INFLUENCE OF TRADITIONAL MUSICS IN MODERN GENRES

By

Caleb Mauwa

PhD Student: Applied Ethnomusicology

University of KwaZulu Natal
Email: mauwacaleb@[Link]

Abstract

Different cultures across the world are a marvel diversity of rich and assorted traditional musics
which are remarkably valued within their cultural contexts respectively. Interestingly traditional
musics and dance in different cultures across the globe have indelibly proven to have a symbiotic
and core relational in many facets. Amongst the different cultures of the universe, traditional
musics remain symbolic as an oasis and embodiment that encapsulates Indigenous Knowledge
Systems as exuded through societal norms, values, cultural belief systems. Mindful of the reality
that there’s an adaptation and fusion of traditional musics into modern genres in diverse cultures
as an insignia of traditional music’s appreciation and reverence through its originality and unique
natural flare and flavor, there has been a serious onslaught, compromise and threat to the
prevalence and perpetuation of traditional musics thereby posing a potential danger to the
originality and subsequent existence of traditional musics. The paradox therefore borders
between augmentation of traditional musics through adaptation to modern genres as the norm or
in other lenses adaptation of traditional musics to modernity is a progression towards its
extinguishment. Notwithstanding the probable that by virtue of its existence it shall continue to
endure the test of time, as such traditional musics can be argued to hold its own against all forms
of adversity for posterity. Interestingly, in different parts of the world modern genres have
proven to be prevalent due to their strong origins in diverse facets to different traditional musics
of the world. Various modern genre artists take inspiration from different traditional musics
because of positive factors which influence them to duplicate certain features.

Key words: Traditional musics, modern genres, values, augmentation, rudiments

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The origins of traditional musics

Traditional musics are sometimes called folk music or folk song. Traditional musics were
basically sung and learned informally and orally in different societies in which they were
practiced. In most African states, particularly in Zimbabwe, traditional music has been passed
orally from generation to generation. Muparutsa (2013:135) confirms that “In Zimbabwe,
traditional music has been passed from generation to generation orally”. Similarly, the Library
Congress [Link]
traditional-and-ethnic/ supports that:

Traditional songs, often called "folk songs," are learned informally, within the
context of family, tribe, community, or another close-knit group. Many
traditional songs have been sung within the same family or ethnic and regional
communities for generations, and as in the case of American traditional songs,
can sometimes be traced back to such places of origin as Great Britain, Europe,
or Africa and other homelands reflecting America's diverse cultural heritage. At
some point the song would have been composed by a single individual, but that
author may no longer be known. Most traditional and folk songs change over
time, and as they are passed from person to person many variants of the same
song or tune often spring up.

Throughout the world traditional musics are taught in a similar way that is from one person to
the next and they are changing gradually as modern artists are fusing them in modern genres.
Interestingly in different cultures all over the world, people enjoy and value their own traditional
musics. Of late prevalently known modern genres have emerged from traditional musics. Modern
genres such as Pop music, Afro beat, Soul, country music, House music, Afro jazz, rhythm and
blues and many other modern genres are shaped from traditional musics of different world
cultures.

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The Importance of Traditional Musics

The article focuses on putting into context the influence of traditional musics in modern genres
with a conscious understanding that modern genres are an upgrade or progressive improvement
or adaptation to contemporary mutations in conformity to the advancement of latest
technologies. Albeit under the same token the preservation of the originality of traditional musics
remains vintage and epic and like wine appreciating in value with every single tick of the hour
for posterity. The traditional musics have incrementally become common and in some instance a
permanent feature in the ever evolving emergence of modern genres. The narrative will glean on
indigenous or traditional musics with particular focus primarily on the world traditional musics
imperatives to modern genres. In order to illuminate the apparent yet discreet influence of
traditional musics, a brief synopsis into the impact and radiant from traditional musics,
components of world traditional musics are depicted in the account. There is a sharp conundrum
which is ironic with regards to traditional music’s influence in modern genres in the evolving
nature of society Campbell (1996).

