| Summary: | 博士 === 國立臺北藝術大學 === 音樂學系博士班 === 96 === The main focus of this dissertation is to comprehend the vocal music of Taiwanese indigenous “Sediq” tribe and “Truku” tribe from the view of musical improvisation and also to interpret the thoughts behind their improvisational behavior.
Part one “Theoretical foundation and research method” includes three chapters. The first chapter is the survey of musical improvisation: first of all, discussing the academic definitions on this subject, and then, about its functioning patterns, proposing five kinds of improvisational modals and three approaches concerning the elaboration of these modals. In the second chapter, the strategies applied in each research stage, from data collection, data analysis, through data interpretation, is introduced. The third chapter is focused on the research methods. In this chapter, several theories impacting on the author deeply during the process of writing this dissertation are presented in the form of brief summary. The theories mentioned here include “the uses and functions of music” brought by Alan P. Merriam, the functional analysis of John Blacking, the Semiology of Ferdinand de Saussure, the musical Semiotics of Jean-Jacques Nattiez, and the graphic analytical method proposed by Heinrich Schenker.
In part two “the traditional musical cultures of Sediq tribe and Truku tribe, conditioned by Gaya”, the cultural background and the musical systems inhering in these two tribes with same origin but separated politically are presented. There are five chapters in this part. The fourth chapter is the literature review. The fifth and sixth chapters are devoted to historical and musical culture of Sediq tribe while the seventh and eighth chapters are about that of Truku tribe.
Part three “the patterns and thoughts of the musical improvisation of Sediq tribe and Truku tribe” conducts the deeper analysis and interpretation on the general data presented in the previous stage. Because of the improvisational traits found in these two musical cultures, academic discussions in terms of their improvisational patterns are proceeding in the ninth and tenth chapters, and, moreover, in the eleventh chapter, the thoughts behind the improvisational behavior are revealed.
The ninth chapter, concerning the Sediq improvisational pattern, is divided into two sections. The first section discusses the improvisation pattern of Sediq polyphonic ritual music uyas kmeki (dance song). Here, several levels of analysis are conducted:
first, to find the improvisational modal, “skeletal melody”, second, to observe how the skeletal melodies are elaborated through various ways, third, to explore the functional structure of the entire musical culture, and finally, to conclude with the comprehensive discussion on the improvisational pattern. The second section of chapter ninth repeats the same process on the non-ritual music of Sediq tribe, but with the improvisational modal of “archetypal theme” instead of the “skeletal melody”.
The tenth chapter reveals the improvisational phenomena existed in Truku tribe nowadays. Through the words uttered by the old men in the tribe and the comparison between the historical recording and the recording acquiring recently, the enormous loss of the art of Truku musical improvisation is projected. After acknowledging the present situation in Truku tribe, an analysis on the residual music reference is made in the hope that the image of musical improvisation in the past can be traced through this process.
In contrast to the previous two chapters, the eleventh chapter emphasizes the interpretation of these two musical systems in terms of their social function. First of all, starting from Merriam’s “uses and functions” theory, and illustrated by the uyas bsukan (drinking song) of Sediq tribe, the principals of classification is discussed. Furthermore, the focus is shifted to the social function of uyas kmeki. Finally, the symbolism of the functional structure inhered by these two musical cultures is unveiled in the light of John Blacking’s functional analytical view.
To conclude the entire dissertation, an act of rethinking on the results obtained in the previous researches is conducted from the angles of musical improvisation patterns, aesthetic views, and the learning mechanism of musical improvisation functioned in Sediq tribe and Truku tribe.
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