perspective always matters

The first listening sound very structured with the constand drum sounding on every beat. The instruments are flutes and the drum. I hear that airy timbre that we discussed in class last week. The instruments do not seem to be reading music notation. I think there may be none for this particular musical style. There is a kind of chaotic structure to the piece. The piece definitely speeds up in tempo close to the end, to me, making it sound more chaotic, yet exciting. It certainly sounds like a festive, calrnival piece. I feel that the second piece is very similar in style, but different in structure. The drum player seems to have more flexibility in the rhythm. Instead of a constant beat on each note, I hear a more complicated rhythm, yet it still as an element od constancy. In addition, what I don’t think I heard in the first selection was a buzzy timbre in addition to the airy flutes. It seems like they are playing with different flutes or perhaps playing it diffrently to give off a rougher, buzzier, less “dreamy” sound. To me, the second piece sounds even more festive than the first in that the variablity from the drum rhythm to the incorporation of different sounds, or a different timbre, grabs my attention a bit more effectively than the first.

The first selection, the arrangement of folk instruments has a very layered texture. It is fast-paced, and sounds as though it has a complicated time signiture. If I had to guess it sounds like it’s in 11 and when subdivided is 3-3-3-2. I hear string intruments and what sounds like a babpipe. I also hear voices souting but mostly talking, and perhaps movement. This fast dancing and instrumental music is festive-like and may be taking place as an open-circle dance. It also has a syncopated feel to it.
Krivo Plovdivsko Horo (folk orchestra) sounds like the subdivisions are 3-3-2-2. Unlike the first selection, I can hearr a very prominant flute. This piece is just as lively as the first, with an aggressive feel and kind of a rough texture. This second one sounds a bit more intricate than the first. What I hear now but did not notice so much in the first selection is what sounds like the bass. Just as syncopated, to me, the music calls for some festive, happy, dancing celebration.
I really enjoyed the Polegnala e Todora (state choir). It is an all female choir. It is so oothing abd beautiful. A very different feel from the folk orchestras. The different singing parts blend so well and feel are well balanced. I am unfamiliar with the language, but can definitely feel a certain tranquility. I can hear what sounds like thee different parts. It also sounds like some of the parts for most of the time are doubling up- and are maybe a third up or down.

The first selection was very lively for me. It began with a strong, yet soft beat that grew louder. This rhythm sounds like a number of people playing maracas, or what I think may be called hosho, and playing them well. The entire song continued with this constant, fast beat. I can also hear soft tones that resemble a steelpan mixing with the overall sound, but I know that it is not. The next sounds I hear are voices. They seem to be yelling, and having a good time. Immediately I got the sense that a party or celebration is being held, or simply a fun get together. There is a main male voice, the women voices, and then a lower voice part that sounds like men singing in the background. I also hear shouts, and other spontaneous sounds such as clapping.

This style of music sounds so very familiar to me, and I think I know why. It’s very similar to calypso and parang music- which is what I have heard growing up. I don’t know the origins of calypso except for the obvious colonial past of Trinidad: owned by Spain, then Britain, and along the way also received a lot of French immigration (the French brought the idea of Carnival with them), all mixed with a large slave population brought from Africa. People moved (willingly or forcefully), cultures and music overlapped and I’m sure there’s some connection, however distant, to this particular style of music and calypso and parang music. I could be wrong, but the music I’m hearing is very similar in terms of the underlying, strong and constant beat, down to the festive feel.

I just listened to the Friday listening and its like I’m listening to one of my parang CDs.  I know that the exact origins of parang are controversial. Some believe that the custom was introduced by Spain during Spanish occupation and was adapted to the island’s environment, influenced by its contact with Venezuela and kept alive by the constant communication with that country. Others believe that the custom came from Spain through Venezuela. Either way, these selections have that Spanish influence. I am curious of the time period this was. I even heard “Viva Zimbabwe.” It’s interesting to hear these selections and hear the similarities it has with music I have heard in my house. Overall, from hearing the selections, it is evident that the music has a number of influences to create a somewhat unique sound, but still has indigenous music qualities.

