Here's some cool stuff I found interesting about Arabic and Indian Music!
As I was looking further into the music of India, I found that Indian classical music is actually split into two main "schools": Hindustani Music and Karnatak.
Hindustani Music is the music of northern India that has Turko- Persian elements and is referred to as "the true music of India". There are two types of Hindustani Music: Classical and Light Classical. Classical music is often improvised and following the adherence to the raga formula more strictly. There is not much instrumental accompaniment only the tabla for rhythm and the tanpura for the drone part. The main artist's performance is not to be upstaged by the other instruments being played. Light Classical music are like classical performances but are less complex and the performance is much shorter. Below is an example of classical music and light classical music.
In Arabic music you mostly here the oud as the main chordophone being played but there's another instrument that is in the oud family called the buzuq. The buzuq is a string instrument just like the oud just with a smaller body and longer, fretted neck. It was originally a folk instrument from the Eastern Mediterranean and is usually played solo.The original was only made with two courses of metal strings that were played with a thin piece of horn or a plastic plectrum. Today most buzuqs are made with three courses of metal strings and metallic tuning pegs to give the instrument a wider range and a brighter sound quality.
Having grown up around people from this area, I always found the clothing to be magnificent. Traditional women's clothing consists of a sari with choli tops, a long skirt called a lehenga and a dupatta scarf to create a whole outfit called a gagra choli or salwar kameez. The sari is made out of silk and are considered the most elegant. Saris are usually known by different names in different places. A kavanis is a sari with a golden border and is worn on special occasions, the simple white sari that is worn daily is called a mundu, a sari from Tamil Nadu is called a pudavai, and a sari from Karnataka is called a seere.
Sabrina, I really liked reading about the traditional sari! They're so beautiful and elegant. I also enjoyed the buzuq music! The instrument has a really captivating timbre.
Sabrina, this post was great! I loved reading about the two different sections of Hindu music. It is so interesting to see how geographical features and religion can affect how music is honored and displayed. I also loved reading about the Buzuq and how it is different from the other instruments in India. Also, wow the clothing is SO beautiful. Thank you for this post!
That's so cool that Indian classical music is split into two schools! I find it very interesting that there is a "light-classical" that is simpler and shorter than regular classical.
The buzuq has such a nice and friendly sound to it! No wonder it it used for folk music in the Middle East! That boy also looks very young, so he must be a real prodigy!
It's so cool how traditional Indian outfits are made of the same multiple separate pieces. I also find it cool how there are multiple types of saris based on both location and occasion.
I loved your entry on the two sections of Hindu Music. I didn't know there was such a thing called light classical and it was so beautiful to hear! I am also a sucker for Middle Eastern clothing, they are so pretty and elegant. Thank you Sabrina!
Music's been a really important part of my life because of my parent's love for it. My mom especially has been a musician her whole life so I decided to interview her for this blog. So before I begin I should give a little bit of background on my mom. Most of you know her as Mrs. Roche and she's the main accompanist here at Converse College. She received her undergraduate in piano performance and her masters in accompanying and has been playing the piano since she was pretty much able to walk. Me: What is your favorite memory or experience of music? Mom: Ohhhh that's hard.... my favorite experience? Gee there's so many to choose from but what I remember with great fondness is playing for operas and musicals at Brevard. Being in orchestra and you know making these shows come alive. Helping the kids learn it and then see the finish product when it was done. I never got to see any of it while I was coaching them I could only hear it and then to go to the final perfor...
Here are some "cool" things I learned as I delved more into Music of the Americas: 1) One of the many aspects of the Native American culture that I really enjoyed learning about was the different types of dancing. While I was exploring more, I ran across a type dance called the hoop dance. The hoop dance is a storytelling dance done with 1- 40 hoops to create shapes that represents the various movements of animals and other elements. It is preformed by a solo dancer who begins with a single hoop, evoking the circle of life and as the dance goes on additional hoops are added representing other life elements such as humans, water, seasons, etc. Throughout the dance, the soloist makes very rapid movements in which the hoops are interlocked and extended from the body to portray appendages such as wings and tails. Below is a video of Native American Hoop Dance champion, Brian Hammill: 2) Another aspect of the music of the Native Americans that I found really interesting was the dr...
Sabrina, I really liked reading about the traditional sari! They're so beautiful and elegant. I also enjoyed the buzuq music! The instrument has a really captivating timbre.
ReplyDeleteSabrina, this post was great! I loved reading about the two different sections of Hindu music. It is so interesting to see how geographical features and religion can affect how music is honored and displayed. I also loved reading about the Buzuq and how it is different from the other instruments in India. Also, wow the clothing is SO beautiful. Thank you for this post!
ReplyDeleteThat's so cool that Indian classical music is split into two schools! I find it very interesting that there is a "light-classical" that is simpler and shorter than regular classical.
ReplyDeleteThe buzuq has such a nice and friendly sound to it! No wonder it it used for folk music in the Middle East! That boy also looks very young, so he must be a real prodigy!
It's so cool how traditional Indian outfits are made of the same multiple separate pieces. I also find it cool how there are multiple types of saris based on both location and occasion.
I loved your entry on the two sections of Hindu Music. I didn't know there was such a thing called light classical and it was so beautiful to hear! I am also a sucker for Middle Eastern clothing, they are so pretty and elegant. Thank you Sabrina!
ReplyDelete