Music and Us: Our New Playlist!

 I am so excited to talk about different music around the world! In this blog I will be talking about 4 different countries music. Majority of them I don't know anything about but some I do! I hope you enjoy reading about it all and maybe even learn something new as well!

• Irish Folk Music - Ireland (Europe)

    Irish folk music started off in Gaelic Ireland. There were at least 10 instruments that they used. The crwth (a small string harp), a cláirseah (a bigger harp with about 30 strings), the tiompán( a small string instrument played with a bow or plectrum -something that's like a guitar pick), the feadán (a fife - which to me looks like a flute), the buinne (an oboe or flute), the guthbuinne (a bassoon type horn), the beannbhuabhal and corn (hornpipes), the cuislenna (bagpipes),  the stoc and storgán (clarions/trumpets), and the cnmha (bones). Traditional Irish music has been used for dancing, storytelling, and celebrating heritage. The type of traditional music I'm going to talk about is Ceili music. It’s most common to hear Ceili music with dances, such as the Quadrille. They were most popular in the French court in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. One selection that I like the most is “Feargal O’Gara’s Selection.” I’m not sure what the actual pieces are that are in this selection. I like this one the most because it just makes you want to get up and dance. It has a catchy tune which can just stay in your head. The video I added not only has the music but it also has dancing going on as well, which really gives you the full effect of the music. 

• Jeongak - Korean (Asia) Traditional Music

    This genre has been traditionally associated with the nobility and upper classes. It includes court music and chamber music. Jeongak is a symphony with a bunch of musical instruments including the gayageum, geomungo, daegeum, hargeum, janggu, and many more. Because it took a lot of money to hire musicians and the size of the venu, sometimes Jeonak pieces were played by two or three players, and sometimes just one player. One of the best known piece of Jeongak is “Sujecheon and the Suite” (Yeongsan Hoesang) When thinking about what parts of the world I wanted to learn more about music for this blog, Korea came first to my mind because it’s something I never really thought about. While listening to this piece, I found it interesting how it gave this amberonce effect but also a peaceful feeling as well. I especially found the instruments that they used really cool. I feel like they kind of look like the ones we studied in music history, but also different at the same time.

• Modern Australian Music - Australia 

    When researching modern music to do from Australia, I realized that a lot of music we know of are famous Australian artists. Australian music is very diverse and includes rock, pop, and Indigenous music. I’m sure we’ve all heard of AC/DC. I choose to add them to this because not only are they famous musicians we all know but they are one of the most globally recognized Australian artists. 

• Kahiko - Traditional Hawaiian Music (North America)

 

   When you think of traditional Hawaiian music, you might think of hula dancing or chanting. Which, you're not entirely wrong about. Kahiko music is the traditional music that accompanies hula kahiko (an ancient style of hula). Hawaiians use this music as a way to honor Gods and tell stories. The instruments that are used for Kahiko are Pahu (a drum), Ipu (a percussion instrument made from a gourd), Calabash (a percussion instrument made from a calabash gourd, and usually played when hit with the palms, fingers, or objects), Seed-filled gourds, Split bamboo sticks, and stones used as castanets. There are two chant types that can accompany these instruments. A ‘Oli and a Mele (which is a chant or a song that tells stories of Hawaiian history, mythology, genealogy, and spirituality. Something that I really enjoyed when listening to Kahiko, was that you could feel their emotions through the music. It reminded me a lot of the Native American music we studied at the beginning of Jan term. The video I added not only shows them chanting but also has traditional hula dancing as well. 

I never thought I would have so much learning about music across the world. Writing this blog not only helped me learn more about music I've known about, but also allowed me to explore different continents as well. I hope you enjoyed reading my blog!