cultural study of music- india/indonesia

India History: Aryans

• 1700-500 BCE

  • Vedas (Vedic Sandscrit)

  • Chants 4 notes - myriad scales of the Raga

What are Vedas

4 sacred books of prayers

• hymns and mantra

• ritual guide for priests

• philosophical treaties

India History: Classic and Medieval

• 500-1400 CE

  • Natya Sastra

    • technical book of theater

  • Greatest kingdoms provided patronage of the Arts

India History: Moghuls

• 1527-1867

• From the Mongols-Babur

• Integration of Indian, Islamic and others

  • famous architecture

  • Southern India-Carnatic vocal tradition, Hindu

  • North Indian Music- Hindustani, Raga, improv, Arabic

  • instruments

• (I doubt we need to know all of this but I would at least familiarize myself with the info)

famous architecture: india

• Taj Mahal

what is Raga

collection of notes put together for Northern India music

India History: British Colonization

• 1600-1947

  • British introduced piano, harmonium, violin, clarinet, and banjo

  • Indian culture: Harmonium, violin played and tuned differently

India History: Independence

• Globalization and tradition

  • traditional elements mixed with the music of Europe and North America

• Internationally known musicians

  • Ravi Shankar

  • Zakir Hussain

India/Music basics in the North

• Hindusthani-improvisation

• influences: muslim tradition

• instruments: Harmonium, Tabla, Sitar, Tamboura

North India instruments

• Harmonium

• Tabla

• Sitar

• Tamboura

India/Music basics in the South

• Carnatic/Hindu Devotional songs

• influences: Ancient India, Hindu, Vegas

• Instruments: Bamboo flute, violin, Mridangam, Tamboura

South India Instruments

• Bansuri

• violin

• Mridangam

• Tamboura

kriti definition

standard song form in the south

tamil definition

• one of many languages

konnakol definition

singing the tala (sollukattu

Svara definition

• note in a Raga

• different than western music

Sruti definition

drone

ensemble texture definition

• melody

• drone

• rhythm

India Pop Music

• Music from the 40’s-60’s

  • classically based

Current trends of Indian Music

• Cine Music/Bollywood

• uses modern styles of Rock, Jazz, Rap

bansuri instrument

• Banshey- flute

• bamboo

• 8 holes

• aerophone

violin instrument

• tuned and held differently than standard western instrument

• chordophone (lute)

what instrument is this

bansuri

hint: count the holes (the 8th one is not visible in this picture)

what instrument is this

violin

hint: classical violin except held with feet

mridangam instrument

• barrel shaped

• 2 headed drum

• heavy hide

• membranophone

• a black spot near the center of the head

  • siyahi

more on the siyahi

• graphite, metal, shavings goo of rice

• focus in the pitch

what instrument is this

mridangam

hint: barrel with a black spot

tambura instrument

• 4 strings but only two notes

• drone

• gourd

• pluck strings

• chordophone (lute)

what instrument is this

tambura

key aspects of Southern India music

• improvised, mostly made up as it goes along

• mostly from vocal songs/instrumental transcriptions

• no harmony or chords, oral tradition

• drone played by the tambura

• raga-color/atmosphere- tonal system

• tala

• form

southern india raga (in depth)

• ragas dictate which notes may be used and how frequently

• meloding framework

• improvisation (composition with boundaries)

• scale (72 scales)

  • strong and weak notes

  • extras

    • mood (rasa), time of day, magical powers

what are magical powers within southern india music

• influence personality

• bring the divine to both performer and listener

• cure diseases

• melt stones

what is tala within south indian music

• “clap”

• underlying rhythmic framework

• hand gestures primarily in the south while performing or singing

• talas are all cyclical

  • hold down the rhythm of the piece while the melodic instruments improvise

form of southern india music

• alap- intro: no fixed rhythm

• Jhala- melodic and drones

• composed section intro to Tala

• conclusion improve section

instruments from northern india

• sitar

• tabla

• tambura (im confused on why this is listed for both the north and south)

sitar instrument

• oil on fingers

• wire picks

• strings

  • 4 melodic strings

  • 3 strings emphasizing the rhythm

  • 13 that vibrate while others being played helps with fullness and sustains overall sound

• usually taught by Guru

• pumpkin at top used for amplification

• chordophone

what is this instrument

sitar

(hint: little pumpkin looking thing at the top)

tabla instrument

• dayan and bayan (bayan is bigger one)

• derived from the Arabic word tabl which means drum

• drum strokes- Bols

• learned from guru

• head of the drum (puri) made up of goat hide

• membranophone

what instrument is this?

tabla (bayan on left dayan on right)

(hint: the drums have the lacings on the side)

harmonium instrument

• aerophone

• European instrument which was imported in the 18th century

• it is a reed organ with hand pumped bellows

• bellows, stops, keys

• number of drone reeds making it distinctly Indian

what instrument is this

harmonium

(hint: looks like a little piano)

Kanjira instrument

• membranophone

• tamborine

• head made of lizard skin (old)

• head now made of synthetic material

• south Indian

• high sound

what instrument is this

kanjira

hint: looks like a tambourine idk

Ghatam instrument

• southern tradition

• made out of terracotta clay pot

  • can’t change pitch

• open at the top and has a narrow neck

what is this instrument?

