Music Instrument: Sitar
The sitar is a fascinating instrument. It can produce complex sounds that other fretted strings instruments could not. Twelve wire strings that vibrate sympathetically with the gut strings cause these unique sounds. The number of gut strings varies between three to seven. The strings are attached to a long necked, gourd like body, which could be compared to a lute. There are several ways in which it is played; however, it is unusually performed in a small ensemble or alone. The sitar is indigenous to the country of India and is best known from the performances of the Indian virtuoso Ravi Shankar. However, it wasn’t only used in Indian styles of music, but also in Rock music.
The origin of the sitar is covered up in controversy. The story was told of Amir Khusrau, a poet for an Indian ruler of the early 1300s, being the original creator of the sitar. However, it is believed that Amir Khusrau may have been confused with Khusrau Khan since their names were so similar. Khusrau Khan was a great performer and helped introduce the sitar to the general public, but it was not convincing that he was the actual creator of the sitar. Nevertheless, the search for the innovator continued. A man named Sourindro Mohun Tagore continued this journey of discovery. He was thought to have traced the name of the current sitar to the Vedic times, which further complicated things. There were images of a satire like structure dating back to the early 19th century. Finally, in the 19th century, there was plenty of evidence of the sitar beginning to shape into what is known today. Basically, all that can be concluded is that the sitar is less than three centuries old and is probably a hybrid between multiple instruments.
Modern si...
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... music, which caused several musicians from other genres to be interested in playing sitars. Even rock and pop bands, such as The Rolling Stones, used the sitar and Indian elements in their songs.
Works Cited
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In Africa, music helps define its culture by expressing emotions through each song. Drums play a very important significance in African culture; they are always present in ceremonies such as births, deaths, and marriages along with a ritual dance. Ompeh is an organized system with many rules and is performed by recreational amateur ensemble of singers and percussionists. Maru-Bihag is loosely structured, performed only by experts, and is used more for entertainment. In India, the sitar instrument is taken very seriously; a student must apprentice with a master for 15-20 years before being allowed to play this
The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, ed. Stanley Sadie, 20 vols. (London: Macmillan, 1980)9: 708-709
Gabrieli, Giovanni. Sacrae Symphoniae: Sonata Pian e Forte. John Wallace, Simon Wright, and the Wallace Collection. Simon Wright. Nimbus Records NI5236, 2012. Streaming audio. http://naxosmusiclibrary.com.
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Early Buddhist literature holds a controversial attitude towards music. On one hand, heavenly music played by such celestial musicians as Gandharva, Pañcaśikha and Kinnara has been mentioned on many occasions. Such Buddhist monks as Śroṇakoṭīkarṇa, Bhadr...
Music is a part of everyday life for almost everyone in the world. Music provides us with enjoyment and relaxation, and can be used in many ways by many different people. Some may use it to calm down after a long, hard day, while others use it for religious purposes or still others in and attempt to try and forget something that hasn’t been favorable to them. The possibilities are endless, for music is one language that can be transmitted to all people of the world, no matter their nationality, and it can be understood by everyone. Tibet is no different than any other place in the world, as it has music that serves the purpose of the people who live there. While most music in Tibet is religious, secular music still exists and is still a part of life there. Tibetan music has played an important role in shaping who the Tibetan people have become today by giving themselves different ways to express who they are, through the use of differing instruments and styles of music, and has allowed other people from around the world the opportunity to look at Tibetan culture through their music.
...f. Th.Reinach, La musique grecque, Payot, Paris, 1926; C.Sachs, The Rise of Music in the Ancient World, W.W.Norton & Comp. Inc. New York, 1969.
That brings us to the last segment of our concert, the Modern Era. Traditoinal musical instruments in the modern period have not changed nearly as much as they have in the 18th and 19th centuries. There have been gradual iterations of musical instruments within the 1900’s, such as updates to the violin family. There were many new instruments created in the Modern Era, all of which focused around electricity. This evening’s selections do not include any such selections with electronic instruments; however, there are arrangements available for the electric instruments such as the organ, keyboard or syntehsizer, or electric guitar.
known in Northeast India in the 6th century BC. Looking back to the earliest roots,
The book America’s Musical Landscape starts by looking back to early North American Music from the American Indians, to the religious and non religious music of the European and African settlers. According to the book “Native American music was and is song, sometimes supported by instruments.”1 The Native American used different types of instruments to accompany their songs or chants such as the drums, flute and rattles. Like music for us today the Native Americans used music in all different aspects of their lives. The early European settlers br...
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