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Unit 9: Music & Cultural Identity (Chapter 47 (Japanese Music (Echigo…
Unit 9: Music & Cultural Identity
Chapter 47
Japanese Music
Japanese Music
Little contact with the West until 1854
Japan adopted elements of Western culture
Westerners experienced a "craze" for all things Japanese
fans, bronzes, woodblock art prints and music
US Navy ended isolation
Opened country to world commerce
Scale System
Pentatonic (5 notes)
Echigo Jishi (The Lion of Echigo)
1811
Kabuki play
Dance- drama
Much style- costumes, makeup, etc.
Story
Kakubei-entertainer- steals things while performing a lion dance
Two versions presented here:
Simple tune played on the shamisen
Dance performance with drum and shamisen variations
No real supporting harmony
Chapter 64
East African Drumming
East African Drumming
Europeans once viewed African music to be "primitive" due to lack of melodic & harmonic content
Oral tradition
Repeating patterns that superimpose on each other
Passed down from master to apprentice
Royal Drum Ensembles of Uganda-Entenga (royal drum)
Uganda
Music played at courts
Consist of both pitched and unpitched drums
Ensemble has 6 musicians and 15 drums
4 musicians play on pitched drums (called drum chimes & played with curved beaters)
2 musicians accompany on unpitched drums
Use pentatonic melodies and polyrhythms
Ensiriba Ya Munange Katego
Pentatonic
Gapped melodies with interweaving new patterns
Polyrhythmic
striking the sides of their drums, making a clicking sound
Story
Subchief- Kangawo- wears a leopard skin headband for good luck
One night the headband disappears and he feels so unprotected that he falls ill and dies
very fast
Drum chime players move one at a time to the drum heads, introducing several melodic ideas; the lower-pitched drum player moves to the drum head, adding depth of sound
The texture thins as lower-pitched drums drop out; one melodic pattern is heard above the others
One drummer moves his sticks to the side of the drum (clicking), as the tempo slows to the end
Chapter 62
Javanese Gamelan
Javanese Gamelan
Oral tradition & performed by memory
Passed down from master to apprentice
Mostly metallic percussion instruments
Interaction of the melodic movement with a cyclical rhythmic structure determines the form of the work
Hindu, Islamic, and Buddhist influences
1889 Paris World Exhibition- introduced to Western culture
Traditional ensemble music of Indonesian islands: Java, Bali, and Sunda
Performed at:
Ritual ceremonies, court performances
Shadow-puppet theater (wayang)
Shadow-puppet plays begin early evening and continue until dawn
Master puppeteer operates the puppets from behind a screen, narrates and sings the songs, and signals the gamelan
Patalon
Melody based on pentatonic scale
Drum marks transition between sections
Story from Hindu epic-
Ramayana
Story of King of Rama whose wife is kidnapped by evil king
First section slow & stately
Overture to shadow-puppet play
Singer elaborates melody
Chapter 30
North Indian Classical Music
North Indian Classical Music
Music passed down via oral tradition
Apprenticeships
Master players-
pandit
or
ustad
Repertories of motives and themes-not a piece of music
Centuries-old performance tradition linked to Hinduism (12th century) and its deities
All memorized-no notation
Music System
Tala
complex rhythmic cycle; translation-clap
Accompaniment to raga
Tabla or Pakhawaj- hand drums
Drone
form of harmony; striking of strings that sustain pitches
Tanpura- long-necked, plucked; string instrument
Shruti box- bellows drone; electronic today
Swarmandal- Indian harp
Raga
series of pitches, projects mood, time of day
Pitches for the organized melody
Ascent sequences-aroha
Descent sequences-avaroha
Other characteristics
Vadi- most important note
Samavadi- 2nd most important note
