Introduction
Arriving at Zartnots airport in Yerevan, Armenia, the captain of the plane warns passengers that the landing will be a bit bumpy. The runway, like all the roads in Armenia, reveals the results of almost daily earthquake tremors. Soviet-era vehicles make their way through the densely populated streets. Merchants sell Soviet-era "antiques" of toasters, rugs, pottery, and cigarette cases in Yerevan's open-air market, the Vernissage, while duduk players tease with haunting sounds of the past. Music and culture blend beautifully in this soundscape.
Considering the concept of the soundscape (setting, sound, and significance), this chapter will ask the following questions:
- Why do different cultures favor different types of music?
- How is music used in other cultures?
- Why is learning about different cultures a valuable tool for critical thinking?
Ethnomusicology does not simply study music of a particular culture, but studies it from various perspectives. Music is looked at in context and in relation to the cultures that make it.
One of the essential characters of ethnomusicology is fieldwork. Traveling to learn about people around the world is what many people find enthralling about ethnomusicology. Indeed, this curiosity could have drawn you, the student, to an introductory course on world music. Fieldwork allows for new ways for learning and creates an atmosphere where challenges take many forms.
After the 1917 revolution, traditional music was replaced by that celebrating communism and USSR nationalism.
