Music from Planet Earth · 29 Fanfare for the Common Man (USA) 30 Song of Welcome (Fiji) ... “Music from Planet Earth,” you might get ideas for other ways to connect

Music from Planet Earth

Music from Planet Earth, page 1

What’s in This Section 97 short musical examples from all over the world, showing the range and variety of human musicmaking on the Earth. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . How to Use Music from Planet Earth. . . . . . .

CD & Track Title Disk 7 1 Drum ensemble (The Gambia) 2 Yatsuhashi Kengyo, "Confusion" for koto (Japan) 3 Opera Scene (Italy) 4 Balalaika trio: “Where Are You?” (Russia) 5 Hula Chant (USA) 6 Mariachi: “El Pasajero” (Mexico/USA) 7 Queen's Birthday Song (Vietnam) 8 Mbube men's chorus (South Africa) 9 Fiddle dance music (Norway) 10 Yaqui Pascola music (USA) 11 Game of Pairs (Hungary) 12 Love song from Rhodope (Bulgaria) 13 Lightnin’ Hopkins, “Trouble Stay ’Way from My Door” (USA) 14 Buddhist chant (Tibet) 15 Tibetan horns (Tibet) 16 Yoruba wedding music (Benin) 17 W. A. Mozart, Piano Concerto #23 (Austria) 18 Muslim song (Bosnia) 19 “Fragrance of Rhythm” (USA) 20 Folk song: “Dear God Who Knows” (Morocco) 21 Burmese Royal Processional (Myanmar) 22 Antoinetten-Polka (Austria) 23 Song of praise to Krishna (India) 24 Gobi Desert love song (Mongolia) 25 “Song to Cecilia” (Philippines) 26 1902 orchestra music (Austria) 27 Song from the Middle Ages (Germany) 28 Imitating Indonesian music (Canada/Bali) 29 Balinese Gamelan Gong (Indonesia) 30 Hebrew chant (Israel) 31 Sofia Gubaidulina, Silenzio (Russia) 32 Gospel song: “Who'll Be a Witness?” (USA) 33 Panpipes: “Merry Youngsters” (Bolivia) Disk 8 1 Afro-Cuban dance music (Cuba) 2 Dance music with bagpipes (Ireland) 3 Dance music with gongs (Philippines) 4 Xylophone (Senegal) 5 One-string harp (Cambodia)


6 Bach organ chorale (Germany) 7 Shona mbira group (Zimbabwe) 8 1948 piano music (France) 9 Minstrel's mystic song (Turkey) 10 Gospel singing: “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say” (USA) 11 Gong orchestra (Thailand) 12 Hildegard of Bingen, “O Euchari” (Germany) 13 Gypsy song with fiddle (Romania) 14 Buddhist drums (Vietnam) 15 Tamburitza orchestra (Croatia) 16 “When the Saints Go Marching In” (USA) 17 Beethoven's Ninth (Germany) 18 Wedding music (China) 19 Kang Te-hong, Kayagum music (Korea) 20 Flamenco singing (Spain) 21 Panpipes, flutes, and guitar (Peru) 22 Scottish bagpipe band (UK) 23 Comanche Scalp Dance (USA) 24 Polska dance (Sweden) 25 Royal drums (Ghana) 26 Silvestre Revueltas, Sensemaya (Mexico) 27 Koran recitation (Iran) 28 Shaman's music (Vietnam) 29 Gypsy music (Hungary/Romania) 30 Sarangi (India) 31 1842 chamber music (Germany) 32 “The Carpenter Bird” (Mexico) Disk 9 1 Musette waltz: “Pigale” (France) 2 Dance music (Tahiti) 3 Renaissance tower music (Germany) 4 Sehtar solo (Iran) 5 Dripsody (Canada) 6 “Walkin’” (USA) 7 Flute and lute (China) 8 Heitor Villa Lobos, The Little Train (Brazil) 9 Veracruz harp ensemble: “La Bamba” (Mexico) 10 Harpsichord (France) 11 Xylophone orchestra (Mozambique) 12 Klezmer dance music (Eastern Europe) 13 Toru Takemitsu, Toward the Sea (Japan) 14 Vinas (India) 15 Waltz for strings (Russia) 16 Storyteller (Korea) 17 Fado song (Portugal) 18 Goksel Baktagir, Kanun solo (Turkey) 19 Clara Schumann, Toccatina (Germany) 20 Budongo ensemble (Uganda) 21 Zywiec folk dance (Poland) 22 Panpipe orchestra (Solomon Islands) 23 Texas-Mexican: “Ballad of a Horse Race” (USA) 24 Didgeridoo (Australia)


