Transcript World Music
World Music What to Listen For in Music Around the World Much of the music around the world is part of an oral tradition All cultures use both voice and instruments Music is a reflection of a culture. To understand the music, we need to understand the role it plays in that culture MUSI 1000Y World Music Japanese Shakuhachi Music Bunraku puppet theater – Akin to Western opera – Only one performer Kabuki theatre – Played by an all-male cast – Dancing, lively drama – 3 different instr. ensembles MUSI 1000Y World Music Japanese Shakuhachi Music, Koku-Reibo Used in religious ceremonies by Zen Buddhist monks Fuke-Zenji ringing small handbell Slides, shades of colour, dynamic variations MUSI 1000Y Japanese Shakuhachi Music Japanese Music Changes over Time Feudal Period: Buddhist chant and Shinto songs and prayers; courtly instrumental music and Noh theatre Edo Period: more urban, middle class; entertaining Modern Period: popular songs and Western influence MUSI 1000Y Javanese Gamelan Music Gangsaran-Bima kurda-Gangsaran Ceremonial music The gamelan in Indonesia is regarded with reverence and special spirituality Requires cooperation of many people submerging their own personalities into power of a unified whole MUSI 1000Y Javanese Gamelan, GangsaranBima kurda-Gangsaran Gangsaran means “achieving one’s purpose” and Bima Kurda means “angry hero” Mostly metallic instruments Two drums Stylized dance MUSI 1000Y African Drumming and Mbira Music People in North American tend to think of Africa as a single entity—over simplified Broad cultural division between North Africa and sub-Saharan Certain general traits of sub-Saharan music MUSI 1000Y African Drumming and Mbira Music 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Music is strongly associated with dance Numerous instruments Favour drums and percussion Polyphonic (multiple sounds) Repeated, varied and improvised melodies MUSI 1000Y Mandarendare (A Place Full of Energy) Mystical music used to communicate with the spirits of ancestors Dawn ceremony 3 layers of sounds – Regular bass – Two interlocking layers above MUSI 1000Y South India: Sarasiruha Saraswati The goddess of Music and Learning MUSI 1000Y South India: Sarasiruha A concert is made up of a series of as many as 12-14 performance segments each in a different raga and based upon a different composition “Sarasiruha” is a song by the 19th Century composer Puliyur Doraisamy Ayyar Performer is Ramachandra Iyer playing a veena MUSI 1000Y South India: Sarasiruha Instruments Veena: a seven-stringed, plucked lute with ornate body, inlaid deer horn or ivory, carved from jackwood Natural or papier-mache gourd is attached to the upper neck as a resonator Brass frets are set chromatically MUSI 1000Y South India: Sarasiruha Veena MUSI 1000Y South India: Sarasiruha Mridangam MUSI 1000Y South India: Sarasiruha The Ensemble One of the marvels of this tradition is that instruments and musicians can be added to each functional layer Melody Drone Rhythm MUSI 1000Y South India: Sarasiruha Sruti (the Drone) The drone, or sruti, marks the tonal center—the center of gravity—for the melody and its raga In karnataka music the notes used for the drone are the tonal center and the perfect fifth above it The dissonant tones tend to “pull” toward tones that blend with the drone MUSI 1000Y South India: Sarasiruha Raga (the Expressive Mode) The veena begins alone (without the drum) in a free-flowing melodic improv called atapana No sense of beat or time cycles Pauses filled in with drones Slides, pulls and tremolos Intervals, scales, and colours very different from the Western tradition MUSI 1000Y South India: Sarasiruha Tala (the Time Cycle) At 5:42 the kriti begins (composition) New element added: tala Heard by the striking of the drone The tala in this case is the Adi 4+2+2 Once entered, will continue until the end MUSI 1000Y South India: Sarasiruha Musical Structure: Improvisation Kalpita sangeeta: precomposed music Manodharma sangeeta: improvised music Four major types of improv in karnataka – – – – Alpana Tanam Niraval Svara kalpana MUSI 1000Y South India: Sarasiruha Musical Structure: The Kriti All compositions in karnatka music are songs, melodies with words Three main sections – – – – Pallavi (“the sprouting,” “blossoming” Anupallavi (“after the sprouting, blossoming” Charanam (“verse” or “foot”) Chitta svaram or Svara sahityam (Optional) MUSI 1000Y Sioux Grass Dance MUSI 1000Y Sioux Grass Dance Piercing falsetto Swooping strain Driving beat Multiple, independent meters Heavy portamentos (sliding voices) Vocables (nonsense syllables) MUSI 1000Y Sioux Grass Dance Form ½A A ½A A ½A A MUSI 1000Y B B B A8 A8 A8 B B B A8 A8 A8 B A Sioux Grass Dance Dancing Foot: left Mov’t: step MUSI 1000Y right right toe-heel change left toe-heel left right change toe-heel, etc Zuni Lullaby MUSI 1000Y Zuni Lullaby Recorded in 1950 by Lanaiditsa on the Zuni Reservation in western New Mexico The importance of repetition Each textual phrase can be used with either musical phrase except for “my boy” which is always on an “A” MUSI 1000Y Zuni Lullaby MUSI 1000Y Hm atseki My boy Okshits’ana Cottontail little Poket’sana Jackrabbit little Kochits’ana Rat little Zuni Lullaby 1. My boy, little cottontail, Little jackrabbit, little jackrabbit 2. My boy, little cottontail, Little rat, little boy, little boy 3. My boy, little jackrabbit, Little cottontail, little cottontail 4. My boy, little jackrabbit, Little cottontail, little rat, little rat 5. My boy, little jackrabbit, Little cottontail, little rat, little rat (3 times) MUSI 1000Y Zuni Lullaby Phrase Structure AA AA AA AA AA MUSI 1000Y B A B B A B B B B B B B B (three times) Yeibichai Song from the Nightway Ceremony MUSI 1000Y Yeibichai Song from the Nightway Ceremony Phrase Structure X Y Z Y’ Z Y½ Z Y’ Z Y½ Z Y’ Z MUSI 1000Y A A½ A A½ ½A ½A ½A ½A B B V V W A A½ A A½ ½A ½A ½A ½A B B V V W A A½ A A½ ½A ½A ½A ½A B B V V W Yeibichai Song from the Nightway Ceremony Call of the Yei (gods) The teams compete and the best combination of costumes, clowns, singing and dancing receives a gift from the family giving the ceremony The representation of the presence of the gods at the Nightway brings god-power to the ceremony and helps the sick person get well MUSI 1000Y