Whether a concerto or mehfil (Indian concert), the sultry yet poignant dance of rhythms is one that many generations cherish. This is the beauty and delicacy of the human voice and the stringed instrument which upstages all others. When I was six my mother decided that I would play violin and sing Carnatic music, insisting I would practice both. Scrutinizing the cheap stringed monstrosity, I grew disheartened at the screeches it emitted.
I expected to make it sing like my new idols, Hilary Hahn and Lindsey Stirling effortlessly managed to do. I never imagined I would one-day fall in love with that tiny stringed abomination, which evolved into a full-size, quality-crafted creature that sang beautifully. It was not the caliber of the tool, but the skill and passion of the worker that made it
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In a largely digitized society, I saw the need for humanity to connect to improve issues they experience. I noticed many Tracy citizens were isolated within social media, uninvolved within our community. The library, once a diverse hub for all ages to engage through literature and face-to-face interaction, had declined in popularity.
In an effort to revitalize Tracy’s sense of community, I utilized NPR’s inspiring idea of “StoryCorps,” an application which records and publishes interviews to the National Library of Congress. I became Student Lead Coordinator of “Tracing Our Origins,” an innovative effort, fueled by the dedication of over twenty high school volunteers, combining the classic interview with technology to connect gaps within our growing community through sharing life stories. Although I initially dealt with struggles of managing and collecting funds, searching for grants, reaching out to individuals, and delegation, these issues were simply bumps on my road to developing my vision of a more connected society. I persevered, gaining a deeper appreciation for the city’s
Ethnomusicology: a short introduction is about describing the growing discipline of how ethnomusicology researchers are going about studying different music from around the world, looking for perceptions in both humanity and music. Ethnomusicologists believe that all people are musical, not just people that label themselves as “musicians” and that there is music in all beings. This thinking causes a lot of debate in which ethnomusicologists argue that we must first study all forms of music such as its Geographic’s and history in order to answer any questions. Not only are traditional forms of music acknowledged but also more contemporary musical forms.
Lili Boulanger was born on August 21, 1983 to Raissa Mysheskaya, Russian princess, and Ernest Boulanger, French conservatoire teacher. She came from a musical background from her parents and grandparents. Lili’s mother was a professional singer, her father was a composer, grandfather was a musician, played the cello, and also her grandmother was professional singer. Her musical abilities were seen at age two and were encouraged to continue her musical education by her parents. Boulanger’s family was very involved with music once her father died when her was seventy-seven years old. Lili’s and her sister first lessons were from her mother then went on to study with eminent musicians. Lili could play many instruments including the harp, violin, cello, and piano.
Story telling is one useful method of building relationships that Block highlights. Specifically, “restoration can be considered the willingness to complete and eliminate the power out of the current story we have of our community and our place in,” which creates an opportunity to produce a new story. Overall, this chapter discusses the power and effectiveness of creating or changing the narrative of a community to provide it a sense of identity.
When working with early music, modern performers face challenges regarding stylistic and historical accuracy, given limited information on past performances, as well as notable differences in instruments available, technique, and performance practice. Furthermore, they must decide between different approaches that may better reflect the historical sound or intention of past performers, or choose to blend such extremes, creating varied interpretations.
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.
I could tell while speaking to my interviewees how much passion they had for the school alone. Our generation does not focus on what was done before but what is here now. When looking back in time the history is much relevant then the present. Completing this project made me appreciate Scotlandville even more for what they’ve done to make the Scotlandville family what it is today.
This concert is held by the Stony Brook University music department and is to perform seven pieces of music written by seven student composers. The concert is performed in Recital Hall of Staller Center in Stony Brook University. Since it is a small hall, audiences are very close to the performers. In fact, it is the first time I am this close to the performers and the sound for me is so clear and powerful that seems like floating in front of my eyes. Among the seven pieces, “Ephemeral Reveries” and “Gekko no mori” are piano solo, “Two Songs for Joey” is in piano and marimba, “Suite” and “Fold Duet No. 1” are in woodwinds, “Elsewhere” is played by string groups, and “e, ee, ree, and I was free” is in vocal. Personally, I like the sound of piano and guitar the best. Therefore, in the latter part I will analysis two pieces in piano, “Gekko no mori” and “Two Songs for Joey”.
