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Notes, Volume 66, Number 4, June 2010, pp. 774-776 (Review)

P bl h d b L br r t nDOI: 10.1353/not.0.0348

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774 Notes, June 2010

Up until the 1990s, studies of “exoticism”seemed like a fringe interest in a marginalaspect of nineteenth-century music. Thenthe effects of culture theory and postcolo-nial studies began to be felt in musicologyand the whole field took a sharp criticalturn. Ralph Locke was one of the first toapply postcolonial critique to opera studiesin his groundbreaking “Constructing theOriental ‘Other’: Saint-Saëns’s Samson etDalila,” which explored cultural-politicalsubtexts and strategies for creating audi-ence identification, alienation and desire(Cambridge Opera Journal 3, no. 3[November 1991]: 261–302). Since then hehas continued to think about many moreaspects of exoticism, some of which bear asurprising relationship with the postcolo-nial angle. His most recent articles havedealt with the complexity and breadth ofthis phenomenon, the multiple and some-times conflicting readings it necessarily en-genders, and the intellectual need to befreed of ideological and methodologicalconstraints in exploring it, partly in re-sponse to the danger of criticism’s morph-ing into political doctrine.

The long road traveled since the articleon Samson et Dalila has resulted in the pres -ent monograph, which is a comprehensivesurvey of three centuries of exoticismframed by a highly flexible yet incisive theo-retical approach. The historical narrative isin the second and longer part, and itranges over many art and popular musicalgenres with special focus on stage worksand opera in particular. Orientalism anddepiction of Gypsies get much attention,partly because of Locke’s specialty, but also,no doubt, because of the dominance of

these types of exoticism in the nineteenthcentury. The main theoretical discussion isconcentrated in the shorter first part of thebook, and this allows Locke to refer back inhis survey to theoretical matters withoutloss of narrative flow. The very readabletext is clearly aimed at a diverse group ofscholars, musicians, and concertgoers.Theoretical terms (both musical and cul-tural) are helpfully explained and even themost complicated ideas are communicatedin clear and jargon-free language.

The book is best summarized by the bigissues it raises. The first and most pervasiveone is also the least controversial.Exoticism, according to Locke, is first of alla matter of aesthetics and perception.Imitation of non-Western musical culturesconstitute only one exoticist strategyamong several, and scholarship shouldtherefore not depend exclusively on a“style-only” paradigm (Locke’s term) for itscritique of exoticism. Locke offers instead a“full-context” paradigm that includes anymusic which takes part in the communica-tion of exoticism. In his very first music ex-ample, taken from Handel’s Belshazzar(1745), Locke points to comical musical ef-fects that do not evoke Middle Eastern mu-sic in any way, yet pointedly portray astereotypically farcical “Eastern” despot(pp. 90–96). At the very least, then, a full-context paradigm allows more music to beinterpreted as exoticism. But this, in turn,may also broaden our historical perspec-tive, for, as the first two chapters of part 2clearly demonstrate, the communication ofethnic stereotypes started well before thenotion of coleur locale and the fashion forexotic styles (cf. chaps. 5 and 6).

social movements of the Industrial Revo -lution itself. Unusually well read, Mooreimpressively fleshes out both historical con-texts and delineates three forms of reifica-tion they have in common: “the representa-tion of power as demonic or supernatural;the displacement of power into ancient

mythology and history; and the fetishism ofcommodities and spectacles that signifypower” (p. 149). If only the rest of the bookhad been up to the standards of Campbelland Moore.

Robert WalserUniversity of California, Los Angeles

NATIONS AND IDENTITIES

Musical Exoticism: Images and Reflections. By Ralph P. Locke. Cam -bridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009. [xviii, 421 p. ISBN9780521877930. $99.] Music examples, illustrations, bibliography, index.

