Nick’s CMUS 103 Blog

One of the first things I noticed about this piece (’Tarkas of the Huata Community’) is that there is very little individual elaboration. There is a melody that one flute plays and the rest of the flutes harmonize to it with the drums keeping a very steady beat. It seems as if there is little variation throughout the piece as well. As a Latin American Studies and History major I have studied the indigenous peoples of South America a little bit and one of my thoughts about this music is that the reason behind the apparent lack of individuality in this piece is the exceptionally strong sense of community that permeates throughout the indigenous peoples of the Andes. Community ties are extremely important to these peoples and the music could represent the community moving as one – anyone can do anyone else’s role -  than each person having their own role. By creating this sense of equality I feel that community bonds can be strengthened.

One of the most striking things I noticed about the series of songs that we listened to while studying the Mandé was the contrast between some of the more traditional songs versus the songs in a more modern style. While ‘Lambango’, ‘Ala lake (kora)’, and ‘Saheli yeri’ all sound more traditional, the production and sounds of ‘Sada Diallo’ and ‘Pirates’ lead me to see these songs as more modern. There is more use of electric instruments and amplification in the latter two tracks although they both maintain many of the lyrical and melodic qualities of the more “traditional” songs.

In an increasingly globalized environment where even consumers in Third World countries such as the ones the Mandé people inhabit, Western music is a growing presence, which could indicate that the music of the Mandé people is taking on these modern qualities to compete, in a sense, with Western music or to give it some appeal to a younger generation. While some could consider this a sort of selling out, there can be another argument made that this is the natural evolution of the music and that it is adpating new musical qualities that the Mandé have come into contact with.

I noticed that alot of pieces were similar, the first obvious point being that the principle sounds in the music are created by the human voice. Although there were drums in ‘Makala’ and what sounded like clapping in ‘Ejengi Ceremony’, those percussive sounds solely existed to keep the rhythm of the piece. This was crucial however, as many of the pieces seemed very chaotic. This is interesting since in the liner notes for Music of the Ituri Forest the author mentions that drums were never made but only used if they could be stolen from neighboring peoples. Despite the chaotic sounds there always seemed to be a leader or consistent background singing in addition to the percussion that helped to keep the piece in time and organized.

The liner notes also mention that words are unimportant here but what really matters is the texture and tone of the music. The is interesting largely because many of us were raised to believe that words have alot of meaning in music. In a way though, it also raises many similarities to Western music. It shows that tones and textures play a crucial role in establishing the meaning of the piece and that certain tones and certain textures evoke certain feelings, which harks back to the discussion on icons and indices that we had earlier in the year. Of course tone and texture mean alot in many different forms of music, but here it is clearly placed at the forefront.

One of the first things I noticed while reading about gamelan beleganjur was its processional nature. In other words, it is a style of music designed to be played on the move, which I think vastly separates it from many other types of music including most of the other gamelan styles that we have studied. The fact that the music is mobile limits to a certain extent what instruments can be used though on the other hand provides opportunities for new instruments to emerge and play more prominent roles. For one, the instrumentation varies greatly from the other styles we have studied. Cymbals play a prominent role and help serve to indicate changes of tempo and rhythm though their monotone nature means they still don’t hold a role in composing the melody. Another thought I had about the more mobile nature of Balinese gamelan is that it provides a different way by which the musicians can express themselves physically. Although we can’t see this in the recordings we listen to,  it strikes me as somewhat similar to Western marching bands where the movement of the musicians is an important aspect of the music. One other prominent difference I noticed in the Balinese style, aside from the fairly apparent difference in time (eight beats in the Balinese style) was the style of the gong-playing. In the Balinese style it seemed to be a lot more stiff – the notes were not allowed to ring out as much. This is a bit strange to me since I would initially think that the notes would ring out more in a processional sort of style. This was not discussed on the website and I wonder what the reason for this might be.

To me, this music seemed a bit more complex than the other types of gamelan we studied. The interlocking rhythms and combination of loud and soft styles in the same pieces were just two examples of the complexity of the Balinese style. Furthermore, the changes in tempo and volume add another layer of complexity to the music. That being said, it is important to consider that complexity does not always mean better music. Although I would say that if I had to choose between Balinese and the other styles of music we have studied I would choose Balinese style, I feel that all the styles of music are the way they are for a reason.

One last thing of note has more to do with the approach to learning about this style of music and that is the fact that we were able to see videos to accompany each section we read on the website. Seeing the music being performed introduces a whole new dimension to the learning process as we actually see what the instruments look like and how the people playing the instruments move and react with/to the music.

Throughout the five gamelan pieces that are part of this week’s listening there are a number of similarities that become apparent fairly quickly. For one, the pieces are what we might consider more laid back than the talempong that we listened to last week. By that I mean there are softer tones and the pieces are often played at a slower tempo, though not always, as “Music for wayang” has a slightly faster tempo than the rest. What I like about this is that it really gives the listener a chance to get into the music and consider every aspect of it. I also found the music very relaxing and easy to listen to, something I would say is influenced by the above qualities. Another thing I noticed is that the human voice features much more often in these pieces. Although instrumental music can be very beautiful and fulfilling, the addition of a human voice to certain pieces gives them a personality that other instruments just can’t match. With the human voice in the picture you really get the sense that there is human intent and conception behind this music. (Not that instrumental music doesn’t have those things, but to me the human intent is more readily apparent in vocal music.) Yet another contrast with the talempong music from last week is that although the musicians seem to be using similar bell/gong-type instruments they are played in a very different style, as I mentioned earlier. To me this indicates diversity of music and cultures found in Indonesia and the isolating effect that islands can have on various peoples. On the other hand, the fact that the instruments are similar to begin with indicates a sort of commonality, perhaps largely based on climate and thus the materials the instruments are made of, but also on the ineteractions between different groups of peoples that is now possible in today’s world.

This is really cool!