Music from Planet Earth

Transcription

1 Music from Planet Earth Music from Planet Earth, page 1

2 What s in This Section 97 short musical examples from all over the world, showing the range and variety of human musicmaking on the Earth. Introduction How to Use Music from Planet Earth CD & Track Title Disk 7 1 Drum ensemble (The Gambia) 2 Yatsuhashi Kengyo, "Confusion" for koto (Japan) 3 Opera Scene (Italy) 4 Balalaika trio: Where Are You? (Russia) 5 Hula Chant (USA) 6 Mariachi: El Pasajero (Mexico/USA) 7 Queen's Birthday Song (Vietnam) 8 Mbube men's chorus (South Africa) 9 Fiddle dance music (Norway) 10 Yaqui Pascola music (USA) 11 Game of Pairs (Hungary) 12 Love song from Rhodope (Bulgaria) 13 Lightnin Hopkins, Trouble Stay Way from My Door (USA) 14 Buddhist chant (Tibet) 15 Tibetan horns (Tibet) 16 Yoruba wedding music (Benin) 17 W. A. Mozart, Piano Concerto #23 (Austria) 18 Muslim song (Bosnia) 19 Fragrance of Rhythm (USA) 20 Folk song: Dear God Who Knows (Morocco) 21 Burmese Royal Processional (Myanmar) 22 Antoinetten-Polka (Austria) 23 Song of praise to Krishna (India) 24 Gobi Desert love song (Mongolia) 25 Song to Cecilia (Philippines) orchestra music (Austria) 27 Song from the Middle Ages (Germany) 28 Imitating Indonesian music (Canada/Bali) 29 Balinese Gamelan Gong (Indonesia) 30 Hebrew chant (Israel) 31 Sofia Gubaidulina, Silenzio (Russia) 32 Gospel song: Who'll Be a Witness? (USA) 33 Panpipes: Merry Youngsters (Bolivia) Disk 8 1 Afro-Cuban dance music (Cuba) 2 Dance music with bagpipes (Ireland) 3 Dance music with gongs (Philippines) 4 Xylophone (Senegal) 5 One-string harp (Cambodia) Music from Planet Earth, page 2

3 6 Bach organ chorale (Germany) 7 Shona mbira group (Zimbabwe) piano music (France) 9 Minstrel's mystic song (Turkey) 10 Gospel singing: I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say (USA) 11 Gong orchestra (Thailand) 12 Hildegard of Bingen, O Euchari (Germany) 13 Gypsy song with fiddle (Romania) 14 Buddhist drums (Vietnam) 15 Tamburitza orchestra (Croatia) 16 When the Saints Go Marching In (USA) 17 Beethoven's Ninth (Germany) 18 Wedding music (China) 19 Kang Te-hong, Kayagum music (Korea) 20 Flamenco singing (Spain) 21 Panpipes, flutes, and guitar (Peru) 22 Scottish bagpipe band (UK) 23 Comanche Scalp Dance (USA) 24 Polska dance (Sweden) 25 Royal drums (Ghana) 26 Silvestre Revueltas, Sensemaya (Mexico) 27 Koran recitation (Iran) 28 Shaman's music (Vietnam) 29 Gypsy music (Hungary/Romania) 30 Sarangi (India) chamber music (Germany) 32 The Carpenter Bird (Mexico) Disk 9 1 Musette waltz: Pigale (France) 2 Dance music (Tahiti) 3 Renaissance tower music (Germany) 4 Sehtar solo (Iran) 5 Dripsody (Canada) 6 Walkin (USA) 7 Flute and lute (China) 8 Heitor Villa Lobos, The Little Train (Brazil) 9 Veracruz harp ensemble: La Bamba (Mexico) 10 Harpsichord (France) 11 Xylophone orchestra (Mozambique) 12 Klezmer dance music (Eastern Europe) 13 Toru Takemitsu, Toward the Sea (Japan) 14 Vinas (India) 15 Waltz for strings (Russia) 16 Storyteller (Korea) 17 Fado song (Portugal) 18 Goksel Baktagir, Kanun solo (Turkey) 19 Clara Schumann, Toccatina (Germany) 20 Budongo ensemble (Uganda) 21 Zywiec folk dance (Poland) 22 Panpipe orchestra (Solomon Islands) 23 Texas-Mexican: Ballad of a Horse Race (USA) 24 Didgeridoo (Australia) Music from Planet Earth, page 3

4 25 Flute and zither (Indonesia) 26 Russian Dance (Russia) 27 Buddhist singing (Korea) 28 Seven-person marimba (Belize) 29 Fanfare for the Common Man (USA) 30 Song of Welcome (Fiji) 31 Renaissance church music (France) 32 Bouzouki ensemble (Greece) Music from Planet Earth, page 4

5 Introduction Our planet is full of music. In the air birds call; in the deep oceans great whales sing across vast distances; on the ground crickets chirp, wolves howl, and humans, no matter where and how they live, make music of myriad kinds. This is a collection of human music from all over the world. There are enough examples to give an impression of the incredible range and variety of human musicmaking on our planet: lots of different sounds, different forms, different places, different occasions, different reasons for making music. The examples are distributed in both space and time: they come from around the globe and from many different periods of history, from ancient times to right now. We have chosen, from the sources available to us, music that is varied and vivid, while being sufficiently clear and direct for children. We collected different kinds of folk music, religious music from several traditions, and art music or classical music from different parts of the world. Some of this music is meant for listening, some for participating, some is made by people who get paid to make music, some by people whose pay is the music itself. We have given extra space to music from the U.S. (because that s where our young listeners live) and to music from the Euramerican classical tradition (because Naxos, the publisher of Music for Kids, has such riches of that music, which has contributed greatly to the character of American musicmaking.) We have not included popular and commercial music because they are so easily available and already part of most children s experience. There aren t enough examples to demonstrate every kind of music not anywhere near enough! Many, many beautiful and important and wonderful kinds of music are missing. The only container big enough to hold them all is the Earth itself. Therefore, regard this collection not as a guide to Earth s music, but as a glimpse of it. Music from Planet Earth, page 5

