Transcript Music of Africa and the Middle East

Music of Africa and the Middle
East
A Cultural Legacy
Music in the Life of Sub-Saharan Africa
• It is an essential part of everyday life
• Rhythm-based, even when played on melodic
instruments
• Besides entertainment music plays a role in…
– Religious rituals
– Motivation for manual labor
– Teaches children through fables
– Empowers dance ceremonies
– Recording historical events and geneology
Musical Complexity
• Extremely complex, whether in melody or
rhythm
– Not unusual for a musician to play as many as
three melodies on an instrument…and sing a
fourth!
– Each player may play a different rhythm, with
different accents
• This is called polyrhythm
Dance
• Dance is a fundamental
part of African society
– Far more important than
in western society
– May be used to show
grief at a funeral
– Concert-goers may get
up on stage and dance to
show appreciation
Uganda
“Akaliba Kange”
– By James Makubuya
Ensemble
In this traditional song
from Uganda, a brother
warns his sisters to stop
playing tricks on him by
hiding his dancing
clothes.
• Response:
– How would you describe
the structure of this
song? How do the
different parts of the
song interact?
Roles in musical ensembles
Men and boys
• Drums and melodic
instruments
Women and girls
• Percussion instruments like
rattles and scrapers
• Often layer precise hand
clapping
• Respected for singing
abilities
– Women often perform at
festive and ceremonial events
Improvisation
• Performing without
preparation
– Both for percussion and
melodic instruments
– Lead performer often
gives the signals
– Often lyrics may be
improvised to make
special note of people in
the audience
Oral Tradition
• Musicians do not learn
by reading written
music nor practicing
scales
– Practice together in
family groups
– Often born into “griot”
families
• Originally, griots were
historians to kings in
West African courts
Gambia
“Improvisation”
– By Yan Kuba Saho
This is a short excerpt of an
improvised song played
on the Kora, a 21 string
harp from West Africa
• Response:
– When we think of Africa
we, often call to mind
drums and percussion,
yet the instrument used
to play this piece is a
harp. How would you say
the technique of playing
this African Harp differs
from the sound of a harp
you would hear in a
symphony orchestra
Drums
• Wide variety
• Often use call-andresponse
• Talking drum
– Pressure on strings
causes tighter skins and
higher pitches
– Combinations can be
used to communicate
Ghana
“ Osoleo”
– By Obo Addy and
Kukruda
This melody has been
adapted from a
traditional Ghanaian
children’s song. It
combines African talking
drums and vocals with a
contemporary electric
flavor
• Response:
1. Why might the
beginning of this song
sound familiar to you?
2. What characteristics
point to the fact that
this song is from
another land,
specifically Africa?
Other Instruments
• Flutes, panpipes,
ocarinas, whistles, nose
flutes
• Wind instruments in
regions with Islamic
traditions
• Trumpets and horns
– Animal horn, wood, or
dried gourds
• Wooden xylophone
– Balafon
• Stringed instruments
– Lyres
• Early East African krars and
ndongos are probably
models for the American
banjo
– Harps
• Kora
• Mbira
– thumb piano
Ethiopia
“Babure”
– By Seleshe Damessae
This song blends a
traditional krar (an
ancient lyre from
Ethiopia) with a modern
feeling and singing style.
• Response:
1. Which parts of this
song are “catchy” and
easy to remember?
2. Do you think the
musician is strumming
the strings with a piece
of wood or with his
fingers? Explain your
answer.
African Music today
• Most Africans are
familiar with American
and European popular
musicians
• Western instruments
are common in African
popular music
– Though traditional
instrument s continue to
be important
Nigeria
“Omoge Super”
– By I.K. Dairo and his Blue
Spots
This is a song about a man
who wants to be married
to his girlfriend. He is
ready to pay a dowry for
this beautiful woman.
• Response:
1. One of the main
instruments in this
song is the accordion.
How do you think the
accordion became
popular in Nigeria?
2. Which European nation
colonized Nigeria?