25 Flute and zither (Indonesia) 26 Russian Dance (Russia) 27 Buddhist singing (Korea) 28 Seven-person marimba (Belize) 29 Fanfare for the Common Man (USA) 30 Song of Welcome (Fiji) 31 Renaissance church music (France) 32 Bouzouki ensemble (Greece)


Introduction Our planet is full of music. In the air birds call; in the deep oceans great whales sing across vast distances; on the ground crickets chirp, wolves howl, and humans, no matter where and how they live, make music of myriad kinds. This is a collection of human music from all over the world. There are enough examples to give an impression of the incredible range and variety of human musicmaking on our planet: lots of different sounds, different forms, different places, different occasions, different reasons for making music. The examples are distributed in both space and time: they come from around the globe and from many different periods of history, from ancient times to right now. We have chosen, from the sources available to us, music that is varied and vivid, while being sufficiently clear and direct for children. We collected different kinds of folk music, religious music from several traditions, and art music or classical music from different parts of the world. Some of this music is meant for listening, some for participating, some is made by people who get paid to make music, some by people whose pay is the music itself. We have given extra space to music from the U.S. (because that’s where our young listeners live) and to music from the Euramerican classical tradition (because Naxos, the publisher of Music for Kids, has such riches of that music, which has contributed greatly to the character of American musicmaking.) We have not included popular and commercial music because they are so easily available and already part of most children’s experience. There aren’t enough examples to demonstrate every kind of music—not anywhere near enough! Many, many beautiful and important and wonderful kinds of music are missing. The only container big enough to hold them all is the Earth itself. Therefore, regard this collection not as a guide to Earth’s music, but as a glimpse of it.


Sources The music in this section comes from several different record companies and from private collections, and we are grateful for permission to use these recordings in Music for Kids. You can find recordings from these record companies in record stores or order by phone or via the Internet. The labels are: Naxos, NaxosJazz, and Marco Polo

Budget-priced classical music and jazz, and full-price recordings of musical rarities.

Naxos of America, Inc., 416 May Lindsay Polk Dr., Suite 509, Franklin, TN 37067. 615-771-9393; www.naxosusa.com

Smithsonian Folkways

Smithsonian now owns the fabulous Folkways catalog, as well as producing excellent new recordings of music in many styles from the U.S. and around the world. They sell wonderful albums of folk music for children—a great way to introduce American children to their heritage of folk song.

1-800-410-9815; www.si.edu/folkways Celestial Harmonies

World music on the Black Sun, Kukuck, and Fortuna labels. P.O. Box 30122, Tucson AZ 85751. 520-326-4400; www.harmonies.com

New Earth

World Music, including a 12-CD series called “The Living Tradition.” 800-570-4074

Village Pulse

Digital recordings of West African music. www.rootsworld.com/rw/villagepulse/outpost.html

ARC Music

A large catalog of world music CDs, varying from lovely rarities to commercialized exoticism. They offer an inexpensive audio catalog: 6 CDs of 45-second examples. (This is a British company, not to be confused with the U.S. company Arc Music Group.)

ARC Music Inc., P.O. Box 2453, Clearwater, Florida 33757-2453. 813-447-3755; www.arcmusic.co.uk

Field recording by Eugene Rodriguez


Field recordings by Robert Garfias

www.socsci.uci.edu/rgarfias


How to Use Music from Planet Earth What is one to do with all this music? There is no end to the possibilities, but here are a few ideas: • Listen without looking. We have had a great time playing these examples for children and friends and asking, “Where do you think this is from?” Sometimes it’s obvious, but sometimes it’s hard to say. Listen to a few examples without looking at the book, and just react to the music. Where does it sound like it’s from? What do you think it’s about? What might be going on around this music? • Music for resting time. Play an example or two when it’s time for a rest. After playtime, before beginning work, invite children to rest with heads down while listening to music. • Listen and discuss. Pick an example, listen to it, and then talk about it together. Invite the children to talk about what they hear and what they feel. Older children might like to speculate about what the music is about, where it’s from, or how it fits into its culture. For discussion ideas, see “Discussions” in the “Musical Projects” section. • Listen and draw. Pick an example, or a few examples, and draw while you listen. Take your time, and listen a few times to the same music. See “Drawing Sounds” in the “Musical Projects” section. • Connect with other subjects. The music connects to many different aspects of life. The most obvious connection is geographic: if you’re studying a country or region, listen to its music. But as you browse through “Music from Planet Earth,” you might get ideas for other ways to connect. Toru Takemitsu’s Toward the Sea (J13) connects with the study of oceans, as does Hugh LeCaine’s Dripsody (J5), based on the sound of a drip of water (it would also fit with study of rainfall or the water cycle.) Examples of African music can enrich the study of slavery and other aspects of American history. If it’s somebody’s birthday, what about G7, the Queen’s Birthday Song from Vietnam? As you look through the collection, you’ll see connections that make sense for you. • Projects. Assign a child or a group of children to

