Waves of Cultural Influence

Southeast Asians have been aware of foreigners and foreign cultures throughout history. Though they have not been equally affected by foreign influences, few have remained isolated from them. Southeast Asia is distinctive for the uniqueness of each culture's response to outside influences, especially from India, China, and the West. An attempt to assess the area's musical resources before its contact with outside influences would presume that we can isolate these resources, but we cannot be sure...