533g: Song genres

533g: Song genres

Description

Within a culture one can find different types of songs which may be associated with events in the human life cycle; with worship of people, spirits or God; with human experiences and emotions; and with locations. The different genres may be distinguished by more than just different topics or events. They may be distinguished by accompanying instruments, tempo, rhythm, dance, and settings.

The following are elements of the human life cycle that may have music associated with them. It is not an exhaustive list, but it may be used to elicit song types. Certain categories may overlap, for example, children's song and a play song. The first list is taken from Chenoweth, Vida. 1972. Melodic perception and analysis. Ukarumpa, PNG: Summer Institute of Linguistics. 24--25. The second list was suggested by Dr. Tom Avery in “Ethnic hymnodies: A program for development” (unpublished manuscript).

Chenoweth's list of life cycle events that may have music associated with them

Events
1. Human
  1. Birth (birth announcement, lullaby)
  2. Childhood (funny or nonsense songs, games, teasing or taunting songs)
  3. Puberty (girls' songs, boys' songs, initiation)
  4. Courting (love songs, courting songs, proposal of marriage)
  5. Marriage (wedding, men's songs, women's songs)
  6. Death (funeral, mourning)
2. Historical
  1. Commemorative (disasters, honors, first outsiders, changes in leadership or government, first road, first vehicles, wars)
  2. Legend (creation, mythology)
  3. Local news
Activities
1. Work (cutting timber, hunting, fishing, road making)
2. Fighting (preparation for battle, battle, victory, defeat)
3. Dancing (male, mixed, social, ceremonial, solo)
4. Recreation
Ceremonies
1. Magic (planting, harvesting, fertility, power, prophecy, [healing])
2. Social (greeting, farewell, wedding, funeral, completion of an endeavor such as making of a warrior or communal clearing of the land, [end of harvest or planting season])
Nature
1. Animals (pets, wild animals including birds, fish, and reptiles)
2. Places and things (mountains, rivers, forests, trees, plants, the heavens including clouds, sun, moon, stars, and sky)

Avery's list of song types
Work songs	Play songs	Love songs	Healing songs
Hunting songs	Magic songs	Animal songs	Spirit songs
Men's songs	Women's songs	Children's songs	Lullabies
Festival songs	Drinking songs	Ceremonial songs	Dance songs
War songs	Victory songs	Death songs
[Legends as songs]	[Songs in folk tales]

What are the various settings for performing music?
	Where may each kind of music be performed?
	When may each kind of music be performed?
	/ Time of day / Time of year
	What occasions are appropriate for each kind of music to be a part of?
	/ Wedding / Death / Birthday / Initiation / Beginning or ending of war / Courtship / Election / Religious events / Sacrificing / Worship services / Celebrations / Others / Other ceremony or rite / Other less formal occasions
	What must performers of each kind of music wear?
	/ Costume / Mask / Make-up/paint / Nothing special
	What else may be going on while each kind of music is being performed?

Context for this page:

Ocm module: Song genres
In ocm module:
In ocm module: Music
In modular book: Expanded ethnomusicology categories for the Outline of Cultural Materials, by Kenneth R. Hollingsworth
In bookshelf: Anthropology

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 3.5, published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 1999. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 21 March 1999