Change, innovation and continuity in the performance practice of traditional Luo instrumental genres in contemporary popular settings

Abstract

Traditional Luo1 musical genres are consistently being eroded by the wave of urbanisation and the impact of Western culture. Although traditional Luo genres remain common and widely appreciated in contemporary musical practices, many have compromised their traditional usage and contextual implication. Some instrumental Luo musical types have therefore lost their institutional roles, resulting in changes in their original musicological meaning. This chapter analyses two traditional Luo instrumental genres to determine their content and context of performance in contemporary popular setting, contrasting them against the traditionally accepted status quo to establish whether musical change has occurred