Wrap up blog

It is very interesting to know that now I have some pretty good knowledge about music cultures of the different countries that we had covered in this class and also some other countries that our friends did a presentation on. It is very fascinating to learn about their music and how it had played a major role on their community. I have come to learn that music can mean different things to different people. It can also have different functions in their life or their family. To me, it broadened my knowledge on different types of music cultures and its origins. Though I might have heard about a lot of the music cultures in different countries, this class made it possible for me to learn in depth about it all.

I never really had a chance to listen to a lot of my cultural/traditional music as my family was not very well involved into music. But we do always listen to music when we feel really bored or stressed. Music to us is like trying to calm down from emotional up and downs. We always listened to a lot of melodious music and this has also captured a lot of the other people's hearts. Through this class, I also had an opportunity to see a lot of traditional music concerts and musicians whom I had never heard about previously. It was very fun to learn about my own culture and trying to draw some similar experiences from my life.

The music of different cultures had made me wonder about the various elements and sounds that every music has incorporated into its style. I have got to know more about the various instruments that ever existed and the different sounds that it had produced for a unique piece of music. We can also see the evolution of musical styles or traditions and the instruments from different parts of the world. All of the aspects of music have all inter connected links with the other styles.

Cool Stuff 4: Southeastern and far eastern Asia

1: One interesting thing I had found on the internet was “The East Is Red” song. This song is a simplified, traditional Chinese revolutionary song during the Cultural Revolution. This song is categorized under pinyin, which is the official romanization system used to teach standard Mandarin Chinese. This song was in fact the national anthem of the People’s Republic of China. The lyrics of this song was given by a farmer, Li Youyuan, from northern Shaanxi. The melody of the song was from a basic local folk song and he was inspired by the rising sun in the early morning. 

2: It was very fun to read and know about the Zhongguo feng music which was a popular Chinese music genre starting from the 2000s. It was not until the success of a Taiwanese singer named Jay Chou’s works. This music is said to combine mostly the traditional music styles in the instruments than modern popular music.

This pop music typically involves most of the traditional Chinese musical instruments. It includes pipa, guzheng, erhu, dizi, yangqin, gong, paiban and others. It also uses some western instruments like piano, guitar, violin and cello. 

3: Trot is a type of music genre belonging to Korea. It is basically a type that has “repetitive rhythm and vocal inflections”. This is influenced my music from many genres of Korean, Japanese, U.S. and European. But, later after K-Pop began to rise its popularity starting in 1990s, Trot music lost it popularity and was considered as “old-fashioned”. Trot is sung solo or as a duet at the most. It is usually played by a band orchestra. Some times it is only accompanied by a guitar and accordion. 

Music and Family

In this blog I interviewed my mother and she answered all of my questions regarding this topic.

Snigdha: Hi mom! I have some questions for you to help me with my blog “Music and Family”. So, my first question is... What sort of music-culture did you grow up in?

Janani: I grew up in the Tamil Carnatic Music Culture.

Snigdha: Where did you grow up?

Janani: I grew up in Tamilnadu, India.

Snigdha: What kind of music did you grow up with? What did it mean to you and the people around you? Did music have any particular function? When and where did you listen to it?

Janani: Most of my lifetime I was learning Carnatic music which was the base for all singers during my time, because I had a passion towards singing. Carnatic music helps us groom the vocal in a better way. However, I listen to more Light music of Tamil Film Industry which are more melodious in nature. I hear them mostly when I’m stressed, feeling lonely, while working out in the gym and while driving my car or while traveling

Snigdha: Was the kind of music you listened to growing up popular at the time, either in general or within your friend group?

Janani: Certainly, the Tamil Film Industry music and songs were most popular in general by the music lovers as well as amongst my friends’ group during my days and now as well.

Snigdha: Were you involved in any music groups at school or church or anywhere else? Your garage?

Janani: Yes, I was part of my School and College Music band, where I used to sing Tamil movie songs, mostly melodious in nature. 

Snigdha: How did you listen to music? What kind of technology did you have?

