Chanda Hai Tu - Sharmila Tagore & Rajesh Khanna - Classic Hindi Song - A...

Title: Chanda Hai Tu

Performers: Singer- Sharmila Tagore, Composer- S.D.  Burman

Culture/Origin: Bollywood/India, Hindi Classic

Orchestration: Female vocals, guitar, string orchestra, bowed strings, hand drum



This is from the 1969 classic Bollywood movie, Aradhana. The translation to the lyrics are as follows:

You are my moon, you are my sun,

Oh, you are the star of my eyes.

I live just by looking at you.

You are solace for this broken heart.

You play different games; you are my toy. . .

To whom every hope of mine is bound.

You're that beautiful dream of mine.

You are so tiny; how beautiful you are!

You are my moon, you are my sun.

Dear, you're very happy; it's your doll's wedding today.

I am devoted to you, I sacrifice my life to you.

Beneath her veil, the doll grows shy. 

Just like this, you will marry too one day.

You'll become a groom; you're a bachelor.

You are my moon, you are my sun.

The east wind flies through the forest; the birds fly through the garden.

God willing, someday when you're big,

You will fly through the sky like a cloud.

Whoever sees you will say,

What mother's darling are you?

You are my moon, you are my sun.



This is a love song and lullaby from a mother to her son. This song is wonderful for children in the culture to grow up singing and acting out. Many girls who are thinking of having their own baby boy one day could sing this to their doll as a lullaby. This affects socialization because it encourages the girls to dream of what it would be like to have a baby boy of their own grow up one day and be his mother. For the boys, this song allows them to fantasize about a mother who truly loves them with all their heart. It provides outlines for what the love between a mother and son might be like in the Hindi culture. Lew and Campbell mention in their article, "Children use play as a vehicle for cultural learning, and their play can serve as an important indicator and reflection of their development" (Lew and Campbell, 58). I believe this cultural playful song would be the cause and effect for developing gender roles for a mother and a son.

TE VAKA - ALAMAGOTO (Live at Apia Park)

Title: Alamagoto



Performer: Te Vaka



Culture or Origin: South Pacific "Fusion" (according to the Te Vaka website (http://www.tevaka.com/) their music is a blend of Tokelau, Tuvalu, Samoa, Cook Islands and New Zealand).



Orchestration: Features the log drum "pate", guitars (electric and acoustic), xylophone, male soloist, female backup singers, modern drum set, tambourine.



I chose this piece because it is so happy and the energy between the performers and the audience is infectious. Te Vaka is a truly authentic, South Pacific Fusion group that is extremely popular in polynesian music. Campbell mentions in the text that there are some beliefs that say a culture should stay close to its source and that all reproductions should preserve and conserve the true nature of the music. Another approach is seen as an "expressionist" way of creating. This is the group that is drawn to a certain style of music because of it's expressive and artistic form. I believe that Te Vaka follows this belief for creating world cultural music beautifully. They have taken what they love from many different south pacific cultures and blended them together to create their polynesian genre. Clearly the people love what they hear the band doing, and you can tell they have a sense of pride for the music that is being created representing their cultures.



The lyrics translated to English for Alamagoto are as follows:

I have seen it with my own eyes

The sun shone so brightly

Making me sing

Soon I was dancing

Overcome with joy

This land this land

Feels so good

I found I found

Warm friends

And companions

I’m familiar with

This land feels so good

So much for me to celebrate

This journey in the new year

So much for me to celebrate

This land where I was born

All sing to celebrate

Alamagoto

All dance to celebrate

Alamagoto

Left this land a long time ago

Much has happened in my life

Never looking back

To where I came from

Still she calls me

To return home

Clearly this piece is a tribute to a land that the composer is extremely proud of. I love the drum break at 3:12 in the piece. The acapella section breaks up the piece nicely following the drum break.



There are many strategies Campell mentions in the text that could be used in teaching this song to a class. There is a definite groove going on between the performers on stage. Groove is one of the strategies mentioned by Campbell. Singers could join in with an improvisational approach. I also think this song lends itself to call and response which is another strategy. The male soloist is the "caller" and the backup singers are the "responders." Using that as a creating music strategy would work well in this context. There are many melodic and rhythmic fragments used throughout the number that instrumentalists and singers can repeat. The motive could be introduced to the students then repeated in many different ways with voices and instruments.



It is interesting how these creative strategies can be used universally among so many different genres and styles of music.