Pakad- essence of musical phrase
Played on sitar
Long-neck plucked string instrument with metal strings & gourd resonator
Ravi Shankar (1920-2012)
Apprenticeship system
Taught his daughter Anoushka and the Beatle George Harrison
sings pitches
Raga Rock
Influenced Indian music in 1960s & 70s pop music
Performed at Woodstock in 1969
high pitched, at night, mastered instrument and played fast
One best known sitar players and teacher
Raga Bhimpalasi
Ascending and descending raga
Form
Introduction- Alap
Slow/unmetered
Sitar alone
2nd section- Gat
Tabla enters
Creates rhythmic cycle (tala)
3rd section- Jhala
Faster tempo
Interplay of instruments is more complex
Improvised melodic elaborations
Complex Rhythm accompaniment on the tabla
2+4+4+4
Played in afternoon usually, height of the day's heat, projects mood of tenderness and longing
Chapter 44
Chinese Opera
Chinese Opera
Leading form of entertainment in China for centuries (13th century)
Beijing Opera
Most prestigious
Blend-music/mime/dance/costumes (more of an art form)
Themes- novels & politics
Cultural Revolution (1966)
Opera
Traditional operas were banned, only communist themes were allowed
After the Cultural Revolution, Beijing Opera enjoyed a revival
8 approved as "model plays"
Ex:
The Story of the Red Lantern
Communist Regime
Leader- Mao Zedong
Purge China of class-structured society
The WEST the ENEMY
The Story of the Red Lantern
Based on 1958 novel-
Will be Followers of Revolution
by Dao Yuan
Story
Li Tiemei takes up the cause of the communist martyrs after parents death
No romance
Japanese occupation of China in 1920s and 30s
Heard on radio, film, and live performances
Singing styles and accompanying instruments very different from Western opera
"To be such a person" for soprano soloist accompanied by traditional Chinese instruments
Yang Qin: hammered dulcimer
Mandarin- one Chinese language
Heterophony
Pipa: a plucked lute
Erhu: ethereal-sounding bowed-string instrument
Chapter 60
Mexican Modernism
A Culture Combined
Other Americans also crafted a uniquely American sound
Realized a nationalist approach through reference to vernacular traditions
The culture and history of the U.S. and Mexico are intertwined
Musical Traditions of Mexico
Mexico colonized by Spain 1519, achieved independence in 1821
Late 19th century goal of creating a nationally distinctive style via Amerindian and mestizo cultures (Spanish and Amerindian ancestry)
Mexican revolution of 1910 conjured up strong feelings of patriotism
Carlos Chavez instigated a government-sponsored program to promote national music
Mariachi ensembles a strong nationalist voice
Costumes of the charros (Mexican cowboys)
Melody group (violins and trumpets)
Rhythm section (vihuelas, guitar, guitarron, harp)
Silvestre Revueltas (1899-1940)
Born in Durango, child prodigy
Studied composition in Mexico city and in the U.S.; became assistant conductor of the Orquesta Sinfonica de Mexico
Went to Spain during Spanish Civil War of 1930s
Love for Mexican provincial music (lyrical, direct melodies, polyrhythms, ostinatos)
Mestizo realism drew on elements of Mexico's traditional culture
Highly flavored with folk elements, especially mariachi band traditions
Homage to Frederico Garcia Lorca
(LG 53)
Frederico Garcia Lorca was executed by a Fascist firing squad
Homage
blends Mexican vernacular and European modernist music
1937
Movement III,
Son
(
LG 53
)
Shifting meters moving between simple triple (3/4) and compound (6/8)
Evocative of mariachi ensembles
Three themes, syncopated; colorful, folk-like melodies
Prominent piano part and wind instrument focus
Harmony is dissonant, with mariachi-like idea played in thirds (C section)
Polyphonic and complex
Sectional (A-B-A-C-A-C-B-A-coda)
Chamber orchestra
Chapter 57
Modern America: Still and Musical Modernism in the U.S.