The Balinese gamelan beleganjur instantly grabbed my attention with its loud entrance. (It continued to be loud throughout the entire piece.) There were multiple instruments that started off the piece including the symbol, which is not something I heard from other Indonesian gong ensembles that we have studied. Usually one or two instruments would introduce the piece and then others would reveal themselves shortly or much later in the piece. Similar to Javanese gamelan, I heard a slight retard near the beginning, but not enough to lose momentum, and then it started to speed up again.  This particular piece was extremely energetic and fast paced in a way that stands out to me from the other listenings. But this is not to take away from any other selections we have listened to. I felt that talempong pacik to be vibrant and energetic, and the drum used is very loud. The Balinese drum was in and out, but still seemed to control the speed. Overall, though, this piece seemed much louder and demanding of my attention than talempong pacik and many other gong ensembles. Perhaps the difference was the particular style.

The Balinese gamelan beleganjur seems to have other influences although I’m not sure where they are from. The tones are not as in the spotlight, since the symbols are so loud and attention-grabbing. Other gong ensembles seemed to have the tones dominate and the other instruments such as flute, drums, or bagpipe were also heard but came in more subtly and did not seem to necessarily dominate most of the pieces, as so much create a nice balance. In the Balinese gamelan beleganjur, I could fairly easily point out the repetition, however not as much as previous ensembles we’ve listened to. I remember that in other gong ensembles, the pieces were repetitive and constant enough so that you could sing the whole piece within only few seconds of listening. I also heard voices in the Balinese gamelan beleganjur. The voices seemed to go with the flow and kind of recede into the background. They were not as distinguishable from the other instruments as the voices were in “Ladrang ‘Wilujeng.’” I also heard separate voices but I think they were a part of the larger background audience.

These musical differences between Balinese gamelan beleganjur  and other Indonesian gong ensembles we’ve studied makes sense when taking into account the context for the performances. The gamelan beleganjur performance was probably in a festive atmosphere for entertainment and for God.  Balinese gamelan beleganjur seems to be more a popular event in the area with individuals, families, and institutions requesting their services.  In addition to music, the movement of dancers, and drama is sometimes essential.  In contrast, Javanese gamelan is intended to entertain without dance or drama and also serves a ritual function to maintain balance. Similar to Balinese gamelan beleganjur, Javanese gamelan contributes to festiveness of a larger social event. It is often performed as accompaniment for dance or theater, such as show puppets- a genre held in highest esteem to most Javanese. Talempong generally seems to take place in more intimate, private settings than Balinese gamelan beleganjur. Although it is true that talempong is becoming more and more like a music icon for the Minangkabau people with much innovative spirit. Balinese gamelan beleganjur, too, seems innovative not in that it had a wide range of instruments, but in terms of the difference in the kind of  energy the symbols and fast pace brings. In talempong, there are a few people playing in a seated fashion in one group, which is different from gamelan where there can be many people in the group standing up or moving with their portable instruments.

Buburan “Kembang Pacar”

• I first thought of this piece to have a mystical, loud-style quality to it. I noticed how it began with one or two instruments and soon after there seemed to be a retard while the rest of the instruments came in. Throughout the piece, I felt a pushing and pulling of the tempo. The tempo, unlike the dynamics, seemed to have a climax, fastest near the middle yet close to the end. The very end then slowed down dramatically. I can hear a base- a drum and another deep-sounding tone. Throughout the entire piece those two sounds played the relatively their same two notes although I could hear slight differences in pitch. Then there is a higher-pitched melody that is also repetitive, yet is always transitioning in and out of sections. In addition there are ornamental sounds that seem to decorate the piece and are constant throughout.

Guided listening: Buburan “Kembang Pacar”

• This entire piece is gradual. It increasingly becomes faster, gaining momentum and energy. It also ends with far more instruments than it started with. Like the first piece, it also retards at the very end and finishes on one resounding note. It is also has a loud-style to it- there is not much change in dynamics and is relatively the same throughout. The low sounds are parallel to and moves with the higher melody sounds. It sounds as though it stays at the same interval below the higher sounds. Soon after, a gong comes in with notes that sustain for a longer time than the two introducing instruments. Everything seems have a place- coming in at the same place with the same rhythm with slight variation. This piece, like the first, is organized and patterned. It seems as though the instruments were feeding off of each other, making smooth transitions. Each sound is distinct, yet it all seems to blend so well. Once again I can hear the ornamental sounds that also have a somewhat set pattern, although it is less obvious. These ornamental sounds remind me of chimes blowing in the wind.