Music of North Africa and the Middle
East
• Many ethnic, religious,
and linguistic groups
– Arabic, Persian and Turkish
predominate
• Arabs (A.D. 750-1250) and
Turks (A.D. 1325-1918)
have ruled large Empires in
this region
• Islamic culture
predominates
– Berbers, Kurds and others
exist as minorities
• Outside influences
– Central Asia, India and
Europe
Melody
• Each melody is based on a melodic mode.
– In Arab and Turkish tradition maqam (makam)
– In Persian system dastgah
– There are hundreds; a good musician is expected to
master at least 20.
• Unlike our 12-note scale, the maqams have 17.
– This gives notes between the white and black keys
– These pitches are called semitones or microtones and
are a notable characteristic of the Region’s music.
– Makes music seem more expressive
• No use of harmony
Turkey
“Kurdili Hicaskar Fasli”
– By Necdet Yasar
Ensemble
This is a Turkish musical
form called fasil. The
piece itself is more than
20 minutes long and
features a singer and a
full orchestra
• Response:
1. As soon as the singer
begins, do the other
instruments play
different notes or the
same notes as the
singer?
2. Is there any harmony in
this piece or do all
instrument basically
play the same melody
in unison?
Rhythm
• A complex system of cycles incorporating
combinations of strong and weak beats
– In Western music, it is common to have the first
beat strong and the rest weak.
– In Middle Eastern Music, you might group a eight
beat bar into 3+3+2, 4+4, or 2+4+2 pattern with
the first beat of each group strong
– Uneven patterns lead to an exciting flavor and
propels the music forward
Armenia
“Tamzara”
– By The Ara Topouzian
Ensemble
This song is a modern variation
of a traditional dance melody
from Armenia.
• Response:
1.
2.
A common rhythm in
Western music has eight
beats. This song has a
different number of beats,
however. If you lightly tap
the beat in steady intervals,
occasionally one of your
taps will “miss” the beat.
How many beats do you
think this song has?
At the end of the song, after
all the instruments finish
playing the song together,
what does the lone clarinet
do?
Instruments
• Fretless stringed
instruments are common to
produce the semitones
– Oud (‘ud) has a pear-shaped
body with up to 10 strings
• Angled neck
• Played with a feather quill or
plectrum of bone, horn, or
wood
– Sintir (gnibri) is descended
from ancient Egypt.
– Lutes such as the saz from
Turkey and the setar of Iran
have long slender necks and
produce a light buzzing sound
– A zither is a flat stringed
instrument with as many as
30 strings
– Others-kanoon and santur
• Drums
– Dumbek (tombak) metal or
ceramic body for sharp sound
– Wide range of tambourinelike instruments and finger
cymbals
• Nay-an end-blown flute
with a very breathy tone
Morocco
“Wa yay yay Saadiya”
– By Hassan Hakmoun
This is a traditional song
used in religious
ceremonies. The main
instrument is a sintir, a
three-stringed, skin
faced lute
• Response:
–
Listen to the entire song. The
bass-like instrument you hear is
the sintir. What other sound
can you identify, and what is
producing them?
Instruments
Iran
“Neyriz”
– By Jalal and Soheil
Zolfonun
Neyriz is a traditional song
from Iran
• Response:
1. How many instruments
do you hear playing?
2. Notice that there are
short passages of
silence in this piece.
Describe in your own
words, the effect this
silence has on the
listener and on the
song.
Middle Eastern Music Today
• In the Arab world, large orchestras may
combine traditional and Western classical
instruments
• Western pop and rock have influenced
younger generation to help bring about new
fusions.
– Rai- a popular contemporary form in North Africa
Israel
“Trance”
– By Yair Dalal and the Al Ol
Ensemble
This is a mixture of Jewish
and Arabic music, based on
a Turkish folk tune in which
clarinet improvisation is
dominant.
• Response:
– We know that in music of
North Africa and the
Middle East there are
generally no chords. While
the clarinet is playing his
solo, all the other
instruments are playing a
drone of a single note. In
your own words, what kind
of effect dos this have on
the music and the listener?