– find three or four examples that are similar in some way – select an order for the examples – explain what’s similar about them


– play them for you (or for the class)

Children can do a similar project with three or four examples that are different in some way. See “Finding Examples” in the the “Musical Projects” section for more ideas along these lines.

• Listen in the background. Put one of the CDs on while a quiet activity is happening. Enjoy! If you like, see what music attracts interest or attention. Observe how different music affects the mood in the room. • Dance. Move to the music while listening. It doesn’t matter whether you’re doing a “correct” dance; get the music into your body. See “Freestyle Dancing” in “How to Use Music for Dancing” for more ideas. • Use music for special moments. Play an example to start an assembly, to end a day, to celebrate a holiday or birthday, or for marking other moments or special occasions. Use examples to make ordinary activities special: passing papers, lining up, neatening desks, etc. How NOT to use this music Don’t try to get the children to memorize information about the music. Don’t try to train them to name the country when they hear an example. (This kind of thing is commonly done in college “music appreciation” classes, but it’s not a musical task, and doesn’t enhance most people’s appreciation.) The purpose of “Music from Planet Earth” is not to dispense information, it is to give children a chance to soak up the sound of music from many times and places. Children will naturally learn about music they like, without even trying. Most children (and most adults) enjoy learning about things they enjoy, and most people enjoy things more when they learn more about them. But please don’t let learning about the music become the main focus. Hearing the music is the main focus. Learning about the music should be a pleasant side-effect of listening to, enjoying, and absorbing the music’s sound.


Likes and dislikes Much of this music wll be unfamiliar, and some people’s first reaction to unfamiliar music is not to like it. That’s perfectly normal. Nobody has to like everything in this collection. But you will find that the same example that a child dismisses on first hearing may, on third or fourth hearing, begin to become familiar, and may eventually become a favorite. The real point, though, is not to make the music likable, but to foster an atmosphere of curiosity about unfamiliar music, openness toward new sounds, and enjoyment of diversity. This means that people have to be able to react honestly to what they hear and feel. It’s fine to laugh together at something that sounds “weird!” But it’s also important to remember that the liking and disliking are not in the music, but in the listener. People all over the world love to discuss what music is good and what music is better, and what music is bad. But no music is “good” or “bad” by itself. Things can only be “good” or “bad” with respect to some set of criteria. Some people talk as though certain kinds of music are inherently better or more valuable than other kinds, but that kind of talk is nonsense unless they say what purpose they have in mind for the music. Music that is bad for dancing may be good for helping people calm down. Music that is good at expressing emotions may please some people while offending others. Some people think that complicated music is better than simple music; other people think the opposite. Usually when people start talking about whether some music is good or bad, they’re really talking about what criteria they think are important. Better than evaluating music is to discuss what happens in the music and what happens in the listeners. Asking questions helps: What do you think the people making this music like about this kind of sound? What do you think it means to them? What might they feel when they hear that? What does it mean to you? Does it remind you of something? Background information We give a tiny bit of information about each example, so that you and the children can—if you wish—know a little about it. This information is for the grownup to read and decide how—and whether—to share. We give


information that we hope will help a child to place the music in a context: to be able to imagine the occasion for the music or the place where it occurs. Because so many children are fascinated by instruments, we often include something about how they work. We know that giving only a little bit of information can be misleading, particularly when dealing with something as complex as a musical tradition. We apologize for any inadvertent oversimplifications or misrepresentations! If you like an example enough to want to hear more, we have included information to help you track down the original album. Titles The titles of these examples show many different ways to name music. We titled the tracks by style, by composer, by genre, by instruments, by time period, or in some other way. A given example might or might not be known by this title in its native habitat. We titled to educate, too, emphasizing some names of styles, composers, and instruments, while at the same time varying the ways of naming for all styles. What you can’t learn here Although each example comes from some tradition, it may or may not depict an average moment in that tradition. Most musical traditions are so huge that one example could never give a decent impression anyway. You can’t learn much about symphonies from these brief symphony scraps; you can’t learn about Bosnian music from these few seconds; you can’t learn about jazz or Japanese music or J.S. Bach from these examples. There’s just not enough music here to learn about particular styles or periods or cultures. In addition, learning about music from recordings is always risky. Just as a zoo makes animals easier to see but distorts their behavior by removing them from normal life, a recording removes music from its environment, giving only a partial view of its true nature. The tiger in the zoo looks the same as her cousin in the wild, but she doesn’t act the same! There’s more to an animal than its appearance, and there’s more to music than how it