6 Sources The music in this section comes from several different record companies and from private collections, and we are grateful for permission to use these recordings in Music for Kids. You can find recordings from these record companies in record stores or order by phone or via the Internet. The labels are: Naxos, NaxosJazz, and Marco Polo Budget-priced classical music and jazz, and full-price recordings of musical rarities. Naxos of America, Inc., 416 May Lindsay Polk Dr., Suite 509, Franklin, TN ; Smithsonian Folkways Smithsonian now owns the fabulous Folkways catalog, as well as producing excellent new recordings of music in many styles from the U.S. and around the world. They sell wonderful albums of folk music for children a great way to introduce American children to their heritage of folk song ; Celestial Harmonies World music on the Black Sun, Kukuck, and Fortuna labels. P.O. Box 30122, Tucson AZ ; New Earth World Music, including a 12-CD series called The Living Tradition Village Pulse Digital recordings of West African music. ARC Music A large catalog of world music CDs, varying from lovely rarities to commercialized exoticism. They offer an inexpensive audio catalog: 6 CDs of 45-second examples. (This is a British company, not to be confused with the U.S. company Arc Music Group.) ARC Music Inc., P.O. Box 2453, Clearwater, Florida ; Field recording by Eugene Rodriguez Music from Planet Earth, page 6

7 Field recordings by Robert Garfias Music from Planet Earth, page 7

8 How to Use Music from Planet Earth What is one to do with all this music? There is no end to the possibilities, but here are a few ideas: Listen without looking. We have had a great time playing these examples for children and friends and asking, Where do you think this is from? Sometimes it s obvious, but sometimes it s hard to say. Listen to a few examples without looking at the book, and just react to the music. Where does it sound like it s from? What do you think it s about? What might be going on around this music? Music for resting time. Play an example or two when it s time for a rest. After playtime, before beginning work, invite children to rest with heads down while listening to music. Listen and discuss. Pick an example, listen to it, and then talk about it together. Invite the children to talk about what they hear and what they feel. Older children might like to speculate about what the music is about, where it s from, or how it fits into its culture. For discussion ideas, see Discussions in the Musical Projects section. Listen and draw. Pick an example, or a few examples, and draw while you listen. Take your time, and listen a few times to the same music. See Drawing Sounds in the Musical Projects section. Connect with other subjects. The music connects to many different aspects of life. The most obvious connection is geographic: if you re studying a country or region, listen to its music. But as you browse through Music from Planet Earth, you might get ideas for other ways to connect. Toru Takemitsu s Toward the Sea (J13) connects with the study of oceans, as does Hugh LeCaine s Dripsody (J5), based on the sound of a drip of water (it would also fit with study of rainfall or the water cycle.) Examples of African music can enrich the study of slavery and other aspects of American history. If it s somebody s birthday, what about G7, the Queen s Birthday Song from Vietnam? As you look through the collection, you ll see connections that make sense for you. Projects. Assign a child or a group of children to find three or four examples that are similar in some way select an order for the examples explain what s similar about them Music from Planet Earth, page 8

9 play them for you (or for the class) Children can do a similar project with three or four examples that are different in some way. See Finding Examples in the the Musical Projects section for more ideas along these lines. Listen in the background. Put one of the CDs on while a quiet activity is happening. Enjoy! If you like, see what music attracts interest or attention. Observe how different music affects the mood in the room. Dance. Move to the music while listening. It doesn t matter whether you re doing a correct dance; get the music into your body. See Freestyle Dancing in How to Use Music for Dancing for more ideas. Use music for special moments. Play an example to start an assembly, to end a day, to celebrate a holiday or birthday, or for marking other moments or special occasions. Use examples to make ordinary activities special: passing papers, lining up, neatening desks, etc. How NOT to use this music Don t try to get the children to memorize information about the music. Don t try to train them to name the country when they hear an example. (This kind of thing is commonly done in college music appreciation classes, but it s not a musical task, and doesn t enhance most people s appreciation.) The purpose of Music from Planet Earth is not to dispense information, it is to give children a chance to soak up the sound of music from many times and places. Children will naturally learn about music they like, without even trying. Most children (and most adults) enjoy learning about things they enjoy, and most people enjoy things more when they learn more about them. But please don t let learning about the music become the main focus. Hearing the music is the main focus. Learning about the music should be a pleasant side-effect of listening to, enjoying, and absorbing the music s sound. Music from Planet Earth, page 9

10 Likes and dislikes Much of this music wll be unfamiliar, and some people s first reaction to unfamiliar music is not to like it. That s perfectly normal. Nobody has to like everything in this collection. But you will find that the same example that a child dismisses on first hearing may, on third or fourth hearing, begin to become familiar, and may eventually become a favorite. The real point, though, is not to make the music likable, but to foster an atmosphere of curiosity about unfamiliar music, openness toward new sounds, and enjoyment of diversity. This means that people have to be able to react honestly to what they hear and feel. It s fine to laugh together at something that sounds weird! But it s also important to remember that the liking and disliking are not in the music, but in the listener. People all over the world love to discuss what music is good and what music is better, and what music is bad. But no music is good or bad by itself. Things can only be good or bad with respect to some set of criteria. Some people talk as though certain kinds of music are inherently better or more valuable than other kinds, but that kind of talk is nonsense unless they say what purpose they have in mind for the music. Music that is bad for dancing may be good for helping people calm down. Music that is good at expressing emotions may please some people while offending others. Some people think that complicated music is better than simple music; other people think the opposite. Usually when people start talking about whether some music is good or bad, they re really talking about what criteria they think are important. Better than evaluating music is to discuss what happens in the music and what happens in the listeners. Asking questions helps: What do you think the people making this music like about this kind of sound? What do you think it means to them? What might they feel when they hear that? What does it mean to you? Does it remind you of something? Background information We give a tiny bit of information about each example, so that you and the children can if you wish know a little about it. This information is for the grownup to read and decide how and whether to share. We give Music from Planet Earth, page 10

