Eurasian Musical Journeys: Five Tales

This Element explores the circulation of musical instruments, practices, and thought in premodern Eurasia, considering transmission, appropriation, adaptation, and integration mechanisms that shaped distinct musical traditions. It highlights diverse performing groups, the musical world of Kucha, the history of a single instrument, and the transcontinental circulation of sound-making automata, offering strategies for integrating this information into the broader historical tapestry of Eurasian transcontinental networks.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 75 pages
Publication date: 05 May 2022
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

This Element delves into the intricate circulation of musical instruments, practices, and ideas in premodern Eurasia, situated at the crossroads of empires and nomadic cultures. It examines the mechanisms of transmission, appropriation, adaptation, and integration that shaped musical traditions that are often perceived as culturally and geographically distinct, yet are historically interconnected. Presented here are five captivating stories that span across diverse geographical regions, from the vibrant performing groups during the Sui and Tang era to the enigmatic musical world of Kucha in the Tarim Basin. We explore the fragmented history of a single instrument associated with the Turkic peoples across Eurasia, as well as the remarkable transcontinental circulation of sound-making automata, including the organ, along both east-west and north-south axes. Within the framework of cultural encounter and exchange, this Element offers valuable strategies for integrating this information into the broader historical tapestry of Eurasian transcontinental networks, as explored in other Elements in the series.

Weight: 172g
Dimension: 151 x 227 x 9 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781108823296