My first experience with my piece was through the Smithsonian Global Sound site. Something about the music made me immediately gravitate toward it, and I found that I couldn't (and can't!) get it out of my head!
As I mentioned in class this morning, someone overheard me listening to it and asked if I was listening to an African or Indian folk song. I thought that comment was rather fascinating, because to me, the traditional music of Africa, India, and Northern Ireland are distinctly different, yet this person heard some kind of non-Western folk sound that couldn't be placed.
In any case, the song makes me want to bop along to it. Initially, I felt that it was a very happy song that children might sing.
I was also curious about the meaning of the lyrics, and looked up an English translation. I was surprised to discover that it was actually rather sad (the last lines say, "At one time in my life I was dearly loved by everyone/Haven't times changed when no one cares a whit for me?"). I find the mix of "happy" music with sadder ("unhappy"?) lyrics to be very interesting.
Curious, I decided to see if anyone was performing the song on YouTube. I found two examples that are markedly different from each other -- each seems to use one of the extreme ("happy" vs. "sad") emotions for their particular rendition, which is also different from the Smithsonian clip. It's making me think about how I will approach teaching this song: will I attempt to promulgate a particular emotion (either directly or indirectly), or will the music and lyrics do it without my "help"?
This is sort of long - it includes historical background on the music - it's actually so long that I have to post in two parts.
I am transcribing music from the Wampanoag tribe of Eastern Massachusetts. I decided to focus on music from this region because my music program is in Eastern Massachusetts. It is startling how little I know about our local native groups, their history, and their music. I settled on the Wampanoags because I was looking for something that would be new to me but also something that would be relevant to my students and my teaching. I tried to come up with different categories of relevance. Categories I was considering:
Geography (wampanoag) Musical Elements Rhythm (Africa) Intervallic (Middle Eastern) Timbre (lots of options) Cultural Significance (lots of options)
I stumbled on a lovely recording of Darrel Wixon Dunn, member of the Mashpee Wampanoag people from Cape Cod. The recording is solo voice and percussion (I believe the percussion consists of Quahog shells beaten together). The vocal part is repetitive, and the rhythmic accompaniment is a steady beat - there is nuance to the cycle of the voice against the rhythmic ostinato, though. The parts don’t exactly line up in a way that I understand immediately. I have ordered a cd with Darrel Wixon Dunn singing and explaining the cultural context of the music. Hopefully that will prove enlightening. Will I keep this same excerpt or switch to a different song? I will probably stick with the same one given time constraints.
My immediate concern as I listen to this excerpt is to determine if this is a good representation of music for Gloucester/Rockport, where I teach. The tribes that were there (the North Shore) were the Agawam tribe, plus two others that I can’t find yet. These are subsets of the Wampanoag. Dunn is from Cape Cod. The Cape Cod people I believe were less migratory than the North Shore tribes who would occupy Cape Ann (Gloucester/Rockport) during warm months to fish. I am excited about this project not only for the challenge of notating my musical excerpt but even more because it provides me a context from which to really learn about my own home and to potentially make contact with people from the Wampanoag tribe.
Concerns:
I am embarrassed by my total lack of knowledge. Everything I know about the Wampanoags is fresh research. I don’t have any idea how much the different tribal subsets have in common with each other. I assume (and I realize it is dangerous to make assumptions) that the musical tradition is similar. The language is from the same base: Eastern Algonquian (Algonquin). I THINK. My assumption is that since the coastal environment is similar throughout Massachusetts, that the instruments used would be similar, that the language would be similar, that the region is small enough to allow for cross-migrations, that many of the culture habits will be similar. I don’t, however, want to misrepresent any of the people whose music I am examining. Am I particularly sensitive to this because of the US history of ignorance and oppression toward the Native Americans? Probably. I am fairly horrified that I have never really taken time to research the native peoples of my own home town, even though half of our names come from their language (Annisquam River, Agawam Diner, Masconomo Point, Merrimac River, Naragansett, Chappaquiddick, Saugus, Massachusetts, [never noticed that one]). Why have I had blinders up around this stuff? And why was I never properly taught our local native history when I was in school? Why have I never met a local Native American? I grew up thinking that was a thing of the Great Plains, but obviously not. Some of the classic Native/Pilgrim stories were with the Wampanoag People.
“Wampanoag” means people of the new sun, or people of the dawn, or more prosaically “eastern people.” The Wampanoag leader, Massasoit, welcomed the English when they first arrived in Massachusetts. He helped them survive their first winters and remained at peace with them until his death in 1661. They had been decimated by new illness, though - one village at least, Patuxet, had a mortality rate of 100%. Wamsutta took over for his father Massasoit after his death. He was at one point taken at gunpoint by pilgrims and soon after died of illness. Metacomet, Wamsutta’s brother, took over. Metacomet was also known as King Phillp, apparently because he liked to dress well. He organized an inter-tribal coalition (which tribes???) and fought against the British in 1675 and 1676. The war was fueled by Metacomet’s brother’s death and a growing competition for resources. Only 400 mainland Wampanoags survived “King Philip’s War.” The island tribes did better because they were isolated. Many natives remained neutral or sided with the British, but they were rarely trusted and often sent away to camps with inhumane living conditions. King Philip was killed in battle and beheaded, his head remaining on a spike in public for years (reports range from 2-about 10 years). The war effectively ended native political independence and resulted in natives being sold into slavery abroad or working as slaves in the colonies. The Wampanoag Confederacy consisted of the following sub-tribes: Agawam, Annawon, Assameekg, Assawompset, Assonet, Betty's Neck, Coaxet, Cohannet, Coneconarn (Cawnacome), Cooxissett, Cowsumpsit, Jones River, Loquasquseit, Mattakest (Mattakees, Mattakesset), Mattapoiset, Munponset, Nukkehkummeess, Namasket, Patuxet, Piowant (Piant), Pocasset (Corbitant, Caunbatant, Weetamoo), Pokanoket (Montaup, Sowam), Saltwater Pond, Shawomet (Shanomet), Shimmoah, Tispaquin (Tuspaquin), Totoson, Tyasks (Tyashk), and Wauchimoqut.
The melody is pentatonic. The words are (phonetically): “Way o hey-o-hey.” The quahog accompaniment is steady - actually sounds more like claves - until the very end when there is a pause and then a final beat. The melody enters repeatedly just after the percussive beat. He tends to get quieter towards the end of the song. There is a slight upward lilt at the beginning of most of the phrases. That’s not true, actually, upon more listening. If the line starts high and then moves lower, there is no upward lilt at all. If the line starts and then moves up, it does begin with a lilt. There is more lilting on the H sounds than on the W sounds. The way that “way” and “hey” are pronounced it almost creates a separate steady beat. If you think about that as a steady beat against the steady beat of the quahog, it gets pretty funky. I am hearing it in 3/4. The vocal beats I was just mentioning line up with the quahog part, but like I said before the vocal part is just after the quahog part, so it sounds little like it lines up, but at the same time doesn’t. The vocal timbre I find really beautiful. Darrel Wixon Dunn has a voice that has a lot of depth. Not deep pitch-wise, but deep like you can sink into it. The lilts help to reinforce this. The steadiness of the beats, combined with the slight off-setting of the parts, creates a sort of meditative effect. I wonder what meaning the song has in context.
I’m really looking forward to learning the Wampanoag song you’re going to be teaching us. Whenever hear “Wampanoag,” I immediately think of Chief Massasoit and Squanto – some of my earliest memories from elementary school American history classes. I think it’d be fascinating if children in those classes could learn a traditional Wampanoag song (or even part of the song) as they are first introduced to the tribe in their respective history courses. Thanks for choosing this for us!
My first few sessions I spent most of my time listening and trying to figure out how the ornamentation is different in this style. I found several recordings, including one with Yo-Yo Ma and a Brazilian clarinet player. I like the version that I found first though - it seems to be a little more authentic.
I find myself humming the tune a lot, and even trying to figure out the fingerings, but I know I need to listen to it slower to get it right. I think transcribing it will really help to digest the uniqueness in the execution of the tune. We'll see!
