Cultural Translations

Cultural Translation and MusicA Theoretical Model and Examples from JapanDavid G. HebertGreig Academy, Bergen University CollegeAbstractMusic, like language, qualifies as a field in which “ideological horizons of homogeneity havebeen conceptualized,” and postcolonialist scholars such as Homi Bhabha and Paul Gilroy have acknowledgedits critical role as an emblem of identity within the very sites of hybridity that especiallyinterest scholars of cultural translation. This paper will explore various ways that interculturalanalyses of musical communication may offer theoretical insights applicable to the broaderfield of cultural translation. While much has already been theorized regarding how foreign musicalgenres may be transplanted, adopted and fused with indigenous traditions, the notion ofmusical “translation” may most accurately fit the precise objective of intentionally representingaesthetic practices of one tradition through the techniques of another culturally distinct genre.Artistic choices to (or not to) aim for this mode of cultural translation are routinely made by musiciansactive in contemporary fusion projects, and analysis of specific examples from such ensemblesas the Helsinki Koto Ensemble, Yoshida Brothers, Moscow Pan-Asian Ensemble and TokyoBrass Style will illuminate how cultural translation can be either conscious or unconscious,and deliberately highlighted or downplayed, within musical hybridity. A theoretical model will beproposed as one way of conceptualizing various approaches to cultural translation in music.20David G. Hebert