An Anthropological Perspective on Eastern and Western Folk Music

Abstract

As a performing artist, I felt that the study of world music was incomplete without an active understanding of the music through first-hand performance. As such, this paper was accompanied by a recital in which I, as a double-bassist, performed works from around the globe. In parallel to this thesis, the pieces originated from Argentina, Korea, and China—as well as others—while also including an original composition that incorporated influences of modern American bluegrass with contemporary classical music. The study of and preparation of these works consisted of research and practice of regional stylistic characteristics and their application to double bass performance.