Music and Us
There are so many different places that it was hard to pick just 4 to put into this project. But I eventually settled on 4 (mostly with the help of a random generator.) The first country I picked was Tajikistan. I really didn't know much about this country before researching it, I didn't even know where it was located. The specific genre I chose to research was Shashmaqam, which is a traditional style most commonly found in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It is most commonly sung in Persian. It is commonly sung in a round of six, almost like a classical movement. It was really interesting looking into all of the history, and there is no way I can fit it all here, but I do recommend looking into it if the music interests you.
The next country I looked into was the Dominican Republic. Specifically merengue. Merengue is characterized by fast tempos and a 4/4 meter. Its honestly such fun music, and I enjoyed listening to it. Early Merengue was a mix of European dance with African rhythms. percussion is a huge part of this genre, often being the driving part of the music. It is believed that the Merengue originated in the mid-19th century. the song I chose is Suavemente by Elvis Crespo.
The next country I chose was Lithuania. I decided to look into the folk music. one genre i found of folk music i found was called Sutartinės. It is characterized by polyphonic voices and can be found over all of Lithuania. it has three different types, and different voices associated with each of them. the first is Dvejinės, and is sung by two singers, or two groups of singers. the second is Trejinės, and it is three singers in a strict cannon. the last is Keturinės, which is sung in two pairs. the example i have linked is the second version, and is sung as a cannon.
The last country I looked into was Estonia. It was really interesting to look into. The vocals on many of the songs I found were very tight, often with a drone voice of some kind. That voice migh be saying words, but all in all staying on one pitch. may videos i found also seemed to all have one person playing a drum.
Hi Isabel! I loved all of your picks! I never even thought of the places when doing mine. My favorite video of yours was the last one from Estonia. Something about the sound of their voices was very nice.
ReplyDeleteHi Isabel! Out of all of the selections, I liked Lithuania and the Sutartines the most. I liked how you explained the structure of the music, especially the three different types. You made the idea of the number of singers and how the voices interact easy to understand.
ReplyDeleteHey Isabel! I really enjoyed listening to the piece you found for the Dominican Republic. When my mom was in high school she went on a missions trip to the Dominican Republic so I am actually going to ask if she has heard any of that kind of music. But about the song you chose, it seems to have such a fun groove to dance to!
ReplyDeleteDominican Republic ooooo I likey. I never knew that meringue was a mix of African rhythms, especially percussion.
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