As we embark on the task of describing, analyzing, and discussing cyclic music, we recognise that the ways in which we represent the music as a sound object and the culture surrounding it need to be thought through with care. The pages listed here discuss some of the arising issues. On the definitions page, we explore the notion of cyclicity itself, highlighting culture-specific terms (e.g. ostinato as distinct from tāla) and exploring the different nuances of cyclicity they depict. On the visual representations page, we show some of the myriad ways we have represented cycles in visual form, be it in 5-line staff notation, TUBS (Time Unit Box System), or concentric circles diagrams, and discuss the different affordances each method provides. On the Emic and Etic Conceptions page, we explore how accounting for a culture-bearer’s perspective in outsider representations of music across the globe is necessary for a more complete understanding of the nature of musical cycles. [OS]
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- Cycle and a family of related terms for describing repetition
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- Circular representation of “Hindehu”, a nose flute and vocal duet performed by a Ba-Benzélé pygmy from the Central African Republic