sounds. (Most of our examples don’t even show the whole animal; they are excerpts of longer pieces.) What you can learn here There is not any one thing to be learned from “Music from Planet Earth.” Like the rest of Music for Kids, these are resources, not lessons. Depending on how the resources are used, children can learn many different things. From listening to these examples one might learn that music is made all over the place, and that people have come up with an astonishing variety of ways to make it. You might learn that there are such things as jazz, opera, P’ansori, budongos, and sarangis. You might notice that people sing in more ways than you ever imagined. You might realize that some of the same occasions and impulses that call for music in our country also bring forth music in other parts of the world. You might notice that we humans have a lot in common, and we sure are different from one another. You might even learn that the word “music” includes a whole lot more than you realized. You might feel pride in what our species has dreamed up. For many people the main thing to be learned here is the enjoyment of experiencing the world’s musical diversity. Expanding the collection Many excellent recordings of world music are now available. If you want to hear more of something represented here, or if you want to improve the collection by adding music that is missing, please do! Live music Most cities in the U.S. provide wonderful opportunities to hear music from other parts of the world. Watch for festivals, holidays, and other occasions that bring out your communitiy’s musical diversity. Some churches and temples serving particular ethnic or cultural groups present music events as well. Community centers devoted to a particular heritage usually present musical events.


Many performers of all traditions love to visit schools to introduce children to their music. Ensembles from other countries tour the U.S. all the time, bringing highlights of classical and folk traditions. Large groups appear on major concert series, smaller groups play in clubs, churches, social halls, or schools. Watch for performances that you and your child would enjoy. Some radio stations have programs devoted to world music, and these shows and their hosts often provide information on upcoming events.


Notes by Robert Garfias

Disk 7 1 Drum ensemble (The Gambia) A group of village musicians from The Gambia, in the westernmost part of Africa, get together and play. Each of the three drummers plays a completely different pattern on his drum, and yet all the patterns fit together to make one rhythm. As with so many musical styles in Africa, it takes years to learn to play this complicated music, but the musicians never practice alone. The music can only be played in a group, because each of the rhythm patterns depends on all the others to make sense. Drums and percussion played by Jaiteh Baldeh, Bokary Jawo, Bokary Dem, Batche

Samba Baldeh, Bureh Baldeh, Kumura Maodu, Kobba Ann. Recorded by Adam Novick in The Gambia, 1996. From Village Pulse VPU-1004, “Amadu Bamba: Drums of the Firdu Fula,” track 1,

“Jarawali.” 2 Yatsuhashi Kengyo, "Confusion" for koto (Japan) The koto is a string instrument from Japan. It is a long, flat board, about as long as a very tall person, with 13 silk strings stretched across its length. Each string has a little bridge under it to adjust the tuning. The strings are plucked with little ivory picks attached to the thumb and first two fingers of the right hand. The koto is often played by young ladies, and their playing shows that they have studied hard, because the music must be memorized. This piece is called "Midare," or "Confusion," because it is very hard to memorize. Madame Tomoko Sunazaki, koto. Recorded at Chiku-Shin Studios, Navarro, California, 1984. From Celestial Harmonies Fortuna 17068-2, “Tegoto: Japanese Koto Music,” track 8,

“Midare.” 3 Opera Scene (Italy) In different parts of the world people have invented different ways to act out stories with music. In the 1500s Italians began to develop a way to combine singing, stories, acting, stagecraft, musical instruments, and poetry into an experience that eventually came to be called opera. By


the 1800s, opera was wildly popular in Europe, with people from many different countries creating and performing new operas. Opera singers and composers became international stars. One of the most successful and famous composers of opera music was Gioachino Rossini (1792–1868). This is the happy ending of his opera Tancredi, which was performed in Venice in 1813, in London in 1820, and in New York in 1825. Capella Brugensis (Chorus); Collegium Instrumentale Brugenese; Alberto Zedda,

conductor; with Ewa Podles as Tancredi, Stanford Olsen as Argirio, Anna Maria di Micco as Isaura, and Sumi Jo as Amenaide.

Recorded at Poissy Theatre and the Centre Musical-Lyrique-Phonographique, Ile de France, January 26–31,1994.