Perhaps the most important part of the songwriting process is the beginning. How should a songwriter begin the creation of a song? Robin Frederick, a songwriter who has produced over 500 songs throughout her career, suggests that the best place to begin is with the title. The title acts as the guide to a song. It is the essence of the message that a songwriter wants to leave with their listeners. As Frederick describes it, “Think of your title as the peak of a pyramid. The rest of the song is made up of the building blocks that support it.”. Finding a title is of vital importance. It should be a short, attention grabbing, and easy to remember word or phrase.
When approaching a performance, accomplished musicians often consider the historical context from which a piece originates. They most often think of such considerations in the application of that context as it pertains to early music that is, the Baroque era or earlier. For any era, such historical considerations are called performance practice, and may include the use of vibrato, ornamentation, dynamic levels, tempi, instrumental timbres, performance setting, and balance. Vibrato and ornamentation are two important areas of consideration that vocalists must explore when aiming to give an authentically Baroque performance.
“How Musical is Man?” was published in 1974. This book was written by John Blacking, a musician turned social anthropologist. His goal in writing this ethnography, and several other papers during this same time period, was to compare the experience of music-making that takes place within different cultures and societies throughout the world. In this book, he discusses and describes the musicology of the Venda people in South Africa. Though he does go to Africa to research and learn about the Venda people and their music, he specifically states that his book is “not a scholarly study of human musicality” (ix), but rather it is a summary (written from his point of view), which is both expressive and entertaining, of several different issues and ideas that he has seemingly been contemplating for some time.
Music has shaped the lives of people throughout history. Even in its earliest forms, music has included use of instruments. One of the oldest musical instruments known is a variation of the flute; the original flute is thought to date back nearly 67,000 years ago. Tonight we are going to move throughout the eras with a history of instrumental music. This concert will begin with the Renaissance Era and continue through time until we have reached modern instrumental music.
In San Francisco, digital stories were employed as a therapeutic method that helps in the process of self-discovery. They were used in discriminated communities and struggling environments such as Australian indigenous groups and Welsh Valleys refugees
Throughout the semester, various styles of music and the aspects of culture associated with these styles have been analyzed. Musical elements such as dynamics, texture, form, timbre, melody, instruments, etc., have been used to thoroughly explore each kind of music from different areas of the world, with an emphasis in music from Africa, India and Indonesia. These aspects of music go far beyond just music itself. Culture also plays a huge role in music and the accompanying musical elements. Each country and culture has a different style and distinctiveness that add to what makes the music of that certain culture unique. Music in Africa may differ dramatically from music in Indonesia or India not only due to those certain elements but also due to how it is interpreted by people and what it represents for those people. In addition to this, what one may consider music in one culture may not be music to another. These differences have been made apparent in the several demonstrations that we have been exposed to in class.
It took me eighteen years to realize what an extraordinary influence my mother has been on my life. She' s the kind of person who has thoughtful discussions about which artist she would most want to have her portrait painted by (Sargent), the kind of mother who always has time for her four children, and the kind of community leader who has a seat on the board of every major project to assist Washington' s impoverished citizens. Growing up with such a strong role model, I developed many of her enthusiasms. I not only came to love the excitement of learning simply for the sake of knowing something new, but I also came to understand the idea of giving back to the community in exchange for a new sense of life, love, and spirit.
Playing musical Instrument as a hobby can be fun. It has a lot of benefits, including memory improvement and stress reducer. Music is an art which should be approached with intensity and great affection .Playing music as a hobby adds fun in life, peace, and fulfillment that lifts the spirit and make everyone involved enjoy. What then can be the benefit of playing a musical instrument as a hobby?