Week 5

Title of piece: No name

Performers: Highlands Elementary World Drumming Ensemble

Origin: Africa

Orchestration: Tubano hand drums


In the reading for Creating World Music, I have found this piece performed by these elementary school students.  This took place during an art festival.  This group consists of approximately 23 students who are led by their music teacher Emmanuel Fergile.  These students are playing modernized authentic african drums.  Also, they are playing rhythms and styles that would be found in African music.  I enjoyed how through their playing, you can sense that they have been educated and understand the concepts of the drumming patterns.  There are unison parts that are being played and then followed by clapping.  During the clapping, students are taking short solos, which are being "improvised".  Improvisation is also talked about in the reading for creating music.  The energy that is passed along is phenomenal.  Towards the end, hand signals are used just as we do today for dynamic crescendos and decrescendos.  Finally, one last trigger rhythm is played and a unison hit to end the piece.  It was fun and enjoyable to watch these students have fun with playing different "World Music".  

Week 4

Title of piece: Interpretation of Fanga

Performers: Babatunde Olatunji and two other unnamed performers

Origin: Africa

Orchestration: Various djembes, agogo bells, African drum, conga, various other drums

With the topic of authenticity this week, I decided to choose African hand-drumming.  Since I am a percussionist, African drumming is something that I like to touch on with my students.  This past year, I educated my percussionists in this area during their recess time.  In this video, there are many aspects of authenticity.  It stems from the authentic percussive instruments to the technic used and the culture that is held behind the music.  Babatunde was a drummer from Nigeria who was also also an educator, social activist, and recording artist.  Listening to this piece, you can feel the groove that is set into place and how you feel the authentic African underlying rhythms and beats.

Week 3

Title of piece: Joropo quitapesares

Performers: Cimarrón

Origin: Colombia

Orchestration: Maracas, Cajon, Harp, String bass, Cuatro, Tenor guitar

Cimarrón is a Grammy-Nomiated group, which consists of singers, dancers, and instrumentalists from Colombia.  The word Cimarrón means wild bull.  This music is performed at a fast/brisk tempo, which is pushed by maracas, percussive strings, and singers.  This "música llanera" which means plains music is some of the best music being brought out of South America.  

In this music, many musical things are happening.  First, it begins with a strong unison entrance.  This grabs the attention of the audience right from the beginning.  Heterophony definitely has a strong presence in this music.  A number of instrumentalists take a solo, and put a variation on the melodies that are played.  Also, the solo that are being played, are being improvised (I am sure).  With the form of soloing, there has to be an intra-ensemble interaction between the players.  Just as in jazz in the United States, the players use eye-contact or hand-symbols to bring a solo to an end or to begin at a certain section.  The pitch of the instruments are high, and I feel that helps to work with the fast paced tempo.  The timbre of the maracas and the cajon help to provide that driving tempo.  They are subtle with the right amount of emphasis.  The "percussiveness" of the strings really interlock between one another.  Also, there are some notes that may not sound exactly pleasing to everyone's ear, but in this culture, this may be considered correct.  Unfortunately, not in this piece, but others by this group include vocals and dancers.  This would also connect to music and movement.  

Week 2

Title: Colors of Indian Culture (combination of different folk pieces and dances)

Performers: Various folk artists

Culture/Origin: India

Orchestration: Use of different flutes, reeded instruments, and percussive instruments.  Some are, Shehnai, Bansuri, Nadaswaram, Harmonium, Khol, Maddale, Mridangam, Ankle bells

Throughout the various performances, various instruments were heard and used.  The music and dance is mainly driven by the use of percussion instruments.  Many instruments seen and heard are related to instruments that we are familiar with in our own culture.  The use of flutes, reeded instruments, organ (which is hand-pumped-harmonium), and percussion instruments are similar to what we use in orchestrations in the United States and in other cultures of the world.  Also, different rhythms are used in the different pieces that were played.  Most of these interlock with one another to create a cohesive bond of rhythm.  The coordination between the dancers and musicians seems as if they are connected.