African Polyphony and Polyrhythm : Musical Structure and Methodology

Rating:
Summary: Thorough and multifaceted coverage of a fascinating topic
Review: Arom's treatment of African music is fantastic. The reader will benefit from Arom's direct experiences with African music in many ways. Not only does he provide musical transcriptions, but also discusses the equipment and techniques used for recording. He also discusses the social aspects of the music, which are inseparable from it. There is a large section in which he shares the results of his musical analysis--specifically, the ways in which he categorizes African music based on their rhythmic activity. He creates his own analytical methdologies and creates very specific terminology to describe the rhythmic structures found in African music. As a graduate student in music theory I found this book very helpful in my research and analysis of composers who try to emulate the rhythmic structures and phenomena found in African music. It's a terrific resource.