11 information that we hope will help a child to place the music in a context: to be able to imagine the occasion for the music or the place where it occurs. Because so many children are fascinated by instruments, we often include something about how they work. We know that giving only a little bit of information can be misleading, particularly when dealing with something as complex as a musical tradition. We apologize for any inadvertent oversimplifications or misrepresentations! If you like an example enough to want to hear more, we have included information to help you track down the original album. Titles The titles of these examples show many different ways to name music. We titled the tracks by style, by composer, by genre, by instruments, by time period, or in some other way. A given example might or might not be known by this title in its native habitat. We titled to educate, too, emphasizing some names of styles, composers, and instruments, while at the same time varying the ways of naming for all styles. What you can t learn here Although each example comes from some tradition, it may or may not depict an average moment in that tradition. Most musical traditions are so huge that one example could never give a decent impression anyway. You can t learn much about symphonies from these brief symphony scraps; you can t learn about Bosnian music from these few seconds; you can t learn about jazz or Japanese music or J.S. Bach from these examples. There s just not enough music here to learn about particular styles or periods or cultures. In addition, learning about music from recordings is always risky. Just as a zoo makes animals easier to see but distorts their behavior by removing them from normal life, a recording removes music from its environment, giving only a partial view of its true nature. The tiger in the zoo looks the same as her cousin in the wild, but she doesn t act the same! There s more to an animal than its appearance, and there s more to music than how it Music from Planet Earth, page 11

12 sounds. (Most of our examples don t even show the whole animal; they are excerpts of longer pieces.) What you can learn here There is not any one thing to be learned from Music from Planet Earth. Like the rest of Music for Kids, these are resources, not lessons. Depending on how the resources are used, children can learn many different things. From listening to these examples one might learn that music is made all over the place, and that people have come up with an astonishing variety of ways to make it. You might learn that there are such things as jazz, opera, P ansori, budongos, and sarangis. You might notice that people sing in more ways than you ever imagined. You might realize that some of the same occasions and impulses that call for music in our country also bring forth music in other parts of the world. You might notice that we humans have a lot in common, and we sure are different from one another. You might even learn that the word music includes a whole lot more than you realized. You might feel pride in what our species has dreamed up. For many people the main thing to be learned here is the enjoyment of experiencing the world s musical diversity. Expanding the collection Many excellent recordings of world music are now available. If you want to hear more of something represented here, or if you want to improve the collection by adding music that is missing, please do! Live music Most cities in the U.S. provide wonderful opportunities to hear music from other parts of the world. Watch for festivals, holidays, and other occasions that bring out your communitiy s musical diversity. Some churches and temples serving particular ethnic or cultural groups present music events as well. Community centers devoted to a particular heritage usually present musical events. Music from Planet Earth, page 12

13 Many performers of all traditions love to visit schools to introduce children to their music. Ensembles from other countries tour the U.S. all the time, bringing highlights of classical and folk traditions. Large groups appear on major concert series, smaller groups play in clubs, churches, social halls, or schools. Watch for performances that you and your child would enjoy. Some radio stations have programs devoted to world music, and these shows and their hosts often provide information on upcoming events. Music from Planet Earth, page 13

14 Notes by Robert Garfias Disk 7 1 Drum ensemble (The Gambia) A group of village musicians from The Gambia, in the westernmost part of Africa, get together and play. Each of the three drummers plays a completely different pattern on his drum, and yet all the patterns fit together to make one rhythm. As with so many musical styles in Africa, it takes years to learn to play this complicated music, but the musicians never practice alone. The music can only be played in a group, because each of the rhythm patterns depends on all the others to make sense. Drums and percussion played by Jaiteh Baldeh, Bokary Jawo, Bokary Dem, Batche Samba Baldeh, Bureh Baldeh, Kumura Maodu, Kobba Ann. Recorded by Adam Novick in The Gambia, From Village Pulse VPU-1004, Amadu Bamba: Drums of the Firdu Fula, track 1, Jarawali. 2 Yatsuhashi Kengyo, "Confusion" for koto (Japan) The koto is a string instrument from Japan. It is a long, flat board, about as long as a very tall person, with 13 silk strings stretched across its length. Each string has a little bridge under it to adjust the tuning. The strings are plucked with little ivory picks attached to the thumb and first two fingers of the right hand. The koto is often played by young ladies, and their playing shows that they have studied hard, because the music must be memorized. This piece is called "Midare," or "Confusion," because it is very hard to memorize. Madame Tomoko Sunazaki, koto. Recorded at Chiku-Shin Studios, Navarro, California, From Celestial Harmonies Fortuna , Tegoto: Japanese Koto Music, track 8, Midare. 3 Opera Scene (Italy) In different parts of the world people have invented different ways to act out stories with music. In the 1500s Italians began to develop a way to combine singing, stories, acting, stagecraft, musical instruments, and poetry into an experience that eventually came to be called opera. By Music from Planet Earth, page 14