Rafael Vargas - Ne Porâ Che Paraguay

Title of piece: Ne Pora Che Paraguay

Performer: Rafael Vargas
Culture or Orgin: Paraguay/Guarani
Orchestration: Midi instruments- vibe setting on keyboard, trumpets, percussion, bass line, some organ sounds, male vocalist

This piece is  a very interesting number that the Paraguayan people love. The lyrics are performed in a Native American dialect continuum known as Guarani. Guarani is spoken in remote parts of Paraguay, Bolivia, Argentina, and Brazil. Any Paraguayan would know this piece and have a sense of pride for it. The lyrics are essentially about the pride people of Paraguay feel to be from such a beloved, beautiful country. Alhough this dialect is not spoken by all Paraguayans, the song is well-known. This dialect is spoken in the Amazonian Rainforest tribes and is a very unique, ancient dialect.

As far as the authenticity of the piece according to Koops article, I have a few thoughts. The first model of authenticity Koops mentions is the continuum model. This has to do with the way the music is performed in its home setting. I listened to a few more recordings of this piece and I feel that the instrumentation was more authentic because they consisted of real instruments and sounded much more in the style of flamenco guitar with subtle hints of mariachi. Being that this recording used midi instruments, I thought it sounded more like the music you would hear in a video game. The version I have posted here is the most popular version of the song. I find that very interesting. I do feel that this piece was not changed in its integrity of authenticity, so for that I believe the continuum model of authenticity reflects the true nature of this piece.

The second model of authenticity is the twofold historical/personal model. This is with attention to intent, sound, and practice of the original. In this regard, I feel that the authenticity of this piece is lessened due to the fake quality of the instrumentation. Some cultures may love this sound, but the piece seems to have originated with guitar, bass, and live percussion. The fact that this recording consists of midi instruments takes away from the historical authenticity. The problem with this assessment is that I, of course, have no professional knowledge on the historical performance practices of this piece. For all I know, this piece could have originated with midi instruments. The fact that I was able to find some "less popular" versions of the song, have led me to the conclusion that the guitar, bass, and percussion were the original instrumentation of the song.

Koops also lists the threefold model of authenticity which has to do with: reproduction, reality, and relevance. Once again, the authenticity of this recording fails according to reproduction, if it was originally performed on live instruments. According to the reality model, this music does indeed reflect an actual musical practice in the world. The most important of the threefold model is relevance. Relevance has to do with the piece generating individual meaning in the act of music making. In this aspect, this piece is definitely authentic as it does indeed generate individual meaning. 

The last model Koops lists in his article is to move beyond authenticity. This takes the process of verifying authenticity a step further. The teacher should as questions like: "How was the music produced? For whom? By whom? What context? What purpose? With what influences?" (Koops, 26). These questions help to address all of the definitions of authenticity. In asking myself these questions regarding this particular piece I have determined that this piece is extremely authentic and an exceptional example of world cultural listening. Although the instrumentation may be a synthesized, the musical quality of the vocal performance and the passion behind the meaning of the song carry through.

Grupo Revelação - Deixa Acontecer (DVD Ao Vivo No Olimpo)

The title of this piece is: Deixa Acontecer



This group is called: Grupo Revelacao



The origin of this piece is: Brazilian (Portuguese)



The orchestration of this piece is: Vocals (solo and crowd), ukulele, banjo, grindstone, tambourine, guitar, shaker, reco-reco (a samba percussive instrument), piano, drums, and chimes



This group is as Brazilian as it gets. I've been told by friends who have lived in Brazil that Grupo Revelacao is the heart and soul of Brazil when it comes to music.



Here is a link to a page that explains more about the authenticity and background of the group:



http://gruporevelacao.com.br/360/lorem-ipsun-dolor-set-une-dastre-de-pifa-oluncolo/



I loved this song. As I did my "world listening" this week this piece just jumped out at me. It's exciting and captures the heart of a country and culture in music. There is so much passion and feeling in the lyrics and performance quality of this number. I love the way the verses are light and airy featuring the soloist and little ornamentations of the instrumentalists. Then when the chorus comes back in the crowd takes over and sings with a gusto that is riveting. The soloist improvs accents to go along with this chorus and adds little decorations to the piece.



