Music History Final FINAL final

didjeridu

end-blown wooden trumpet that imitates the sound of nature’s continuous drone, drone pitch is changed using humming/vocables, believed that it is a way to communicate with ancestors and spirits, made from a branch hollowed out by termites,

corroboree

nighttime sacred ritual in Aboriginal culture, involves performance of aboriginal song, white body paint, and dances around campfires

dreamtime/the dreaming

Aboriginal spiritual belief system, it is their story of creation in which mythic beings shaped and created the natural environment, animistic and totemistic beliefs, didjeridu allows humans to connect with dreamtime and gain awareness of the dreaming

Aboriginal cosmology

Aboriginal spiritual beliefs related to the dreamtime, beliefs of “sky-world” - “‘The sky was a canopy covering all and coming down beyond the horizon to meet and enclose the flat surface on which men and women followed the fixed pattern of their lives’.”

Wondjina

Aboriginal spirits, thought to be the creators of the universe, still present, just not visible

Musical Bow

considered some of worlds earliest instruments, played by drawing stick across string and using mouth as resonator, which creates “otherworldly” tone

umrhubhe

musical bow associated with Xhosa people from Eastern cape of South Africa

Uhadi

Musical bow variant that uses a gourd resonator

Umakheweyana

Musical bow associated with Zulu people, uses gourd resonator and is often much bigger than other musical bows

Khoisan

indigenous people of southern Africa

Azmari tradition

secular tradition in which musicians offered social critique, transmitted information, or spread news of recent events, sophisticated texts were improvised, important but ambiguous part of royal court, performed at celebrations and in bars (tej bets), lots of embellishments and vocables

masinqo

single-string bowed lute that Azmari musicians play to accompany themselves

Abyssinia

Ethiopian empire, had magnificent moving court

Christianity in Ethiopia

Kingdom of Aksum adopted christianity very early, Ethiopia has oldest christian church in Africa

ge’ez

literary and liturgical language of Ethiopia

St. Yared

Patron St. of music, composed lots of Ethiopian liturgical sacred music in the 6th century

melekket notational system

16th century Ethiopian musical notation system for Ethiopian church music

Krar

5 or 6 stringed bowl-shaped plucked lyre

Beganna

10 stringed box lyre used for prayer and meditation

“wax and gold”

verbal practice of double meaning, used by Azmari musicians, wax is literal meaning, gold is hidden/interpretive meaning of sung text

Shillela

song genre or type of song performed by Azmari musicians, multiple different types: fukera praises the achievements of a great warrior while denigrating enemies; the kerera inspires a warrior in battle; the fanno memorializes a dead hero

Tezeta

a type of tuning system or ‘Qenet’, this one is used for a song of reminiscence or nostalgia

Jeli/Griot/Griotte

Griot/Griotte is western term, not used by Africans, (Jeli is African term), they are musicians that tell histories and genealogy, very important social role

kora

21 stringed harp made of gourd and cow skin, women are not allowed to play it because of “phallic” playing position

jeliya

art of the jeli

balafon

similar to xylophone, made from wooden bars laid across a frame and struck with hammer, believed to be original griot instrument

ngoni

small lute, smaller than kora, hollowed out piece of wood (shape of canoe)

ardin

10-16 stringed harp, played by female griots

birmintingo/kumbengo

birmintingo is opening section, marked by flourishing solo runs on kora, allows player to collect thoughts and survey audience, kumbengo is next section, steady repeated patterns on kora and singing praises that relate to history or lineages, lots of rhythmic density and polyrhythms in kumbengo section

raga

melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music, “composition kit”, rules for performance

alap

beginning section of raga performance, free rhythm and fully improvised, rhythmic density increases and melodic range ascends (jhala is this climactic section)

Gat

second section of raga performance, characterized by drum entering

tala

rhythmic cycle in raga performance, drummer and audience “keep the tal”

tabla

pair of hand drums used in raga performance, tuned to central pitch, “boing” sound, smaller drum is tabla, larger is baya, rhythm of raga

rasa

the mood that the raga is trying to convey

tambura

4 string plucked fretless lute, creates buzzing drone sound with drone strings that contributes to “dreamy” aura, slow and repetitive notes, provides fundamental tones for performance

sitar

7 string plucked fretted lute lute with sympathetic strings that vibrate by themselves to create an “echo” effect, melody in raga

sarod

smaller version of the sitar

Gagaku court music

ancient Japanese court music with elegant, slow pacing and very strict performance rules

koto

13 string zither

shakuhachi

bamboo flute, represents connection with nature and zen ideals

shamisen

3 string plucked lute played with plectrum

sangyoku

chamber group comprised of shamisen, koto, and shakuhachi

hichiriki

wide reed aerophone that bends tone

biwa

plucked lute

ryuteki

horizontal flute

taiko drum

drum used in taiko drum ensembles, associated with Shinto ritual practices

sho

mouth organ that characteristically plays tonal clusters

taqasim

arabic secular tradition, improvised performance from "maqam”, which is “composition kit” in this culture, features instruments oud and buzuq, free flow dreamy style of music, instruments alternate between main melody

ud/oud

plucked fretless lute, deep resonance and generally lower range than buzuq

buzuq

plucked fretted lute, brighter, higher timbre than ud

dastgah

mood/mode for performance in Iranian classical music, lots of melancholy melismas and ornamentation, generally sounds slightly sad, talks about life in difficult environment

santur

hammered zither used for dastgah for santur and voice

gusheh

short melodic compositions that are memorized and then strung together, allows for element of improvisation

radif

collection of gusheh associated with different things, connects back to dastgah/mood

gumboot performance

dance forged out of mining experiences of workers, uses idiophones like bottle tops attached to rubber boots to create percussive sounds

maskanda

guitar based instrumental music based on functional role of musical bow, Zulu folk music, musical accompaniment to gumboots