July 11, 2009 I listened to the song in the background while doing other things today. I listened while reading and walking. Sometimes I would find it hard to concentrate on other things and would be pulled into the song. I’ve noticed how much more complex it is than I originally anticipated. There is an ornamented vocalized melody. It is sort of in an A A B B1 c c form of phrases. The B1 is an elaborated version of B and c is sort of shorter phrases that are taken from A and B but not a copy of any of them. Below this vocal part is a stringed instrument that plays along with the vocal line and occasionally holds notes after the vocalists are done singing. Below this is a sort of strummed “guitar-like” instrument that is providing some chordal structure. And then there are two different pitched percussion instruments that keep a fairly steady beat pattern on beats 1 and 3 and then really do a fast complex rhythmic pattern at the conclusion of the song. When the song concludes, it doesn’t really end. It seems as though it leading into something else. Another song or ritual that would follow this song. I had the song on a loop and it took me a while before I realized when the song ended and begun because there is really no pause between repeats. It’s quite subtle. Well I’m more overwhelmed at the prospect of memorizing and properly transcribing all layers of the song. Do I write in all of the ornamentation as part of the melody? Do I write the melody out and just write a squiggle where the ornamentation lies? Do performers always ornament the same way when this is sung? I am guessing that they do not. Do I try to capture the exact rhythmic pieces that accompany the melody or do I transcribe a basic framework with room for improvisation? Right now there are many more questions than answers and I am hoping that something will start to reveal itself soon. In terms of the vocal line, I’ve memorized the A section and am finding the B section harder to follow its melodic on my own with all of the ornamentation.
July 12, 2009 I’ve become much more familiar with the little percussion flourish at the end of the song. Before it seemed like it was leading to something that never happened, and now it seems as though it belongs and is something familiar for me to latch onto. I tried to sing a few phrases back to the music like this: music, pause, sing, music, pause, sing, etc… and when I sand it back it just sounded so out of tune and empty in comparison. This process is getting a bit trying and I have to turn off the music for a bit. I tried singing along and memorizing it a bit later. I found I was trying to go along with the melodic contour without all of the ornamentation and I am not sure if I am adding notes or making up parts of it in how I think it should go!
July 13, 2009 I didn’t get to listen as much today. But, in class I was relieved to learn that I don’t have to do the entire song. I think there is a good stopping point in the middle! It’s the spot where I used to think that the song ended when I just had it on loop and wasn’t looking at the iTunes song progress! Since I didn’t get to listen as much, I read a bit of the history that I copied and pasted above. It seems that this piece was part of a longer whole cycle or suite. It makes a lot of sense now to me why the music both starts and ends in a way that I might consider abruptly. I’m sort of translating it back into my Western frame of reference and cultural context when I immediately think of it as similar to a part of one of the older church masses!
July 15, 2009 Today I began the daunting task of beginning to transcribe. It was both harder and easier than I expected! I used the transcribe program to sing along at a very slow speed and discovered a few notes that I had been incorrectly singing the last few days! Oops. The ornamentation makes it harder to discern certain notes and the slides and intonation make a few notes harder to notate. For example: Do I write that I heard a sharp E flat? Or just write the E flat and sing it the way I hear in my head. I’m currently voting for the latter. I’ve just been working on pitches not rhythm or any of the layers below the basic melody. I’ve decided to only transcribe the first 45 seconds of the piece because that is a logical stopping point. It covers the form A A B B1 and a little “tag” at the end that quotes from the A section. Essentially it is four phrases with a logical conclusion. I have been slowly reading the background notes on the Uzbekistani and Tajikistani music and I think that the stringed instrument that accompanies the vocalists is Tanbur. For our classes purposes I will probably have a violin play that part. The reading also included a bit about the duration of notes: “Syllables of verse are designated as long or short, and these long and short syllables are grouped into formulaic patterns, for example: U - - - U - - - U - - - U - - - (short-long-long-long; short-long-long-long, etc).” Since I have not yet begun to transcribe the rhythm I might employ that method or at least keep it in mind while I am creating a written representation of the First Suporish. An additional frustration that I’m up against is the text. I emailed the Academy of Maqam from their website to request the text but have only received an automated response. A google search was not much help either! If all else fails, I will have the class sing on neutral vowels that are predominant in the text.
My selection seems unique, in that though it is considered “traditional” Irish music, it is actually a contemporary composition from Northern Ireland. Personally, I’m fascinated by the fact that the (British! – Just a reminder that Northern Ireland is part of the UK, whereas the Republic of Ireland is not.) people of Northern Ireland have dubbed this particular piece as Irish. I’m half English, and one part of my family is from Belfast and has no qualms about letting you know that they are British – thankyouvermuch – and not Irish. ;)
In any case, according to one author, “Irish music sounds very much the same today as it would have two hundred years ago.” I think that the fact that contemporary musicians are still composing in the folk tradition is a testament both to the music itself and to those who perform the music. The University of Limerick even offers a Master of Arts in Irish Traditional Music Performance to prepare students for careers as traditional musicians (!).
Irish music has a long tradition of both instrumental and vocal styles, but it seems that vocal music (ar sean nós -- “in the old style") is the crème de la crème of music. Modern sean nós can also be written in English, and though the melody may vary by verse, the lyrics remain the same, because they are of equal importance. Sean nós can be performed a capella or with instrumental accompaniment.
I mentioned in my last entry that someone overheard me listening to my selection and asked me if it was an African or Indian piece, and that though I couldn’t personally hear the association, it was an interesting phenomenon. Well, when I was doing further research, I discovered that “To the first-time listener, accustomed to pop and classical singers, sean-nós often sounds more "Arabic" or "Indian" than "Western," so she was actually spot-on! :)
Though the sean nós isn’t necessarily composed as dance music, it is often performed as such and can be appreciated by both the aristocrat and the lay person in a variety of settings. It seems just as common to hear a sean nós whilst farming as it does to hear it performed in a concert hall.
I’m not sure if my selection is actually considered a sean nós or a ballad, since I’ve heard it performed three different ways. Sean nós can be performed as a solo or a duet with accompaniment, but seem to be primarily unaccompanied, whilst a ballad is usually sung in a group with accompaniment. The first version of the song I heard was definitely sung as a sean nós, whereas the other two were not.
P.S. I don't know why the blog has changed my name from "Anastasia" to "Anna," but I just wanted to clarify, since there is another "Anna" in our class. :)
Something about this song was very intriguing from the beginning. The song begins with short guitar phrase and then singers and a drummer immediately follow with when the melody starts. When I heard the song for the first time, I liked this beautiful folk tune. I listened to it over and over again. I couldn’t capture the pronunciation. For now, at least, I decided to focus on the big picture, such as melodic and rhythmic progression. The voice range is pretty comfortable level. The range of pitch is pretty narrow. I think it will be easy for children to sing along to. It has a really fun rhythm to it. The tempo is pretty consistent (no variations.) There is a main theme melody, which is comprised of eight measures. It repeats several times. It has a chorus (part A) and a solo (part B). Can we call this “call- and-response structure” like “bhajan” in the text book?
After several times listening to the song, I tried to guess what are they singing. What special occasions do they sing this song? Festivals for weddings, holidays and other special celebrations, or is it a love song? Religious music? It is not obvious to me without knowing the lyrics! How important has music has been in Senegal? How do they learn music? There were many questions going through my mind. I tried to listen many times to get more familiar with this song. Tomorrow I should find out more cultural background about this music.
While searching on the Smithsonian Website I found a wonderful piece called the Barzan Tribal Love Song. It is a Kurdish folk song and attracted my attention because of its intricate simplicity. I have to explain that a little bit further: It seems simple for its folk-ish melody that has quite a small interval range, yet the song offers so many variations on that same melody and so many embellishments that it suddenly does not seem simple anymore. And I am not even talking about the lyrics, yet... My first realizations after listening to it about five times are very subjective: The vowels change in quite random places and the piece seems to start and end in different keys which I do not relate to the piece itself, but rather to the ability of the performer. I absolutely love the seemingly abrupt stops after each verse. The Barzan Tribal Love Song resembles a vulnerable chant.