From Naxos 8.660038, Tancredi, track 21, Finale. 4 Balalaika trio: "Where Are You?" (Russia) The Russian balalaika is like a guitar with a triangle-shaped body. It usually has three strings. Here is a group of three Russian musicians who play balalaikas of different sizes so they can play high melody notes and low bass notes and together make this lively tune. Balalaika Ensemble Wolga: Mischa Taschenkow, Nicolai Malinow, and Ivan Nestero. Recorded 1996. From ARC EUCD 1377, "Songs from the Taiga: Balalaika Ensemble Wolga,” Disk II, track 6,

“Where Are You?” 5 Hula Chant (USA) Sometimes we hear Hawaiian Hula music played on guitars and other instruments, but the old-style hulas, as they were performed before the first Europeans arrived in the 1700s, used mostly singing with a few percussion instruments. There were songs for ceremonies and songs for entertainment. Nowadays people learn these chants at special schools devoted to preserving and passing on Hawaiian traditions. Emily Kau'I-o-Makaweli-ona-lani-o-ka-Mano-o-ka-lani-po-Kukahiwa Zuttermeister, her

daughter, Noenoelani Zuttermeister Lewis, and her granddaughter, Hau'oliolanalani Lewis, of Kane'ohe, O'ahu, descendants of the hula pahu tradition of Samuel Pua Ha'aheo, drum and vocal.

Recorded in Honolulu, March 4, 1989, by Cine-pic Hawaii. From Smithsonian Folkways SF40015, “Hawaiian Drum Dance Chants: Sounds of power in

time,” Track 5, “Aloha e ke kai o kalalau.” 6 Mariachi: “El Pasajero” (Mexico/USA)


The Mariachi is a type of orchestra that originated in southwestern Mexico. The combination of violins, guitars and trumpets gives the Mariachi its special sound. This particular group, Mariachi Cobre, is originally from Tucson, Arizona. They play a traditional song called “The Passenger.” Mariachi Cobre, violins, trumpets, guitars, vihuela, vocals: Esteban "Steve" Carillo, Miguel

Angel Molina, Louis Marinez, Macario"Mack" Ruiz, Pablo Hector Gama, Antonio Hernandez Ruiz, Adolfo Garcia, Israel Galvez Molina, Cristobal "Chris" Figueroa, Roberto Martinez, Francisco Grijalva, Randolfo "Randy" Carillo.

Recorded November, 1991 at Starke Lake Studios, Ocoee, Florida. From Celestial Harmonies Kuckuck 11095-2, “Mariachi Cobre,” track 9, “El Pasajero.” 7 Queen's Birthday Song (Vietnam) Before the devastating Vietnam War, there was an enduring and highly developed civilization in Vietnam. The royal court was in what is now central Vietnam, in the city of Hue. There were a number of different orchestras to play music for the entertainment of the court and for many forms of theater. This music is for the birthday of the queen or queen mother, or to congratulate a princess on her wedding. Mrs. La Thi Cam Van: artisitic director; Mr. Nguyen Quoc Ngu, Mr. Tran Dai Dung, Mr. Tran

Bo, Mr. Nguyen Tan Hong, Mr. Cao Chanh Giau, Mr. Huynh Anh Tuan, Mr. Duong Van Lan, Mr. Vo Minh Thanh, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Lam, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thanh Binh, Mrs. Tran Thi Nguyet Nga, Mrs. Phan Thi Bach Hac, Mrs. Phan Thi Thu Thuy, Mrs. Phan Thi Bach Hoa, Mrs. Tran Thi Thu Van, and Mrs. Le Thi Dieu Hy.

Recorded in Hanoi and Hue, 1994. From Celestial Harmonies 13084, “The Music of Vietnam: Volume 2, Imperial Court Music

Recorded in Hue,” track 1, "Mua quat (Fan Dance): To congratulate princesses on their wedding, or queens and queen mothers on their birthdays.”

8 Mbube men's chorus (South Africa) The various groups of people in South Africa who speak “click” languages (languages in which clicking sounds are used), often form themselves into vocal groups. Mbube is a style of singing, and all over South Africa competitions are held between Mbube men's singing groups. This song is about South Africa’s President Nelson Mandela. Thulisa Brothers: Mbube Zulu. Recorded in 1996. From ARC EUCD-1351, “The Spirit of African Gospel,” track 1, ”Akesiyibongeni Leyondoda

(a song about President Nelson Mandela).”


