Louisville Orchestra’s Music Without Borders Features Pre-Concert Talk with Comparative Humanities Professor
Sept. 30, 2024
By Stephanie Godward, Communications and Marketing Director, College of Arts & Sciences
UofL’s Commonwealth Center for the Humanities and Society is partnering with the Louisville Orchestra for a free concert on Thursday, Oct. 3 at The Jeffersonian (formerly Jeffersontown Community Center).
Part of the Louisville Orchestra’s Music Without Borders series, which aims to transcend boundaries and unite people through the universal language of music, this concert will feature a special pre-concert talk at 6:15 PM featuring Comparative Humanities professor Hilaria Cruz. Cruz and composer Oswald Huỳnh will explore the fascinating relationship between language and music.
Cruz, an expert in the indigenous Chatino language of Mexico, and Oswald, a Vietnamese speaker, will explain how tones in their languages mirror musical patterns. This insightful discussion will deepen attendees’ appreciation of the concert, making it an enriching experience for all music lovers. We recently conducted a Q&A with Cruz ahead of the event.
Q: Your expertise lies in the indigenous Chatino language of Mexico. Could you share how your background in linguistics connects with the theme of music bridging cultural divides in the "Music Without Borders" concert series?
Cruz: At the most fundamental level, both spoken languages and music employ organized sounds as their basic components. This similarity extends further in fascinating ways.
Most spoken languages convey emotions, questions, and a range of meanings through intonation and emphasis on certain syllables. English, for instance, deploys intonation at the sentence level to convey various nuances. Consider the simple question, "What are you doing?" It can express a wide array of meanings depending on the context:
If you come home and see your child doing homework, you might ask, "What are you doing?" with genuine curiosity.
If in the other hand, you find her with her hands in the cookie jar, you might exclaim, "What are you doing?!" to convey disapproval.
English also uses stress to differentiate word meanings. For example:
reFUSE (verb: to deny something)
REFuse (noun: garbage)
The connection between language and music reaches its zenith in tonal languages, where pitch is an integral component of a word's meaning. This phenomenon is far more prevalent than many realize – an estimated 50-60% of the world's languages are tonal, including well-known examples like Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai.
My native language, San Juan Quiahije Chatino (SJQ), stands out even among tonal languages for its extraordinary complexity. It boasts at least 12 contrastive tones, creating a linguistic melody of unparalleled richness. To illustrate:
naH (high tone): "she is looking"
naM (mid tone): "hiding"
naLM (low-mid tone): "thing" or "she is crying"
naL (low tone): "soot"
naLH (low-high tone): "you are looking for it"
naMH (mid-high tone): "it is throbbing"
naMS (mid-super high tone): "you cry"
naHL (high-low tone): "she cries"
During my graduate studies in linguistics at the University of Texas at Austin, I delved deep into the world of tonal languages. Our research team undertook the challenge of developing an alphabet for Chatino that could capture its tonal patterns. Through the analysis of Chatino's tonal patterns, we created an innovative notation system that accurately represents these crucial tones within the written language.
This intersection of language and music in tonal systems invites us to reconsider the very nature of human language—as not just a conveyor of information, but as a form of verbal music, capable of expressing ideas with both precision and melodic beauty.
Tonal languages, prevalent yet understudied, offer rich insights into human cognition, language, and culture. The "Music Without Borders" concert series showcases their musicality, bridging cultural divides. By highlighting tonal languages alongside musical performances, it fosters universal appreciation, promotes cultural preservation, and reveals commonalities in human expression. This platform raises awareness about linguistic diversity and preservation urgency, while inspiring innovative artistic fusions. Ultimately, it celebrates the diversity of human expression, advancing both scientific understanding and cross-cultural appreciation through the powerful connection between tonal languages and music.
Q: During the pre-concert talk, you’ll explore the relationship between language and music with Oswald Huỳnh. Could you give us a preview of how tones in the Chatino and Vietnamese languages mirror musical patterns?
Cruz: Music, Chatino, and Vietnamese employ tonal melodies purposefully, with Vietnamese using tones for lexical distinctions and Chatino for both lexical and grammatical distinction. This complex use of pitch in language prompts a century-old question intriguing linguists and musicologists:
How does speech melody influence music and song composition in tonal languages?
