Insular Southeast Asia – comprised of 5 States, all of which have colonial histories.

 Laos – created from spoils of war

 Indonesia – created when the people attained self-rule from the Netherlands
 East Indies
 Thailand was never colonized

Regionalism

 Diversity of population
 Individuality in language, literature, clothing, cuisine, music
 Regionalism is tolerated in the context of a mainstream culture
 Regionalism is more problematic when regions are near-equals or rivals

Classical, Folk, Popular: the problem with labels

 Classical – connotation of sophistication, high value, expressive of political and economic power.
 Folk – there has to be a “folk” often one of the nonmainstream minorities
 Popular – mediated, most developed in countries with the greatest wealth and urbanization

Networks of Power and Influence

 Power is centered on a person, place or object

 Dynamics rulers with many followers wield power in a radiating field
 Places like Java’s Borobudur or Cambodia’s Angkor Vat are invested with
 Power ascribed to sacred sites
 Objects like musical instruments, bronze drums, draggers, mask have power
 In an ensemble, the gong usually has the most power

Elements of Music

 Medium – what makes the sound

 Melody – organized succession of tones
 Rhythm and meter – organization of sounds in time
 Texture – relationship among the music’s elements
 Form – structural organization
 Timbre – qualities of sound
 Extramusicality – nonmusical meaning