Janani: I listen to music now through my Mobile handset, where I get my favourite songs downloaded from the Internet and also through FM Radio channels.

Snigdha: Did you go to concerts? What were they like? What was the first concert you went to?

Janani: I do attend many concerts, they were mostly Light music concerts, exhibiting Tamil Film songs. However, the 1st concert I attended was a carnatic concert about 35 years back. The singer was MS Subbulakshmi.

Snigdha: Have you ever met any famous-y musicians? 

Janani: Yes, I have met the famous Musician Ilaiyaraja, who conquered the Tamil film Industry with his exemplary melody songs during those days.

Snigdha: Has any musician inspired you?

Janani: Yes, The world famous musician Ilaiyaraja was my inspiration.

Snigdha: Did you play any instruments or sing growing up? How did you feel about that? Do you still play/sing? Do you regret anything?

Janani: I don’t play a instrument, however I grew up singing, I used to feel so rejuvenated and motivated when I hear people appreciating me while I’m singing. I do regret at times that I didn't take singing as my profession or career, or haven’t taken singing to any higher level in my life  

Snigdha: How did your parents influence what you listened to? 

Janani: My parents were always been a great support towards me taking music as my extra-curricular activity. They helped me by buying good audio player, audio cassettes which are almost extinct now.

Snigdha: Was music a priority in your family? How so?

Janani: No, Music wasn’t a priority as far as my family is concerned. 

Snigdha: What is your first memory of music?

Janani: I remember a music teacher who used to come to my school to teach vocal singing for the interested students. This was about 35 years back. He was such a talented musician, who picked a regular poem from my Tamil reader, composed the music for it and taught us to sing the poem with a beautiful composition. The music was composed so beautiful that I loved to sing them whenever people ask me to sing any song.

Snigdha: How has your relationship to music changed over the course of your life?

Janani: As I grew up, I started concentrating more towards the studies, and music had taken a step back. I started to participate in live band shows in any event organized during my school or college days.

Snigdha: Do you still listen to the same kind of music you listened to growing up? How is it the same or different? 

Janani: Yes, I still love listening to the old melody songs which I used to love during my young age. However, there were many new musicians who had come up with their own style of composition. I like them too. On the whole, my love towards listening to slow melody songs haven’t changed. 

Snigdha: What sort of music do you listen to now? When do you listen to it?

Janani: I love listening to slow moving melody songs. I used to listen to them during my workouts and while driving.  

Snigdha: If you’ve done any traveling in your life, did you hear any interesting music along the way?

Janani: I do travel long and certainly love to hear to such slow moving melody collections during my entire travel time. 

Snigdha: Do you like the music of any other sort of culture?

Janani: Yes, I loved hearing to some recent English or Spanish melodies, which I got to know through my kids.

Snigdha: Did you push your kids to be involved in music? Why or why not? 

Janani: Yes, I made my daughter to learn the carnatic music for about 6 years during her young age. Did not push her to continue as her area of interest started to diversify in other fields.

Snigdha: Are there any special pieces of music in your life? What’s your favorite piece of music or artist?

Janani: Romantic tamil melodies are my favourite and special piece of music. My favourite singers are Ilaiyaraja, S P BalaSubramaniam, P.Chithra, S.Janaki. And in recent times, A.R Rahman, Shreya Ghosal.

Snigdha: If you had to describe your life in one song, what would you choose?

Janani: Recent romantic song in a Tamil Film “Theri”, Song - "Jeevan”

Snigdha: What does music mean to you?

Janani: Music is a therapy that can heal any pain or bad moments, It is a stress reliever. Calm the hyper-active brain. I feel good melody songs or music will be soothing to both heart and soul.

This song is one of the popular songs that was composed in 2016 and it is a favorite song for all of us in our family.

