Browsing by Author "Freedman, Richard"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    A Universal Language: Social Education in Orff Schulwerk, the Kodály Concept, and El Sistema
    (2021) Coberly, Grace; Freedman, Richard
    Orff Schulwerk, the Kodály concept, and El Sistemaare three of the most popular approaches to music education used in Western classrooms today. This thesis argues that the philosophies and practical recommendations of these three approaches facilitate social education in addition to musical learning. Building upon the writings of both philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau and evolutionary archeologist Steven Mithen, I explore the inherent social qualities that music-making possesses as a result of its proposed common origin with spoken language. Next, I introduce each approach on its own, highlighting the ways in which they center social interaction and attempt to connect with a greater community or culture. After reviewing the approaches individually, I compare and contrast their respective engagements with active participation, repertoire, instrumentation, and performance. Through this synthesis, I clarify exactly why and how music education can contribute to the social education of its students. I conclude by offering suggestions as to how these approaches might learn from each other in order to increase their social efficacy in the modern world.
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    From Iconography to Opacity: The harp’s mythological origins and modern neglect
    (2009) Press, Lily Ann Cascio; Freedman, Richard
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    Music and Meaning in Three Zapotec Songs
    (2018) Goldberg, Kathryn; Freedman, Richard
    This study explores different types of meaning in three songs by Gario Ángeles in the popular music genre in Teotitlán del Valle Zapotec, an endangered indigenous language spoken in Oaxaca, Mexico. I examine the spoken language’s interaction with melodic and rhythmic patterns in Ángeles’s songs, with a particular focus on how tone is manifested in the vocal melody. I find that the needs of the spoken language are not prioritized, and music and language are equally important, working together to coexist on parallel tracks. I explore the specifics of the songs: how they are organized, how the words and music interact with each other, and how these relationships shape the listener’s understanding of the songs as a whole. Finally, I step back to consider the broader cultural meanings that circulate through these songs. I examine the ways in which Gario Ángeles uses his music as a form of language activism, to valorize the Zapotec language by using universally recognized harmonies, structures, and themes to bridge the gap between local and universal, and with it between tradition and modernity.
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    'Music has learn’d the discords of the state' : The Cultural Politics of British Opposition to Italian Opera, 1706-1711
    (2006) Faust, Veronica T.; Freedman, Richard; Graham, Lisa Jane, 1963-
    In the years leading up to the 1711 premiere of Handel's opera Rinaldo, the first Italian opera composed specifically for the London stage, British writers hotly contested the merits of this new art form. At a critical time politically, socially, and culturally, British writers never opposed Italian opera solely for its music, but in relation to the larger political and cultural context of early eighteenth-century Britain. The authors John Dennis, Joseph Addison, and Anthony Ashley Cooper, Third Earl of Shaftesbury each reveal different fears that crystallize in their arguments against Italian opera. Despite their warnings, Rinaldo was a tremendous success due to its excellent visual spectacle and music, and the British people found a place in London musical life for Handel and his Italian operas amidst ongoing criticism.