Saturday 7/11:
Today I listened to it over and over again and I was trying to sing along to the 1st section of the song. It was quite difficult, not so much for the melody, but rather for the text. Therefore I transcribed the first part of the lyrics: Nale pareey shenekey teneke lateke nada njam reeu. It definitely helped to see the words, even though it might not be the right spelling (or rather likely, it IS not the right spelling). A funny observation was, when I heard my boyfriend whistling the song already in the shower. The melody is very powerful and sticky, but due to its embellishments very difficult to reproduce. Its most common note is the 5th, which is probably why it sounds so vulnerable. I tend to go down to the “tonic”, although the song seems to rest on “re”.
Sunday 7/12:
Did I mention that I really like it? It is so vulnerable and at the same time you can hear the longing. Although I do not yet know what the text means, it seems to me that the singer sings about an unfulfilled love. I wrote out the second part of the first verse: Nisha pareyn il ma tschare serme tasne i kabcha desne butsunje boa reeu. The “u” at the end happens in a very unexpected place/timing. After multiple repeats of the song, I can sing the basic structure of the first verse successfully, but the embellishments and vowel shifting is still not accurate.
Over the past week I have been trying to find some background information. I discovered a Kurdish museum in Brooklyn and I contacted them and asked, if they could refer me to a Kurdish musician that could help me with the text and tell me about the performance practice in Kurdistan. Finally I got a hold of a woman who is the widow of a Kurd and has been working for the museum for about 30 years. After explaining to her that I was planning on learning a Kurdish song, she totally discouraged me by saying: "Whatever you do, you will never be able to perform like a Kurd." "If you want to get an A in your class, pick something else!" she said and went on telling me about Portuguese songs that were supposedly much easier to reproduce. Besides, she told me, Kurdish songs are mostly performed by males that travel from village to village mostly accompanied by a local drum and a flute instrument. Well, there is a good example for how sensitive the matter is to try to "infiltrate" a foreign culture and as a female perform a song that is purely male. It shows exactly the problematic we have been talking about in class. Nevertheless, the talk I had with the woman brought me many steps further in my investigation. I found out that Barzan is not only a tribe, but also a region. The current president's last name is actually Barzani. The women referred me to the American Kurdish Information network and the Kurdish regional government website which provide a ton of information about the country, its difficult history and its culture. I will try to call Washington (where the American Kurdish information network is based out of) during the week and see if somebody could help me translate the text. Unfortunately the woman from the Kurdish museum did not speak Kurdish that well.
What I found during research on Kurdish music on
http://www.institutkurde.org/en/kurdorama/music/
was quite helpful to understand the background of my chosen song and it confirmed what the woman from the Kurdish museum told me.
"Kurdish music is, then, principally folk music and "anonymous". The circumstances of its origins and development are, in fact, very diverse and difficult to establish with accuracy. originally purely vocal, a song was often composed by a woman wishing to express her feelings of sadness or, more rarely, of joy. It might also break forth in the course of the poetic contests the young men and women indulged in on their return along mountain paths or at other gatherings of young people: nocturnal meetings in the village square, New Year's celebrations, marriage ceremonies which might last from three days to three weeks. or, then again, a song might be created from the blow of tragic events. " "once the song is created, an instrumental accompaniment is added and it achieves anonymity through the intermediary of the dengbêj (bards) who disseminate and popularise it in the course of their travels from village to village, from encampment to encampment."
It also confirmed my thoughts on structure and form of the Barzan tribal Love Song:
"The traditional Kurdish song has a repetitive structure whose unity is provided by a strophe; this generally consists of from three to seven musical phrases. A strophe contains in itself the whole melodic line, and from one strophe to the next only the words change. The phrases do not necessarily have the same length since the lyric, which is free, only occasionally contains an identical number of syllables. Furthermore, if a song is "long", it continues in the same mood from beginning to end: gay or animated passages of another mood or, stimulating rhythm do not enter the picture or intrude on the single ambience of the song. "
Have you found information regarding what is considered an ideal sound for your selected example? I am thinking of Lakshmi's vocal timbre, and how it differs from the Western-European concept of sound.
What modifications will you make to recreate the timbral quality of the performer?
My first experinece with my piece was very joyful, but confused. To my ear, the song sounds very familiar,although I never heard about the piece. The piece is a folk song from Germany.
My next approach would be finding historical background of the song. I googled song title and artist, but I could not find much. I think my next step is finding some sources in german about the song.
After I listend to the song over and over, the melodic parts captured my mind. The song gave me a visual images of bunch of girls having a picnic in the park joyfully with a beautuful lanscape.
Friday 7/17: Then, I typed the title of the song in german translation site, found out my song title means: With Mondenschein. I paused for a second, thought, “What is Mondenschein?”
I decided to search more on German Folk Song instead. In Wikipedia, I found the followings: “ Germany has many unique regions with their own folk traditions of music and dance. Much of the 20th century saw German culture appropriated for the ruling powers (who fought "foreign" music at the same time), and thus it remained decidedly "un-hip" until later in the century. Most recently, the East German regime promoted folk music as long as it was what they saw as an expression of pure German tradition, and a tool for spreading party propaganda. In both East and West Germany, folk songs called volkslieder were taught to children; these were popular, sunny and optimistic, and had little relation to authentic German folk traditions. Inspired by American and English roots revivals, Germany underwent many of the same changes following the 1968 student revolution in West Germany, and new songs, featuring political activism and realistic joy, sadness and passion, were written and performed on the burgeoning folk scene. In East Germany, the same process did not begin until the mid-70s, when folk musicians began incorporating revolutionary ideas in coded songs” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Germany#Folk_music
The song title: Songs of Senegal Performed By:Ousmane M'Baye Country(s) of Origin: Senegal Year of Release: 1975 Label / Archive: Folkways Records I was listening to the song and I was thinking how this song has some color of European tune. Senegal used to be French colony, so there might be some influence by western music. I checked a bit more into musical background of the song.
Senegal people speak French (official), Wolof, Pulaar, Diola, Mandingo. Among these the official language is French. Almost 90% of the Senegalese population is Muslim.
First I would like to find out what language they are using for this song I chose. Clearly it isn’t French. Now, I’m in panic. How am I going to find out which language they are using without any knowledge of Wolof, Pulaar, Diola, or Mandingo? I searched the title of song in google. I couldn’t find any information about this song other than the name of singer. Any suggestions? Or I’m thinking, without knowing which language the song is, I should really listen to the lyric and try to get the exact pronunciation, as close as possible. By the way, I downloaded the transcribe program. I love this program. Many thanks to Nate!!!
According to my research, music is valued in Senegal and plays a very important role in their culture. Usually they gather around in a group with a ‘griot’ in the middle and clap hands and sway their hips in rhythm. This style is very nice for many people to join. However, each ethnic group has its own music and instruments that are their own.
Ok now what is a ‘griot’? According to Wikipedia, a griot is “a West African poet, praise singer, and wandering musician, considered a repository of oral tradition.” They usually play the instrument called “kora,” which is a string instrument. Griots play an important role in the community. It sounds like they are very knowledgeable in cultural and historical aspects and respected in the community. Another important characteristic of Senegal music is the so-called polyrhythmic drumming system. They usually play on the tama (or talking drum), a single-faced drum with strips of leather fixed to the skin and base. The more I learned about the background of music, my song made more sense to me, and although I couldn’t find any detailed information about my song, I think the song possibly starts with the Kora instrument (not a guitar) and then maybe the vocal solo is sung by a Griot.
Sunday, 7/19 (one time Evi and one time German GE - don´t know why)
Over the weekend I transcribed my song. Putting it on paper definitely helped me to internalize it. I finished writing out the lyrics - in an English/German syllable mix that probably nobody else can identify as Kurdish, but when I sing it I hope it will sound like Kurdish. I transcribed 7 "strophes" (verses) - although it´s well over a minute, because I like the seventh so much. It is a lot of fun to sing.
The vocal adjustments I will have to make to come as close as possible to the recording are the following:
- no vibrato - create a chant-like vulnerability which almost contradicts itself - it's amazing how the singer on the recording achieves that - vowel shifts: keeping the vowel shape in place while moving the tongue
The comprehension how to perform my song changed entirely for me when I wrote it out in Finale. It forced me to choose meters and made the length relations clear. It took me a while, but it was well worth it. I chose symbols to represent certain embellishments, like the vowel shifts and slides, marked accents and tried to detail it out as much as possible.
