A LONG WAY FROM TIPPERARY
Performance culture in early colonial Rabaul, New Guinea, and the genesis of a Melanesian popular music scene
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/prbt.v3i2.28758Keywords:
musical performance, colonialism, world beatAbstract
discussions of the impact of new technologies upon communities of music aficionados. Michael Webb provides a detailed account of the development of musical practices in colonial Rabaul-on New Britain island, Papua New Guinea- in the 1920s and 1930s. His study emphasises the manner in which various syncretic, inter-cultural practices flourished at a particular colonial crossroads- albeit with various socio-political constraints- long before contemporary 'world beat' practices began to proliferate.
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