Music of Central Asia: From Throat-singing to Heavy Metal
MUSC 297
Spring 2024
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
REES 297, RUSS 297, COL 298 |
The music of the Hu was chosen as the soundtrack to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order because it sounded otherworldly to Western audiences. In fact, the Hu draw on ancient musical traditions from Central Asia, one of the most culturally and musically diverse areas of the world. This course introduces students to a wide range of music practices, genres, and styles in historically nomadic and sedentary regions of Central Asia: throat-singing, sounds of shamanic and Sufi Islamic rituals, epic performance, narrative instrumental playing, oral poetry competitions, folk and art singing, Western-influenced classical and popular music genres, including Central Asian repertoires of opera and symphony, Azerbaijani jazz, Uzbek estrada, Kazakh Q-pop and crossover music, Mongolian heavy metal and hip hop. The roles and meanings of music are discussed in relation to wider aspects of culture and social life, the impact of Soviet culture policies, post-Soviet national revival, and globalization.
The course includes a performance component. Students learn to play a variety of Kazakh and Kyrgyz musical instruments, including plucked and bowed lutes, a plucked zither, clay ocarinas, jaw harps, and percussion instruments. Previous musical training is not necessary. The course draws on extensive audiovisual materials and is open to students of all levels. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA MUSC |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Major Requirement for: (MUSC)(MUST-MN)(REES-MN)(REES-Lang/Lit/C) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: 90% or above |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Theodore Levin, Saida Daukeyeva, and Elmira Köchümkulova (eds), THE MUSIC OF CENTRAL ASIA (Indiana University Press, 2016), www.musicofcentralasia.org
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Examinations and Assignments:
Weekly reading, listening, and creative assignments, "musical highlight of the week" forum posts, and a final project including written and/or performance components
The course will include online visits by Central Asian artists. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
No special knowledge of music or Central Asian history and culture is required for attending this course. All undergraduate students are welcome. Assignments are designed to offer students the maximum flexibility in deciding how to engage with the material, from literature research to experiential engagement with musical instruments. |
| Instructor(s): Daukeyeva,Saida Times: ..T.R.. 10:20AM-11:40AM; Location: MST301; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 15 | | SR major: 3 | JR major: 4 | | |
| Seats Available: 8 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 2 | JR non-major: 2 | SO: 2 | FR: 2 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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