The study of African rhythm as a model for understanding rhythm in two representative twentieth-century American works
type: CreativeWork
description: This paper explores a model for the analysis of rhythm in music, based on theories drawn from the Western experience of African rhythm. It is proposed that the attention paid to broader issues of musical context in a tradition which is not Western may offer new systems of categorization. Here, categories derived from theories of African rhythm suggest questions to ask about rhythm in a different musical culture: the 20th-century American art music tradition, represented by two works--the Piano Sonata of Aaron Copland, and the String Quartet #2 of Milton Babbitt.
abstract: This paper explores a model for the analysis of rhythm in music, based on theories drawn from the Western experience of African rhythm. It is proposed that the attention paid to broader issues of musical context in a tradition which is not Western may offer new systems of categorization. Here, categories derived from theories of African rhythm suggest questions to ask about rhythm in a different musical culture: the 20th-century American art music tradition, represented by two works--the Piano Sonata of Aaron Copland, and the String Quartet #2 of Milton Babbitt.
author: McLane, Alexander B.
language: eng
keywords: Music
date published: 2011-05-07T11:54:53Z
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:25:12Z
provider: University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/2142/19032