Music as an Element of Contemporary Courtship in Burma/Myanmar

Abstract: Music plays an important, and heretofore unrecognized, role in contemporary Burmese courtship. This article lays out the pattern of courtship adhered to by middle-class city dwellers in Burma/Myanmar. It also provides an analysis of the music that is implicated in courtship. Burmese men sing pop songs to women, songs that men and women generally refer to as “love songs.” I argue that these courtship songs are rightly understood as love songs because the words of the songs reflect the attributes of romantic love identified by scholars of romance who have done research in other parts of the world. The article therefore contributes to the literature on Burmese popular music, on music and courtship in Southeast Asia, and on romantic discourse around the world.