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Thailand – Dance

admin — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 01:04:51 +0000

The beauty and elegance of the Cambodian Royal Ballet has to be seen to be believed. The writer Somerset Maugham was fortunate enough to witness a performance at Angkor in the 1920s, and enthused that ‘the beauty of these dances against the dark mystery of the temple made it the most beautiful and unearthly sight imaginable. It was certainly more than worthwhile to have travelled thousands of miles for’. The dancers had an even greater impact on Auguste Rodin, who exclaimed on seeing a performance at Paris in 1906: ‘These Cambodian women have given us everything antiquity could hold. It’s impossible to see human nature reaching such perfection. There is only this and the Greeks’.

It is amazing and incomprehensible, then, that this delicate and sophisticated art form suffered particularly badly under the Khmer Rouge regime. Under the psychopathic Pol Pot–who had relatives at the Royal Ballet and spent some time their in his youth–an attempt was made to destroy the ballet completely, which almost succeeded. Instruments were smashed, costumes and books burned, whilst musicians and dancers were systematically and brutally killed.

Fortunately one or two dancers survived, as did Princess Bupphadevi, a favourite daughter of King Sihanouk, who was in exile in France. In the two decades since the fall of the Khmer Rouge the Royal Ballet has been painstakingly rebuilt, and today performances can be seen at the Hotel Cambodiana and elsewhere as advertised in Phnom Penh. Classical Khmer dance or lamthon as performed by the Royal Ballet bears a striking resemblance to that of the Thai royal court, and indeed the two traditions influenced each other in turn until they have become practically a shared art form. Training takes many years, and sumptuously elaborate costumes and headdresses are worn. It’s a real spectacle that should not be missed. Cambodian masked theatre, known as khaul, is very similar to the Thai khon. Classical dances are often performed depicting incidents from the Buddha birth cycle stories, or Jataka.

Music

Cambodian music flourished in both court and village settings, some associated with specific functions, others with entertainment. In villages weddings are celebrated with kar music, communication with spirits is accompanied by arakk music, and entertainments include ayai repartee singing, chrieng chapey narrative, and yike and basakk theatres. At the court, dance, masked play, shadow play, and religious ceremonies are accompanied by the pinn peat ensemble and entertainment is provided by the mohori ensemble. Temples–urban or rural–often possess a pinn peat ensemble as well, but also a korng skor ensemble for funerals.

Traditional Cambodian music probably reached its zenith during the Angkor period. Carved on the walls of the great temples of Angkor and vicinity are the apsara (celestial dancer) figures along with musical instruments: the pinn (angular harp), korng vung (circular frame gongs), skor yol (suspended barrel drum), chhing (small cymbals), and sralai (quadruple-reed flute). These are believed to have developed into the present pinn peat ensemble used to accompany court dance, masked play, shadow play, and religious ceremonies.

In 1431, Angkor was looted by conquering Siamese armies, abandoned, and overrun by vegetation. The Cambodian king and his court musicians fled. Subsequently the capital was moved to Lovek. Once again, in 1594 Lovek was sacked by the Siamese. Little is known of this period, the most obscure in Cambodian history. This second debacle shocked and weakened the Cambodians. After this Cambodian defeat, music and its functions were deeply affected, and a new style of melancholic and emotional music is said to have emerged. The period from 1796 to 1859 was a period of renaissance for Cambodian music. King Ang Duong, the greatest of the monarchs of this period, ascended the throne in 1841 in the capital of Udong. Under his rule, Cambodian music and other art forms were revived and began to flourish again.

There are two types of traditional orchestra in Cambodia, the all male pip hat and the all female mohori. Both comprise eleven traditional musical instruments. These include stringed instruments, flutes, gongs, xylophones and three-stringed guitars. Music is sometimes accompanied by song, either improvised ballads or more usually formal court chants. At some festivals a traditional orchestra known as phleng pinpeat will give performances of royal court music. Yet another type of orchestra is the phleng khmer, which usually performs at weddings. Popular music has been strongly influenced in recent years by both Thai and Chinese pop culture.

Shadow Puppets

Like the Malay world and southern Thailand, the Cambodians have a tradition of shadow puppetry which they call nang sbaek thom, or ‘shadow plays’. Generally performed during festivals, weddings and funerals, the plays are narrated by actors concealed below the puppet screen. A light behind the screen casts images of the puppets on the screen for the audience to watch. The puppets are made of cow or buffalo hide, and can be very intricate. Siem Reap in the north-west of the country is considered by many the home of this art form.