This afternoon I was very close on having the song translated, but the email I sent to the Kurdish lady in Washington with the recording in it, came back and I could not get another hold of her on the phone to clarify the email address. So I might find out tomorrow or on Friday what my song is about.
July 18, 2009 I transcribed the rest of the melody now. It is so surprising that when I slow the piece down quite a bit- the little chromatic ornamentation is even harder to discern! I think I’ve got an overarching picture of the melody but I am so much more impressed with the performers now that I have hashed this piece apart!
July 19, 2009 Today I finished transcribing the rhythm and the simple rhythmic accompaniment. I also made a conscious decision not to transcribe the middle chordal instrumental layer. It sounds sort of ad libbed to me. So, on my transcription I indicated a third line of music but did not write anything- instead I wrote “add lib on chordal instrument. While I could probably transcribe exactly what was played, it just sounds so free and flowing that it seems as though it was done as an improvisation. I could be wrong- does anyone feel that I should leave this part in our out in one way or another? One thing that disturbed me was in the notes on the music: “You cannot get that experience simply by listening to individual pieces extracted from the cycle, which is how maqâm is mostly performed these days.” Because that is exactly what I am doing! I am still struck by the beauty of the piece and would love to listen to the entire cycle but perhaps when courses are over so I have the time! I am put off a little about how to ornament certain notes when I am reading from my transcribed part. It seems so natural to the performers on the recording and so forced and out of tune when I do it!
July 21, 2009 Yesterday I realized that I had been making the dumbest mistake ever! When I heard the percussion on beats 1 and 3 I was COMPLETELY wrong. How could I have missed something so obvious?!?!? Instead, the percussion plays on all four beats of the measure- high-low-high-low. Somehow I had heard or- rather- invented in my head high-rest-low-rest etc… Yikes! Sine my recording has a violin- or violin sounding instrument in it I asked Nate to play along with me. Thanks Nate- you’re mentioned in my blog! That helps quite a bit when my pitches are swimming around in the “wavy” pitches. When him and I were playing I realized how a few of the notes are sharper or flatter than the way someone playing with a “well tempered” western scale base would play it. Either that, or I can’t sing in tune! Perhaps I’ll indicate a little plus above the note. Well that’s it for now. I can’t wait to hear everyone’s pieces!!
July 22, 2009 I just decided to look at the “play count” on my iTunes for the First Suporish. With a measly 758 plays, I feel much better about not being able to ornament my notes correctly…. Or not! How did I hear it that many times and not have 40 seconds learned? Well, part of the time I was reading with it in the background…. Oh well. I’ve noticed that the singing style is similar to the South Indian that we have been listening to in some ways. For example- the performers don’t really use vibrato, but instead wobble up and down on the pitch. I’m also noticing how the rhythms I wrote out are merely a reference for me but not exactly the way things line up in the actual song and that the steady percussion in the background doesn’t line up exactly and neatly as I wrote out. Perhaps I was projecting my western ideas on what the steady rhythm should be like? I’m not sure what to do about it notation-wise though! No wait, I think I just counted something wrong when I was transcribing- perhaps the second half of my transcription is all one beat off now! How did I not notice that before??? Ok I’m off to re-transcription land. The phrases don’t fit so neatly into the 4 / 4 that I had written out before. I had just added a lot of fictional beats that were where I thought they should be so that It would line up neater. It still fits into 4/4 just not the way I originally imagined…Well, I just made a lot of changes in the way things line up in my piece and I hope that these help preserve the integrity of the piece and not destroy it! You know what’s interesting, though? I think that my original- faulty- transcription was “ok” enough for Nate to play along to. It was as though he knew that he was supposed to use my notes as a guide but not as an actual strict reality.
Today, after the class, I spent of my afternoon transcribing my piece. I chose to transcribe only 1minute and 21 seconds of the song with a two verses. With the help from classmate for German Translation for the song lyric, I was able to jot down the following song lyrics:
Bei Mondenschein (In the moonlight) “Gestern beim Mondenschein gingich spasieren In dim Hausgartelein beim Moudeuscheine Da sass ein Magdeleiu wohl ganz alleine Lu dim Hausgartelein beim Mondenscheine”
I learned the song means in English: “Yesterday at the moonlight, I took a walk In the house garden at moonlight There sat a young girl probably all by herself in the moonlight”
The song was very simple to sing, but then learning to pronounce actual German was the hard part. After singing and listening to the piece over and over, I was able to memorize the most of the melodic parts of the song.
The banjo and recorder were two instruments accompanying the singer.
Based on my research, I believe the genre of my piece is volkslieder. In both East and West Germany, folk songs called volkslieder were taught to children; these were popular, sunny and optimistic, and had little relation to authentic German folk traditions. The following questions were still remained in my mind after the research on singer: Did the singer bring an Austrian influence on the song? The song itself is a German Folk song, but maybe song it not traditional German song?
Historical aspect of the song: On the cover of the music file, the song originated from two different countries: Austria and Germany. The most popular form of modern Austrian folk music is Viennese schrammelmusik, which is played with an accordion and a double-necked guitar. Modern performers include Roland Neuwirth, Karl Hodina and Edi Reiser. “Schrammelmusik arose as a mixture of rural Austrian, Hungarian, Slovenian, Moravian and Bavarian immigrants crowded the slums of Vienna. At the time, waltzes and ländlers mixed with the music of the immigrants absorbing sounds from all over central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans. The name Schrammelmusik comes from two of the most popular and influential performers in Schrammelmusik's history, brothers Johann and Josef Schrammel. The Schrammels formed a trio called along with bass guitarist Anton Strohmayer and helped bring the music to the middle- and upper-class Viennese, as well as people from surrounding areas. With the addition of a clarinetist, George Dänzer, they formed the Schrammel-Quartett, and Schrammelmusik's form settled on a quartet” “In West Germany in the second half of the 20th century, German and Austrian music was largely dominated by the avant-garde. In the 60s and 70s, the Darmstadt New Music Summer School was a major center of European modernism; German composers such as Karlheinz Stockhausen and Hans Werner Henze and non-German ones such as Pierre Boulez and Luciano Berio all studied there. In contrast, composers in East Germany were advised to avoid the avant-garde and to compose music in keeping with the tenets of Socialist Realism. Music written in this style was supposed to advance party politics as well as be more accessible to all”
My pieces represent many different cultural influences such as Austria and Germany, but also sense of oppression and political ideas. Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Austria Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Germany
The ideal sound of the piece would be gentle but very delicate. When I first listened to the song, it sounded almost like a lullaby. It was intended to be sung definitely not too loud and very legato-like sounds connecting every phrase. The piece is very dance-like music with the influence of Waltz.
The song was recorded in 1954. The piece is in E major and in ¾ meter. The melodic structure of the song is the following:
E G# A /B C# B / A G# F#/ G# E E G# A /B C# B / A G# F#/ G# E F# F# G/ A B A/ G G A/ B C# B/ A G# F#/ F# E
E G# A /B C# B / A G# F#/ G# E E G# A /B C# B / A G# F#/ G# E F# F# G/ A B A/ G G A/ B C#B/ A G# F#/ F# E
I am curious to find out the way(s) this repertory is learned and taught by cultural insiders. I am also eager to find out more on performance practice in Germany for singing. I am wondering how they first learn the piece and also, process of learning in music. By communicating with Evelyn, a classmate from the class “Global Music Education”, I realized the education in Germany 1950’s were under the pressure and students were educated in a very strict manner. My assumption is the song was taught by rote.
Posts
My first experience with my piece was through the Smithsonian Global Sound site. Something about the music made me immediately gravitate toward it, and I found that I couldn't (and can't!) get it out of my head!
ReplyDeleteAs I mentioned in class this morning, someone overheard me listening to it and asked if I was listening to an African or Indian folk song. I thought that comment was rather fascinating, because to me, the traditional music of Africa, India, and Northern Ireland are distinctly different, yet this person heard some kind of non-Western folk sound that couldn't be placed.
In any case, the song makes me want to bop along to it. Initially, I felt that it was a very happy song that children might sing.