15 the 1800s, opera was wildly popular in Europe, with people from many different countries creating and performing new operas. Opera singers and composers became international stars. One of the most successful and famous composers of opera music was Gioachino Rossini ( ). This is the happy ending of his opera Tancredi, which was performed in Venice in 1813, in London in 1820, and in New York in Capella Brugensis (Chorus); Collegium Instrumentale Brugenese; Alberto Zedda, conductor; with Ewa Podles as Tancredi, Stanford Olsen as Argirio, Anna Maria di Micco as Isaura, and Sumi Jo as Amenaide. Recorded at Poissy Theatre and the Centre Musical-Lyrique-Phonographique, Ile de France, January 26 31,1994. From Naxos , Tancredi, track 21, Finale. 4 Balalaika trio: "Where Are You?" (Russia) The Russian balalaika is like a guitar with a triangle-shaped body. It usually has three strings. Here is a group of three Russian musicians who play balalaikas of different sizes so they can play high melody notes and low bass notes and together make this lively tune. Balalaika Ensemble Wolga: Mischa Taschenkow, Nicolai Malinow, and Ivan Nestero. Recorded From ARC EUCD 1377, "Songs from the Taiga: Balalaika Ensemble Wolga, Disk II, track 6, Where Are You? 5 Hula Chant (USA) Sometimes we hear Hawaiian Hula music played on guitars and other instruments, but the old-style hulas, as they were performed before the first Europeans arrived in the 1700s, used mostly singing with a few percussion instruments. There were songs for ceremonies and songs for entertainment. Nowadays people learn these chants at special schools devoted to preserving and passing on Hawaiian traditions. Emily Kau'I-o-Makaweli-ona-lani-o-ka-Mano-o-ka-lani-po-Kukahiwa Zuttermeister, her daughter, Noenoelani Zuttermeister Lewis, and her granddaughter, Hau'oliolanalani Lewis, of Kane'ohe, O'ahu, descendants of the hula pahu tradition of Samuel Pua Ha'aheo, drum and vocal. Recorded in Honolulu, March 4, 1989, by Cine-pic Hawaii. From Smithsonian Folkways SF40015, Hawaiian Drum Dance Chants: Sounds of power in time, Track 5, Aloha e ke kai o kalalau. 6 Mariachi: El Pasajero (Mexico/USA) Music from Planet Earth, page 15

16 The Mariachi is a type of orchestra that originated in southwestern Mexico. The combination of violins, guitars and trumpets gives the Mariachi its special sound. This particular group, Mariachi Cobre, is originally from Tucson, Arizona. They play a traditional song called The Passenger. Mariachi Cobre, violins, trumpets, guitars, vihuela, vocals: Esteban "Steve" Carillo, Miguel Angel Molina, Louis Marinez, Macario"Mack" Ruiz, Pablo Hector Gama, Antonio Hernandez Ruiz, Adolfo Garcia, Israel Galvez Molina, Cristobal "Chris" Figueroa, Roberto Martinez, Francisco Grijalva, Randolfo "Randy" Carillo. Recorded November, 1991 at Starke Lake Studios, Ocoee, Florida. From Celestial Harmonies Kuckuck , Mariachi Cobre, track 9, El Pasajero. 7 Queen's Birthday Song (Vietnam) Before the devastating Vietnam War, there was an enduring and highly developed civilization in Vietnam. The royal court was in what is now central Vietnam, in the city of Hue. There were a number of different orchestras to play music for the entertainment of the court and for many forms of theater. This music is for the birthday of the queen or queen mother, or to congratulate a princess on her wedding. Mrs. La Thi Cam Van: artisitic director; Mr. Nguyen Quoc Ngu, Mr. Tran Dai Dung, Mr. Tran Bo, Mr. Nguyen Tan Hong, Mr. Cao Chanh Giau, Mr. Huynh Anh Tuan, Mr. Duong Van Lan, Mr. Vo Minh Thanh, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Lam, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thanh Binh, Mrs. Tran Thi Nguyet Nga, Mrs. Phan Thi Bach Hac, Mrs. Phan Thi Thu Thuy, Mrs. Phan Thi Bach Hoa, Mrs. Tran Thi Thu Van, and Mrs. Le Thi Dieu Hy. Recorded in Hanoi and Hue, From Celestial Harmonies 13084, The Music of Vietnam: Volume 2, Imperial Court Music Recorded in Hue, track 1, "Mua quat (Fan Dance): To congratulate princesses on their wedding, or queens and queen mothers on their birthdays. 8 Mbube men's chorus (South Africa) The various groups of people in South Africa who speak click languages (languages in which clicking sounds are used), often form themselves into vocal groups. Mbube is a style of singing, and all over South Africa competitions are held between Mbube men's singing groups. This song is about South Africa s President Nelson Mandela. Thulisa Brothers: Mbube Zulu. Recorded in From ARC EUCD-1351, The Spirit of African Gospel, track 1, Akesiyibongeni Leyondoda (a song about President Nelson Mandela). Music from Planet Earth, page 16

