Music 207r: Rhythmic thinking and practice in Africa and Asia

Professor Richard K. Wolf rwolf@fas.harvard.edu

Mon 2-4 p.m.
Davison Room, Music Library
Theories of rhythmic and other musical processes developed under very different
circumstances in Africa and the high cultures of West, South and Central Asia.
In this course we will consider both the theories themselves and the kinds of
push-back they’ve encountered by “native” and Western scholars and musicians.
The course will involve significant engagement with particular repertoires: careful
and creative listening to examples in each local tradition. We will attempt to
use both the writings about particular musical traditions and the lessons we
learn by comparative listening to make our ears fresh and receptive to multiple
ways of hearing.
Weekly assignments: You will have weekly writing assignments, to be distributed
to your classmates the night before class. You will be responsible for all the
reading during the week, although responsibility for in-depth coverage (in writing)
can be divided among members of the class. Most weeks will include listening
assignments.
Midterm project: a classroom presentation of a piece/genre/passage that interests
you rhythmically. 15 minutes. It need not be from Africa or Asia, nor need it be
directly pertinent to anything we’ve read to date. But you need to explain why
the example is rhythmically challenging/thought- provoking/compelling and the
directions you might take the analysis if you were to write a conference paper or
article using it.
Final project: 20 pages of text, double-spaced, 12 point, not including appen-
dices or bibliography. It can be an analysis of recorded repertoire and/or a
critical treatment of literature about a repertoire or rhythmic process. Final
project proposals are due week 4; outlines, week 7; revised outlines, week 11;
presentations, week 12; final paper, Dec 10.
Week 1 (Aug 31, Wed): Introductory concepts
(Sept 5 labor day no class)
Week 2 (Sept 12): African rhythm 1: History and Functional Division
For general reference in this unit, see African Music Examples page
Week 3 (Sept 19): The “Africanness” of “African Rhythm”
Week 4 (Sept 26): Listening and perception
Week 5 (Oct 3): Beat and Measure
(Oct 10 Columbus Day, no class)
Week 6 (Oct 17): Metric cycles in South Asia

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Week 7 (Oct 24): Elasticity in relation to metric frames
Mid term presentations for next 3 weeks
Final project outlines due
Week 8: (Oct 31): Elastic rhythm
Week 9 (Nov 7): Rhythmic cycles and units in west and central Asia
Week 10 (Nov 14): “Many meters,” time and trance
Week 11 (Nov 21): Universal and culture-specific approaches to
rhythm
Revised outlines due
Nov 23-27 thanksgiving
Week 12 (Nov 28) Presentations
Dec 3-9 Reading period
Dec 10 papers due