World Music

World Music

World music, also known as traditional music, is a musical category involving indigenous and folk songs of different cultures. The term world music generally describes a wide range of folk music and traditional songs from around the world. It is a type of music produced from the combination of western music styles and different genres of non-Western music. A world song has unique ethnic influences accompanied by the use of various kinds of indigenous or ethnic instruments. Some music genres such as pop and RnB infuse this type of music to create a unique and modern traditional blend.

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Commonly used subjects

Instrumental music has always been a part of world music. Aside from instrumentals, vocal music with meaningful song lyrics is also used. Narrative verses and epic poetry depicting traditions and cultures are usually pieced together to form a sensible folk music. With the accompaniment of instruments, the song starts to come to life. Other traditional narrative verses tell the story of tragedies, natural disasters and battles. Most of the traditional songs from different countries often convey victory and triumph.

Classic examples of non-western world music are Gregorian chants, Hindustani raga music and Japanese koto music. Traditional music helps people to understand the diversity of culture in the world. Whether they chant or sing their cultural song, it serves as a piece of puzzle composing their cultural heritage.

Distinctive characteristics of world music

The unique musical arrangement of world music compositions is definitely one of its distinct marks. Unlike, any other music categories, this type of music is passed on from one generation to the other. It has been disseminated over the years through oral traditions. Before, the only way to learn traditional music is by memorizing it. They did not have the privilege of acquiring these types of songs from a music book or music sheet.

Most traditional music is related to a specific region or culture. It often consists of folk songs which originated from various countries. Choral music, religious festivals, cultural dances and historical events always incorporate traditional music components. With its distinct rhythmic patterns and unique musical accompaniments, traditional music certainly contains diverse cultural fusions which are recognizable through their well-defined music patterns.

World music allows the preservation and commemoration of a nation's culture and traditions. Although the rise to fame of popular music threatens the extinction of traditional music, some countries still consider it as a patent symbol of their cultural identity.