I was also curious about the meaning of the lyrics, and looked up an English translation. I was surprised to discover that it was actually rather sad (the last lines say, "At one time in my life I was dearly loved by everyone/Haven't times changed when no one cares a whit for me?"). I find the mix of "happy" music with sadder ("unhappy"?) lyrics to be very interesting.
Curious, I decided to see if anyone was performing the song on YouTube. I found two examples that are markedly different from each other -- each seems to use one of the extreme ("happy" vs. "sad") emotions for their particular rendition, which is also different from the Smithsonian clip. It's making me think about how I will approach teaching this song: will I attempt to promulgate a particular emotion (either directly or indirectly), or will the music and lyrics do it without my "help"?
Anna
This is sort of long - it includes historical background on the music - it's actually so long that I have to post in two parts.
ReplyDeleteI am transcribing music from the Wampanoag tribe of Eastern Massachusetts. I decided to focus on music from this region because my music program is in Eastern Massachusetts. It is startling how little I know about our local native groups, their history, and their music. I settled on the Wampanoags because I was looking for something that would be new to me but also something that would be relevant to my students and my teaching. I tried to come up with different categories of relevance. Categories I was considering:
Geography (wampanoag)
Musical Elements
Rhythm (Africa)
Intervallic (Middle Eastern)
Timbre (lots of options)
Cultural Significance (lots of options)
I stumbled on a lovely recording of Darrel Wixon Dunn, member of the Mashpee Wampanoag people from Cape Cod. The recording is solo voice and percussion (I believe the percussion consists of Quahog shells beaten together). The vocal part is repetitive, and the rhythmic accompaniment is a steady beat - there is nuance to the cycle of the voice against the rhythmic ostinato, though. The parts don’t exactly line up in a way that I understand immediately. I have ordered a cd with Darrel Wixon Dunn singing and explaining the cultural context of the music. Hopefully that will prove enlightening. Will I keep this same excerpt or switch to a different song? I will probably stick with the same one given time constraints.
My immediate concern as I listen to this excerpt is to determine if this is a good representation of music for Gloucester/Rockport, where I teach. The tribes that were there (the North Shore) were the Agawam tribe, plus two others that I can’t find yet. These are subsets of the Wampanoag. Dunn is from Cape Cod. The Cape Cod people I believe were less migratory than the North Shore tribes who would occupy Cape Ann (Gloucester/Rockport) during warm months to fish. I am excited about this project not only for the challenge of notating my musical excerpt but even more because it provides me a context from which to really learn about my own home and to potentially make contact with people from the Wampanoag tribe.
Concerns:
I am embarrassed by my total lack of knowledge. Everything I know about the Wampanoags is fresh research. I don’t have any idea how much the different tribal subsets have in common with each other. I assume (and I realize it is dangerous to make assumptions) that the musical tradition is similar. The language is from the same base: Eastern Algonquian (Algonquin). I THINK. My assumption is that since the coastal environment is similar throughout Massachusetts, that the instruments used would be similar, that the language would be similar, that the region is small enough to allow for cross-migrations, that many of the culture habits will be similar. I don’t, however, want to misrepresent any of the people whose music I am examining. Am I particularly sensitive to this because of the US history of ignorance and oppression toward the Native Americans? Probably. I am fairly horrified that I have never really taken time to research the native peoples of my own home town, even though half of our names come from their language (Annisquam River, Agawam Diner, Masconomo Point, Merrimac River, Naragansett, Chappaquiddick, Saugus, Massachusetts, [never noticed that one]). Why have I had blinders up around this stuff? And why was I never properly taught our local native history when I was in school? Why have I never met a local Native American? I grew up thinking that was a thing of the Great Plains, but obviously not. Some of the classic Native/Pilgrim stories were with the Wampanoag People.
Nathan - Part I
History:
ReplyDelete“Wampanoag” means people of the new sun, or people of the dawn, or more prosaically “eastern people.” The Wampanoag leader, Massasoit, welcomed the English when they first arrived in Massachusetts. He helped them survive their first winters and remained at peace with them until his death in 1661. They had been decimated by new illness, though - one village at least, Patuxet, had a mortality rate of 100%. Wamsutta took over for his father Massasoit after his death. He was at one point taken at gunpoint by pilgrims and soon after died of illness. Metacomet, Wamsutta’s brother, took over. Metacomet was also known as King Phillp, apparently because he liked to dress well. He organized an inter-tribal coalition (which tribes???) and fought against the British in 1675 and 1676. The war was fueled by Metacomet’s brother’s death and a growing competition for resources. Only 400 mainland Wampanoags survived “King Philip’s War.” The island tribes did better because they were isolated. Many natives remained neutral or sided with the British, but they were rarely trusted and often sent away to camps with inhumane living conditions. King Philip was killed in battle and beheaded, his head remaining on a spike in public for years (reports range from 2-about 10 years). The war effectively ended native political independence and resulted in natives being sold into slavery abroad or working as slaves in the colonies. The Wampanoag Confederacy consisted of the following sub-tribes:
Agawam, Annawon, Assameekg, Assawompset, Assonet, Betty's Neck, Coaxet, Cohannet, Coneconarn (Cawnacome), Cooxissett, Cowsumpsit, Jones River, Loquasquseit, Mattakest (Mattakees, Mattakesset), Mattapoiset, Munponset, Nukkehkummeess, Namasket, Patuxet, Piowant (Piant), Pocasset (Corbitant, Caunbatant, Weetamoo), Pokanoket (Montaup, Sowam), Saltwater Pond, Shawomet (Shanomet), Shimmoah, Tispaquin (Tuspaquin), Totoson, Tyasks (Tyashk), and Wauchimoqut.
Sources:
http://www.pilgrimhall.org/philipwar.htm
http://tolatsga.org/wampa.html
The Musical Excerpt:
The melody is pentatonic. The words are (phonetically): “Way o hey-o-hey.” The quahog accompaniment is steady - actually sounds more like claves - until the very end when there is a pause and then a final beat. The melody enters repeatedly just after the percussive beat. He tends to get quieter towards the end of the song. There is a slight upward lilt at the beginning of most of the phrases. That’s not true, actually, upon more listening. If the line starts high and then moves lower, there is no upward lilt at all. If the line starts and then moves up, it does begin with a lilt. There is more lilting on the H sounds than on the W sounds. The way that “way” and “hey” are pronounced it almost creates a separate steady beat. If you think about that as a steady beat against the steady beat of the quahog, it gets pretty funky. I am hearing it in 3/4. The vocal beats I was just mentioning line up with the quahog part, but like I said before the vocal part is just after the quahog part, so it sounds little like it lines up, but at the same time doesn’t. The vocal timbre I find really beautiful. Darrel Wixon Dunn has a voice that has a lot of depth. Not deep pitch-wise, but deep like you can sink into it. The lilts help to reinforce this. The steadiness of the beats, combined with the slight off-setting of the parts, creates a sort of meditative effect. I wonder what meaning the song has in context.
Nathan - Part II
Nathan –
ReplyDeleteI’m really looking forward to learning the Wampanoag song you’re going to be teaching us. Whenever hear “Wampanoag,” I immediately think of Chief Massasoit and Squanto – some of my earliest memories from elementary school American history classes. I think it’d be fascinating if children in those classes could learn a traditional Wampanoag song (or even part of the song) as they are first introduced to the tribe in their respective history courses. Thanks for choosing this for us!
Anna
Fascinating...
ReplyDeleteHave you discovered when and why your selected examples are sung?
My first few sessions I spent most of my time listening and trying to figure out how the ornamentation is different in this style. I found several recordings, including one with Yo-Yo Ma and a Brazilian clarinet player. I like the version that I found first though - it seems to be a little more authentic.
ReplyDeleteI find myself humming the tune a lot, and even trying to figure out the fingerings, but I know I need to listen to it slower to get it right. I think transcribing it will really help to digest the uniqueness in the execution of the tune. We'll see!
