Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Unit 9: Music and Cultural Identity (Japanese Music (Japanese Gamelan…
Unit 9: Music and Cultural Identity
Chapter 42: Sounding a Nation: Grieg and Orchestral Nationalism
prominent types of Romantic program music include the concert overture, incidental music to a play, and the symphonic poem which is a one movement work
political unrest throughout Europe stimulated schools of nationalistic composers in Russia, Scandinavia, Spain, England and Bohemia
Edvard Grieg looked to the folklore of his native Norway in many of his works. His incidental music for Peer Gynt was written to accompany a play by Henrik Ibsen about this folk legend, then was excerpted into an independent suite.
incidental music
consists of an overture and series of pieces performed between the acts of a play and during important scenes
the most successful pieces of incidental music were arranged into suites
this musical accompaniment was influential for silent films
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
born in Bergen, Norway
attended the famous Leipzig Conservatory, where he fell under the spell of Mendelssohn and Schumann
grew in popularity over time, was an international figure by the 1880s
his music is notable for its lyricism and for his nationalistic use of folk music and dances
Listening Guide 33: Grieg: Peer Gynt, Suite No. 1 (Op. 46), excerpts
1874-75 (play) 1888 (suite)
incidental music to a play
morning mood
dreamy melody, inverted arch shape, decorative grace notes
lilting 6/8 meter rhythm
E major harmony
homophonic in texture
in the hall of the mountain king
ghostly melody in two phrases, with a rising accented line
duple meter march, with short staccato notes
B minor harmony
homophonic texture
North Indian Classical Music
centuries old performance tradition linked to Hinduism
music passed down thru oral tradition, aprrenticeships
repertories of motives and themes- not a piece of music
all memorized, no notation
music system
Raga: series of pitches, projects mood, time of day
aroha: ascent sequences
avaroha: descent sequences
vadi the most important note, samavadi second
pakad is the essence of the musical phrase itself
played on sitar: a long neck plucked string instrument with metal strings and a gourd resonator
tala: complex rhythmic cycle
drone: a form of harmony, striking of strings that sustain pitches
Ravi Shankar (1920-2012)
one of the best known sitar players and teachers
taught his daughter Anoushka, and the Beatle George Harrison
influenced Indian music in 1960 and 70s pop music
performed at woodstock in 1969
Raga Bhimpalasi
improvised melodic elaborations
ascending and descending raga
form
introduction: alap
slow and unmetered, Sitar alone
second section: Gat
Tabla enters, rhythmic cycle
third section: Jhala
faster tempo, interplay of instruments
complex rhythm
Chinese Opera
opera was the leading form of entertainment in China for centuries
Beijing opera
most prestigious
blend - music/mime/dance/costumes
themes included novels and politics
Cultural Revolution (1966)
opera
traditional operas were banned
after the cultural revolution, Beijing opera had a revival
there were 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 is the enemy
The Story of the Red Lantern
based on 1958 novel Will be followers of revolution by Daoyuan
story is about Japanese occupation of China in 1920s and 30s
Li Tiemei takes up the cause of the communist martyrs after death of parents
no romance
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
Erhu, Yang Qin, Pipa
mandarin
heterophony
Japanese Music
little contact with the west until 1854
US navy ended isolation
Japan adopted elements of western culture
westerners experienced a craze for all things Japanese
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
simple tune played on the shamisen
dance performance with drum and shamisen variations
Japanese Gamelan
traditional ensemble music of Java, Bali, and Sundan-Indonesia
Hindu, Islamic, and Buddhist influences
oral tradition, performed by memory
introduced to western culture in 1889 Paris World Exhibition
performed at
ritual ceremonies, court performances
shadow puppet theater (Wayang)
shadow puppet plays begin early evening and continue until dawn
Patalon
overture to shadow puppet play
story from Hindu epic - Ramayana
story of King of Rama whose wife is kidnapped by evil king
melody based on pentatonic scale
drum marks transition between sections
East African Drumming
repeating patterns that superimpose on each other
Europeans once viewed African music to be primitive due to lack of melodic and harmonic content
oral tradition
passed down from master to apprentice
Royal Drum Ensembles of Uganda: Entenga
influenced by Arab, Indonesian and British cultures
music played at courts
consists of pitched and unpitched drums
ensemble has 6 musicians and 15 drums
uses pentatonic melodies and polyrhythms
Ensiriba Ya Munange Katego
pentatonic
gapped melodies w interweaving new patterns
polyrhythmic
story of Kangawo who wears a leopard skin headband for good luck, one night the headband disappears and he feels so unprotected that he falls ill and dies
Modern American Sound
The Harlem Renaissance
in the 1920s and 30s, African American artists paying tribute to their heritage
Harlem, NYC
growing sense of a new black identity
looking to Africa for inspiration
seeking racial equality and black cultural pride
Famous artists
sculptor Richmond Barthe
poet Langston Hughes
poet Zora Neale Hurston
musicians Duke Ellington and William Grant Still
William Grant Still (1895-1978)
grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas
studied violin
moved to memphis, then NY
search for a "modern American sound"
opened wider range of opportunities for African American musicians
1934 moved to LA: tv and movie scores
1949 opera Troubled Island: first opera to be premiered by an African American composer
Listening Guide 49: Still: Suite for Violin and Piano, III
1943
bluesy, short, syncopated ideas
quick 2/4 meter, rhythmic and highly syncopated, with chords played on off beats
modal, with blues chords, stride bass, use of ostinatos
mostly homophonic in texture
violin trills, glissandos, and double stops
playful and humorous, evokes image of cocky street kid depicted by sculpture
Modern American Nationalism
non concert traditions played a vital role in North American musical life of the late 1800s
patriotism a part of national identity
compelling American sounds from attempts to integrate vernacular and serious music traditions
music from various parts of the country
Copland said art should serve the American people
Charles Ives (1874-1954)
born in Danbury, Connecticut
father a Civil War bandleader
was the church organist at age 13
studied composition at Yale
decided against music as a profession, became insurance agent and composed in his spare time
gradually became known to the general public, famous by age 73
used vernacular heritage
Aaron Copland (1900-1990)
born in brooklyn
studied in paris
changed direction in 1930s and 40s to a more populist style
popular ballet and film scores
investigated in 1950s as communist supporter
wide appeal and music useful in variety of contexts
rooted primarily in Appalachian and other Anglo-American folk melodies
Listening Guide 51: Ives: Country Band March
1903
march, arranged for wind band
forceful march theme, over which many well known tunes occur, main march returns throughout
mostly duple, rhythm, but with syncopation and triplets that disguise the meter
harshly dissonant harmony, polytonal
ABABA form
humorous, the realism of amateur bands
performed by a large wind ensemble, including woodwinds, horns, trombones, and percussion
Listening Guide 52: Copland: Appalachian Spring, excerpts
1945
ballet suite in seven sections
Section one
rising motive quietly unfolds, outlining a triad
very slow, tranquil rhythm, changing meter is imperceptible
overlapping of chords produces a gentle dissonance
individual instruments are featured
introduces the characters, evokes a broad landscape at daybreak
section seven
theme with four phrases, later variations only use parts of the tune
flowing duple meter, then tune in augmentation
moves between various keys
theme and five variations, on a traditional shaker song
calm and flowing, majestic closing