Discovering the arts World of Art World Music

Discovering the arts World of Art

World Music • Music is one of the great pleasures of life. It has the power to entertain, to amuse, to move, and to inspire. Music plays an indispensable role in our celebrations, rituals, and commemorative ceremonies. It can also provoke thoughts about the mysteries of life, such as the vastness of the universe and the meaning of our existence. Music provides us with a creative way of self expression. It reaches deep into our souls to console us, to reassure us, and to help us express who and what we are as human beings.

World Music • Music is sometimes called a universal language. However, it • is more accurate to say that music is a global expression. While music does communicate globally, sharp variations exist among the music created by different peoples. What is truly universal is our capacity to respond to and derive pleasure from music. Advances in technology have brought us, among other things, the gift of music from around the world. Radio, television, movies, and – more recently – the Internet have allowed us to enjoy a vast array of music and the cultures that produce them. It was not always so. Before Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877, the only way to hear music from other lands was to experience it live. You had to travel to the source.

World Music: Definitions • Anthropologists – scholars who study the physical and • • cultural characteristics and social customs of a group of people. Ethnomusicologists – scholars who study the music of different cultural groups. Culture – the customs, beliefs, language, arts and institutions of a group of people that are learned and transmitted within the group. Music culture – the performance practices, means, traditions, uses, and beliefs about music of a group of people, either from a specific time or place. Timbre – the distinct tonal quality of an instrument or voice, which is clearly identifiable by the ear; also known as “tone color. ”

World Music: Classification of Instruments • Aerophones – instruments that produce sound by • • a vibrating column of air. Usually these consist of a pipe made out of wood, metal, or plastic. Idiophones – simple, solid instruments that produce sound by being struck, scraped, or shaken. Membranophones – instruments that produce sound by striking or rubbing a skin or membrane stretched across a resonating air chamber. Chordophones – instruments that create sound by striking, rubbing, or plucking a taut string (or chord). Electrophones –instruments that generate sound from electricity.

World Music: Classification of Instruments Aerophone: bagpipes Idiophone: Vietnamese dan t’rung Membranophone: Gamelan kendang

World Music: Classification of Instruments Chordophone: sitar Electrophone: keyboard

World Music: Activity #1 Demonstrate Knowledge of Music Vocabulary • How would you categorize familiar musical instruments using the five basic world music classifications? Working in small groups, make a list of the musical instruments with which you are familiar. Spend no more than five minutes compiling your list. Then complete the following: – Classify the instruments into the five basic categories: aerophones, idiophones, membranophones, chordophones, or electrophones – What characteristics of the instruments helped you classify them? – Are there any instruments that might fall into more than one category? How did you decide?

World Music: Traditional Music Cultures • Traditional musical styles and genres are often associated with specific cultures or geographic areas. Indeed, some cultures have musical expressions so distinctive that they are immediately recognizable.

World Music: Mexico • Mexico is a large country with many regions. • As in the United States, these regions differ in dialect, foods, clothing, and music. The official language is Spanish. For many centuries music has played a central role in the lives of the Mexican people. Before the arrival of Spanish conquistadors in 1519, both religious and social music were important to the native cultures living in the region. The Spaniards introduced a rich musical heritage, including a wide variety of music and instruments. Enslaved Africans and Caribbean immigrants also influenced Mexican music. The cross-fertilization and blending of native, Spanish, and African cultures produced a rich mestizo, or mixed, culture. It also produced forms of music that have been enjoyed by people around the world.

World Music: Mexico • Mexicans use music to celebrate events such as baptisms, • • birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, funerals, civic ceremonies, and religious holidays. The people sing along with the musicians and burst out with enthusiastic yells, laughter, clapping, and dancing. Traditional songs are called sones jarochos. One of the most famous sones jarochos is “La Bamba. ” A style of ensemble music from the Mexican state of Jalisco is played by the mariachi. This is a musical group with several violins, trumpets, large bass guitar, and special fiveand six-string guitars.

World Music: Activity #2 Perform Rhythmic Patterns • Hear and perform the repeated rhythmic patterns in “La Bamba. ” Clap bass rhythm: 1 2& 3 4 Rhythm of feet: Foot pattern: l r-l r l-r (l = left, r = right) p. 33, Activity 4 CD 1 #33: “La Bamba”

World Music: West Africa • The music of West Africa has made lasting contributions • to our own culture. In particular, the rich heritage of African rhythms has influenced much American music, including jazz. Often, these unique percussive rhythms find their basis in African drumming. In much West African drumming, musicians play clave. This is a basic rhythmic pattern that provides the foundation for the complex rhythms played by multiple drums. The pattern is usually played on an iron bell or on a pair of round wooden sticks called “claves. ” It can be played on any instrument so long as it is enough to be heard above the drumming.

World Music: West Africa • Clave patterns can be heard in music everywhere. They often serve as a recurring rhythm in Latin jazz, rhythm and blues, and other African American musical styles. Consider the international appeal of salsa and other Latin-based music. The magnetic attraction of the rhythms can be seen on dance floors throughout the world.

World Music: Activity #3 Learn to recognize and play the clave pattern. • The clave pattern is actually two patterns in one. That is, the first eight beats have one pattern, the next eight a different pattern. The beat patterns in clave music are as follows: First half 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Second half 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 p. 16, Activity 6 CD 1 #18: “Gome drumming” CD 1 #19: “Cha-cha”