A. Rasmussen Aurality and Orality

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I will admit that the concept of musical theory does not excite me. I've never truly had the patience to try to understand how songs and recitations are structured and formatted. However, I will admit that I somewhat enjoyed learning more about Quran recitations. To begin with, the concept of 'music' does not differentiate the concepts between "songs, instrumental music, or musical function" (Rasmussen 26). What that means to me is that anything capable of making a sound could be considered 'music'. However, what particularly caught my eye was the explanations of aurality and orality. Aurality being defined as awareness of the way sound is experienced. Take for example, a heavy metal fan banging their head up and down in rhythm with the song. The aggressive sound making the listener respond to it in a somewhat aggressive manner.
Image courtesy of www.ultimateclassicrock.com Orality on the other hand is the activation of the text into a measured and melodic performance in time and space. In a nut shell, thought and oral expression as way of communication without literacy. If I may use the concept of Beavis and Butthead as an example of orality, it may possibly be explained furthur. A sterotypical heavy metal song contains anti-authoritative values where one's primal rage should not be subdued by modern day society. A message that the titular duo no doubt latches onto due to their anti-authority lifestyles and general lack of literacy skills. Rasmussen's study of Quran recitations makes more sense when the religious and social nature of the Middle East is understood, but they are universal concepts that apply to not just all types of music, but all types of sound.

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