AFRICAN MUSIC
MU-H 245 and AFPRL290.03
I.
Course Description
Introduction to traditional and popular African music and performance practices.
Theoretical and methodological issues as defined by ethnomusicology .
II. Course Objectives and Content
Specific objectives are a) to gain familiarity with the aesthetic systems of selected African cultures and to study the relationships among aesthetic systems, performance practices, and the sonic properties
of the principal categories of music within the various regions of Africa; b) to command the parameters for analyzing African music and related arts; c) to become familiar with popular music trends in Africa; and d) to examine the ways in which ethnomusicologists have formulated problems and
methods of analysis in their studies of African musical categories.
Classes will consist of lectures, discussions, and performances of various African musical traditions.
Students are required to participate in classroom discussions and performances. Where possible, one class session will be held in the André Mèrtens Gallery of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth
Avenue at 82 nd
Street, where one of the principal collections of African musical instruments is housed.
III. Textbook
Nketia, J. H. Kwabena. The Music of Africa. New York: W. W. Norton and Company.
IV. Assignments
A.
Reading:
Required reading assignments are listed on the outline. Recommended readings are in non- circulating periodical literature. Since the latter do not circulate, they cannot be placed on reserve. Much of the periodical literature is available on the JSTOR database.
B.
Listening Assignments
Recordings are either on the CD accompanying the textbooks or on reserve in the library.
(2 nd
Floor, East Building)
C.
Written Assignments
There will be two major written assignments. They will be based on two books (other than the textbook.)
D . Examinations
There will a mid-term and a final examination. Both have important writing components.
V.
Grading Policy
Grades for this course will be determined on the basis of the following approximate formula:
Written assignments (22.5% each of 2)
Two examinations (22.5% each of 2)
45%
45%
Classroom participation, other writing 10%