While this question remains open, Oswald Huỳnh's work offers a fresh perspective. By actively incorporating Vietnamese tonal patterns into his musical compositions, Huỳnh creates a unique fusion of language and music. This approach not only bridges linguistic tonality and musical composition but also serves as a practical exploration of the theoretical question.
Huỳnh's work effectively creates a living laboratory for studying how speech melody shapes musical composition in tonal language contexts. His innovative method enriches his music while providing valuable insights into the intricate connections between language and music.
As we examine Huỳnh's compositions, we'll explore how they serve as a unique case study in the interplay between linguistic tones and musical melodies.
Q: Music often transcends spoken language. In your experience, how does studying tonal languages deepen our understanding of the ways in which music can unite diverse cultures?
Cruz: The human brain possesses a remarkable capacity for perceiving, interpreting, and enjoying melody. While musical melodies primarily evoke emotions rather than convey specific meanings like language, they remain a cornerstone of our musical appreciation. As a speaker of a tonal language, I have developed an acute ability to distinguish tonal melodies. However, to my knowledge, no studies have yet conclusively demonstrated whether speakers of tonal languages experience or appreciate music on a deeper level.
Our musical preferences, much like our tastes in food, fashion, and aesthetics, are heavily influenced by cultural exposure. Yet, the ability to appreciate melody and pitch appears to be a more universal aspect of music enjoyment, transcending cultural boundaries.
Despite my lack of formal musical training, this innate ability to discern and appreciate melodic elements enables me to connect with music from diverse cultures. This connection underscores the power of melody as a unifying force in human experience, bridging linguistic and cultural divides through the universal language of music.
Q: This concert highlights pieces from a variety of musical traditions. In your view, how do these different compositions from around the world reflect or amplify the connections between language and music?
Cruz: The concert's diverse compositions, spanning Vietnamese, Appalachian, Latin, and tonal language traditions, showcase human creativity and the intricate relationships between language, culture, and music:
Emotional resonance: Various musical traditions harness pitch variations to evoke powerful emotions, mirroring spoken language's expressive nuances and transcending linguistic boundaries.
Cross-cultural fusion: Oswald Huỳnh's work, incorporating Vietnamese tonal patterns into his compositions, exemplifies the connection between linguistic tonality and musical expression, pushing artistic boundaries.
Cultural convergence: Appalachian and Latin music embody the vibrant creativity born from cultural intersections, showcasing how artistic expression flourishes at the crossroads of diverse traditions.
This diverse musical palette underscores the universal appeal of melody and pitch, weaving connections between diverse cultures through the shared language of music.
Q: For those attending the pre-concert talk, what key insights or takeaways would you like them to have that might enhance their appreciation of both the concert and the cultures represented?
Cruz: I would like them to experience the beauty of tonal languages and their profound connection to music across cultures. Through cross-cultural fusion—exemplified by Huỳnh's incorporation of Vietnamese tonal patterns—and the vibrant convergence in Appalachian and Latin music, immerse yourself in a tapestry of diverse influences.
This musical journey celebrates human creativity and nurtures cross-cultural appreciation. As melodies weave between traditions, discover how music bridges linguistic divides, fostering a deeper understanding of our global heritage. Let the harmonies of tonal languages and diverse musical traditions inspire you to appreciate the complexity of human expression
Led by conductor Kalena Bovell and featuring LO’s Principal Bassoonist, Matthew Karr, this program, starting at 7:30 PM, highlights the connections between diverse cultures and traditions. It will be held at The Jeffersonian (formerly Jeffersontown Community Center), 10617 Taylorsville Rd, Jeffersontown, KY 40299. Experience the vibrant energy of Juan Pablo Contreras’ Mariachitlán, the enchanting variations of Nino Rota’s Bassoon Concerto, the heartfelt movements of Oswald Huynh’s Gia Đình, and the rich cultural tapestry of Jimmy López Bellido’s Perú Negro. The program wraps with Appalatin performing “Nukashungo,” “Reina De Mi Corazon,” “Primavera,” and “ECHO.”
Attendees are encouraged to bring essential toiletry items, such as hygiene products, diapers, and laundry supplies, to donate to Neighborhood House at the concerts.