ghatam

veena instrument

• made for women

• lays in lap

• melodic, rhythmic and sympathetic

what instrument is this

veena

(hint: its a woman once again idk if these hints help I just use them for my own studying)

sarod instrument

• long necked lute

  • neck is metal

• 40 inches

• wooden body with calf, main strings and sympathetic

• played like a guitar

• no frets

what instrument is this

sarod

hint: look for the metal on the neck

jal tarang instrument

• idiophone

• group of porcelain bowls

• fill the bowls with water

• tarang definition: waves in water

what instrument is this

jal taraang

shannai instrument

• aerophone

• double reed (similar to oboe)

• north and south

• religious settings

• Sruti

• similar to Nageshwaram instrument

what instrument is this

shannai

sarangi instrument

• chordophone

• sympathetic strings (4 sets)

• gut strings

what instrument is this

sarangi

hint: petite

what instrument did Ravi Shankar famously play

Sitar

what instrument did Zakir Hussain famously play

tabla

what instrument did Subash Chandran famously play

Ghatam

what instrument did Ganesh Kumar famously play

Kanjira

Indonesia background information

• more than 200 languages

• 2 different areas: Java and Bali

• melting pot of religions

Java information

• Islamic/Hindi/Buddhism

• Music is heard in residences

Bali information

• east of Java on a separate island

• Hindu/Buddhism but its changing and now there is more Islamic

• music is in temples or processions

what is the name of music in indonesia

gamelan

gamelan info

• set of instruments unified by their tuning and decorative carving and sculpture

• venues: temples, homes of sultans, processions, peoples homes

• ceremonies: birth, death, marriage, theatre, dance

• believed to have special powers

gamelan instruments

• bronze/iron/brass

• metal slab

• tuned knobbed gongs (always tuned, played in the center rather than the edge)

• kettles (tuned in pairs male and female)

• drums

• bamboo flutes

• 2 stringed fiddle

• xylophones

street music (indonesia)

scales

• slendro: 5 notes

• pelog: 7 notes

gamelan metal instruments

• gong ageng

• kempul

• kenong

• kempyang-ketuk

• bonang

• gender

• saron

• ceng ceng

indonesia non metal gamelan instruments

• kendhang

• rebab

• suling

• ayun ambing

• celempung

Indonesian instrument function: nuclear theme (aka what instruments)

saron

Indonesian instrument function: melodic elaboration (aka what instruments)

• bonang

• gender

Indonesian instrument function: counter melody (aka what instruments)

• rebab

• suling

• human voice

Indonesian instrument function: rhythm (aka what instruments)

kendang

Indonesian instrument function: punctuation (aka what instruments)

• gong ageng

• kempul

• kempyang

• ketuk

anklung instrument

• bamboo tubes

• make sound when shaken

shadow puppet theatre

• wayang- traditional theater

• 1st century: hindu religion

  • stories in theatre with puppets

• Islam: brought shadow puppets instead of the figure of Humans or God

gong ageng instrument

• largest of hanging gongs

• both Javanese and Balinese

• only used for beginning and endings of cycle

• heavily padded stick

• Javanese: many gongs hanging together

• never cut sound off

what instrument is this

gong ageng

kempul instrument

• smaller hanging gong

• can manipulate sound with hand

what instrument is this

kempul

hint: smaller than the gong ageng

kenong instrument

• primarily in Javanese gamelan

• extra large kettles

• each kettle has its own outer frame

• stick with wool on it - less padded than gong ageng and kempul

• can damp with stick itself

what instrument is this

kenong

kempyang and ketuk instruments

ketuk

• medium sized kettle

• flat top

• lower sound

• often played with kempyang and kenang in java

kempyang

• medium sized kettle

what instrument (s) is this

• kempyang and ketuk m

• hint: cute little holder idk sorry my hints are not helpful

bonang instrument (melodic)

• small kettle- more clanky sound

• bali: multiple players on set

• java: each player, own set

• all on one frame or platform, not separate like kenong

what instrument is this

bonang

gender instrument

• like xylophone

• sticks: shaped like wheel at end of a stick (wool on rim)

• can dampen notes with fingers

• constructed in pairs of notes (2 physically closer notes that are separated by larger gaps from rest)

• resonators: long pipes under each notes to get a better sound

• red and gold standard colors

• notes curved up on edges

• bali: only one stick, hammer shaped except heads look like horn

what instrument is this

gender

saron instrument (melodic)

• similar to harmonium (scales similar to way harmonium plays raga)

• like metal xylophone

• java: wood hammer

• bali: metal, hammer-shaped and horn-shaped head

• brass

• use fingers to dampen

• notes curved down on edges

• bali: usually have 3 sets (high, medium and low pitched sets)

what instrument is this

saron

ceng ceng instrument

• small cymbols

• played with multiple people in java

• one person does all in bali

what instrument is this

ceng ceng

kendhang instrument

• membranophone

  • balanese (one per person)

• leader of the gamelan (gives cues)

• drum

• ropes holding skins

what instrument is this

khendang

rebab instrument

• chordophone

• 2 string

• heart shaped body

• pegs are thin and delicate

what instrument is this

• rebab

• hint: heart shape also 2 strings= 2 letter b’s in the name

suling instrument

• aerophone

• vertically played

• can be played with celo

• piece jutting out

• higher pitched

what instrument is this

suling

ayun ambing instrument

• pretty slow/relaxed (mellow)

• zither

what instrument is this

ayun ambing

celempung instrument

• zither

• thumbs

• chordophone

what instrument is this

celempung