Ladrang “Wilujeng”

• This soft-style piece stood out as different right away because of the introducing bagpipe/string instrument sound. Not too long after a voice enters. I don’t know what she (sounds like a woman voice) is singing, but it has a closed-off, nasal quality to it. I think this might have to do with the bagpipe/string instrument sound- there’s a kind of trade-off . I found myself having a slightly hard time distinguishing the bagpipe/string instrument sounds from the voices. I am not sure if the bagpipe kept playing after the voice came in because that sound seemed to dissipate. Soon after, more voices come in, which sounds like both male and female voices, but the female voices seem to dominate. Perhaps this is simply because the women are singing higher notes that stand out more and are easier to hear while the lower voices act as a base that blends in with the overall sound. The voices sound like they are an octave away. Although it is not too obvious, I think I can hear preceding notes cuing the singers to give them the note to come in on- maybe it is a solo voice? The instruments, although they at first seemed like they are doing their own thing move with the singers and play some of the notes they are singing. I think this piece may be softer than the first two so as not to drown out the voices, and have a good balance. I also hear less base (low sounding tones) and more melody in comparison to the first two pieces.

Possible discussion questions:

1. Does the balance, in terms of volume and instrumentation, change from the Buburan to the Ladrang? If so, how?
2. How does the focus, or relative importance of instrumentation change, if at all, when comparing the two styles?

1. I hear two separate idiophones making bright sounding tones. A contrasting, nasal-sounding instrument added to the texture. This sound reminded me of the sound of a bagpipe. The bagpipe-like sound did not sound as intentional as the two hitting sounds, and varied the most. One of the introducing idiophones stayed a constant beat while the other one seemed to vary in rhythm a little more.

2. These metal-sounding tones are a brighter sound than those of #1. More notes seem to be involved. I hear some dissonance between the notes. It is also repetivive, little to no variatrion in the rhythm. I also heard a raspy noise very briefly that sounded like a maraca.

3. This is a membranophone repetitive rhythm. It sounds intentional and I think I heard the rhythm speed up subtley.

4. This is a membranophone also and are in some ways similar to #3. It also has a fairly steady rythm. This is also a lack of texture like #3- only one intrument being played. In this one I can hear more instances of syncopation. I can also hear smooth transitions into different rhythms, and then there was a common beat that it would always come back to. This one is catchy.

5. This particular membranophone sounds different to the one from numbers 4 and 5. It’s sound lingers at bit when hit- like how a tambourine’s sound lingers when hit. There is no variation in rhythm.

6. This one is the most textured I have heard so far. It has a combination of idophone tones,a membranophone. I haeard the raspy sound at one point again. The rhythm is intricate and steady/repetitive. It started with one idiophone tone and then the pther intruments came in soon after building on the started rhythm.

7. This one reminds me of gamelan. It is loud and clangy. These tones sound more like chimes. It is a new sound and resonates more than that of the tones previously played. This one also made me happy- a cheery sound to it. I think I heard someone whisstling at one point- or perhaps it was a kind of woodwind instrument. Like #6, it started with one intrument, and the othes joined in shortly. I like the texture of this one the most- I like the way it blends. If this makes sense, it sounded like it has a “thick” texture. There is also something about this selection that makes it sound like music people may play before an event. It is sounds happy and sets a scene for a concert or gathering of some sort.

Adhan (Call to Prayer) in Egypt, Music in Egypt

As I listened closely to this selection of music for an extended period of time, I became quite emotional. The emotion I felt was gradual, and somewhat surprising. It seemed like the song, although I had no idea what the voice was actually saying, was about difficult times that people face. It resurfaced the tough and ironic aspects of my own life, forcing me to look inward. It made me want to be honest with myself and others. I felt an overwhelming sense of realness, authenticity, and honesty.  The ornaments throughout had an intricate quality to the piece, and the silences were just as significant as the parts that were not silent. When I fist started listening, I was a bit on edge, trying to anticipate when the voice would reintroduce itself. It was even a bit frightening, making me think back longingly to the moments that were  filled with musical sounds. But as time passed, I found myself attaching value to the silences. Somewhat perverse at first, I realized that these spaces contribute to the perceived character of the piece itself. I don’t know if this selection is regarded as music to the performer and/or audience, but I felt that the importance of silence within the music enabled me to hear the sounds- ultimately serving the sounds, the music. I kind of think of silence as a special moment, since does not always become so apparent.