into modern music as we know it today; although it is interesting that people like Bob Dylan, who very much upholds this tradition, are so popular.  What I like about this musical tradition is the word play that comes from a foundation in storytelling and poetry, and I suppose to my own mind is what separates a good song writer from a bad one.  Again what is interesting is what the music one listens to reveals about them; for instance I can’t stand the loud thumping mundanity of Drum n’ Bass, however it creates a state of euphoria in ravers (not unlike pre-battle warrior songs & dances), there are others who like the love ballads where the voice portrays the emotion one wants to share in rather than the words themselves (not unlike the Apache prayers that Geronimo talks about in this autobiography, or even church songs).  It is also telling that the majority of people have a range of music to either affect their mood or reflect their mood; a different mood often requires a different musical tradition.

For me personally it is the wordsmithery of certain writers that I like, even if I find their actual music annoying.  I like the stories and the more extravagant the better; although I can’t imagine anyone has the patience to retell the Illiad in a song form, that would be an awfully long song . . . maybe Bob Dylan would, but no one else.

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