The Impact of Non-Western Music on Western Music

Non- western music has significant impacts on the music of the west in both Europe and the United States. Impacts of non-western music on western music in the United States

1. It assimilated the cultures. The United States has very distinct music as compared to its western neighbors. It was influenced earlier by the African integration as compared to the rest of the world of the west. The early assimilation is thought to be because of the Moorish invading in the middle ages and music produced is a blend of the two cultures.

Impacts of non-western music on western music in Europe

1. Cultures assimilation. Europeans interacted with people from other regions such as Africa when trading. As a result of the interaction, African music caused a significant impact on the Europeans. The merging of the different cultures had a considerable influence on European music. For example, reggae contains instruments such as banjo and kora.

2. A similarity between parts of African and European music. This permitted musical reconciliation thereby influencing each other to come up with the best from each side regarding the style, instrument and even the music itself.

Differences and similarities between the avant-garde styles of impressionism, primitivism, and expressionism

A. Influences and expressive intent

1. Impressionism. It shows the physical reality.

2. Primitivism. It has influenced the growth of street art, return of modern western ways and come up with a basis for expressing the lack of contentment of modern society.

3. Expressionism. It expresses the emotions.

B. Musical characteristics

1. Impressionism. It is represented by represented by short, lyrical parts.

2. Primitivism. It uses of melodic and harmonizing sounds.

3. Expressionism. It is characterized by melodies and harmonies with leaps

C. Similarities

1. They all originated from the older movement and held on to the appearance of traditional culture but with some reforms in some styles done by artists (Sherman 89).

2. They usually go against academic norms of art with effectual influence on culture.

D. Difference

1. Expressionism expresses the meaning of “being alive,” and emotional experience rather than physical reality as in impressionism and primitivism expresses discontentment of modern society in comparison to traditional cultures (Sherman 92).

Work Cited

Sherman, Daniel J. French Primitivism and the Ends of Empire, 1945-1975. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2011. Print.