Musicking Spring Midterm

Cantillation

A sacred and devotional recitation method that sets sacred texts to music, resembling heightened speech. It is often used in religious contexts to enhance the delivery of sacred texts

syllabic text setting

one syllable per each note

neumatic text setting

several syllables per each note

melismatic text setting

many notes sung per syllable

psalm singing

oldest western musical tradition; psalm verses called for the action of praise conjoined with music

torah recitation

cantillation

• part of Jewish education

• preparation for bar/bat Mitzvahs

• children are taught how to interpret the writings within the Torah as vocal inflections and pitch

plainchant

monophonic; only form of music practiced in the church until 900 CE

St. Gregory/Gregorian chant

named after Pope Gregory I

• pretty much same as plainchant

The Vedas

oldest texts in Hinduism

• hymns and prayers

vedic chant

originally revealed to sages or rishis in early India and preserved by oral tradition

• four main collections: rig veda, athara veda, yajur veda, sama veda

buddhist chant

Consists of sermons orally delivered by Siddhartha Guatama; preserved orally until 450 years after Buddha’s death when they were recorded in writing

Dbyangs

Chanting the texts of the sutras on one low fundamental tone, and on one syllable; “aum” signifies the sum of all sacred sounds

Islamic chant

not considered a form of music; purely devotional- music outside of recitation and call to prayer is forbidden

Tarteel

Qur’anic recitation that adheres strictly to the pronunciation of Arabic syllables, breath, and melodic shape

Maqamat

Basis for the principles of melody within Islamic cantillation (same modal system as classical Arabic music)

Tajweed

elaborate practice learned by qari, which are specialists in recitation and vocal quality

Sufism

Islamic religious practice that is centered around purification, spirituality, ritualism, asceticism, and esotericism

Rumi

notable Sufi poet- wrote the basis of the Mevlevi Sufi order, founded in Konya

Qawwali

form of Sufi devotional singing from South Asia

Nusrat Fateh Ali Kahn

Also known as the Qawwal Bachhon Gharana- a lineage of musicians dating back 700 years to Amir Khusrau; the most famous qawwali singer in the 20th century, collaborated with Peter Gabriel, others

harmonic chanting

Polyphonic overtones, syncretic chant developed by David Sykes

trance

style of Electronic Dance Music dating from the 1990s or an altered state of consciousness

bira ritual

ceremony that serves to bind people with their ancestors, held at times of illness, drought, or social disharmony

sema/whirling dancing

 sacred service involving whirling dance, Musicians accompany the whirling dance on qanun, ud, rebab, ney, bendir, and kudum, and the ceremony ends with chanting from the Qur’an (banned during middle of the twentieth century but came back), practiced by Sufis

Bon Festival (Japan)

Buddhist Midsummer Festival to honor ancestors, largest festival held in Kyoto; Bon is a type of matsuri; uses lots of different types of music, including popular music, religious chant, etc 

Quem queritis

 Latin for “whom do you seek?” medieval Easter liturgy that later developed into a form of liturgical drama involving a the exchange between the angels at christ’s tomb and the three Marys

chronos

ordinary time

kairos

sacred time

Chartres Cathedral

Catholic cathedral in Chartres France, dedicated to the Virgin Mary

The Temple of Kali

most well-known temple dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kali

Ganja Puja

The city of Banaras, the city of “1,000 Temples,” is a frequent site for cremation rituals and purification rituals, known as ”Ganga puja”

The shofar

Shofar=Ram’s horn, used in Judaism to mark the beginning of the New Year and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) 

Adhan (call to prayer)

the recitation of the Islamic text, which follows the natural flow of classical Arabic speech

Funeral music and funeral marches

New Orleans funeral music characterized with a slow walk but jazzy style playing. Funeral march typically brass and woodwinds, have slow dotted rhythms

Epic poetry examples

• India - Mahabharata and Ramayana

• Mali - Epic of Sunjata 

• Tibet - Epic of King Gesar 

• Japan - Tale of the Heike

• Finland - Kalevala  (Inspiration for Lord of the Rings)

• Ancient Greece - The Iliad  and The Odyssey (Homer)

• Iran - 10th century CE Shahnameh of Firdausi (recounts the entire history of Persia up to the Islamic conquest in the 7th century CE)

Jeli/Jeliya

hereditary class of professional musicians from Mande culture; subset of West African praise singers/musicians & traditionally honoring royalty

the kora

21-string spike harp chordophone instrument associated with Jeli and the musical arts of Jeliya

pansori

form of musical storytelling that alternates between song and speech

• involves interactions between the audience and the performer

• Often accompanied by a drummer (gosu)

the florentine camerata

• Early Baroque music

•  16th century (circa 1570s–1590s)

• Revive the dramatic and musical practices of ancient Greek drama.

Advocated for monody: solo vocal line with simple instrumental accompaniment to enhance textual clarity and emotion.

orfeo

One of the earliest operas; Critical in shaping the genre and is a prime example of opera. Still performed regularly today and is one of the most popular stories. Uses greek mythology to tell story through music

aria/recitative/monody

Music used for commentary in both opera or in theatre; telling the audience inner thoughts or feelings

Chinese Opera

 main form of opera in China that combines singing, instrumental music, speech, mime, stylized dance, acrobatics, mock battles, elaborate costumes and makeup, and sparse scenery

the cultural revolution

All traditional opera performances were banned by the Communist government as a way to try and get rid of “The Four Olds: Old Ideas, Old Culture, Old Habits, Old Customs”

Diegetic music

Music and musicians are part of the narrative

non-diegetic music

The characters neither see nor hear the music and musicians

source scoring

blend of diegetic and non-diegetic music, serves a dramatic purpose

marker of locale

the music tells us something about where we are, provides cultural or environmental context

establishment of modd

 the music creates an emotional tone

leitmotif

a musical theme associated with a particular character, setting, or situation

entertainment value

Music is a crucial element in film, impacting both narrative and entertainment value

quotation

The importing of a song or musical text, in part or in whole, into a film’s score. A score might quote a theme from a previous movie in a sequel or a classic piece of music to evoke a particular mood or era.

foreshadowing

a musical clue that hints at an event/revelation to occur later in the narrative

mickey-mousing

synchronization of every action in a scene with musical punctuation, as was typical in old cartoons

irony

The music conveys an emotion directly at odds with the scene.