Book Reviews 775

Locke’s second major proposition is thatexoticism can be politically and psychologi-cally elaborate, especially in thoughtful art-works, and therefore its discussion de-mands many perspectives and cannot belimited to negative stereotypes. Moreover,if exoticism is not all bad, then in the pres -ent intellectual climate some positive as-pects need to be highlighted if not rehabili-tated. A full-context paradigm should allowoppositions and contradictions to coexist,because they have done so historically. Inhis chronological survey Locke starts thispotentially controversial rehabilitation witha widely-accepted fact: exotic works are of-ten also endotic critiques. Thus, while theabovementioned Belshazzar oratorio can beread as subtly justifying imperialist expan-sion (it is about “liberating” the local popu-lace from the yoke of irrational Easterndespotism), in its day it may well have beenunderstood as a critique of the British gov-ernment (pp. 90–97). Similarly the corruptIncan priest Huscar, in Rameau’s Les Indesgalantes (1735–36) is not simply a stereotyp-ical savage, but may be understood as anexample of the abuses of religious estab-lishments even to this day. Although almosta pantomime villain, at one point he gainsunexpected depth and audience sympathywhen he excoriates the false religion andhypocritical greed of the conqueringSpaniards (“[Gold] is the only God thatthese men who tyrannize us adore”),thereby also overturning the presumptionof Western cultural and moral superiority(pp. 100–05).

The riskier part of Locke’s rehabilitationinvolves recognizing and appreciating theaesthetic beauty and pleasure exotic worksgive. Chapter 2 therefore surveys the histor-ical and current objections to the aestheticof exoticism (both conservative and left-wing and both largely moralistic) and con-versely argues for the importance of a richaesthetic input in a cultural-political analy-sis and vice versa (see especially pp. 38–42).Locke’s coup here is to reclaim EdwardSaid for the cause of rich aesthetic reading.Said, Locke maintains, never limited his cri-tique to direct negative stereotypes, and dif-ferentiated between crude stereotypes inpopular culture and the far more ambiva-lent use of stereotypes in complex works ofart. Said also insisted on judging more “la-tent” forms of Orientalism (e.g., evocations

of Orientalism without the use of directOrienalist materials or imagery) in muchthe same way that Locke wishes to escapethe limitations of the “style-only” paradigm.Finally, exoticism in complex works of artreveals much more meaningfully the hu-man inconsistencies and ambivalence ofideologies in a way that gives us a better un-derstanding, without our having to approveof them whatsoever. And then he goes evenfurther. In chapter 8 he rehistoricizes theterm “Orientalism” itself, in order to allowSaid’s critique to interact in free counter-point with other views.

Thus liberated from doctrinal status,Said’s writings nevertheless remain an im-portant reference, not least in examinationof gender. The “Gypsy” and “Oriental”male/female characters in chapters 7 and 8make it evident that exoticism favors super-ficial boisterous male characters and morecomplex types of femmes fatales or fragiles(cf. “Gypsy” male/female characters inchap. 7), reflecting the Western male sex-ual attitudes of their time. But there are in-teresting exceptions like Nadir, the sensi-tive (read: effeminate) Oriental male inBizet’s Les pêcheurs de perles. The stereotypeis not necessarily only about the “femi-nized” orient, but also about the more posi-tive stereotypes of Eastern learning andspirituality (p. 194). Following Locke’s ad-vice about keeping interpretative optionsopen, I could not help thinking that thischaracter is also a well-worn Western typeof male sensibility from the Werther schoolof suffering.

The third major theme in this study, as Iread it, is the importance of exploring thereal/fictive duality of exoticism for bothhistorical and aesthetic appreciation. Thisissue is touched upon at crucial points inthe book, and despite the full-context para-digm, it focuses Locke’s attention largelyon style and compositional technique. Inchapter 3 Locke reminds us that there issuch a thing as a universal exotic stylewhich does not depend on specific culturalborrowing, but (unlike Dahlhaus, who es-poused a similar idea) Locke does notthink this marginalizes culturally-specificstyles in any way: his list of universal signi-fiers (pp. 51–54) can be read in juxtaposi-tion to the “Turkish” and Hungarian-Gypsystyles explored in chapter 6 (one mighteven want to compare it specifically with

776 Notes, June 2010

the alla turca signifiers listed on pp. 118–21). What is interesting to note here is thatas the imitation of non-Western music be-came more detailed and realistic duringthe long nineteenth century (cf. Mozart’sand Liszt’s works in chap. 6), the percep-tion of a “universal exotic” also grew ratherthan receded; and yet, paradoxically, thetrend towards greater realism also threat-ened and undermined exoticism towardsthe end of that century.

