Listening Blog #5

Title: Fifes and Drums of Yorktown at Fort Ticonderoga

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqMryyZN4kE

Instrumentation: fifes, drums

Cultural context: Fifes (a relative of the flute/piccolo) and drums were used throughout the Revolutionary and Civil Wars as a signaling device for each regiment, such as to when to go into battle and when to move out, as well as an identifying factor for each separate group of soldiers.  Each regiment had its own fife and drum corps that accompanied them at every battle.  In modern times, there are still fife and drum corps that compete and give performances, obviously not in the context of war, but in a new context.  They serve as a historical window into our own culture back in the days when America was new.  

A good friend of mine, who now lives in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania (famous site of the bloodiest battle in the Civil War) is a member of a fife and drum corps.  Since hearing more and more about her participation in this, and my strong interest with early American history, I decided that it would be a great thing to create a blog post about.  Here, we see that music had very specific meanings in new America.  Each specific tune they would play had a specific context and instructions to go along with it, and everyone had to know the music well in order to follow orders.  The concept of still having fife and drum corps around is extremely beneficial when thinking about our own culture.  In having these performances with everyone in traditional uniforms, on authentic instruments, we truly see a fascinating area of our history.  I believe it is very important to understand our musical and historical past, in order to compare this to the present and future of our musical culture.  More importantly, we must examine the cultural conventions and history of our nation, which I believe is our duty as Americans.

Listening Blog #4

Title: Chinese Music Ensemble ft. Emily Fugelstad, di-zi - Y. S. Tung - Yang Ming Chun Xiao

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ga4BJrdttME

Culture: This is the Chinese Music Ensemble from Northern Illinois University, playing Y. S. Tung's "Yang Ming Chun Xiao", or "Spring Morning on the Yang-Ming Mountain", featuring NIU student Emily Fugelstad, di-zi.  The di-zi is a Chinese flute-like aerophone, and this particular video shows a college-level Chinese music ensemble playing a composition on authentic Chinese instruments.

Instrumentation: Di-zi, Chinese orchestra

This particular link was fascinating to me...I searched on YouTube for videos on the di-zi, because I like its clear, bright sound.  I find it very interesting and wanted to see what came up when I looked for more information.  This is not what I expected to find.  Here we have an American university group, playing authentic Chinese music, on Chinese instruments.  I believe that this is a wonderful example of the good things that can happen when cultures collide.  Not only do we get to listen to and see instruments we would normally never hear or see, but we get to experience something that not many American concert goers will ever see in a normal concert.  This also goes to show how a performance doesn't have to be completely "authentic" to be enjoyable and a culturally eye-opening experience.

Listening Blog #3

Title: Balinese Gamelan Music

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRS13e5R8GI

Culture: This is a rehearsal of a Balinese gamelan band.  Gamelan music is a staple of Bali, and is historically used for religious ceremonies and dancing.

Instrumentation: Gamelan, hand percussion, gongs, cymbals, flute-like aerophones, chordophones

In this piece, we can clearly hear one of the defining factors of Gamelan music, the ostinato.  Normally in Gamelan music, the ostinato is played over and over, while others play a changing melodic line over it.  The leader determines when the changes in tempo and section happen.  We can also hear another defining characteristic of gamelan music, the lack of a real tonal center.  Each gamelan has its own tuning, so no instrument will be the same as another.  There are a number of string and woodwind instruments, who sit behind the gamelan players and help to create the melodic sections of the Gamelan music.

In comparing this to other musical cultures, I noticed some similarity.  In our percussion methods class, we did some work with world percussion.  I observed that just like in the Gamelan music, we studied other types of world music with the same general form, for example, the Brazilian batucada.  Just like in Balinese Gamelan, there is an ostinato or repeating pattern happening below, while the leader or a soloist creates interest by adding a "melodic-functioning" line.  The leader also determines the changes in style and the sections of music, by playing a certain pattern to indicate the changes.  The other members are responsible for knowing these cueing patterns and what ostinato goes with each.  Seeing all of the similarities was interesting to me..although there are different instruments and cultural significance for both of these genres, many of the building blocks are the same.  From Brazil to Bali, there still is some overlying form that many cultures follow in their music.

Listening Blog #2

Title: Traditional rain fertility ceremony, drums and dance of Venda people (South Africa/Zimbabwe)

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9muWywQLYw

Culture: This is a traditional rain fertility ceremony, including drumming and dancing of the Venda people in South Africa.

Instrumentation: vocal chant, drums, shakers, horn (played by leader)

As I watched this video, I was amazed to see the exactness of the ritual being performed.  They have been doing this for thousands of years, with the tradition being passed down from generation to generation.  This shows the deep-rooted faith that the Venda people have.  As their leader states, the most important part of their rituals is the belief of the people, and you can really see their spirituality throughout the video.

In one way however, I am not sure if one could consider this perfectly "authentic" in every way.  As our readings state, in order for a piece to be completely accurate, it has to be performed in the correct context, contain the correct physical properties and characteristics, and be taught in the historically correct method.  The people wear their traditional clothing over modern day clothing.  Also, they allowed their ritual to be filmed, with outsiders present.  While these two factors may not have been accepted in the past, and even though it appears contextually and historically accurate, I am not sure whether or not the performance in this video is completely "authentic" according to our readings.  This brings up the issue that we have previously discussed in class, whether or not something can really be completely "authentic" or not.