Post 6: Japanese Noh

Noh has been a part of graceful traditional Japanese music for centuries. It is a highly stylized form of symbolic drama that involves 2 or 3 actors and a group of musicians dancing, singing, chanting, and playing instruments on a rather conservative, unornamented stage. Here is a list of the main elements of Japanese noh theater:

· Exclusive cast of male actors and musicians (female performers have begun to participate in modern days, however)
- Utai: vocal part performed by both actors and a chorus of eight male singers
- hayashi: musical ensemble consisting of 1 nohkan bamboo flute (the only melodic instrument other than singing voice) and 3 small drums (ko-tsuzumi, o-tsuzumi, and taiko)

· Few props and simple settings for symbolic use, if any

· Slow, deliberate dance movements by the actors

· Use of elegantly painted masks by the actors

· Standardized stories drawn from ancient narratives “told” by the chorus

· stylized speech and gestures characterizing certain emotions

· Nonpulsatile music giving great amount of freedom for expression and sense of time

· enhancing of musical tension through kakegoe, or short shouts and exclamations from the drummers

· Buddhist chant or shomyo-influenced style of singing, mostly free in rhythm and pitch with tense vocal quality
- kotoba: heightened speech-song
-fushi: song melodies

Reference video clip and website

Post 5: Ustad Rashid Khan - Raag Basant

In this video clip, Ustad Rashid Khan, an Indian classical musician in the North Indian Hindustani music tradition, performs Raag Basant, which is a holy song about the pastimes of Sri Krishna (whom I believe is considered a deity in Hindu culture) in Vrindavan.

This particular performance of the homophonic song consists of five musicians, including the vocal soloist (playing a chordophone on his lap simultaneously), two tambura players, a tabla player, and a harmonium player. For the first two and a half minutes, the music is quasi-pulsatile with no participation by the drummer. The melodic improvisation by the soloist seems to be based on raga and the tonal foundation provided by the drone of the tamburas. When the drummer joins in on the accompaniment, a cyclic conception of meter, or tala, could be recognized. Although, for me personally, it was not so easy to distinguish the meter at first since the rhythm itself was rather unfamiliar. The accompaniment is consistent throughout with repetitive familiar strums of scales and arpeggios made by the chordophones. The main melody sung by the vocalist is in conjunct motion with occasional bursts of vibrato-filled improvisation. It seems to reach its climax towards the end of the video clip, which lasts for about ten minutes. The song itself may have been well over this, but I would never know since the video is cut off at this point.

Post 4: "Hejrat" by Googoosh

The Iranian pop legend Googoosh performs "Hejrat" in this video from the 1970's - the decade in which she reigned as the diva of Iranian pop culture. In an elaborate sparkly costume that pairs with the decorative backdrop, Googoosh dances to the music before the first verse.
In general, the music portrays the characteristics of middle eastern music, aside from the fact that the song is performed in Farsi. However, it can definitely be perceived as modernized with the influence of Western music.
The music itself is a heterophonic collaboration with the soloist singing in conjunct motion with integrated melismas. The accompaniment consists of chordophones, membranophones, possibly electrophones, and backup voices.
Incidences of cadential motives can be found throughout the song, which keeps the listener intact with anticipation of certain cadences.
The rhythm is consistent with a specific beat pattern, although such beat pattern resembles that of Latin music - particularly a piece from the Latino repertoire of the Music Faculty Concert at UTD.
The song is in minor mode, therefore it does not exactly have a "happy" melody, but it seems effective in arousing emotional attachment to the music.
In any case, the overall presentation, which allures the general appeal of the audience, seems appropriate for the style of popular music.