Listening Journal Week #6

Title of piece:  

“Dongfang Hong” “East is Red”

Performer:  

Shanghai Philharmonic Chorus

Culture or Origin:  

China

Orchestration: 

Traditional Western Classical Orchestra and Chorus

Cultural Context:

This piece, “Dongfang Hong”, is one of the most popular and most famous pieces composed during Chinese Cultural Revolution of the 1960’s.  The lyrics, which are translated into English below, glorify Mao Zedong as a person and as a political figure in addition to praising the Communist Party and the People’s Republic of China.  This song was sung by students at the beginning of each school day and by workers in every factory.

This style of song is known as geming gequ or Revolutionary Song.  The purpose of these pieces was to transmit and reinforce cultural ideas and teachings.  Like “Dongfong Hong”, these pieces are usually march like in character and are in major keys.  In addition, they usually are composed for western style instruments.  The melody stays consistent throughout the piece while the lyrics change.  This makes the piece easy to remember and easy to sing in large groups.


English Translation

The east is red, the sun rises
China has brought forth a Mao Zedong
He brings fortune to the people
He er hei yo, he is the savior for the people
Chairman Mao loves the people
He is our guide
The build a new China
Hu er hei yo, he leads us forward
The Communist Party is like the sun
Wherever it shines, there is light
Wherever there is a Communist Party
Hu er hei yo, there the people are free.

Listening Journal Week #5

Title of piece:  

Moyo taukali mucamba

Performer:  

Green Mamba

Culture or Origin: 

Zambia (Southern Province)

Orchestration: 

Vocals, Kalindula (bass guitar), “banjos” (homemade guitars), percussion (homemade drumset).

Context:

Kalindula music originated in the 20th century in and around the country of Zambia. It’s popularity increased in the 1970’s with the introduction of electric guitars and the modern commercially available drumset.  In addition, at one point Zambian radio stations were required to present 95% Zambian created music. This increased the exposure of Kalindula.  Traditionaly, this style is lively in tempo and incorporates the use of handmade instruments.

During the economic crisis in Zambia, many Kalindula bands used their music to express the feelings and frustrations of the affected people.  Thus, the musicians and music became an integral part of Zambian popular culture.

Creating instruments by hand for use in performance is a concept that could be explored with a group of student musicians.  The “Banjos” could be created using cigar boxes and guitar string.  The creation of a homemade drumset could be an interesting project for a group of students.

Some of the typical characteristics of this musical style could be studied and incorporated in music creation.  Repetition, call and response, onomatopoeia, repetition (ha!), and the use of imagery in the lyrics could be used in the creation of original student work in the style of Kalindula music.

References:

Geas, Schinga W. (2008).  Some Social and Literary Aspects in Zambian

     Popular Music: The Case of Serenje Kalindula Band.  Unpublished master’s thesis.  The Univeristy

     of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia

Listening Journal Week #4

Title of piece: 

Lylio Lelijo

Performer(s): 

Bitula Folklore Company

Culture or Origin: 

Lithuania

Orchestration: 

Sutartine -  trejine – 3 part women’s choir

Context:

Lylio Lelijo is a Sutartine trejine (3-part vocal piece) from Lithuania.  Originally sung by women at festivals, weddings and other occasions, Lithuanian vocal music was intended to mimic the sounds of instrumental music performed by men.  The dense polyphonic lines include the harmonic dissonance of major and minor seconds.  The beats created by the dissonances are considered beautiful in this style of music and are an attempt to replicate the sound of bells.  These pieces typically include syncopated rhythms and the use of vocables in addition to poetic lyrics.

This particular performance is by a group of Lithuanian high school students who have prepared for a Sutartines competition.  Today, most Sutartines are performed for these competitions and festivals rather than as a part of daily life.

Since the performers are striving to replicate the music in an historically accurate way according to the traditions and expectations of their culture, this performance could be considered authentic under the first of Peter Kivy’s two aspects of Historical and Personal Authenticity.  I’m not sure if this music is being performed for the same reasons as originally intended by the performers, but the music is being performed in an historically accurate manner.

