Title: Tabla Solo in Ektal
Performer: Ustad Allah Rakha
Culture: Northern India
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3a__f8Lw2eE
In collaboration with Ravi Shankar, the famous sitarist and teacher of George Harrison, Ustad Allah Rakha performed a solo performance that consisted of him playing the tabla. There is a short introduction by Ravi Shankar and he explains what ektal is. Ektal is a tala pattern associated with Northern India. It normally consists of 12 beats which is split up into counts of 4, 4, 2, and 2 beats. The artist decided to split the 12 beats in half so that the counts are 2, 2, 1, and 1 beats, making the total 6 beats. One of the tracks for the listening quiz played examples of Northern Indian tala patterns, one of them being called ektal. I found this piece and felt that it did a good job of showing how the rhythms of Northern India are far different from that of the Western European concepts of rhythm.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Monday, March 18, 2013
Radif Ensemble
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9CvjZNGFAs
Performer: Radif Ensemble
Culture: Iran
Orchestration: Tar, Tonbak, Sitar, Barbat, Daf, Kamancheh, Santour, Ney
The Radif Ensemble are a group of Iranian and British musicians that perform Persian traditional music. The music they perform seems to have some improvisation in it, but for the most part I'm guessing they use radifs (collection of melodies preserved orally throughout generations) to base their performances off of. I think their instrumentation is very unique, and it is because of that that form a sound I find fascinating.
Performer: Radif Ensemble
Culture: Iran
Orchestration: Tar, Tonbak, Sitar, Barbat, Daf, Kamancheh, Santour, Ney
The Radif Ensemble are a group of Iranian and British musicians that perform Persian traditional music. The music they perform seems to have some improvisation in it, but for the most part I'm guessing they use radifs (collection of melodies preserved orally throughout generations) to base their performances off of. I think their instrumentation is very unique, and it is because of that that form a sound I find fascinating.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Magalenha
Title: Magalenha
Performer: Sergio Mendes
Album: Brasileiro
Culture: Brazil
Orchestration: Voice (Multiple), Synthesizers, Chimes, Flute, Gong, Shaker, Triangle
Magalenha is great example of how music is structured such that it can be incorporated into movement, specifically capoeira, a form of Brazilian martial arts. It seems like there's almost a call and response between the lead vocalist and what sounds like a small women's choir. The lead voice leads the group and repeats what the lead singer says. Also in the video is a dancer who dances along to the music. I find the art of capoeira to be fascinating. It's a form of martial arts, but at the same time is a form of expression that has no real defined movement. It's incredible the kind of flexibility that is required to perform capoeira.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt26JJ-vsnw
Performer: Sergio Mendes
Album: Brasileiro
Culture: Brazil
Orchestration: Voice (Multiple), Synthesizers, Chimes, Flute, Gong, Shaker, Triangle
Magalenha is great example of how music is structured such that it can be incorporated into movement, specifically capoeira, a form of Brazilian martial arts. It seems like there's almost a call and response between the lead vocalist and what sounds like a small women's choir. The lead voice leads the group and repeats what the lead singer says. Also in the video is a dancer who dances along to the music. I find the art of capoeira to be fascinating. It's a form of martial arts, but at the same time is a form of expression that has no real defined movement. It's incredible the kind of flexibility that is required to perform capoeira.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt26JJ-vsnw
Monday, March 4, 2013
Ancient Egyptian Music-Lotus on the Nile
Title: Lotus on the Nile
Composer: Douglas Irvine
Performers: Unknown
Culture of Origin: Egypt
Instrumentation: bass lyre, bells, shoulder harp, clappers, pan pipes, double oboe
Douglas Irvine composed this piece of music that contains a very complex instrumentation. In the background is a calm droning sound that acts as a pedal point for the piece. Also in the background is an instrument that if listened to closely shifts back and forth between the left and right speaker, creating a sound that almost makes your head spin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVE052V0ung
Composer: Douglas Irvine
Performers: Unknown
Culture of Origin: Egypt
Instrumentation: bass lyre, bells, shoulder harp, clappers, pan pipes, double oboe
Douglas Irvine composed this piece of music that contains a very complex instrumentation. In the background is a calm droning sound that acts as a pedal point for the piece. Also in the background is an instrument that if listened to closely shifts back and forth between the left and right speaker, creating a sound that almost makes your head spin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVE052V0ung
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Within You, Without You
Title of piece: Within You, WIthout You
Performer: The Beatles (George Harrison)
Album: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Culture: India
Orchestration: Voice, Tambura, Sitar, Violin, Cello, Swarmandal, Dilruba, Tabla
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmY7LkZuqQc
Within You Without You is a fascinating song by The Beatles, specifically George Harrison, that is heavily influenced by Indian classical music with it's instrumentation. It's orchestration is far different than that of your average Beatles tune and contains more than just vocal harmonies, guitar, bass, and drums. It maintains a constant beat made by a tabla, a rich deep sound with the cello, a melodic line played by the sitar in harmony with the violins, and finally topped off with George Harrison's voice. The instrumental break is also interesting in that it maintains a 5/8 time signature. The song clearly defines world music, a core part of this course (hence world music survey), by bringing music of multiple cultures into one "fab" piece of music.
Performer: The Beatles (George Harrison)
Album: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Culture: India
Orchestration: Voice, Tambura, Sitar, Violin, Cello, Swarmandal, Dilruba, Tabla
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmY7LkZuqQc
Within You Without You is a fascinating song by The Beatles, specifically George Harrison, that is heavily influenced by Indian classical music with it's instrumentation. It's orchestration is far different than that of your average Beatles tune and contains more than just vocal harmonies, guitar, bass, and drums. It maintains a constant beat made by a tabla, a rich deep sound with the cello, a melodic line played by the sitar in harmony with the violins, and finally topped off with George Harrison's voice. The instrumental break is also interesting in that it maintains a 5/8 time signature. The song clearly defines world music, a core part of this course (hence world music survey), by bringing music of multiple cultures into one "fab" piece of music.
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