African Musical Systems: Epistemic Foundations and Aesthetic Trajectories

Abstract

The study addressed the lack of analytical models capable of comparing African musical systems without collapsing their epistemic distinctiveness, a gap that has limited theoretical coherence in African music scholarship. It examined this problem by developing an epistemic–aesthetic analytical framework and applying it to two contrasting case studies using a qualitative comparative design, drawing on two data sources and analysing two musical systems through six analytical categories. The analysis identified three core patterns: a shared relational macro-epistemology across systems, distinct authorship and transmission logics, and convergences in rhythmic and textural organisation despite divergent performance ecologies. It also found that four of the six analytical categories revealed cross-system continuities, while two highlighted structural divergence. These findings demonstrated that African musical systems can be compared rigorously without imposing external categories. The study’s significance lies in offering a theoretically grounded, methodologically replicable model that advances African music analysis and supports future research, pedagogy, and creative practice.