July 11, 2009
ReplyDeleteI listened to the song in the background while doing other things today. I listened while reading and walking. Sometimes I would find it hard to concentrate on other things and would be pulled into the song. I’ve noticed how much more complex it is than I originally anticipated. There is an ornamented vocalized melody. It is sort of in an A A B B1 c c form of phrases. The B1 is an elaborated version of B and c is sort of shorter phrases that are taken from A and B but not a copy of any of them. Below this vocal part is a stringed instrument that plays along with the vocal line and occasionally holds notes after the vocalists are done singing. Below this is a sort of strummed “guitar-like” instrument that is providing some chordal structure. And then there are two different pitched percussion instruments that keep a fairly steady beat pattern on beats 1 and 3 and then really do a fast complex rhythmic pattern at the conclusion of the song. When the song concludes, it doesn’t really end. It seems as though it leading into something else. Another song or ritual that would follow this song. I had the song on a loop and it took me a while before I realized when the song ended and begun because there is really no pause between repeats. It’s quite subtle. Well I’m more overwhelmed at the prospect of memorizing and properly transcribing all layers of the song. Do I write in all of the ornamentation as part of the melody? Do I write the melody out and just write a squiggle where the ornamentation lies? Do performers always ornament the same way when this is sung? I am guessing that they do not. Do I try to capture the exact rhythmic pieces that accompany the melody or do I transcribe a basic framework with room for improvisation? Right now there are many more questions than answers and I am hoping that something will start to reveal itself soon. In terms of the vocal line, I’ve memorized the A section and am finding the B section harder to follow its melodic on my own with all of the ornamentation.
July 12, 2009
ReplyDeleteI’ve become much more familiar with the little percussion flourish at the end of the song. Before it seemed like it was leading to something that never happened, and now it seems as though it belongs and is something familiar for me to latch onto.
I tried to sing a few phrases back to the music like this: music, pause, sing, music, pause, sing, etc… and when I sand it back it just sounded so out of tune and empty in comparison. This process is getting a bit trying and I have to turn off the music for a bit.
I tried singing along and memorizing it a bit later. I found I was trying to go along with the melodic contour without all of the ornamentation and I am not sure if I am adding notes or making up parts of it in how I think it should go!
July 13, 2009
I didn’t get to listen as much today. But, in class I was relieved to learn that I don’t have to do the entire song. I think there is a good stopping point in the middle! It’s the spot where I used to think that the song ended when I just had it on loop and wasn’t looking at the iTunes song progress! Since I didn’t get to listen as much, I read a bit of the history that I copied and pasted above. It seems that this piece was part of a longer whole cycle or suite. It makes a lot of sense now to me why the music both starts and ends in a way that I might consider abruptly. I’m sort of translating it back into my Western frame of reference and cultural context when I immediately think of it as similar to a part of one of the older church masses!
July 15, 2009
Today I began the daunting task of beginning to transcribe. It was both harder and easier than I expected! I used the transcribe program to sing along at a very slow speed and discovered a few notes that I had been incorrectly singing the last few days! Oops. The ornamentation makes it harder to discern certain notes and the slides and intonation make a few notes harder to notate. For example: Do I write that I heard a sharp E flat? Or just write the E flat and sing it the way I hear in my head. I’m currently voting for the latter. I’ve just been working on pitches not rhythm or any of the layers below the basic melody. I’ve decided to only transcribe the first 45 seconds of the piece because that is a logical stopping point. It covers the form A A B B1 and a little “tag” at the end that quotes from the A section. Essentially it is four phrases with a logical conclusion.
I have been slowly reading the background notes on the Uzbekistani and Tajikistani music and I think that the stringed instrument that accompanies the vocalists is Tanbur. For our classes purposes I will probably have a violin play that part. The reading also included a bit about the duration of notes: “Syllables of verse are designated as long or short, and these long and short syllables are grouped into formulaic patterns, for example: U - - - U - - - U - - - U - - - (short-long-long-long; short-long-long-long, etc).” Since I have not yet begun to transcribe the rhythm I might employ that method or at least keep it in mind while I am creating a written representation of the First Suporish.
An additional frustration that I’m up against is the text. I emailed the Academy of Maqam from their website to request the text but have only received an automated response. A google search was not much help either! If all else fails, I will have the class sing on neutral vowels that are predominant in the text.
My selection seems unique, in that though it is considered “traditional” Irish music, it is actually a contemporary composition from Northern Ireland. Personally, I’m fascinated by the fact that the (British! – Just a reminder that Northern Ireland is part of the UK, whereas the Republic of Ireland is not.) people of Northern Ireland have dubbed this particular piece as Irish. I’m half English, and one part of my family is from Belfast and has no qualms about letting you know that they are British – thankyouvermuch – and not
ReplyDeleteIrish. ;)
In any case, according to one author, “Irish music sounds very much the same today as it would have two hundred years ago.” I think that the fact that contemporary musicians are still composing in the folk tradition is a testament both to the music itself and to those who perform the music. The University of Limerick even offers a Master of Arts in Irish Traditional Music Performance to prepare students for careers as traditional musicians (!).
Irish music has a long tradition of both instrumental and vocal styles, but it seems that vocal music (ar sean nós -- “in the old style") is the crème de la crème of music. Modern sean nós can also be written in English, and though the melody may vary by verse, the lyrics remain the same, because they are of equal importance. Sean nós can be performed a capella or with instrumental accompaniment.
I mentioned in my last entry that someone overheard me listening to my selection and asked me if it was an African or Indian piece, and that though I couldn’t personally hear the association, it was an interesting phenomenon. Well, when I was doing further research, I discovered that “To the first-time listener, accustomed to pop and classical singers, sean-nós often sounds more "Arabic" or "Indian" than "Western," so she was actually spot-on! :)
Though the sean nós isn’t necessarily composed as dance music, it is often performed as such and can be appreciated by both the aristocrat and the lay person in a variety of settings. It seems just as common to hear a sean nós whilst farming as it does to hear it performed in a concert hall.
I’m not sure if my selection is actually considered a sean nós or a ballad, since I’ve heard it performed three different ways. Sean nós can be performed as a solo or a duet with accompaniment, but seem to be primarily unaccompanied, whilst a ballad is usually sung in a group with accompaniment. The first version of the song I heard was definitely sung as a sean nós, whereas the other two were not.
P.S. I don't know why the blog has changed my name from "Anastasia" to "Anna," but I just wanted to clarify, since there is another "Anna" in our class. :)
ReplyDeleteSomething about this song was very intriguing from the beginning. The song begins with short guitar phrase and then singers and a drummer immediately follow with when the melody starts. When I heard the song for the first time, I liked this beautiful folk tune. I listened to it over and over again. I couldn’t capture the pronunciation. For now, at least, I decided to focus on the big picture, such as melodic and rhythmic progression. The voice range is pretty comfortable level. The range of pitch is pretty narrow. I think it will be easy for children to sing along to. It has a really fun rhythm to it. The tempo is pretty consistent (no variations.) There is a main theme melody, which is comprised of eight measures. It repeats several times. It has a chorus (part A) and a solo (part B). Can we call this “call- and-response structure” like “bhajan” in the text book?
ReplyDeleteAfter several times listening to the song, I tried to guess what are they singing. What special occasions do they sing this song? Festivals for weddings, holidays and other special celebrations, or is it a love song? Religious music? It is not obvious to me without knowing the lyrics! How important has music has been in Senegal? How do they learn music? There were many questions going through my mind. I tried to listen many times to get more familiar with this song. Tomorrow I should find out more cultural background about this music.
Friday 7/10:
ReplyDeleteWhile searching on the Smithsonian Website I found a wonderful piece called the Barzan Tribal Love Song. It is a Kurdish folk song and attracted my attention because of its intricate simplicity. I have to explain that a little bit further: It seems simple for its folk-ish melody that has quite a small interval range, yet the song offers so many variations on that same melody and so many embellishments that it suddenly does not seem simple anymore. And I am not even talking about the lyrics, yet...
My first realizations after listening to it about five times are very subjective: The vowels change in quite random places and the piece seems to start and end in different keys which I do not relate to the piece itself, but rather to the ability of the performer. I absolutely love the seemingly abrupt stops after each verse. The Barzan Tribal Love Song resembles a vulnerable chant.
