Search

This article argues that modern examples of the Devil as a player of plucked and bowed stringed instruments extend early medieval representations of the Devil's music as a powerfully persuasive force that can be used to draw souls toward Satan and, conversely, to defend against his musical machinations. By examining Homily X of the Vercelli Book (c. tenth century) in relation to early medieval music theory, the legend of St. Dunstan, and modern examples of the fiddle-playing Devil, this article demonstrates that the musical Devil and his opponents show every sign of sustaining the motif's power into the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, Çandır Rifle Dance, one of the Giresun folk dances, is discussed historical and cultural context. In this context, is examined as a whole the story of the dance, the functions of the dance, types of performance, the tools that are being used in the dance and traditional use of costume, the music and instruments used in the dance and about the group performing the dance. More consistent results are tried to be obtained about the Çandır Rifle Dance, after the information given with the purpose of dealing with the subject in the work, by discussing folk dances in Giresun, the use of costume in the folk dances and the celebrations held with guns in Giresun. The performances of the Çandır Rifle Dance, which were mostly exhibited during the celebrations in the big organizations, were examined, and some conclusions were drawn from the video-recorded demonstrations in different times and contexts. Also, by including in the bibliography the video-records analyzed in the work, it is intended to prevent the researchers and readers only being limitedwith the texts about the subject. In the study, direct access to the videos can be achieved by using the related data codes (Data Matrix). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discussions on Appalachian music in the United States most often evoke images of instruments such as the fiddle and banjo, and a musical heritage identified primarily with Europe and European Americans, as originators or creators, when in reality, many Europeans were influenced or taught by African-American fiddlers. Not only is Appalachian fiddling a confluence of features that are both African- and European-derived, but black fiddlers have created a distinct performance style using musical aesthetics identified with African and African-American culture. In addition to a history of black fiddling and African Americans in Appalachia, this article includes a discussion of the musicking of select Appalachian black fiddlers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the formative interaction between instrumental technique and musical style by analysing different approaches to the violin/fiddle. It is argued that technique is constitutive of style and that musical concepts are intimately related to the accumulated experience of sensations associated with handling the instrument in a particular way. The point of departure is the initially open nature of the violin's expressive affordances, and how these are defined through the interactivity between a performer and an instrument. Two cases are analysed with a focus on how an individual approaches the violin/fiddle in terms of technical solutions (including instrument hold, left-hand posture and bow hold) that are involved in the production of stylistic signatures. The analysis supports the argument that the violin/fiddle is a highly flexible technology, the expressive potential of which can only be assessed by considering the vast diversity of approaches with which the instrument is engaged. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background in Ethnomusicology. The organological transformation of the lira fiddle of the Aegean has been associated with the rapid urbanization of the first half of the 20th century (Liavas, 1986). New instruments, (i.e. the violin), have 'inherited' the potentials, the repertoire, as well as the aesthetics of their predecessors (Sarris, 2007). A study of the instrumental repertoire combining an insider's and an outsider's perspective may reveal an enlightening view of potentials, techniques and influences (Sarris, Kolydas, & Tzevelekos, 2010). Background in Music Performance. The Ghléndi (fest) in the village of Olymbos, Karpathos, has been highlighted by ethnographic research as the symbolical place for communication and interaction between the community's members (Kavouras, 1990; 1992). In a context of rapid social transformations, the challenge for the musicians is to balance between the music of the 'old world' and the new music streams of the Aegean, which are often heavily criticized by some Olymbits. Aims. In this study, we try to shed light on the Páno Chorós dance phenomenon in the context of the social transformation of Olymbos in recent decades. Using Parataxis (Sarris, Kolydas, & Tzevelekos, 2010) we examine a given recording both from the perspectives of organology and music performance. Main contribution. Based on Parataxis framework we try to perform a multilateral analysis of our recording. From the perspective of organology, using music network analysis, we can see the interconnection of musical instruments. From a native's perspective a whole world of evaluations and interpretations emerges based upon the history of Olymbos, the social transformations, the experiences of the musicians, hence indicating music as a tool for the negotiation of the identity for the modern Olymbits. Implications. This case study can hopefully act as a pattern for the multilateral analysis of instrumental music following the technique of parataxis. Data from structural analysis combined with organological data and performative practices may result in a 'holographic depiction' of the music under analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]