9 Fiddle dance music (Norway) On long summer evenings in Norway, when the sun does not set until 10 o'clock or later, people in the villages come out to dance to fiddle music. With only one or two fiddlers playing, and with the only rhythmic accompaniment being the tapping of the fiddlers' feet, people dance for hours during the warm summer nights. Hardanger fiddles played by Ken and Jane. Recorded in 1997. From ARC EUCD 1056, “Lief Sorbye Springdans: Songs & Dance from Norway,” track 3,

“Syndebukken (The Scapegoat): Type of dance with a solemn character and is perhaps of religious origin.”

10 Yaqui Pascola music (USA) The Yaqui (YAH-kee) people are Native Americans who live on both sides of the Mexico–U.S. border. For many years they bravely resisted pressure from the Spanish, Mexican, and U.S. governments. Many groups of Yaqui live in the Arizona region. One of their important festivals features the Maso, or deer dancer, and the Pascola, a kind of clown. The dancer who is the deer wears a wooden head of a stag on top of his head. He dances nobly and bravely, and always remains dignified. His music is played by a flute and drum. The Pascolas, part of the same ceremony, wear masks on their faces and behave foolishly. When they dance, the noses on their masks wiggle from side to side. The Pascola music is played by the harp and violin, instruments introduced to the Yaqui by the Spanish long ago. Sometimes the Maso (deer dancer) and Pascolas dance at the same time, but the Maso remains dignified, ignoring the antics of the Pascolas. Francisco Molina, violin; Marcelino Valencia, harp. Recorded by Canyon Records, 1980. From Smithsonian Folkways SF 40418, “Borderlands: From Conjunto to Chicken Scratch,

Music from the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and Southern Arizona,” track 14, “Yaqui Pascola music: San Javielpo Chu'kuy Kawi.”

11 Game of Pairs (Hungary) Near the end of his life, Hungarian composer Bela Bartok (1881–1945) moved to the United States. While living in New York, he wrote a marvelous composition for full orchestra called Concerto for Orchestra, taking the title and form of music from composers of 200 years earlier.


Bartok was able to attend the first performance, given by the Boston Symphony in 1944. In this excerpt from the Concerto, Bartok has fun with pairs of instruments (he named this part “Game of Pairs.”) After a short introduction by a drum, he introduces a melody played by two bassoons, the lowest-sounding of the woodwind instrument family. After the bassoons have finished, two oboes play. Then two clarinets begin to play, next two flutes, and finally two trumpets. BRT Philharmonic Orchestra, Brussels; Alexander Rahbari, conductor. Recorded at the Concert Hall of the Belgian Radio and Television in Brussels, June 1990. From Naxos 8.550970, "Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra/Music For Strings, Percussion and

Celesta," track 2, “Giuoco delle coppie: Allegretto scherzando.” 12 Love song from Rhodope (Bulgaria) In southeastern Bulgaria, near the border with Greece, are the ancient Rhodope Mountains. During harvest time in this region, Bulgarian women enjoy singing together in a special style while working in the fields. They sing this way at other times, too, singing different notes that are quite close together. They say that the notes sound to them like the ringing of bells. Women’s Chorus of Folk-music Ensemble, Bulgarian Radio-Television; Dimitar Dinev,

director. Recorded by Deben Bhattacharya in Sofia, October 1965. From New Earth NE 9510-2, “Roots: Traditional Music On Love, Life and Nature,” track 7,

“Love Song from Rodop, South Bulgarian region.” 13 Lightnin’ Hopkins, “Trouble Stay ’Way from My Door” (USA) In the southeastern United States in the 1900s, African-American musicians evolved a new kind of music that came to be called the blues. The blues is both a style of music and a form—a set pattern of harmony and rhythm. There were hundreds of old-style “country” blues singers throughout the South, and each of them had his or her own repertoire of blues songs and a unique style of playing. Many of them, such as the famous Lightnin’ Hopkins heard here, had a direct influence on the development of the new popular music that came to be known as rock. Sam Lightnin’ Hopkins, guitar and voice. Recorded at 2803 Hadley Street, Houston, Texas, January 16, 1959, by Samuel B. Charters. From Smithsonian Folkways SF 40019, “Lightnin’ Hopkins,” track 4, “Trouble Stay ’Way from

My Door.”


14 Buddhist chant (Tibet) The monks of Tibet devote their lives to work, prayer and meditation. Many times a day they sing sacred Buddhist scriptures. When they sing they not only focus on the melody and the words, but they also try to make their voices resonate to the holy words so that they feel that their entire bodies are part of the prayer as they sing. When dozens of monks in a Tibetan monastery all chant together, their voices create a great buzzing, droning sound that is both haunting and thrilling. Since the Chinese took control of Tibet, many Tibetans have moved to India, where they have established monasteries and other institutions to carry on Tibetan traditions. Monks of the Dip Tse Chok Ling Monastery; Venerable Tashi Gyaltsen, Director; Ven.

