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

[Steve Hochman]

I don't disagree, so to speak... but in the end, I don't think the 
artist, the publicist or even the critic ought to be telling the 
listeners how they "should" get the music... that's a personal thing. If 
I don't want to do the work to learn the language and nuance of the 
lyrics, if I don't want to have to study before I'm "allowed" to 
experience music, should I be told my enjoyment is not acceptable?


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



Dmitri Vietze wrote:
> I have argued with Robert in the past about his campaign to get the global 
> music community in North America to use technology to help with translation 
> of lyrics of global musicians. Making a similar argument to Steve's. But as 
> time has passed I am starting to think Robert is right. When I am writing a 
> press release, I always want to know a lot of different types of background 
> on the artist, the songs, the cultures, the politics, the spirituality, etc. 
> behind/underneath the music, because you have to mine these things to figure 
> out which aspects are going to be most profound to the press and to fans. 
> And it is often not obvious on the surface for a newcomer to a particular 
> repertoire/genre/style. After studying more Persian music, fado, and even 
> the music of singer-songwriters in the "modern" sense, there is a lot of 
> information in the lyrics. Sometimes it is totally critical to "getting the 
> music" and the context from which it comes. Part of my argument was that I 
> cannot see going to certain concerts -- say a Daara J concert -- and having 
> digital boards with lyric translations up. But even if it does not work in 
> all contexts, it could work in some, certainly in the performing Arts Center 
> context, think operas. And if someone can do simultaneous translation for 
> the in between song stories, all the better. Also, maybe there can be some 
> creative thought about HOW one provides this info. A good multi-lingual 
> artist can also explain things between songs, give phonetic instructions for 
> singing along, etc. and really engage the audience in both the meaning and 
> participation (if appropriate). A tangent on this subject, then, is how to 
> prepare artists for performing on stage across cultures and languages. Some 
> don't want to bother, but others would probably respond positively with 
> ideas about how to reach across cultural divides to reach new fans, etc. 
> Last week when the 17 Hippies were here they told us that they recorded a 
> special album for the French market including extra songs in French. As a 
> result they became very big there, so big that people thought they were a 
> FRENCH band. And then and only then did they start getting calls from German 
> presenters who were kind of jealous that they were being co-opted and wanted 
> to start booking them more. An interesting model.
>
> Robert, how is that whole music video translation technology thing going? 
> How much is it being used with music by educators, etc.? And how much use of 
> visual translation are you seeing use in live music venues?
>
> Much respect,
>
> ===> Dmitri!
> music at rockpaperscissors.biz
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Steve Hochman" <shochman at pacbell.net>
> To: "Robert Singerman" <robert.s at french-music.org>
> Cc: <fa-worldmusic at folk.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2007 2:31 PM
> Subject: Re: [FA Worldmusic] politics and language;(redux in different 
> context)
>
>
>   
>> 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.
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> FA-Worldmusic mailing list
>>> FA-Worldmusic at folk.org
>>> http://www.folkserv.net/mailman/listinfo/fa-worldmusic
>>>       
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