Notes on modal music, identity and creation. Perspectives from Ecuador

Perspectivas desde Ecuador

Abstract

The objective of this article is to explore definitions and practices of modal music, to show emotional, identity, consumption and creation connotations, from a historical and critical approach. From the analytical, deductive and conceptual methodology, the use of modes in classical Greece, medieval, nationalist and 20th century modal concepts are reviewed, as well as their use in Latin American popular music and jazz. The modal construction in cultures such as African and Asian cultures, whose interval structures do not correspond to those theoretically established in the West, are also briefly considered. Finally, approximations are made about modal functioning in heritage practices in Ecuador and in found archaeological objects, with the purpose of having as a result a wide range of possibilities for anthropological reflection on modal music and contemporary musical creation, based on ethnographic research and historical.