Saturday 7/11:
Today I listened to it over and over again and I was trying to sing along to the 1st section of the song. It was quite difficult, not so much for the melody, but rather for the text. Therefore I transcribed the first part of the lyrics: Nale pareey shenekey teneke lateke nada njam reeu. It definitely helped to see the words, even though it might not be the right spelling (or rather likely, it IS not the right spelling). A funny observation was, when I heard my boyfriend whistling the song already in the shower. The melody is very powerful and sticky, but due to its embellishments very difficult to reproduce. Its most common note is the 5th, which is probably why it sounds so vulnerable. I tend to go down to the “tonic”, although the song seems to rest on “re”.
Sunday 7/12:
Did I mention that I really like it? It is so vulnerable and at the same time you can hear the longing. Although I do not yet know what the text means, it seems to me that the singer sings about an unfulfilled love. I wrote out the second part of the first verse: Nisha pareyn il ma tschare serme tasne i kabcha desne butsunje boa reeu. The “u” at the end happens in a very unexpected place/timing. After multiple repeats of the song, I can sing the basic structure of the first verse successfully, but the embellishments and vowel shifting is still not accurate.
Sunday 7/19:
ReplyDeleteOver the past week I have been trying to find some background information. I discovered a Kurdish museum in Brooklyn and I contacted them and asked, if they could refer me to a Kurdish musician that could help me with the text and tell me about the performance practice in Kurdistan. Finally I got a hold of a woman who is the widow of a Kurd and has been working for the museum for about 30 years. After explaining to her that I was planning on learning a Kurdish song, she totally discouraged me by saying: "Whatever you do, you will never be able to perform like a Kurd." "If you want to get an A in your class, pick something else!" she said and went on telling me about Portuguese songs that were supposedly much easier to reproduce. Besides, she told me, Kurdish songs are mostly performed by males that travel from village to village mostly accompanied by a local drum and a flute instrument.
Well, there is a good example for how sensitive the matter is to try to "infiltrate" a foreign culture and as a female perform a song that is purely male. It shows exactly the problematic we have been talking about in class.
Nevertheless, the talk I had with the woman brought me many steps further in my investigation. I found out that Barzan is not only a tribe, but also a region. The current president's last name is actually Barzani.
The women referred me to the American Kurdish Information network and the Kurdish regional government website which provide a ton of information about the country, its difficult history and its culture.
I will try to call Washington (where the American Kurdish information network is based out of) during the week and see if somebody could help me translate the text. Unfortunately the woman from the Kurdish museum did not speak Kurdish that well.
What I found during research on Kurdish music on
http://www.institutkurde.org/en/kurdorama/music/
was quite helpful to understand the background of my chosen song and it confirmed what the woman from the Kurdish museum told me.
"Kurdish music is, then, principally folk music and "anonymous". The circumstances of its origins and development are, in fact, very diverse and difficult to establish with accuracy. originally purely vocal, a song was often composed by a woman wishing to express her feelings of sadness or, more rarely, of joy. It might also break forth in the course of the poetic contests the young men and women indulged in on their return along mountain paths or at other gatherings of young people: nocturnal meetings in the village square, New Year's celebrations, marriage ceremonies which might last from three days to three weeks. or, then again, a song might be created from the blow of tragic events.
"
"once the song is created, an instrumental accompaniment is added and it achieves anonymity through the intermediary of the dengbêj (bards) who disseminate and popularise it in the course of their travels from village to village, from encampment to encampment."
It also confirmed my thoughts on structure and form of the Barzan tribal Love Song:
"The traditional Kurdish song has a repetitive structure whose unity is provided by a strophe; this generally consists of from three to seven musical phrases. A strophe contains in itself the whole melodic line, and from one strophe to the next only the words change. The phrases do not necessarily have the same length since the lyric, which is free, only occasionally contains an identical number of syllables. Furthermore, if a song is "long", it continues in the same mood from beginning to end: gay or animated passages of another mood or, stimulating rhythm do not enter the picture or intrude on the single ambience of the song. "
Very rich information in your posts...
ReplyDeleteHave you found information regarding what is considered an ideal sound for your selected example? I am thinking of Lakshmi's vocal timbre, and how it differs from the Western-European concept of sound.
What modifications will you make to recreate the timbral quality of the performer?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMy first experinece with my piece was very joyful, but confused. To my ear, the song sounds very familiar,although I never heard about the piece. The piece is a folk song from Germany.
ReplyDeleteMy next approach would be finding historical background of the song. I googled song title and artist, but I could not find much. I think my next step is finding some sources in german about the song.
After I listend to the song over and over, the melodic parts captured my mind. The song gave me a visual images of bunch of girls having a picnic in the park joyfully with a beautuful lanscape.
Friday 7/17:
ReplyDeleteThen, I typed the title of the song in german translation site, found out my song title means: With Mondenschein. I paused for a second, thought, “What is Mondenschein?”
I decided to search more on German Folk Song instead. In Wikipedia, I found the followings: “ Germany has many unique regions with their own folk traditions of music and dance. Much of the 20th century saw German culture appropriated for the ruling powers (who fought "foreign" music at the same time), and thus it remained decidedly "un-hip" until later in the century. Most recently, the East German regime promoted folk music as long as it was what they saw as an expression of pure German tradition, and a tool for spreading party propaganda.
In both East and West Germany, folk songs called volkslieder were taught to children; these were popular, sunny and optimistic, and had little relation to authentic German folk traditions. Inspired by American and English roots revivals, Germany underwent many of the same changes following the 1968 student revolution in West Germany, and new songs, featuring political activism and realistic joy, sadness and passion, were written and performed on the burgeoning folk scene. In East Germany, the same process did not begin until the mid-70s, when folk musicians began incorporating revolutionary ideas in coded songs”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Germany#Folk_music
The song title: Songs of Senegal
ReplyDeletePerformed By:Ousmane M'Baye
Country(s) of Origin: Senegal
Year of Release: 1975
Label / Archive: Folkways Records
I was listening to the song and I was thinking how this song has some color of European tune. Senegal used to be French colony, so there might be some influence by western music. I checked a bit more into musical background of the song.
Senegal people speak French (official), Wolof, Pulaar, Diola, Mandingo. Among these the official language is French. Almost 90% of the Senegalese population is Muslim.
First I would like to find out what language they are using for this song I chose. Clearly it isn’t French. Now, I’m in panic. How am I going to find out which language they are using without any knowledge of Wolof, Pulaar, Diola, or Mandingo? I searched the title of song in google. I couldn’t find any information about this song other than the name of singer. Any suggestions? Or I’m thinking, without knowing which language the song is, I should really listen to the lyric and try to get the exact pronunciation, as close as possible. By the way, I downloaded the transcribe program. I love this program. Many thanks to Nate!!!
According to my research, music is valued in Senegal and plays a very important role in their culture. Usually they gather around in a group with a ‘griot’ in the middle and clap hands and sway their hips in rhythm. This style is very nice for many people to join. However, each ethnic group has its own music and instruments that are their own.
Ok now what is a ‘griot’? According to Wikipedia, a griot is “a West African poet, praise singer, and wandering musician, considered a repository of oral tradition.” They usually play the instrument called “kora,” which is a string instrument. Griots play an important role in the community. It sounds like they are very knowledgeable in cultural and historical aspects and respected in the community. Another important characteristic of Senegal music is the so-called polyrhythmic drumming system. They usually play on the tama (or talking drum), a single-faced drum with strips of leather fixed to the skin and base. The more I learned about the background of music, my song made more sense to me, and although I couldn’t find any detailed information about my song, I think the song possibly starts with the Kora instrument (not a guitar) and then maybe the vocal solo is sung by a Griot.
http://www.africaguide.com/country/senegal/culture.htm#music
http://www.senegal.co.uk/Docs/About-Senegal/What-To-Expect/History.aspx
Sunday, 7/19 (one time Evi and one time German GE - don´t know why)
ReplyDeleteOver the weekend I transcribed my song. Putting it on paper definitely helped me to internalize it. I finished writing out the lyrics - in an English/German syllable mix that probably nobody else can identify as Kurdish, but when I sing it I hope it will sound like Kurdish.
I transcribed 7 "strophes" (verses) - although it´s well over a minute, because I like the seventh so much. It is a lot of fun to sing.