Fanakalo

pidgin language that is a combination of lots of languages so that miners could communicate more effectively

gamelan

traditional ensemble of Indonesian music, features a combination of percussive instruments such as gongs, metallophones, and drums

colotomic structure

rhythmic pattern used in gamelan music, system of marks off music into units according to entrance of specific instruments at specific times, Using gongs to define the form: Gongs mark the beginnings and ends of rhythmic cycles that run at different speeds, usually slowest/core for the lower-pitched instruments and faster/more complex for the higher-pitched

lamellophone

plucked idiophone

mbira

type of lamellophone, plucked idiophone, traditional to shona people of Zimbabwe

Kalimba

related to and very similar to mbira, but mbira is more traditional and kalimba is generally more modern and westernized

budongo

type of mbira from Uganda, often used to accompany singing and encased in wooden box to resonate

Nyunga-Nyunga

type of mbira from Zimbabwe, surrounded by wooden box to resonate, secular tradition used for social enjoyment, entertainment, played at celebrations and events, and is incorporated into lots of modern music, has 15 keys

deze

wooden box resonator for nyunga-nyunga

gwariva

soundboard in nyunga-nyunga, rectangle piece that keys are laid on

mutanda

iron bar in nyunga-nyunga that suppresses metal keys to keep them in place

majaka

bottle caps and scrap metal attached to nyunga-nyunga, they vibrate to create a rich sound

Ndebele

ethnic group and language in Southern Africa

kushaura

leading pattern in call and response structure of Mbira Dza Vadzimu music

Kutsinhira

following pattern in call and response structure of Mbira Dza Vadzimu music

hosho

shaken idiophone that creates a rattling sound, played simultaneously with mbira in ensemble setting

Mbira dza vadzimu

21 keys, 3 ranges, uses more enclosed resonator, bottle caps attached on outside

bira ritual

a spirit possession ceremony, musicians who play mbira dza vadzimu are often called upon by spirits to honor them and communicate with ancestors

talking drums

hourglass shaped, double headed drums from West Africa, the pitch is changed by the player squeezing the sides to tighten or loosen the membrane, pitch changes mimic the tone and speech patterns of human voice

gan gan

one of the names for talking drums in Nigeria

surrogate speech

the tonal contour of language and speech rhythm, the drum has the ability to mimic these aspects

polyrhythmic drumming ensemble

drumming ensemble from Ghana, could be described as a rhythmic kaleidoscope, consists of drums, rattles, bells, features independent polyphony and polyrhythm

time line

also known as bell pattern, guide, phrasing reference, rhythmic pattern of modest length that is played in a repeating, unvarying, ostinato, different from metronome because time line is the music itself, and metronome is separate from music

density referent

pulse provides a framework for more complex rhythms, helps to organize and perceive rhythmic structures - relationships, not meter

donno

Double-headed hourglass variable-pressure drum (played with hooked stick, produces more than one pitch) used in Ghanian polyrhythmic drumming ensemble

tom-tom

pair of tall, single headed hand drums used in Ghanian polyrhythmic drumming ensemble

afirikyiwa

iron clapper bell used in Ghanian polyrhythmic drumming ensemble

axatse

gourd rattle with external beaded netting, used in Ghanian polyrhythmic drumming ensemble

Thomas Edison

created the early phonograph in 1877, consisted of tinfoil wrapped around a cylinder, a crank, a metal stylus, and a mouthpiece, first device capable of recording and playing back sound

phonautograph

first device invented to record sound, could not play sound back but instead created visual representations of sound waves

phonograph

instrument for reproducing sounds by means of the vibration of a stylus, or needle, following a groove on a rotating disc, disc/record stores replica of sound waves series of undulations in a sinuous groove inscribed on its rotating surface by the stylus

Chichester Bell

worked with Charles Tainter to develop improved versions of the phonograph, developed a wax coated cylinder for the recording material and worked to change the directionality of the stylus, which they made flexible

Charles Tainter

worked with Chichester Bell to develop improved versions of the phonograph, developed a wax coated cylinder for the recording material and worked to change the directionality of the stylus, which they made flexible

gramophone

later version of phonograph, sound grooves were made in a spiral on a flat disc rather than in a helix on a cylinder. A negative was made from the flat master disc, and the negative then used as a mold for making many copies that reproduced the original master disc. These “records,” as they came to be known, could be played on a reproducing machine Berliner named a Gramophone.

Emil Berliner

developed the phonograph record disc and gramophone

Guglielmo Marconi

developed, demonstrated and marketed the first successful long-distance wireless telegraph and in 1901 broadcast the first transatlantic radio signal

AM/FM radio

two methods of transmitting radio signals, use different ways of of encoding information onto the carrier wave, AM modulates the amplitude (strength) of the carrier wave, while FM modulates the frequency of the carrier wave

jukebox

A jukebox is an automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that plays a patron’s selection from any one of its self-contained media. The classic jukebox has buttons with letters and numbers on them, which are used to select specific records for it to place on its turntable and play

microphone

transducer that converts sound into electrical signals

magnetic tape technology

magnetic tape technology allowed radio to be recorded and played later for repeat playing, medium for magnetic storage made of a thin, magnetizable coating on a long, narrow strip of plastic film

streaming

audio is sent in compact digital data packets over the internet to your device, where it is decoded and played back through that service's own dedicated app

ethnomusicology

the scholarly study of any music within its contemporary cultural context.

world music/problematic labels

“catch-all” term for non-western music, often oral tradition, implies/enforces notion that all other music is “exotic”, lumps all non-western music together