The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #137267 Message #3201439
Posted By: MorwenEdhelwen1
04-Aug-11 - 02:24 AM
Thread Name: A very uncomfortable question- perform other trads
Subject: RE: A very uncomfortable question- perform other trads
Reading back through this thread, I noticed that a lot of posters answer the question (which I think I should have worded better)in different ways, depending on what they think I was asking by talking about singing songs/performing music in general, whether playing or singing, from other cultures. And I think that some of these answers(mentions of Pete Seeger, Paul Simon)are related to the fact that most of the performers here are revivalists who might perform one or two songs from other cultures, but not much more than that.
Or they might perform original pieces which use other cultures' traditions as influences, in much the same way as the performers mentioned. I think this is related to the fact that people look at questions like this from their own perspectives, such as using the word "revivalist" where it wouldn't fit. I'm not saying that it's wrong to be a revivalist, or that anyone who wants to shouldn't write songs in a hybrid style., I'm just saying that my original question wasn't about "Should a person sing or play *a few* songs from another culture?" or "Should a person sing *any* songs from other cultures?" or even "Should someone use other cultures' musical styles as influences for original work, when that work isn't claimed to be part of that culture's tradition?" It was "Are there any problems, such as exploitation,with a person learning to perform music from another culture in the country it comes from when the other country is a "Third World" or less weƤlthy country and the person wanting to learn is from a wealthy Western country?"