Some factors which influence emerging of modern genres

Butete (2013) opines that the world is gradually becoming a global village because of the
realities of the technological age and advancement, hence musical elements among other facets
have also been influenced and thus assimilating into other cultural proponents. Different musical
cultures are amalgamating and thus forming musical hybrids. World over the traditional musics
influence has culminated due to a plethora of factors that include the media, religion, migration,
colonialism and media among others. The influence of traditional musics in other forms of
modern genres is much of a deficit and thus being a part and parcel of a hybrid which may pose a
threat to its natural form and existence Onyeji (2006). Other distinguished factors which propel
traditional musics to influence emerging of modern genres are geographical influence, migration,
time period, internet, information and technology. Poulin (2018) alludes that modern genres
emerge because “the context includes a variety of factors, such as time period, cultural and social
factors, familial influence, and the geographical location where the music emerged”. Worldwide
it is evidently known that as technology advancement and exposure to a variety of musics
facilitates greatly in the developments of modern genres. Becker et al (2015) concede that music-
making is a system of communication, transmitted through ongoing trans-generational

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interaction. The exposure has made artists to emulate and fuse their own music with different
tradition musics. Currently artists are blending traditional musics to design different modern
genres of the world. In all the five continents of the world, traditional musics have made
significant impact in the emerging of modern genres due to the aforementioned factors.

Rudiments derived from traditional musics

Music has numerous rudiments or elements. The rudiments of music include pitch, beat or pulse,
tempo, rhythm, melody, harmony, key signature, texture, style, allocation of voices, timbre or
tone colour, dynamics, expression articulation, form and structure. These rudiments are also
predominant in traditional musics of different world cultures. Miller (2017) explained that there
are ten characteristics of music but be broken down into five main categories and each
category serves a distinct role in the music and the manner in which it sounds. Miller (ibid)
stresses that all music has melody, harmony timbre, form, and rhythm. Centering on texture,
form and structure, different traditional musics of the world has a call and response, repetition.
These are vital components that are being borrowed from traditional musics and fused by several
modern musicians’ into modern genres. Below are two selected music rudiments of music that
were borrowed from traditional musics and are now predominately used in different modern
genres.

a) Call and response

The structural form of traditional musics predominantly centers on the call and response
repetitive cycles. Through this form the vocalist or the one playing the instruments play or sing
whilst other instrumentalists and vocalists respond, or answer with another responding phrase (s)
thereby stimulates a vibrant interaction and exchange. Foster (2001) states that call and
response is a form of interaction between a speaker and an audience in which the speaker's
statements ("calls") are punctuated by responses from the listeners. The Western musics in the
past were pretty much a one man show with little input from the audience; however with the
growing influence of traditional musics there has been an evident shift from the orthodox limited
participation in modern genres which are now depicting similar call and response formats just
like in the traditional musics. Call and response is derived from the historical African roots that

4
served as the foundation for African American cultural traditions. The call and response format
became a diasporic tradition, and it was part of Africans and African Americans creating a new,
unique tradition in the United States (Epstein 1997). Music scholars such as King (1999) and
Haecker (2012) expounded the different types of call and response which are employed in
different music genres.

b) Repetition
Traditional musics are also synonymous with repetition and predominantly thus being a signature
of traditional musics within the formation of musical units in a musical piece. Moravcsik
(2001:114) “Repetition is important in music, where sounds or sequences are often repeated. It
may be called restatement, such as the restatement of a theme. While it plays a role in all music,
with noise and musical tones lying along a spectrum from irregular to periodic sounds. The
repetitive pattern is significant and pivotal in holding together the ensuing musical units of the
musical piece. It is apparent that modern genres have also developed a propensity of repetition
particularly in pop music, rape music and RNB. However these assimilations by modern genres
of repetition as a musical style borrowed or derived from traditional musics does not necessary
reflect a direct sustenance of the traditional musics for posterity. It is rather, the younger
generations shun the original natural compositions from traditional musics and its aspects such as
regalia, form, structure and texture of the traditional musics for modern genre fusions. Leung
(2018) argues that the perpetuation of traditional musics within the modern genre context is
diminishing its authenticity through the pedagogy of modern scientific methods and technology.
Leung (ibid) further asserts that traditional musics have been devalued and marginalized within
the modern genres of the world in that western musical domination and influence has expanded
in composition, dissemination and inheritance. The frightening thing is that traditional musics
appear to be part of the modern genres yet its natural identity continues to sink into oblivion.

