[FA Worldmusic] politics and language; (redux in different context)

[Steve Hochman]

There are many different levels of enjoyment of and involvement with 
music. Understanding the lyrics is not required in order to get 
something of worth, even of great worth, from any particular piece of 
music. Just as I can appreciate the beauty and artistry of Arabic or 
Chinese calligraphy without being able to read the words.


Around the World
http://www.spinner.com/category/around-the-world/



Robert Singerman wrote:
> To the Julia Banzi remarks and questions, it is obvious that the  
> context of music is generally political, (if not also cultural,  
> sociological, economic, emotional ...) but to me, again, one of the  
> main problems we have with so called world, or international music is  
> who among us can actually understand the context and meaning of the  
> songs, without understanding the lyrics, especially if they are in  
> many different languages?
>
> Many of the most important leaders of the world music community have  
> expressed to me personally their fears that the lyrics of their  
> "favorite" artists are banal, or worse, politically repulsive. My  
> belief is that like one of these people discovered, when he learned  
> Portuguese, (even with these same fears), that the songs of the  
> artists he loved and some he hadn't even learned about yet, were  
> actually exquisite and more profound, more poetic, than he could have  
> imagined.
>
> With certain new media tools being developed these days, translations  
> and adaptations are coming, so that we will all be able to understand  
> world and international pop music lyrics in any language.
>
> If you are coming to CMJ, or are in NYC and want to come to a panel  
> called "Say What, Music with Subtitles and International Music" with  
> five leading companies in this field presenting some of these  
> technologies to the music industry leaders, (Oct. 19th at 11.45 am at  
> The Kimmel Center of New York University), please respond to me  
> personally and I'll try to get you a panel pass, even if you are not  
> registered at CMJ.
>
> It is almost impossible as Dr. Banzi remarks, otherwise, to truly  
> know exactly what is being presented consciously, although  
> subconsciously, we probably have some good idea.
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