As Locke shows in chapter 9, under thepressure of modernism and proto-globalization ca. 1890–1960, the tension be-tween realism and fiction broke up exoti-cism into three types. The “overt” type,which continued to deal with direct repre-sentations and stereotypes, survived in middle-brow concert music. Exoticism inmodernist art music, however, becamelargely “submerged” (by disassociating ex-otic material from direct representation of non-Western culture) or “transcultural”(through deep merger with non-Westernpractices). Both of these latter types ofmodern exoticism are extensively exploredin the music of Debussy, and Locke sug-gests that transculturation could be tracedto earlier periods too (p. 233). Popular mu-sic, however, is discussed here only in thecontext of “overt exoticism” (p. 251ff),which may misrepresent or undervaluegenres like Afro-Cuban music. Never the -less, it is surely right to expose the coarsen-ing of exotic representation in popular culture where it did occur, and to arguethat this adversely affected the reception of far subtler forms of artistic exoticism (p. 263ff). As Locke persuasively demon-strates in chapter 10, crude types of exoti-cism continue to proliferate to this day(even when “submerged”: see his discus-sion of the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, pp. 302–04). Locke is therefore preparedto judge on its own merits any modernWestern work that engages with the widerworld thoughtfully, undeterred by scarecategories such as “cultural tourism.”

The epilogue (chap. 11) addresses pro-duction and reception of exotic stage worksin light of the central issues raised in previ-ous chapters. Locke warns against buryingthe exoticist aspect of historical works un-der maverick directorial conceptions ordue to political correctness, as this oftenpatronizes audiences and results in inco-herent productions. He evidently believes

in sophisticated modern audiences that can face the most disturbing and conflict-ing aspects of exoticism without retreatinginto uncritical escapism or moral disgust.Though perfectly consistent with Locke’sother ideas, this one comes up againstopera economics and culture politics, andmay therefore be the hardest to sell. Still,should some directors read this seriouslyand ponder the creative possibilities, wemay yet see intelligent, if risky, “exoticallyinformed” productions.

Shay LoyaGuildford, England

Music of the First Nations: Traditionand Innovation in Native NorthAmerica. Edited by Tara Browner.(Music in American Life.) Urbana:University of Illinois Press, 2009. [184p. ISBN 9780252022210. $35.] Musicexamples, illustrations, maps, bibliog-raphy, index.

At St. Mary’s Reserve, home of theMaliseet Nation in New Brunswick, Canada,Maggie Paul’s grandson Possesom “knowsthe songs. He sings them . . . if anybodyneeds a song, he will sing a song” (p. 64).His knowledge is Maggie Paul’s remarkablelegacy, for the Maliseet drum had fallensilent by the late 1950s. Starting with onlyone song, the “Kwanute” or welcome song(p. 59), Paul, a Passamaquoddy traditionalsinger, restored and revitalized the tradi-tional music of the Maliseet, thereby re-minding the Maliseet how to be Maliseetand live Maliseet values. Music’s ability toconstruct Native American identities is theuniting theme of this collection.

A fire dance, a powwow song, a WaylonJennings cover, a sung myth, a welcomesong—all are different responses to differ-ent times and types of colonialism. What -ever the genre, Native Americans performmusic as a means of performing indigeneitywhile intensifying a sense of place, self (p. 139), and the past. With essays focusingon a wide variety of case studies fromaround North America, some underrepre-sented in the literature, this volume fromthe University of Illinois’ fine Music inAmerican Life series demonstrates whatmakes Native American music native.

This collection is of particular signifi-cance because the essays engage with a