Bangladesh Folk Music

admin — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 07:12:13 +0000

Folk music may be described as that type of ancient music which springs from the heart of a community, based on their natural style of expression uninfluenced by the rules of classical music and modern popular songs. Any mode or form created by the combination of tune, voice and dance may be described as music. Thus, the combination of folk song, folk dance, and folk tune may be called folk music. For example, baul songs are a combination of tune, music and dance.

Folk music has the following characteristics: (i) It is composed by rural folk on the basis of ancient rules transmitted orally; (ii) These ancient rules of music have not been influenced by classical or modern music; (iii) Folk songs may be sung in groups or individually; (iv) No regular practice is required for folk music; (v) It is composed and performed by illiterate or semi-literate people; (vi) It is a spontaneous expression in easy language, local dialect, and simple tune; (vii) Both words and tune are appealing; (viii) Despite its universal appeal it uses local dialect; (ix) It depends upon nature and the rural environment; (x) It is an explicit manifestation of the joys and sorrows of daily life; (xi) It uses simple and natural rhythms; (xii) It contains a strong emotive expression of human love and separation.

In Bangladesh folk music has great variety, with songs being composed on the culture, festivals, views of life, natural beauty, rivers and rural and riverine life. These songs are also about social inequality and poverty, about the material world and the supernatural. Mystical songs have been composed using the metaphors of rivers and boats. Since the country is basically riverine, the bhatiyali forms and important genre of folk music. Folk music is formed and develops according to the environment. Differences in the natural environment are reflected in the people of the different regions. The dialects too vary across the different regions. Bangladeshi folk music therefore varies from region to region. Thus there are the northern bhawaiya, the eastern Bhatiyali and the southwestern Baul songs.

The culture and the lifestyle of the different tribes have also influenced folk music. Tribes like the Santal, Garo, Hajong, Chakma, Manipuri, Tripuri, Marma etc. have interacted with ethnic Bengali culture and lifestyle over the years. The interaction has been clearly reflected in the richness of folk music.

Folk songs may be sung individually or in chorus. Folk songs sung individually include Baul, Bhatiyali, murshidi, Marfati, while songs sung in chorus include kavigan, leto, alkap and gambhira. Some songs are regional in character, but others are common to both Bangladesh and west bengal. Similarly, some songs belong distinctively to one religious community, Hindu or Muslim others cross religious boundaries. Some songs belong exclusively to men, others to women, while some are sung by both men and women. Thus only women compose and sing vratagan and meyeli git, but both men and women participate in the ‘roof-beating’ songs that are sung while beating down and firming rooftops.

Different folk songs belong to different regions of Bangladesh and West Bengal and are listed below:

Baul and spiritual songs: Birbhum and Kushtia.
Jarigan: Dhaka, Mymensingh, Sylhet, Faridpur, Murshidabad.
Bhawaiya: Cooch Bihar, Rajshahi, Dinajpur, Rangpur, Pabna.
Gambhira: Rajshahi, Malda.
Gajan: West Bengal.
Nil Puja: Bangladesh.
Wedding songs: all regions.
Roof-beating songs: the northern regions of Bangladesh, Birbhum and Bankura in West Bengal.
Sari: the lower marshy regions of Sylhet and Mymensingh.
Bhatiyali: nearly all regions of Bangladesh, the regions of Tripura and Shilchar.
Pastoral songs: Dhaka, Mymensingh, Faridpur, Sylhet, Habiganj.
Vratagan and Meyeli Git: both Bengals.
Bhadu Gan: Bankura, Purulia, southern Birbhum and western Burdwan.

Folk music has a basic style of composition and can be classified into four groups: First, tunes consisting of ‘Sa Ra Ma Pa’, secondly, ‘Sa Ga Ma Pa’, thirdly, ‘Sa Ra Ga Pa’, and fourthly, ‘Sa Ra Ga Ma Pa’. Folk music strictly follows this pattern which is followed only in classical music. Suresh Chandra Chakraborty has observed two aspects of folk songs such as: (i) lyric songs such as Bhatiyali, Baul etc, and (ii) songs like Bhater Gan which cannot even be properly termed as poetry. All folk songs in the world usually involve the pentatonic scale, which is found in Bangla folk songs as well as in Santal and Garo-Hajang songs.