17 9 Fiddle dance music (Norway) On long summer evenings in Norway, when the sun does not set until 10 o'clock or later, people in the villages come out to dance to fiddle music. With only one or two fiddlers playing, and with the only rhythmic accompaniment being the tapping of the fiddlers' feet, people dance for hours during the warm summer nights. Hardanger fiddles played by Ken and Jane. Recorded in From ARC EUCD 1056, Lief Sorbye Springdans: Songs & Dance from Norway, track 3, Syndebukken (The Scapegoat): Type of dance with a solemn character and is perhaps of religious origin. 10 Yaqui Pascola music (USA) The Yaqui (YAH-kee) people are Native Americans who live on both sides of the Mexico U.S. border. For many years they bravely resisted pressure from the Spanish, Mexican, and U.S. governments. Many groups of Yaqui live in the Arizona region. One of their important festivals features the Maso, or deer dancer, and the Pascola, a kind of clown. The dancer who is the deer wears a wooden head of a stag on top of his head. He dances nobly and bravely, and always remains dignified. His music is played by a flute and drum. The Pascolas, part of the same ceremony, wear masks on their faces and behave foolishly. When they dance, the noses on their masks wiggle from side to side. The Pascola music is played by the harp and violin, instruments introduced to the Yaqui by the Spanish long ago. Sometimes the Maso (deer dancer) and Pascolas dance at the same time, but the Maso remains dignified, ignoring the antics of the Pascolas. Francisco Molina, violin; Marcelino Valencia, harp. Recorded by Canyon Records, From Smithsonian Folkways SF 40418, Borderlands: From Conjunto to Chicken Scratch, Music from the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and Southern Arizona, track 14, Yaqui Pascola music: San Javielpo Chu'kuy Kawi. 11 Game of Pairs (Hungary) Near the end of his life, Hungarian composer Bela Bartok ( ) moved to the United States. While living in New York, he wrote a marvelous composition for full orchestra called Concerto for Orchestra, taking the title and form of music from composers of 200 years earlier. Music from Planet Earth, page 17

18 Bartok was able to attend the first performance, given by the Boston Symphony in In this excerpt from the Concerto, Bartok has fun with pairs of instruments (he named this part Game of Pairs. ) After a short introduction by a drum, he introduces a melody played by two bassoons, the lowest-sounding of the woodwind instrument family. After the bassoons have finished, two oboes play. Then two clarinets begin to play, next two flutes, and finally two trumpets. BRT Philharmonic Orchestra, Brussels; Alexander Rahbari, conductor. Recorded at the Concert Hall of the Belgian Radio and Television in Brussels, June From Naxos , "Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra/Music For Strings, Percussion and Celesta," track 2, Giuoco delle coppie: Allegretto scherzando. 12 Love song from Rhodope (Bulgaria) In southeastern Bulgaria, near the border with Greece, are the ancient Rhodope Mountains. During harvest time in this region, Bulgarian women enjoy singing together in a special style while working in the fields. They sing this way at other times, too, singing different notes that are quite close together. They say that the notes sound to them like the ringing of bells. Women s Chorus of Folk-music Ensemble, Bulgarian Radio-Television; Dimitar Dinev, director. Recorded by Deben Bhattacharya in Sofia, October From New Earth NE , Roots: Traditional Music On Love, Life and Nature, track 7, Love Song from Rodop, South Bulgarian region. 13 Lightnin Hopkins, Trouble Stay Way from My Door (USA) In the southeastern United States in the 1900s, African-American musicians evolved a new kind of music that came to be called the blues. The blues is both a style of music and a form a set pattern of harmony and rhythm. There were hundreds of old-style country blues singers throughout the South, and each of them had his or her own repertoire of blues songs and a unique style of playing. Many of them, such as the famous Lightnin Hopkins heard here, had a direct influence on the development of the new popular music that came to be known as rock. Sam Lightnin Hopkins, guitar and voice. Recorded at 2803 Hadley Street, Houston, Texas, January 16, 1959, by Samuel B. Charters. From Smithsonian Folkways SF 40019, Lightnin Hopkins, track 4, Trouble Stay Way from My Door. Music from Planet Earth, page 18

19 14 Buddhist chant (Tibet) The monks of Tibet devote their lives to work, prayer and meditation. Many times a day they sing sacred Buddhist scriptures. When they sing they not only focus on the melody and the words, but they also try to make their voices resonate to the holy words so that they feel that their entire bodies are part of the prayer as they sing. When dozens of monks in a Tibetan monastery all chant together, their voices create a great buzzing, droning sound that is both haunting and thrilling. Since the Chinese took control of Tibet, many Tibetans have moved to India, where they have established monasteries and other institutions to carry on Tibetan traditions. Monks of the Dip Tse Chok Ling Monastery; Venerable Tashi Gyaltsen, Director; Ven. Kalsang, Abbot; Ven. Thupten Nyandak, Assistant Director; Ven. Tenzin Dhondup, Ven. Tenzin Wangdu, Thupten Samphel, Thupten Gyaltsen, and Thupten Sephel. Recorded at Dip Tse Chok Ling Monastery School, Dharamsala, India, From Celestial Harmonies , Sacred Ceremonies: Ritual Music of Tibetan Buddhism, Monks of the Dip Tse Chok Ling Monastery, Dharamsala, track 3, The Praises for Guyashamaya (Sangva Duva). 15 Tibetan horns (Tibet) In Tibetan monasteries instruments sound for important ceremonial events and at particular times of day. Often these instruments can be heard along with the singing of chants. Many times, however, the instruments are heard alone. In this example we can hear two different instruments, the long metal trumpet called dung-chen and the oboe-like gye-ling. The dung-chen is over six feet long; the player buzzes his lips into the mouthpiece to produce a sound like a gigantic, deep, buzzing trumpet. The gye-ling is a smaller instrument with a double reed (like the oboe), and it produces a more melodic sound than the dung-chen. The sounds of these instruments blend well with the chanting of monks (heard in the previous example). Monks of the Dip Tse Chok Ling Monastery and Thupten Samphel, Thupten Gyaltsen, and Thupten Sephel. Recorded at Dip Tse Chok Ling Monastery School, Dharamsala, India, From Celestial Harmonies , Sacred Ceremonies: Ritual Music of Tibetan Buddhism, Monks of the Dip Tse Chok Ling Monastery, Dharamsala, track 5, Traditional Composition for Gya Ling & Dung Chen. Music from Planet Earth, page 19

