Exoticism is a genre in which rhythms, melodies and instruments seek to evoke the atmosphere of distant lands or eras.
Most studies on musical exoticism reflect the unspoken assumption that a work is understood by the listener as exotic only incorporates distinctively exogenous or highly unusual elements of musical style. This “Exotic Style Only” Paradigm is often enlightening, particularly when applied to purely instrumental works. In operas and other dramatic-musical works set in exotic locations, by contrast, music is heard within a narrative “frame” that induces the listener's response. However, the existing literature on the "exotic in music" tends to focus its attention on a few scenes or passages that "sound non-Western." Each case holds a full range of artistic components, including musical devices belonging to or unrelated to traditional exotic vocabulary, which enrich our understanding of how diverse, powerful, and sometimes disturbing can be the process of exoticization in genres that combine music and dramatic representation.