The folk music of Bangladesh is different from other music not only because of its distinctive mode but also because of the richness of its seventh note. Apart from its tunes, Bangla folk music is also distinct in its rhythm. Many of the ragas in the classical tradition like Abher, Saveri, Malavi, Kanadi, Pahadi, Madh and Vangal have been named after folk music. Classical ragas like Jhinjhit, Desh, Bhairavi, Bhupali, Vibhas etc resemble Bhatiyali which involves the use of a tune belonging to classical tunes such as Khamvaj and Pilu. Quite often it is similar to classical ragas like Bhimpalashri and Patadip. With regard to its style, Bhatiyali comes close to the classical tunes of Khamvaj and Kafi. The traces of Khamvaj or Pilu are also found in the Jhumur. Baul songs resemble the musical ragas of Vehag, Khamvaj, Bhairavi, Vilaval etc. In some folk songs both Bhimpalasri and Khamvaj ragas may be noticed. Two modes of Jhinjhit have been recognised. The first goes only up to the seventh pitch of Dhaivat in classical music. In the second the scale is as follows: Sa Ra Ma/ Pa Ma Ga Ra Sa Na Dha Pa/ Pa Dha Sa Ra Ga Ma Ga/ Dha Sa. In folk music Jhinjhit varies slightly: Sa Ra Ma/ Pa Ma Ga Ra Sa Na Dha/ Dha Sa Sa Ra Ga, Ra Ga Ma.

It should be remembered that in most folk songs the tune of the constant stave and the middle staves is nearly identical. For example, the first few lines of a famous song composed by Gagan Harkara, ami kothay pabo tare/ amar maner manus ye re (Where shall I find him, the man after my heart?), illustrates the use of seven pure notes and sometimes the use of soft melody. The tune mostly used in the Bhatiyali, called Kashauli Jhinjhit, is as follows: Sa Ra Ma, Pa Ma Ga Dha Sa Na Dha, Dha Sa Sa Ra Ga, Ra Ga Sa.

Music of Bangladesh Folk Music of India

admin — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 08:05:28 +0000

Bangladesh has a very rich musical heritage since music has always played an important role in the lives of the people. In ancient times, song was usually linked to prayer and this can still be seen somewhat today in the singing of folksongs which often praise certain gods and their creation. Over time new influences where introduced and musical styles changed. Musical development was better than many other spheres of life because such development was often well patronized by the rulers of the time. Today Bangladesh music is varied and distinctive.

Generally speaking, Bangladesh music can be categorized into a number of genres. The main genres are: classical music, rabindra sangeet, nazrul geeti, folk songs, adhunik gaan and modern music with western influences. Each of these categories is very broad and can incorporate a number of different styles and musical movements. The most distinguishable characteristic of Classical music is that it is based on raqas modes. Rabindra sangeet is more often characterised by the words used which are usually either prayer songs, love songs, seasonal songs or patriotic songs. All rabindra sangeet music has a theme of philosophy and love and often they incorporate masterful poetry

Nazrul geeti is more easily classified because all musical works in this genre incorporate the works of Kazi Nazrul Islam, one of the country’s national poets and a major revolutionist. The style tends to incorporate revolutionary thoughts as well as spiritual and philosophical themes. Most folk songs relate the particular lifestyles of various types of people such as hermits, fishermen and cart drivers. They have survived from generation to generation and often include words of worship to various Bengali gods.

Adhunik gaan is basically a genre of more modern music which is often loosely categorised by the area where it originated. The style started to emerge just before the revolution and is stylistically simple so that anyone – including the uneducated – can appreciate its worth. While these songs are still called ‘Adhunik gaan’ which means ‘modern songs’ many of them are now quite old. Despite the emergence of newer styles of music, Adhunik gaan is still one of the most popular music styles amongst middle-class Bangladeshi families today.

In the late 80s, new demands were being made on music that current music could not meet. A more western influence started to be exerted on musicians which lead to the emergence of a number of artists who chose to lean more towards world-wide trends. Pop and rock took the country’s youth by storm and are still being enjoyed today. Some mainstream rock has made its way to radio stations and cd shops in Bangladesh while a large underground rock movement also exists.

If you go to Bangladesh, you will soon encounter all sorts of musical sounds. One may sound completely different from the other, but they all share the common thread of having a massive impact on the lives of the people of Bangladesh. Make sure that you listen to some Bangladesh music when you’re next in the country.

Bhutan Music

admin — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 02:16:46 +0000

Musicians in LadakhThe music of Tibet reflects the cultural heritage of the trans-Himalayan region, centered in Tibet but also known wherever ethnic Tibetan groups are found in India, Bhutan, Nepal and further abroad. First and foremost Tibetan music is religious music, reflecting the profound influence of Tibetan Buddhism on the culture.

Chanting

Tibetan music often involves chanting in Tibetan or Sanskrit, as an integral part of the religion. These chants are complex, often recitations of sacred texts or in celebration of various festivals. Yang chanting, performed without metrical timing, is accompanied by resonant drums and low, sustained syllables. Other styles include those unique to the various schools of Tibetan Buddhism, such as the classical music of the popular Gelugpa school, and the romantic music of the Nyingmapa, Sakyapa and Kagyupa schools.