20 16 Yoruba wedding music (Benin) The Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria and Benin live in a coastal region of West Africa with an abundance of trees. Many of these trees are made into drums for many different types of drum bands. There are religious drum bands of different types, drum bands for dancing, and popular street bands. Many Yoruba drums and drumming styles were brought to the New World by slaves, and these became the basis for much African-American drumming, particularly in styles from Cuba, Haiti, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, and the Dominican Republic. One Yoruba drum that did not come to the New World is the dundun, the pressure drum. The dundun is shaped like an hourglass, with a drum head at each end and laces stretching from one head to the other. The player holds the drum under his arm and plays one end of the drum with a curved stick. By pressing down with his arm the player can tighten the laces, causing the sound of the drum to go up. In this way the drummer can imitate the upand-down pattern of Yoruba speech. This band of dundun drummers is playing music for a wedding. They are also talking with their drums, telling stories and sending the wedding couple messages of good will. Dundun Ensemble from Adjarra. Recorded by Marcos Branda Lacerda, From Smithsonian Folkways SF 40440, Yoruba Drums from Benin, West Africa, track 12, Esikesi (for wedding). 17 Mozart piano concerto (Austria) As a child Wofgang Amadeus Mozart (MOH-tsart) ( ) toured Europe with his sister and father, astonishing musicians and royalty of many countries with his keyboard playing, violin playing, and ability to improvise and compose. By the end of his life he was known throughout Europe as an extraordinary composer. Music seemed to flow from his wonderful imagination. He not only composed hundreds and hundreds of compositions of many kinds, but he always found ways to make the music intriguing and clever without ever losing its natural flow. Musicians still perform his music very often. Mozart lived at a time when most music was expected to be entertaining, to be light and gay, and Mozart's music reflects this very well, although he could also write music that had a dark or serious mood. This short example sparkles and is filled with delightful little musical surprises. It is the ending of a piano concerto (cone-chair-toe) from 1786, a piece for piano and orchestra in which the pianist is the star. Mozart wrote the piano part for himself to play. Music from Planet Earth, page 20

21 Related examples: piano, H8; solo with orchestra, J13. Jeno Jando, piano; Concentus Hungaricus; Matyas Antal, conductor. Recorded at the Italian Institute in Budapest, September 28 October 17, From Naxos , Mozart, Complete Piano Concertos Volume 4, Nos. 23 & 24, track 3, [Piano Concerto #23, third movement] Allegro assai. 18 Muslim song (Bosnia) In 1918 a new country was created from parts of the collapsed Austro- Hungarian Empire. That country, Yugoslavia, has now been divided into many separate parts: Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Macedonia, and Bosnia. Many of these peoples speak similar languages and share the same basic culture. The biggest division between them is their different religions: Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Islam. There are many Muslims in these areas, and many are concentrated in Bosnia, where they were the victims of much of the recent strife. This example is a mountain song from Bosnia. The singing style is used to resonate through the mountains; the singers can hear each other across great distances. Sung by Safet Elezovic, Muhamed Elezovic and Zejnil Maslesa. Recorded by Mirjana Lausevic, Gornji Lukomir, Mount Bjelasnica, Bosnia, August 6, From Smithsonian SF 40407, "Bosnia, Echoes from an Endangered World," track 6, "Ganga: Sto becara u srce udara?'" G19 Fragrance of Rhythm (USA) Jazz is an art form invented in America, and now it is played and enjoyed all over the world. There are many different styles of jazz, but usually a jazz piece has some parts that are composed in advance and other parts that are made up on the spot. Improvisation composing music as you perform it is important in many of the world's musics, and it is central to most kinds of jazz. In this example, the players begin with a melody called Fragrance of Rhythm (I Smell Rhythm), written by the group s guitar player, Jamie Findlay. (Jazz players love to write new songs and improvise over the harmonies from George Gershwin s famous song I Got Rhythm. ) After they play the tune, each musician takes a turn to improvise over the accompaniment for that melody. As they improvise, the musicians explore the musical possibilities in the mood, harmonies, and rhythms that underlie the melody. Some people say that jazz is the most democratic form of music, because the musicians, in order to create the music together while they perform, have to listen to each other carefully and give each other room to speak. Music from Planet Earth, page 21

22 Related examples: Jazz, H16, J6 Jamie Findlay, guitar; David Sills, saxophone; Zac Matthews, bass; Dean Koba, drums. Album recorded at MI Studios, Hollywood, CA, March 15 and May 27 29, From NaxosJazz , Acoustic Jazz Quartet, track 10, Fragrance of Rhythm (I Smell Rhythm). 20 Folk song: Dear God Who Knows (Morocco) In Morocco there are two important cultural strains, the Arabic and the Berber. The Berber people lived in Morocco for many, many years before the coming of the Arab peoples and still live concentrated in the mountainous areas of the country. Today the culture of Morocco has these two cultural groups, and much of what is Moroccan mixes the two. This folk song is both Arabic and Berber in style and instrumentation. The Arabic lute called the ud (pronounced ood ) begins playing in a fast, rolling Moroccan rhythm, and the lead singer and the chorus of male singers exchange lines of singing. The rhythm is beaten with large Moroccan tambourines called bendir, which have tiny cymbals attached that ring as they are played. Chalf Hassan, leader; Chalf Mohammed, Aziz Mohammed, Hossam Ramzy. Recorded at ARC Studio, Sussex, and Red Fort Studios, Southall, From ARC EUCD 1170, Chalf Hassan: Songs & Dances From Morocco, track 2, El- Alim Yal-Alim (Dear God Who Knows). 21 Burmese Royal Processional (Myanmar) In the days of the kings of Burma, whenever the king would enter or leave the palace, the great drums would be played. Nowadays in the theater, whenever a play depicts the actions of the king, the great royal drums join the orchestra of drums, gongs, and reed instruments. Then the audience knows that the story has to do with the king, or that something is happening in the royal palace. Hsaing (drum and gong ensemble) of U Chit Ti (the group s leader). Recorded by Robert Garfias in Rangoon, Myanmar, Antoinetten-Polka (Austria) Near the city of Vienna in Austria, in the fall when newly-made wine is ready for drinking, people like to go off into the nearby countryside to Music from Planet Earth, page 22