The vocal adjustments I will have to make to come as close as possible to the recording are the following:
- no vibrato
- create a chant-like vulnerability which almost contradicts itself - it's amazing how the singer on the recording achieves that
- vowel shifts: keeping the vowel shape in place while moving the tongue
Tuesday, 7/21
ReplyDeleteThe comprehension how to perform my song changed entirely for me when I wrote it out in Finale. It forced me to choose meters and made the length relations clear.
It took me a while, but it was well worth it.
I chose symbols to represent certain embellishments, like the vowel shifts and slides, marked accents and tried to detail it out as much as possible.
This afternoon I was very close on having the song translated, but the email I sent to the Kurdish lady in Washington with the recording in it, came back and I could not get another hold of her on the phone to clarify the email address. So I might find out tomorrow or on Friday what my song is about.
July 18, 2009
ReplyDeleteI transcribed the rest of the melody now. It is so surprising that when I slow the piece down quite a bit- the little chromatic ornamentation is even harder to discern! I think I’ve got an overarching picture of the melody but I am so much more impressed with the performers now that I have hashed this piece apart!
July 19, 2009
ReplyDeleteToday I finished transcribing the rhythm and the simple rhythmic accompaniment. I also made a conscious decision not to transcribe the middle chordal instrumental layer. It sounds sort of ad libbed to me. So, on my transcription I indicated a third line of music but did not write anything- instead I wrote “add lib on chordal instrument. While I could probably transcribe exactly what was played, it just sounds so free and flowing that it seems as though it was done as an improvisation. I could be wrong- does anyone feel that I should leave this part in our out in one way or another?
One thing that disturbed me was in the notes on the music: “You cannot get that experience simply by listening to individual pieces extracted from the cycle, which is how maqâm is mostly performed these days.” Because that is exactly what I am doing! I am still struck by the beauty of the piece and would love to listen to the entire cycle but perhaps when courses are over so I have the time!
I am put off a little about how to ornament certain notes when I am reading from my transcribed part. It seems so natural to the performers on the recording and so forced and out of tune when I do it!
July 21, 2009
Yesterday I realized that I had been making the dumbest mistake ever! When I heard the percussion on beats 1 and 3 I was COMPLETELY wrong. How could I have missed something so obvious?!?!? Instead, the percussion plays on all four beats of the measure- high-low-high-low. Somehow I had heard or- rather- invented in my head high-rest-low-rest etc… Yikes! Sine my recording has a violin- or violin sounding instrument in it I asked Nate to play along with me. Thanks Nate- you’re mentioned in my blog! That helps quite a bit when my pitches are swimming around in the “wavy” pitches. When him and I were playing I realized how a few of the notes are sharper or flatter than the way someone playing with a “well tempered” western scale base would play it. Either that, or I can’t sing in tune! Perhaps I’ll indicate a little plus above the note. Well that’s it for now. I can’t wait to hear everyone’s pieces!!
July 22, 2009
I just decided to look at the “play count” on my iTunes for the First Suporish. With a measly 758 plays, I feel much better about not being able to ornament my notes correctly…. Or not! How did I hear it that many times and not have 40 seconds learned? Well, part of the time I was reading with it in the background…. Oh well. I’ve noticed that the singing style is similar to the South Indian that we have been listening to in some ways. For example- the performers don’t really use vibrato, but instead wobble up and down on the pitch. I’m also noticing how the rhythms I wrote out are merely a reference for me but not exactly the way things line up in the actual song and that the steady percussion in the background doesn’t line up exactly and neatly as I wrote out. Perhaps I was projecting my western ideas on what the steady rhythm should be like? I’m not sure what to do about it notation-wise though! No wait, I think I just counted something wrong when I was transcribing- perhaps the second half of my transcription is all one beat off now! How did I not notice that before??? Ok I’m off to re-transcription land. The phrases don’t fit so neatly into the 4 / 4 that I had written out before. I had just added a lot of fictional beats that were where I thought they should be so that It would line up neater. It still fits into 4/4 just not the way I originally imagined…Well, I just made a lot of changes in the way things line up in my piece and I hope that these help preserve the integrity of the piece and not destroy it! You know what’s interesting, though? I think that my original- faulty- transcription was “ok” enough for Nate to play along to. It was as though he knew that he was supposed to use my notes as a guide but not as an actual strict reality.
#2
ReplyDelete7/21 Tuesday
Today, after the class, I spent of my afternoon transcribing my piece. I chose to transcribe only 1minute and 21 seconds of the song with a two verses.
With the help from classmate for German Translation for the song lyric, I was able to jot down the following song lyrics:
Bei Mondenschein (In the moonlight)
“Gestern beim Mondenschein gingich spasieren
In dim Hausgartelein beim Moudeuscheine
Da sass ein Magdeleiu wohl ganz alleine
Lu dim Hausgartelein beim Mondenscheine”
I learned the song means in English:
“Yesterday at the moonlight, I took a walk
In the house garden at moonlight
There sat a young girl probably all by herself in the moonlight”
The song was very simple to sing, but then learning to pronounce actual German was the hard part. After singing and listening to the piece over and over, I was able to memorize the most of the melodic parts of the song.
The banjo and recorder were two instruments accompanying the singer.
Based on my research, I believe the genre of my piece is volkslieder.
ReplyDeleteIn both East and West Germany, folk songs called volkslieder were taught to children; these were popular, sunny and optimistic, and had little relation to authentic German folk traditions.
The following questions were still remained in my mind after the research on singer: Did the singer bring an Austrian influence on the song?
The song itself is a German Folk song, but maybe song it not traditional German song?
Historical aspect of the song:
On the cover of the music file, the song originated from two different countries: Austria and Germany.
The most popular form of modern Austrian folk music is Viennese schrammelmusik, which is played with an accordion and a double-necked guitar. Modern performers include Roland Neuwirth, Karl Hodina and Edi Reiser.
“Schrammelmusik arose as a mixture of rural Austrian, Hungarian, Slovenian, Moravian and Bavarian immigrants crowded the slums of Vienna. At the time, waltzes and ländlers mixed with the music of the immigrants absorbing sounds from all over central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans. The name Schrammelmusik comes from two of the most popular and influential performers in Schrammelmusik's history, brothers Johann and Josef Schrammel. The Schrammels formed a trio called along with bass guitarist Anton Strohmayer and helped bring the music to the middle- and upper-class Viennese, as well as people from surrounding areas. With the addition of a clarinetist, George Dänzer, they formed the Schrammel-Quartett, and Schrammelmusik's form settled on a quartet”
“In West Germany in the second half of the 20th century, German and Austrian music was largely dominated by the avant-garde. In the 60s and 70s, the Darmstadt New Music Summer School was a major center of European modernism; German composers such as Karlheinz Stockhausen and Hans Werner Henze and non-German ones such as Pierre Boulez and Luciano Berio all studied there. In contrast, composers in East Germany were advised to avoid the avant-garde and to compose music in keeping with the tenets of Socialist Realism. Music written in this style was supposed to advance party politics as well as be more accessible to all”
My pieces represent many different cultural influences such as Austria and Germany, but also sense of oppression and political ideas.
Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Austria
Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Germany
Analysis of the Musical Excerpt:
ReplyDeleteThe ideal sound of the piece would be gentle but very delicate. When I first listened to the song, it sounded almost like a lullaby. It was intended to be sung definitely not too loud and very legato-like sounds connecting every phrase. The piece is very dance-like music with the influence of Waltz.
The song was recorded in 1954. The piece is in E major and in ¾ meter.
The melodic structure of the song is the following:
E G# A /B C# B / A G# F#/ G# E
E G# A /B C# B / A G# F#/ G# E
F# F# G/ A B A/ G G A/ B C# B/ A G# F#/ F# E
E G# A /B C# B / A G# F#/ G# E
E G# A /B C# B / A G# F#/ G# E
F# F# G/ A B A/ G G A/ B C#B/ A G# F#/ F# E
I am curious to find out the way(s) this repertory is learned and taught by cultural insiders. I am also eager to find out more on performance practice in Germany for singing. I am wondering how they first learn the piece and also, process of learning in music. By communicating with Evelyn, a classmate from the class “Global Music Education”, I realized the education in Germany 1950’s were under the pressure and students were educated in a very strict manner. My assumption is the song was taught by rote.