Kalsang, Abbot; Ven. Thupten Nyandak, Assistant Director; Ven. Tenzin Dhondup, Ven. Tenzin Wangdu, Thupten Samphel, Thupten Gyaltsen, and Thupten Sephel.

Recorded at Dip Tse Chok Ling Monastery School, Dharamsala, India, 1989. From Celestial Harmonies 17074-2, “Sacred Ceremonies: Ritual Music of Tibetan

Buddhism, Monks of the Dip Tse Chok Ling Monastery, Dharamsala,” track 3, “The Praises for Guyashamaya (Sangva Duva).”

15 Tibetan horns (Tibet) In Tibetan monasteries instruments sound for important ceremonial events and at particular times of day. Often these instruments can be heard along with the singing of chants. Many times, however, the instruments are heard alone. In this example we can hear two different instruments, the long metal trumpet called dung-chen and the oboe-like gye-ling. The dung-chen is over six feet long; the player buzzes his lips into the mouthpiece to produce a sound like a gigantic, deep, buzzing trumpet. The gye-ling is a smaller instrument with a double reed (like the oboe), and it produces a more melodic sound than the dung-chen. The sounds of these instruments blend well with the chanting of monks (heard in the previous example). Monks of the Dip Tse Chok Ling Monastery and Thupten Samphel, Thupten Gyaltsen, and

Thupten Sephel. Recorded at Dip Tse Chok Ling Monastery School, Dharamsala, India, 1989. From Celestial Harmonies 17074-2, “Sacred Ceremonies: Ritual Music of Tibetan

Buddhism, Monks of the Dip Tse Chok Ling Monastery, Dharamsala,” track 5, “Traditional Composition for Gya Ling & Dung Chen.”


16 Yoruba wedding music (Benin) The Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria and Benin live in a coastal region of West Africa with an abundance of trees. Many of these trees are made into drums for many different types of drum bands. There are religious drum bands of different types, drum bands for dancing, and popular street bands. Many Yoruba drums and drumming styles were brought to the New World by slaves, and these became the basis for much African-American drumming, particularly in styles from Cuba, Haiti, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, and the Dominican Republic. One Yoruba drum that did not come to the New World is the dundun, the pressure drum. The dundun is shaped like an hourglass, with a drum head at each end and laces stretching from one head to the other. The player holds the drum under his arm and plays one end of the drum with a curved stick. By pressing down with his arm the player can tighten the laces, causing the sound of the drum to go up. In this way the drummer can imitate the up-and-down pattern of Yoruba speech. This band of dundun drummers is playing music for a wedding. They are also talking with their drums, telling stories and sending the wedding couple messages of good will. Dundun Ensemble from Adjarra. Recorded by Marcos Branda Lacerda, 1987. From Smithsonian Folkways SF 40440, “Yoruba Drums from Benin, West Africa,” track 12,

“Esikesi (for wedding).” 17 Mozart piano concerto (Austria) As a child Wofgang Amadeus Mozart (MOH-tsart) (1756–1791) toured Europe with his sister and father, astonishing musicians and royalty of many countries with his keyboard playing, violin playing, and ability to improvise and compose. By the end of his life he was known throughout Europe as an extraordinary composer. Music seemed to flow from his wonderful imagination. He not only composed hundreds and hundreds of compositions of many kinds, but he always found ways to make the music intriguing and clever without ever losing its natural flow. Musicians still perform his music very often. Mozart lived at a time when most music was expected to be entertaining, to be light and gay, and Mozart's music reflects this very well, although he could also write music that had a dark or serious mood. This short example sparkles and is filled with delightful little musical surprises. It is the ending of a piano concerto (cone-CHAIR-toe) from 1786, a piece for piano and orchestra in which the pianist is the star. Mozart wrote the piano part for himself to play.


