For decades, scholars have been trying to answer the question: how was colonial Burma perceived in and by the Western world, and how did people in countries like the United Kingdom and United States form their views? This book explores how Western perceptions of Burma were influenced by the popular music of the day. From the First Anglo-Burmese War of 1824-6 until Burma regained its independence in 1948, more than 180 musical works with Burma-related themes were written in English-speaking countries, in addition to the many hymns composed in and about Burma by Christian missionaries. Servicemen posted to Burma added to the lexicon with marches and ditties, and after 1913 most movies about Burma had their own distinctive scores. Taking Rudyard Kipling’s 1890 ballad ‘Mandalay’ as a critical turning point, this book surveys all these works with emphasis on popular songs and show tunes, also looking at classical works, ballet scores, hymns, soldiers’ songs, sea shanties, and film soundtracks. It examines how they influenced Western perceptions of Burma, and in turn reflected those views back to Western audiences. The book sheds new light not only on the West’s historical relationship with Burma, and the colonial music scene, but also Burma’s place in the development of popular music and the rise of the global music industry. In doing so, it makes an original contribution to the fields of musicology and Asian Studies.
By:
Andrew Selth
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 229mm,
Width: 152mm,
Spine: 23mm
Weight: 566g
ISBN: 9781138125087
ISBN 10: 1138125083
Series: Routledge Research in Music
Pages: 314
Publication Date: 07 November 2016
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Primary
,
A / AS level
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Glossary Abbreviations Foreword Introduction Scope of the Study Burma and Names Definitions and Conventions 1. Setting the Scene The West and the ‘Orient’ Burma and the Popular Imagination The West and ‘Burma Girls’ 2. Burma and Western Music Before ‘Mandalay’ Religious Music Secular Music Stage Shows 3. Rudyard Kipling and ‘Mandalay’ On The Road The Musical Settings 4. Burma and Western Music After ‘Mandalay’ Imitations and Inspirations Other Burma-Related Works 5. Patterns and Particulars Subjects and Themes Styles, Types and Rhymes Race and Religion Burma and the Burmese Women and Sexism 6. Burma’s Changing Soundscape Early Colonial Entertainments Burma’s Developing Music Scene Music and the War Years 7. And The Band Played On Burma, Hollywood and Film Music Western Music in Burma After 1948 Aung San Suu Kyi, Kipling and Music 8. Afterword Appendix: Musical Works with Burmese Themes The Early Period (1824-1889) Kipling’s ‘Mandalay’ and After (1890-1939) The War Years and After (1940-1948) References Newspaper Stories Articles and Chapters Monographs and Books On-line Sources Other Sources
Andrew Selth is an Adjunct Associate Professor at Griffith University and the Australian National University. He has been studying international security issues and Asian affairs for over 40 years, as a diplomat, strategic intelligence analyst and research scholar. He has published six books, including Burma’s Armed Forces: Power Without Glory.