Listening Journal Week #3

Title of piece:

Stau si ma tot intreb

Performer:

Nicolae Guta

Culture or Origin:

This is an example of the modern Manele musical style of the Romani people located in Romania.  The Romani people make up about 3% of the Romanian population.  Modern Manele music is a mixture of the Romani’s traditional lăutărească music and Western pop music.  Usually the lyrics discuss themes of everyday life.  Love, family, parties, revenge and money are common topics.

Orchestration:

Vocals, Accordion, synthesizers, drum machine.

Context:

This work, intended as dance music, is a strophic piece consisting of two distinct verse patterns.  The piece begins with an Accordion feature, proceeds to verse A (performed twice), then verse B (performed twice). After both A and B are performed the accordion feature is repeated.

Accordion, A, A, B, B, Accordion, A, A, B, B, Accordion, A, A, B, B, Accordion, A, A, B, B

This form of music is not highly regarded outside of the Romani population.  In parts of Romania this music has been banned in public performance at festivals and on public transportation.  In addition to often containing crude and simplistic lyrics, this music is also suppressed due to antiziganism (anti-Roma discrimination).  This music is identified with the modern Romani culture and is thus a part of this discrimination.

Listening Journal Week #2

Prior to this week, I had not explored Somali influenced music, even though Minneapolis has the largest concentration of Somali-Americans in North America.  Since listening, I am excited to find something in the area to use for my field research project.

Title of piece: 

Urr Hooyo

Performers:

Hudeidi and Aar Maanta

Culture or Origin:

Somalia, England

Orchestration:

Vocals, Oud, Djembe, Electric Bass, Drum Set, Keyboard.

Uur Hooyo is a collaboration between two generations of Somali-British musicians.  I chose this piece due to the large Somali population in Minneapolis and the possibility of finding live Somali music to use for my upcoming field research project.

Hudeidi is a Somali born musician who learned the Oud as a teenager from Abdullahi Qarshe, who is considered the father of Somali music.   In 1973, Hudeidi settled in the United Kingdom after the Somali government deemed music a distraction and moved to ban it's performance.

Aar Maanta's family fled Somalia in the 1990's following the Civil War and moved to the United Kingdom where he attended school.  In 2004, Aar Maanta began recording music because he was concerned with the lack of new Somali music being created.  His style blends Somali and Western musical traditions.  You can hear this blend of styles in the pentatonic vocals and Oud playing, which are Somali, with the Djembe drum which was originally a West African instrument.  The drum set and Electric Bass show the influence of western pop and jazz music.  Aar Maanta's band is made of members from different backgrounds and musical traditions.

Systems can be used to classify the instruments heard into different categories.

AS OBJECTS:
Oud - composite Chordophone
Djembe - directly struck Membranophone 
Electric Bass - composite Chordophone
Drum Set - directly struck Membranophones (drums),  directly struck Idophones (cymbals)
Keyboard - Mechanical and Electric

SEXUALITY AND GENDER

Djembafolas (people who play the djembe) in West Africa are traditionally men.  Even today, it is rare to find women djembafolas.  he performer in this piece is Nahini Doumbia, a master Djembafola from Mali.

Electric Bassists, except in the subcategory of Alternative Rock, are predominantly men.  In this instance, the performer, Ruth Goller, is a female from Italy.

Listening Journal Week #1

Title of piece:

Joe Pete Got Two Women

Performer:

John Delafose and the Eunice Playboys

Culture or Origin

Zydeco music of the Creole speakers of Louisiana

Orchestration:

Accordion, Guitar, Bass, Drums and Rubboard


This is a recoding of John Delafose and the Eunice Playboys performing the piece Joe Pete Got Two Women.  John Delafose was an  accordion player from Louisiana, whose staccato style is imitated by most modern Zydeco performers.  This style of music, Zydeco, is one type of music performed by the Creole speaking people of Louisiana.  Zydeco is traditionally intended for use as dance music or music for social gatherings and usually features an accordion and rubboards.


Zydeco music and the Creole-speaking people represent one microculture of the American macroculture.  Presenting this style of music to students would require an understanding of the musical concepts that were used by the performers and composer to create the music in addition to an understanding of the sound patterns used in the musical product.    The study of ethnomusicology could help a teacher realize the importance of not only the musical product created but also the process used to create the music and the function of the music.  This realization by the teacher could then help students to listen more respectfully by explaining the process and historical foundation of the music instead of just listening to the musical product and comparing it to their own musical culture without any context.