160039 VO Music of Central Asia (2016W)

The course offers a broad introduction to the musical traditions of Central Asia, here taken to include the former Soviet states, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, Mongolian People’s Republic and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. It maps the musical landscape of the region by surveying major instruments, performance repertoires, genres and styles in the two socio-cultural realms of Central Asia: the nomadic world and the world of sedentary-dwellers. Structural and aesthetic aspects of music and sound are explored in relation to wider aspects of culture and social life in the region. The dynamic of musical change and the interplay of tradition and innovation in contemporary creativity are considered in the light of the region’s political history, the impact of socialist policies and nation-building in post-Soviet states, and the effects of globalization, migratory processes and cultural revitalization initiatives on Central Asian music and musicians.

The course is based on the new textbook, The Music of Central Asia (Indiana University Press, 2016), co-edited by Saida Daukeyeva together with Theodore Levin and Elmira Köchümkulova. Created by an international team of music specialists from Central Asia, Europe and North America, the textbook presents a series of ethnographic studies focusing on particular musical traditions from across the region. It is accompanied by a website featuring audio and video examples and a glossary of musical instruments. Listening guides and study questions are provided to promote students’ engagement with both audio-visual and textual material. Coursework will include reading and listening/viewing assignments based on the music examples and written tests on the material surveyed in the course. By the end of the course students will gain a general knowledge of music in Central Asia; become familiar with a variety of local musical instruments, repertoires, genres and styles; engage in critical thinking about the role of music in society and its relationship to ideology and power; develop a basic understanding of music structures, aural and analytical skills.