Cool Stuff 3: Arab and India

1: As I was going into more depth in Arab music, I found out that there also existed some heavy-metal style Arab music in the modern day. I was very fascinated to find a lot of heavy metal music in Arab which is very unique to its own style. As we all know heavy metal is a genre of rock music that had its roots from the United Kingdom. It also has some mixed styles of blues music, psychedelic music and the acid rock. As we have discussed in class that the Arab region is like the hub for other continents surrounding it. It is very common that a lot people from different countries come in with their own ideas and spread its influences across the region and take ideas to other places around the world. Similarly, we can totally relate to how early Arabic music has evolved with other western influences including to the heavy metal style. Interestingly I found an Persian Heavy metal band with the Lead Singer “Farshid A’rabi”. The song is named Faryad Kon which means “Scream Out!). It very fascinating to know how music of any genre or style can be an influence to any other type of music from anywhere in the world.

In this video we can see their costumes and music instruments that have a lot of western influence.

2: In India, there is a very unique music and dance culture called Kathakali. It is basically a traditional classical Indian dance. It is a form of art that is typical to the Hindu Malayalam speaking state of India (Kerala). Kathakali had been developed during the 17^th century. Some major music patterns that depict different moods and scene include: Cempata (battles and fights between good and evil), Campa (tension, dispute, disagreements or competing ideas between lovers), Pancari (sharpening of a sword), Atlanta (involving kings and divine characters), etc. Some common instruments used in these dance and plays include: Three majors types of drums (Maddalam, Centa, Itaykka) and the Chengala that makes the clinking sounds.

A Chengalam

A Kathakali dancer

Kathakali performance

3: Another type of classical music and dance tradition of the South India, that we also saw in class today towards the end, is the Bharatanatyam. It had originated from the state of Tamil Nadu. It represents popular spiritual ideas, beliefs and some areas of Hinduism belonging to South India. The themes and contents of the a particular performance maybe be taken from stories and epic temple sculptures from Hinduism. The dance is performed with complex moves that include foot work, hand signatures and gestures with facial and eye expressions. Each pose of the movement indicates a emotion, mood or feeling. Some movements and gestures represent different things that we can see around us.

The music to which they dance Bharatnatyam is a Carnatic style of South Indian recitation and chanting. The singer in the vocal performance is the usually the “guru” (teacher) of the dance. Some popular instruments used in this includes the Mridangam, Nadaswaram, nattuvangam, flute, violin, veena. 

A Nattuvangam

A Bharatnatyam dancer

Bharatnatyam performance

Cool Stuff 2: Black America and South America

For this blog, I researched on some articles regarding various interesting music styles in South America and the Black America.

1: One interesting thing about South America was the Huayno (called as Waynu in Quechua by the Peruvian Andean people) for a popular genre of music and dance. Apart from Peru, this music is common in Bolivia, Argentina, and also  Chile. This music and dance is practiced by an ethnic group of people called the Quechua people. This was basically started during the colonial period in Peru and is a combination of rural traditional folk and urban popular dance music. The origin of this style of music is from the pre-colonial Andes, especially from the Incan Empire.

The dance of this genre involves a man who invites a women to dance with him. This action is called “waynukuy” (the act of inviting the women to dance waynu) in Quechua. He then puts his handkerchief on her shoulder and they walk together to where they need to dance. Their dance begins with a vigorous stamping and eventually the man follows the women by dancing in a rhythm with the music.

The music is usually sung in high pitches and is accompanied by various instruments including Quena (flute), Harp, Siku (Panpipe), Accordion, Saxophone, Charango, lute, Violin, Guitar, Mandolin.

Quena

Siku

All Andean Musical Instruments

Huayno Dance

2: As we have already seen a long documentary on the role of women in the blues during class, I found another interesting personality named Sam Myers in the article “All about blues music”. As a kid of seven, his cataracts made him functionally blind. He was born in Mississippi and sooner was recognized as a musically talented kid and his school in Chicago gave him a scholarship to study trumpet and the drums. He soon began working as a drummer with Elmore James in Chicago. During the 60s and 70s, he began his own band named “the chitlin’ circuit” on the Southern club scene. He was well known for this full-throated voice and some memorable harp solos. Also, for nearly 20 years, he was a popular vocalist for the “Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets”. Well recognized by the people during that time, Myers and the Rockets had won nine “W. C. Handy Awards”, including 3 from the category Band of the Year and the Best Traditional Album of the Year in 2004. And in 2005, Myers’s traditional Coming from the Old School was nominated as the Traditional Blues Album of the Year.