23 enjoy the new wine. There little bands made up of a small, high-pitched clarinet, a guitar, and violins, play special music that is much like the famous old waltzes and polkas of Vienna. Harald Huemer and Reinhold Rung, violins; Gerald Grünbacher, G-clarinet; Heinz Hromada, bass guitar. Recorded at Studio 1 of Opus Records, December 10 11, From Naxos , Music From Old Vienna, track 11, Antoinetten-Polka. 23 Song of praise to Krishna (India) In Bombay in Northern India, a group sings praises to Kishna, a manifestation of god. This song is in a melodic system, or raga, called Yaman. Different ragas are used at different times of day and different times of year, and Yaman is supposed to be sung only at night. Kashinath Pandit and group. Recorded by Deben Bhattacharya in Bombay, India, December From New Earth NE , Devotion: Music and Chants from Great Religions, track 16, Naman and Namagajar. Songs of praise and dedication to Krishna in Marathi. 24 Gobi Desert love song (Mongolia) In the grassy plains of Mongolia live a number of different peoples. These are the great horsemen, descendants of the great Genghis Khan, who hundreds of years ago conquered most of Asia, going as far as Europe. Here a young woman sings a song of the nomad people who follow their flocks and graze their horses. The song is about the brown eagle. Sung by Weze Nar; horse-headed fiddle played by Bai-er. Recorded by Deben Bhattacharya in Hailer, October From New Earth NE , Roots: Traditional Music On Love, Life and Nature, track 12, Brown eagle, love song of the nomadic Ounkha tribe of the Gobi Desert." 25 Song to Cecilia (Philippines) In a small city in the very northern part of the Philippine Islands, a young woman sang this song, accompanied by her friend who played guitar and sang. The song is dedicated to a girl, Cecilia, whose brother died. Dolly Manuel and Boy Laso. Recorded by Robert Garfias in Laoag, Ilocos Norte, Philippines, Music from Planet Earth, page 23

24 orchestra music (Austria) In many parts of the world people play instruments in large groups. In Europe, a group of string instruments with more than one player on each part came to be called an orchestra (OR-kess-trah). Sometimes other instruments joined the strings: keyboard, harp, woodwinds, brasses, or percussionists. In addition to playing music for listening, orchestras also played for religious services, celebrations, ballets, operas, social dancing, and other forms of entertainment. Over time orchestras grew in size, until by 1900 composers were writing music for huge orchestras of 80 or 100 musicians, or even more. (Nowadays the word orchestra is used to describe all sorts of big groups of instruments: African xylophone ochestras, Indonesian gong orchestras, marimba orchestras, etc.) One important type of orchestral music was the symphony (SIM-foh-nee), usually a long piece in several sections, exploring, developing, and transforming different emotions and musical energies. Some symphonies had words or stories, but most were purely musical adventures. The Austrian composer and conductor Gustav Mahler ( ) composed nine huge symphonies and much of a tenth. Mahler's use of the many sounds of the orchestra to express complex human emotions is considered one of the highest points in orchestral music. In this example from his 5th Symphony (1902) you can hear orchestral excitement and a change from one mood to another. Related examples: orchestra, G11, H17, H26, J8, J13, J15, J26, J29. Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra; Antoni Wit, conductor. Recorded at the Concert Hall of the Polish Radio in Katowice, August 16 18, From Naxos , Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 5, track 2, Sturmisch bewegt, mit grosster Vehemenz (Stormy, with the greatest vehemence). 27 Song from the Middle Ages (Germany) This very old German song says: up there on the mountain is a village where there are three pretty girls, one of whom I will marry. The composer, Ludwig Senfl, was a Swiss who worked in Austria and Italy before settling in Germany; he lived from about 1486 to 1542 or Convivium Musicum, Ensemble Villanella, Sven Berger. Recorded at the School of Music and Musicology, Gothenburg, Sweden, May From Naxos , Tugend and Untugend (Virtue and Vice): German Secular Songs and Instrumental Music from the Time of Luther, track 9, Senfl: Dort oben auf dem Berge. Music from Planet Earth, page 24

25 28 Imitating Indonesian music (Canada/Bali) The Canadian-American composer Colin McPhee lived on the Island of Bali in Indonesia for many years. He lived there because he wanted to understand how the Balinese people made such wonderful music. He wrote a very big book that explains Balinese music in detail. Mr. McPhee also composed music, and in this piece he used European instruments like piano and cello to imitate the sound of a Balinese composition, the beginning music for a Balinese shadow puppet play. Ensemble New Music Concerts, Robert Aitken. Recorded in From Naxos , Introduction to Canadian Music/Florilége de la musique canadienne, CD 2, track 7, Colin McPhee: Pemoengkah (orig. from CBC Records MVCD 1057). 29 Balinese Gamelan Gong (Indonesia) Bali is one of the many islands of the country of Indonesia. Bali is unique because music, dance, drama, art, and sculpture play such an important part in the culture. There are hundreds of music and dance clubs. There are many kinds of music: for religious ceremonies, for local occasions, and for plays and dances. There are also many concerts. One kind of Balinese music is played by a large orchestra of gongs of many different sizes. They call this orchestra a gamelan. In this example a gamelan with great gongs plays a kind of overture (a piece for beginning an event). All of the instruments are played in pairs. Each pair of players fits their playing together like two pieces of a puzzle, combining their two instruments to create one part of the music. Gamelan Majuli Agung of Kaymas Kaja. Recorded by Deben Battachayra, Puri Karagasem, Bali, From New Earth NE , Spirit: Classical Traditional Music From Asia, track 8, Tabuh Lelambatan by Gamelan Group named Majuli Agung of Kaymas Kaja. 30 Hebrew chant (Israel) In religious chanting, the words are are more important than the music. Music serves as a support, helping the words to flow and making it easier to remember them. Adding a melody also helps the listener to grasp and remember the message of the text. In this example of Hebrew chant, Music from Planet Earth, page 25