Secular Tibetan music has been promoted by organizations like the Dalai Lama’s Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts. This organization specialized in the lhamo, an operatic style, before branching out into other styles, including dance music like toeshey and nangma. Nangma is especially popular in the karaoke bars of the urban center of Tibet, Lhasa. Another form of popular music is the classical gar style, which is performed at rituals and ceremonies. Lu are a type of songs that feature glottal vibrations and high pitches. There are also epic bards who sing of Tibet’s national hero Gesar.

Modern and popular

Tibetan music has had a profound effect on some styles of Western music, especially New Age. Composers like Philip Glass and Henry Eichheim are most well-known for their use of Tibetan elements in their music.[citation needed] The first such fusion was Tibetan Bells, a 1971 release by Nancy Hennings and Henry Wolff. The soundtrack to Kundun, by Philip Glass, has helped to popularize Tibetan music.

Foreign styles of popular music have also had a major impact within Tibet. Indian ghazal and filmi are very popular, as is rock and roll, an American style which has produced Tibetan performers like Rangzen Shonu. Since the relaxation of some laws in the 1980s, Tibetan pop, popularized by the likes of Yadong, Jampa Tsering, 3-member group AJIA, 4-member group Gao Yuan Hong, 5-member group Gao Yuan Feng, and Dechen Shak-Dagsay are well-known, as are the sometimes politicized lyrics of nangma. Gaoyuan Hong in particular has introduced elements of Tibetan language rapping into their singles.

Sri Lanka Music

admin — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 07:21:08 +0000

Sri Lanka is an island of the Southern coast of India. Its population is mostly Sinhalese, as well as minorities of Tamils, Burghers and the last remnants of the Veddas, the forest-dwelling aborigines of Sri Lanka.

The two single biggest influences on Sri Lankan music are from Buddhism and Portuguese colonizers. Buddhism arrived in Sri Lanka after the Buddha’s visit in 300 BC, while the Portuguese arrived in the 15th century, bringing with them cantiga ballads, ukuleles and guitars, along with African slaves, who further diversified the musical roots of the island. These slaves were called kaffrinha, and their dance music was called baila.

Baila originally consisted of vocals with a guitar and handclaps or otherwise improvised percussion. Baila remains at the roots of modern Sri Lankan music, but it now includes electric guitars, synthesizers and other modern developments. Baila stars of the 20th century include Paul Fernando, Desmond de Silva and Voli Bastian.

The earliest stars of Sri Lankan recorded music came from the theater, where the traditional, open-air dramatic culture (kolam or sokari or nadagam) remained the most popular form of entertainment until well into the 20th century. After a drama group called Elphinstone came to Colombo in 1870, Hindustani theatrical forms became dominant. Popular artists included C. Don Bastian, Jayaweera Bandara and John de Silva.

1903′s “Nurthi” is the first recorded music to come out of Sri Lanka, and it was followed by the rise of several Sinhalese stars. Radio Ceylon, which was long a monopoly in Sri Lankan radio, was established in 1925.

In the early 1960s, Indian filmi became the most popular kind of music in Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan stars like Sunil Shantha and Surya Shankar Molligoda became popular in India as well as their homeland, and Radio Ceylon soon found itself with more Indian listeners than Sri Lankan ones. Shantha, Molligoda and other songwriters, most notably Mahagama Sekara, soon kicked off a revolution in Sri Lankan lyricism. This new school of songwriting were deeply poetic and expressed simple concepts, many with nationalist ideas; Ananda Samarakoon, a prominent songwriter of the period, later wrote Sri Lanka’s national anthem.

By the time this revolution in lyricism began, musicians like Mohammed Gauss, Premasiri Kernadasa and W. D. Amaradeva began making a uniquely Sri Lankan variety of filmi music. This was followed, in the mid-1960s, by groups like Las Bambas, Humming Birds and Los Muchachos, who played calypso-style baila. This mixture of Trinidadian calypso with native baila was dominated by groups who took Mexican-derived names, owing, it is said, to a single Mexican group that played in a resort hotel. Later stars included The Moonstones, led by some of the biggest Sri Lankan superstars in history, Annesly Malewana and Clarence Wijewardane. The mid-1960s also saw the popular rise of pure Western-style pop musicians like Gabo & the Breakaways and Minon & the Jet Liners.

The native pop-filmi music dominated the market in Sri Lanka during the late 1960s and early 1970s, but by the end of the decade, Indian film and music again became the best-selling sector of the Sri Lankan music industry.

Music of Bangladesh

admin — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 07:12:39 +0000

Bangladesh Folk Music