Traditional musics and modern genres

It is of paramount importance to note that modern genres derive their roots from a variety of
traditional musics that are performed worldwide by different cultures. There is a great core
relationship which exists between traditional musics and modern genres. Different modern

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genres all over the world resonate from dissimilar traditional musics that are performed in
different societies. Currently in the music arena, evidence of borrowed aspects of traditional
musics is very pronounced in modern genres. Traditional music offers a wide range of aspects
which are very important in the development of modern genres. That is why people argue that
modern genres offer a wide range of musical aspects and skills which are rented from traditional
musics. Poulin (2018) states that modern music presents us with an enormous amount of variety,
allowing us to choose which genres we prefer based on our own ideologies and preferences. In
order to understand how these genres came to be, one must look at the context through which
they were formed.” This reflects that modern genres are rich in all aspects and one can appreciate
diverse aspects from it. Worldwide it is evidently known that as technology advanced all over the
world, different people are exposed to a variety of musics and in this case people are exposed to
different traditional musics of the world. This exposure has made artists to emulate and fuse their
own music with different tradition musics. Nowadays artists are uniquely blending traditional
musics into modern genres and they are composing great songs as well as fascinating modern
genres which are adored by millions of people worldwide.

The place of traditional musics in modern genres

Traditional musics have a very superior place in modern genres. Nketia (1976) confirms that
traditional musics play a very important role in the development of modern genres. Many
societies are a very keen in upholding their traditional musics because of the value they put upon
it. Some scholars argue that traditional musics instill culture amongst people through its fusion in
modern musics. The cognition path of traditional musics in modern genres start from native
songs, native words, native nature paintings to understanding the art of nearest neighbors and
world culture (Hasanov, 2016, Levinson, 2014, Tleuova, Baltymova, Niyazova, and Tektigul,
2016). Through traditional musics of different cultures each culture teaches distinguished lessons
to its people through the dissemination of different musics. Currently in different parts of the
world modern genres have are proving to be popular and the good thing is that they have
emulated certain cultural traits from different traditional musics of the world. Mukhitdenova
(2016) states:

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 Culture has something specific: quality distinctness of the spiritual life of the
nation accumulated over centuries, embodied in specific traditions, values. Many
features of the ethnic group life (instruments and manufacturing practices,
decorum rules, traditional clothes, etc.) eventually get to lose the national color,
and only art, in particular the musical art, remains national, while retaining ethnic
identity even in foreign cultural influences.

Colwell and Richardson (2002), Davidson (2013) and Geertz (2003) concede that traditional
song contains a powerful potential, which enhances its adaptation to modern conditions of
perception, creates a foundation for development and modernization of new forms of musical
culture. Therefore due to the performance and replication of some aspects of traditional musics
in different modern genres, the traditional music of a people is taught in an amusing way and
people will learn their culture and identity through music. It is important to appreciate that
traditional music has a great place in modern genres because it teaches, promotes and preserves a
people’s culture.

Conclusion

Traditional musics are rich as a source of indigenous knowledge systems that have been on a free
fall decline as asserted aforementioned scholars in that the term “contemporary traditional
musics” violate the natural form and essence of traditional musics. Though artists within the
modern genres epoch borrow regalia and instruments from traditional musics this is not in any
way a reciprocal gesture from the identity and value lost in the original contexts thereof. It is a
reality that most traditional musical performers envy to mimic Western genres shunning to raise
high the legacy of traditional musics however there are notable artistic all over the world serve
that have shook the world mesmerizing mixed audiences with their fusion of traditional musical
aspects into modern genres. Therefore to be commercially viable traditional musics have been
fused into modern genres as a strategy to remain commercially relevant. Many institutions
according to Music in Africa (2018) are working tirelessly to immortalize traditional musics
against the onslaught of the dynamics of modernity. The main reason being to capture, transcribe
and digitize traditional musics and place them into repositories for future generations, the
influence conclusively of traditional musics is hanging on a thread between extinguishment and
fortified resilience through hybrids and fusions.

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