Toward a Kpelle Conceptualization of Music Performance

THE SALIENT FEATURES OF A MUSIC, as conceived by the people who participate in the creation and appreciation of its performance, may be quite different from those identified by an analysis in which only Western concepts are employed. In the final analysis, however, the Western researcher can never totally escape the relevance of his or her background. Rather, he or she simply brackets it and sets it aside for a brief time, to the extent that this is possible. Ethnomusicologists have initiated attempts to understand systems of music theory in a variety of cultures. Such efforts include those of Charles Keil among the Tiv of Nigeria, Steven Feld among the Kaluli of New Guinea, Sandra McCosker among the Kuna of Panama, and Hugo Zemp among the