Bithell, Caroline

English

In the UK, there is a new 'tradition' of community choirs whose repertory includes multi-part songs from around the world. These songs can also be learnt at workshops and summer camps. Many of these activities are associated with the natural voice movement, founded on the belief that 'singing is everyone’s birthright'. In this paper I consider the following questions: Why do songs from other cultures play such a prominent part in this scene? How have specific repertories found their way to the UK? Why are individuals attracted to particular sounds? What do they identify as the rewards of polyphonic singing? What does the performance of culturally specific songs by non-natives say about the relationship between music and identity? What is the potential of the 'world song' phenomenon for building bridges between cultures? What part have the UNESCO declarations played in promoting this trend? Edisher Garakanidze, in the book 99 Georgian Songs, speaks of workshop participants becoming 'co-owners of a culture': what exactly does this mean

The University of Manchester - Institutional Repository

Polyphony in the Global Village: Motives and Meanings

https://pure.manchester.ac.uk/ws/files/44136339/Global_Village_2008.pdf

Polyphony in the Global Village: Motives and Meanings

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The University of Manchester - Institutional Repository