MALI dancing

My blog submission this week is from my Curricular Unit area, West Africa. It is a performance of a traditional dance by two performers and a rhythm ensemble in the background.

I think that this video if a very easily accessible version of a performance that is authentic as can be. The ensemble in the background is very together throughout the performance, and even though they are in the background of the performance space, their sound is in the foreground, a lots of emphasis is still placed on virtuosity.

As far as the female soloists are concerned, they're performance would not be seen as particularly stellar in many facets of the western music tradition. Their vocal tone is very nasal and pushed, but it is accurate to the style of the composition. (It is very interesting to note the clothing that all performers are wearing. Their wardrobe seems to be of similar fashion to American fashion in the 90's and today. The drummer in the back to the left is wearing a sports team jersey and the dancer on the right is wearing a whole slew of random 90's clothing.)

Something that I found interesting about this video is how similar some of the dance choreography is to moves that many Americans may recognize. At 1:37, it appears that the women go into a move that is reminiscent of an early musical theater tap-dance step. Also, at 2:07 when the dancers start to "raise the roof." (That one was a joke.)

I think that this video is a great tool to use in the music classroom due to the authenticity of it. This is very close to (with the exception of it being a recording and not a live viewing) a first hand account of a West African drum/dance performance. Students most likely will never have seen something quite like this before, and using this video in a music classroom is a great way to discuss similarities and differences between West African music and music of the western european tradition.

Nemrud'un Kızı

Nemrud'un Kızı (Mahsun Kırmızıgül)

This is a recording of a pop song from Turkey called Nemrud'un Kizi by Mahsun Kirmizigül, an icon in the Middle East. He lives in Istanbul but has achieved international fame, selling 16 million records in just 8 years. 

Nemrud'un Kizi is one of his more famous hits, most likely because of the long introduction which is reminiscent of a Qur'an recitation (the song begins at 2:09 if you don't care to listen to the intro).

The lyrics (in turkish) speak of a betrayal by a loved one and the agony of the following days, which I interpret as the Turkish version of a love song. This song includes solo vocals, gang vocals, hand clapping, some percussion, and lots and lots of sitar.

African Drum Circle

African Drum Circle in Accra Ghana Cultural Arts center 2

In this video, one can see 5 men in a drumming ensemble. 

As you can see, there is one clear leader who acts as the "cantor" of sorts. It is his responsibility to lead the ensemble with specific cues, and it is also his responsibility to improvise over the rhythmic skeleton of the ensemble. Halfway through the video, two other men come into the frame and simply grab instruments and joins in the drumming. This speaks to the community value that music holds in the Western African culture.