26 even without understanding the words you can feel their power with the help of the music. Related examples: chanting and religious singing, G5, G14, G32, H10, H12, J27, J31. Ashkenazi Jewish prayer sung by Moshe Anshin. Recorded in Jerusalem, June From New Earth NE , Devotion: Music and Chants from Great Religions, track 3, Yismehu. Supplementary Sabbath Prayer in Hebrew. 31 Sofia Gubaidulina, Silenzio (Russia) The Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina seems to use sounds like colors. In this short section of a piece entitled Silence, she puts each note out in space like a color, and balances it with the quiet space around it. She sometimes puts a few notes close together to make a contrast between them. The entire piece sounds like little bursts of color surrounded by spaces of silence. The instruments are a big Russian accordion called a bayan, playing with a violin and a cello (CHEL-low). Maria Kliegel, cello; Esbeth Moser, bayan; Kathrin Rabus, violin. Recorded in Hanover, Germany, August From Naxos , Sofia Gubaidulina: Seven Words Silenzio In Croce, track 4, Silenzio, for bayan, violin, and cello, 3rd movement. 32 Gospel song: Who'll Be a Witness? (USA) Many African-American gospel groups use the call-and-response technique. One singer or one group of singers leads the song with a short call melody, which is answered by a second group giving the response. This technique is found throughout Africa south of the Sahara desert. Sometimes this technique is used to tell stories, with the leader first teaching the response and then going on to tell or sing the story, while the group listens and responds by singing. This technique was important in the earliest African-American spiritual singing, and was adapted in other kinds of African-American religious music and even in African-American popular music. In this example, the leader of the group improvises slightly on the words while the chorus continues the same response. The Golden Gates Quartet. Recorded December 12 and 13, 1992, in Demopolis, Alabama, by the National Public Radio Wade in the Water production team and the Smithsonian Institution. Music from Planet Earth, page 26

27 From Smithsonian Folkways SF 40075, African American Community Gospel: Wade in the Water, track 8, Who'll Be a Witness (for my Lord)? 33 Panpipes: Merry Youngsters (Bolivia) In the central part of South America lies the country of Bolivia. Most of Bolivia is high up in the mountains and is very cold for much of the year. The indigenous people who live here belong to a culture that connects back to the days of the Inca rulers of the ancient Andean highlands, long before the coming of the Spanish conquerors. The panpipes are a very old instrument in this region, where groups of panpipe players play music for religious occasions as well as for popular entertainment. Panpipes are simply many tubes of cane tied together. They come in many different sizes and with various numbers of tubes. To make a sound the player blows across the top of a pipe. In this example the players combine the pipes in a very old manner, producing a sound that suggests the music that might have been heard before the coming of the Spanish. Hery Cortes, Hugo Emilio Blanco, Augustin Portillo, Lucio Melendrez-Tambo, Jose Domingo Cortes. From ARC EUCD 1123, Ukamau: Folkore de Bolivia, track 12, Kusi Huaynas (Merry Youngsters), Carnival Dance and song of the Aymara people. Music from Planet Earth, page 27

28 Disk 8 1 Afro-Cuban dance music (Cuba) Cuban music has had a great influence on the music of the rest of Latin America and also in the United States. From Cuba s unique blend of European and African elements a great many dance and song styles developed, like the mambo, the rumba, the conga, the cha-cha, and the bolero. These styles were taken up elsewhere in Latin America and in the U.S. This example features the famous Afro-Cuban singer Compay Segundo with his band. The melody and harmony are Spanish in origin, but the rhythm and movement derive from Africa. Compay Segundo and Cuarteto Patria: Eliades Ochoa Bustamente, guitar, vocal; Benito Magana, guitar, vocal; Joaquin Emilio Solorzano, percussion; Armando Machado Casaco, bass; Francisco Repilado Munoz, cuatro, vocal. Recorded in Washington, D.C., From Smithsonian Folkways SF 40461, Cuba in Washington, track 11, Ahora Me Da Pena. 2 Dance music with bagpipes (Ireland) Much Irish music is lively and gay, and much of it is intended for dancing. In the old days, dance bands consisted of flutes and fiddles, but gradually the banjo, the guitar, the accordion and even the piano have been added to make the sound fuller. Another old Irish instrument is the Uilleann (ILL-en) pipes. Unlike the bagpipes of Scotland, which have a bag into which the player blows to fill it with air, the Irish pipes are pumped with a bellows attached to the elbow. The Irish pipes also have extra keys for additional harmonic notes to blend with the melody. Here is a lively dance tune played on the pipes, flute, fiddle, and guitar. Sean Talamh: Kieran Fahy, Noel Harris, Michael Horgan and Tommy Keenan. Recorded at Studio Bis, Beaumont, Belgium. From ARC EUCD 1252, Sean Talamh Traditional Irish Music, track 1, Irish pipes. Scholar. 3 Dance music with gongs (Philippines) In the hills of the northern Philippines live a number of different peoples whose social structure is communal. This means that they cooperate with each other, working together to plant and harvest the fields and to build Music from Planet Earth, page 28