On Exoticism, Western Art Music, and the Words We Use
On Exoticism, Western Art Music, and the Words We Use
Abstract
Studies of musikalische Terminologie have helped make scholars aware of the changing nature of the words we use in our own writings and in words we encounter in the musical world around us (e.g., in music journalism). The present article studies the terms (or concepts) “exoticism” and “Western classical music” as well as the interrelationship between them. Also explored are sometimes-hidden implications with regard to ethnic identity and “race.” Is Tan Dun writing exotic music when he is evoking his own people’s history for New York’s Metropolitan Opera?