Sam Meyers's Coming from Old School

3: As we know Salsa is a very popular genre of dance music which is a basic fusion of Spanish Cancion (Cancion meaning popular genre of Latin American music, especially from Cuba) and guitar and Afro-Cuban percussion  with North American music styles like Jazz. Puerto Ricans dominated the first Salsa bands and then the music spread across Colombia and the rest of America. In Spanish, Salsa means “sauce”. Later in the 20^th century, salsa was described as word with “vivid associations”. In New York, Puerto Ricans and Cubans associated this word for “swing and soul music”. On a common term is was denoted as term for “hot” and wild dance moves that depict the culture of Latin America as a whole.

The most commonly used instruments used to accompany this style of music are Congas, Bongos, Bass, Piano, Tres. Some hand held percussion instruments include claves, guiro or maracas are played by the singers. They also use trumpets and thrombones are often used in Salsa.

Congas

Bongos

Tres

Claves

Guiro

Salsa Music Band

Music and Gender

As we have experienced music, we have surely come across the fact that men and women play different role in music. Even though it is not a big factor in some countries, it does play a major role in a country like India. In this blog I am going to be sharing my personal experience with music in relation to gender roles especially in music before 2000. 

The memory of music for me dates back when I was a three-year old kid. My mom would feed me food everyday by distracting me to watch my favorite song play on the television. This song was called “Vaseegara.” If that song was not being played when I was eating, my mom would sing that to me. Every time I heard that song I would be so delighted and motivated to eat any food that my mom would give me, including all vegetables that ever existed! I really loved the way the music was so melodious. I was sung by a young women who had the most beautiful song. The song itself is high pitched with super soft and slow beats. As I kid, I always wondered how it sounds so good and even now it is one of my favorite songs. It also had me thinking about who had created it, how did they know to make it sound so beautiful. I have always thought that this is one of the best songs ever created.

Most of the songs we listen to are movie songs. In India, we have about 13 different film industries based on the number official languages spoken: Bollywood, Kollywood, etc. Born South Indian in Tamil Nadu, I learnt to speak Tamil which is the language of the films made in Kollywood. Until the 2000s', people always listened to slow and melodious songs. The songs during that time and the genre of Kollywood was almost dominated by a male music composer named Ilayaraja. He was also a film composer, singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, orchestrator and lyricist. He was a very intelligent and multi-talented person who was the most desired person in the film industry. He was called as the “Isaignani,” meaning “The musical genius” and also was awarded as one of the greatest film composers in the history of cinema. 

He was one of the greatest examples and a role model for the future composers in the film industry. A large number of them began following his works. He also provided a broad platform with the use of Western classical music harmonies for the Indian film industry to build upon. A lot of the present- day composers still use his music to analyze and help create modern music. Setting as a great motivation, today, all of the film music composers in India are only men. Women play a very limited role in this category.

       

      Ilayaraja with another amazing composer AR Rahman

Receiving the Padma Vibhushan award

         

Although a lot of men play roles in music creations and compositions, majority of the women in the music field are singers. They are best in covering the high pitch notes where men can’t. 

A lot of them are also instrumentalist who played instruments that men don’t usually play. Some traditional instrument in India are strictly categorized through stereotypes or by basic logic to fit their role in creating a unique piece of music. Men usually played percussion instruments and very few string instruments while women almost only played the string instruments. Some example of Indian percussion instruments include Mridangam, Ghatam, Dholak, Tabla, etc. and the string instruments include Sitar, Veena, etc. 

Mridangam

Tabla

We can see that none of the above instruments are played by women.

Sitar

Veena

This a very tradition music concert in Chicago by Ilayaraja. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzNA9LWv0ic. This video clearly shows the role of gender in different aspect of music in India as a whole.