The Harlem Renaissance
Location- Harlem, NYC
Northern Manhattan
Growing sense of a new black identity
Looking to Africa for inspiration
Seeking racial equality and black cultural pride
In the 1920s and 30s, African American artists paying tribute to their heritage
Famous Artists
Sculptor Richmond Barthe
Poet Langston Hughes
Imitated the rhythms and flow of jazz, depicts struggles of working-class blacks
Poet Zora Neale Hurston
What its meant to be black and female in a male-dominated society
Musicians Duke Ellington and William Grant Still
Performed in Harlem jazz clubs
"the Negro artist is important in American society because he demonstrates that achievement is possible in our democracy" William Grant Still
William Grant Still (1895-1978)
Grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas
Studied violin
Moved to Memphis, then New York
Studied composition with Varese
Arranger for radio and musical theater
Search for a "modern American sound"
Opened wider range of opportunities for African American musicians
1st Symphony
Afro-American Symphony
(1931)
4 movements, jazz influence
1st symphony by African American composer to be performed by major American orchestra
1934 moved to Los Angeles- film and television scores
1949 opera
Troubled Island
1st opera to be premiered by an African American composer
Grant Still's Suite for Violin and Piano (
LG 49
)
Each movement based on a different artwork by African American artists
II- Johnson's
Mother & Child
slow, expressive, romantic, French influence, ending has Americana through piano
III- Savage's
Gamin
rhythmic, humorous
I-Barthe's
African Dancer
traditional, jazzy
Established practices to evoke images of black America's artistic efforts
The last movement (
LG 49
) flashy and syncopated, with a "stride" bass
melodic exchange between violin and piano
quick 2/4 meter, chords played on off beats
mostly homophonic
sectional form, with 4 and 8 measure ideas; opening returns frequently
violin trills, glissandos, double stops
evokes image of cocky street kid depicted by sculpture
1943
All movements use modal harmonies and blues-style melodies, featuring lowered thirds and sevenths
Chapter 59
Sounds American: Ives, Copland, and Musical Nationalism
Modern American Nationalism
Compelling American sounds from attempts to integrate vernacular and "serious" music traditions
Music from various parts of the country
Patriotism a part of national identity
Art should "serve the American people" (Copland)
Non-concert traditions played a vital role in North American musical life of the late 1800s
Charles Ives (1874-1954)
Born in Danbury, Connecticut
Father former Civil War bandleader
avant-garde where 2 sections went against each other
Church Organist (13)
Studied composition at Yale
Decided against music as a profession and became an insurance agent; composed in his spare time
Gradually became known to the general public; famous by age 73 and won a Pulitzer Prize for his Third Symphony
Experimental composer
Used vernacular heritage
Polytonality
completely tonal, but playing at same time
Polyharmony
harmonies start to clash
Polyrhythm
Tonal imagery drawn from childhood (hymns, patriotic songs, marches, etc.)
Country Band March
(
LG 51
)
1903
March for wind band
Complex mesh of tunes, mostly well-known musical quotations from Ives's childhood
Semper Fidelis
Arkansas Traveler
London Bridge
Battle Cry of Freedom
Yankee Doodle
Marching through Georgia
British Grenadiers
Simulates an amateur band's skills
Out of tune notes
Bad entrances
Wrong notes
Harshly dissonant, polytonal, mostly duple meter (with syncopation and triplets)
Sense of humor
Sectional (A-B-A-B'-A')
Aaron Copland (1900-1990)
Popular ballets & film scores
Billy the Kid
&
Appalachian Spring
Of Mice and Men, The Red Pony, The Heiress
Investigated in 1950s as Communist supporter
In the 1930s and 40s changed directions- populist style
Wide appeal and music
useful
in a variety of contexts
Studied in Paris with Nadia Boulanger (Composition teacher)
Returned writing jazz and Neo-Classical styles
Rooted primarily in Appalachian and other Anglo-American folk melodies
Born in Brooklyn
Appalachian Spring (
LG 52
)
1945
Ballet Suite in 7 sections (his best known ballet)
Portrays a pioneer celebration
Section 1
Opening section of the suite evokes daybreak
Slow & Tranquil
Polychordal (overlapping of chords)- produces gentle dissonance
Rising motive quietly unfolds, outlining a triad
Individual instruments are featured
Introduces characters
Section 7
Set of variations on the song
Simple Gifts
Shaker song (theme and 5 variations)
Lots of changing tone colors and individual instruments featured
Majestic closing (calm and flowing)
Theme with 4 phrases (A-A'-B-A'')
Duple meter
Written in collaboration with Martha Graham (choreographer) who also played lead