The musical structure of this piece is quite simple. It is a basic Brazilian Samba. The timing is in 2/4 and keeps a nice, jazzy, samba feel throughout. The rhythm is known as a batucada rhythm which is an African influenced Brazilian percussive style. You can almost say the word "batucada" with the rhythm of the song and it fits throughout the piece. This would be fun for the students to do while they listened to work on their rhythm. After a brief introduction the song begins with the main chorus, the most memorable phrase in the song. After the initial chorus is revealed there's an instrumental modulation into the first verse. The tone comes down and is very soothing as the soloist leads us through the first verse. We then come to the chorus again and the dynamics swell, the background singers as well as the crowd joins in. They sing through the chorus two times. After this second chorus, we quiet down to another verse with some very interesting ornamentation going on with the instrumentalists. Then the instruments die out a bit and the singer has the crowd take over with this third chorus, when it repeats it increases in dynamics and the soloists sings with the crowd. If I were going to give it a musical structure I would say it is: ABAABAA or chorus, verse, chorus, chorus, verse, chorus, chorus.



Campbell said in our text, "For people of the world's cultures, music is vital to their very being" (Campbell, 30). I agree with that sentence one hundred percent when it comes to this song. You can hear the music being vital to their very beings. The rhythm, speed/tempo, and the pitch/melodic lines all contribute to the musical structure of this piece. I think it demonstrates musical structure for a culture, beautifully.





The lyrics of the piece translate to:



Let it happen naturaly

I don't want to see you cry

Let love find us

Our case will perpetuate



You've said you want me

For life, eternity

When you're away from me

Goes crazy with longing

Who is the reason for your life

Am I?



It's okay, I believe

I'm not doubting yourself

Just that I have a lot of fear

To fall in love

This movie has passed in my life

And you're helping me overcome

I don't want to be an evil in your life



Let it happen naturally

I don't want to see you cry

Let love find us

Our case will perpetuate

Lúnasa - Morning Nightcap (Glasgow, 2007)

The title of this piece is: Morning Nightcap



This groups is called: Lunasa



This group is the real deal. They are as authentic for Irish music as it gets. Here is a link to their website validating their authenticity: Lunasa



The origin of this piece is: Irish



The orchestration of this piece is: Fiddle, flute, stand-up bass, Uilleann Pipes, and Guitar.



This is a beautiful Irish piece that is a perfect example of Irish celebration through music. The melody makes you want to grab a partner and perform a jig. The fiddle is the first to unveil the main theme of the piece while the other instruments back him up. On the second time through the piece, the piper joins in and performs a variation of the original melody that was presented. Then the flute comes in and unleashes a brand new melody for the piece, almost like a bridge. After this new motive is introduced the rest of the band backs up the flute and the tempo steadily increases, building an intensity in the piece. The ornamentation throughout the piece is typical of Irish music. A theme is never played the same way twice, it is always enhanced and changed with the ornamentation and improvisation of the performers.



I have chosen to use the example of instruments while referring to the classification systems of this piece.  The two classified groups of this piece according to their instruments are: wind and strings. The flute and uilleann pipes would obviously be classified in the wind instrument category because they are "blown" while the fiddle, bass, and guitar would fall into the strings classification. This goes hand in hand with Wade's discussion on pages 37 and 38 of the required reading this week. According to the chart on page 42 and 43 of the text, the flute and pipes would be considered "Aerophones." The fiddle and guitar would fall into the "Chordophones" classification. These two classified groups work together to create beautiful music and produce a wonderful, lighthearted Irish dance number.

Bulgarian folklor- Kafal sviri

The title of this piece is: Kafal sviri

This group is called: Cosmic Voices.

They were founded in the spring of 1994 and continue to create beautiful music.

The origin of this piece is: Bulgaria

The orchestration of this piece is: Women's A Capella voices.



I love this piece because it definitely showcases the beauty of another
culture's music. The dissonances heard within this piece are unique to
Bulgarian A Capella singing. The throaty singing and stylization with
nasal tone is also very interesting to behold as a listener. The music
starts out with a slow meter, that changes time frequently and sounds
almost chant-like. The message of this piece is a narrative cultural
love story. It is about a piper who is playing in the village. The girl
singing tells her mother that if he is from their village she will only
love him for a day. But if he is from a neighboring village, she will
love that piper for the rest of her life. The lyrical content is very
interesting. You can tell the music in Bulgaria is substantial. In our
text, Wade writes when she arrived in a small village in Bulgaria she
was able to communicate to the village people her desire to find
musicians and was further led to find singers. Singing in Bulgaria is
obviously a very common and expected thing to be knowledgeable about.
Cultures share stories and folklore through music and this piece is no
exception. This would be an example of a narrative genre that links
music to text. This is also an example of musical drama. I especially
love the rhythm and meter change at 0:40. I can tell this is where the
daughter begins professing her ideas of love to her mother. The build
and change around 1:20 is also very beautiful and unexpected.  This is
one of my favorite world culture pieces I have ever had the opportunity
to hear.