the idea of music not transporting beyond its spatial context is expressed by composer Toru Takemitsu in Confronting Silence (2012).

Listen to some shakuhachi meditation music.

Now November Steps, the classical work.

Where exactly does the sacredness lie once you understand context and experience?

Where are deep meaning and connection?

Why would these things not transport well?

Colin Turnbull (1924-1994) was an remarkable anthropologist who immersed himself in the study of certain remote peoples. His most famous work is The Forest People (1961) about his work with Mbuti Pygmies of the Congo in the 1950s.

His recordings of their music and his writings inspired subsequent in depth studies. The tribe he studied however, is now extinct and the music has been appropriated and exploited.

But, let's look first at the music and place. What is the function of sacredness with the molimo music of the Mbuti?

Link to Video: https://youtu.be/HD9vjEuLQdc

Listen and let's discuss.

What is a molimo?
What is going on in the songs?
Where is the meaning?
Dancing is integrated always.


Link to Video: https://youtu.be/ATmBOnMJJkE

What happens when sacred music. .. . that is, music that is rich with meaning and "set apart" from normal life is taken out of context?

What happens when it is appropriated and used for something else?

What happens when it is commodified or monetized?