Professor Clemente
MUS 126
1 May 2017
The Evolution of Australian Music Australia is the sixth largest country in the world and is an island continent that is between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The first inhabitants were migrants from Asia. In the 1820s, there were soldiers, officers and emancipated convicts that turned the land they received from the government into farms which brought more migrants from Britain. During the 1960s, there was much Asian influence when it comes to Australian music. When it came to the music of Bali, Java and Japan, the melody and rhythm was used in Australian music. Australians also explored the formal implications of theatrical performance styles and absorbed aspect of those countries’ literary, …show more content…
Australian indigenous music is understood innately and is a vital part of life. Instruments in traditional Australian music include the didjeridu, boomerang clapsticks and membranophones. In traditional music, there were no chordophones or string instruments. In order to understand Australian indigenous music, someone must have a special type of knowledge to interpret and understand their words. The two main indigenous traditions are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island. These traditions are mostly sacred and the performance occur where either only men or women can attend or only the initiated may hear the songs. What sets apart of Australian music from others is the recognition of rhythmic patterns that derive from their environment and a sense of place. It also includes indigenous and culturally diverse aspects of Australian …show more content…
The social and political developments also play a role in the transformation of Australian music. I found it interesting how some artists and bands really brought attention globally to Australia and their unique style of music. The music of Australia and America is similar in the way that it sounds and the instruments that are used. All in all, Australia’s music plays an important role when it comes to understanding their culture.
Works Cited
Agency, Digital Transformation. "About Australia." Australia.gov.au. Digital Transformation Agency, 23 June 2015. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.
"Asian Culture : Subject : Australian Music Centre." Australian Music Centre | Breaking Sound Barriers. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.
Australian Aboriginal Music. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.
Guo, Jeff. "How Iggy Azalea Mastered Her ‘blaccent’." The Washington Post. WP Company, 04 Jan. 2016. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.
Http://kleber.net, Kleber Design Ltd -. "Australia - Aboriginal Music: Following the Songlines." World Music Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.
"Music in Australia." Music Australia. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.
Nettl, Bruno, Yoshihiko Tokumaru, Alison Arnold, Chris Goertzen, Adrienne Lois. Kaeppler, Jacob Wainwright. Love, Virginia Danielson, Scott Lloyd. Marcus, Dwight Reynolds, and Robert C. Provine. Australia and the Pacific Islands, Volume 9. N.p.: Routledge.,