Related examples: piano, H8; solo with orchestra, J13. Jeno Jando, piano; Concentus Hungaricus; Matyas Antal, conductor. Recorded at the Italian Institute in Budapest, September 28–October 17, 1989. From Naxos 8.506002, “Mozart, Complete Piano Concertos Volume 4, Nos. 23 & 24,”

track 3, [Piano Concerto #23, third movement] Allegro assai. 18 Muslim song (Bosnia) In 1918 a new country was created from parts of the collapsed Austro-Hungarian Empire. That country, Yugoslavia, has now been divided into many separate parts: Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Macedonia, and Bosnia. Many of these peoples speak similar languages and share the same basic culture. The biggest division between them is their different religions: Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Islam. There are many Muslims in these areas, and many are concentrated in Bosnia, where they were the victims of much of the recent strife. This example is a mountain song from Bosnia. The singing style is used to resonate through the mountains; the singers can hear each other across great distances. Sung by Safet Elezovic, Muhamed Elezovic and Zejnil Maslesa. Recorded by Mirjana Lausevic, Gornji Lukomir, Mount Bjelasnica, Bosnia, August 6, 1989. From Smithsonian SF 40407, "Bosnia, Echoes from an Endangered World," track 6, "Ganga: ’Sto becara u srce udara?'" G19 “Fragrance of Rhythm” (USA) Jazz is an art form invented in America, and now it is played and enjoyed all over the world. There are many different styles of jazz, but usually a jazz piece has some parts that are composed in advance and other parts that are made up on the spot. Improvisation—composing music as you perform it—is important in many of the world's musics, and it is central to most kinds of jazz. In this example, the players begin with a melody called “Fragrance of Rhythm (I Smell Rhythm),” written by the group’s guitar player, Jamie Findlay. (Jazz players love to write new songs and improvise over the harmonies from George Gershwin’s famous song “I Got Rhythm.”) After they play the tune, each musician takes a turn to improvise over the accompaniment for that melody. As they improvise, the musicians explore the musical possibilities in the mood, harmonies, and rhythms that underlie the melody. Some people say that jazz is the most democratic form of music, because the musicians, in order to create the music together while they perform, have to listen to each other carefully and give each other room to speak.


Related examples: Jazz, H16, J6 Jamie Findlay, guitar; David Sills, saxophone; Zac Matthews, bass; Dean Koba, drums. Album recorded at MI Studios, Hollywood, CA, March 15 and May 27–29, 1997. From NaxosJazz 86033-2, “Acoustic Jazz Quartet,” track 10, “Fragrance of Rhythm (I Smell

Rhythm).” 20 Folk song: “Dear God Who Knows” (Morocco) In Morocco there are two important cultural strains, the Arabic and the Berber. The Berber people lived in Morocco for many, many years before the coming of the Arab peoples and still live concentrated in the mountainous areas of the country. Today the culture of Morocco has these two cultural groups, and much of what is Moroccan mixes the two. This folk song is both Arabic and Berber in style and instrumentation. The Arabic lute called the ud (pronounced “ood”) begins playing in a fast, rolling Moroccan rhythm, and the lead singer and the chorus of male singers exchange lines of singing. The rhythm is beaten with large Moroccan tambourines called bendir, which have tiny cymbals attached that ring as they are played. Chalf Hassan, leader; Chalf Mohammed, Aziz Mohammed, Hossam Ramzy. Recorded at ARC Studio, Sussex, and Red Fort Studios, Southall, 1991. From ARC EUCD 1170, “Chalf Hassan: Songs & Dances From Morocco,” track 2 , “El-

Alim Yal-Alim (Dear God Who Knows).” 21 Burmese Royal Processional (Myanmar) In the days of the kings of Burma, whenever the king would enter or leave the palace, the great drums would be played. Nowadays in the theater, whenever a play depicts the actions of the king, the great royal drums join the orchestra of drums, gongs, and reed instruments. Then the audience knows that the story has to do with the king, or that something is happening in the royal palace. Hsaing (drum and gong ensemble) of U Chit Ti (the group’s leader). Recorded by Robert Garfias in Rangoon, Myanmar, 1974. 22 Antoinetten-Polka (Austria) Near the city of Vienna in Austria, in the fall when newly-made wine is ready for drinking, people like to go off into the nearby countryside to


enjoy the new wine. There little bands made up of a small, high-pitched clarinet, a guitar, and violins, play special music that is much like the famous old waltzes and polkas of Vienna. Harald Huemer and Reinhold Rung, violins; Gerald Grünbacher, G-clarinet; Heinz

Hromada, bass guitar. Recorded at Studio 1 of Opus Records, December 10–11, 1988. From Naxos 8.550228, “Music From Old Vienna,” track 11, “Antoinetten-Polka.” 23 Song of praise to Krishna (India) In Bombay in Northern India, a group sings praises to Kishna, a manifestation of god. This song is in a melodic system, or raga, called Yaman. Different ragas are used at different times of day and different times of year, and Yaman is supposed to be sung only at night. Kashinath Pandit and group. Recorded by Deben Bhattacharya in Bombay, India, December 1954. From New Earth NE 9511-2, “Devotion: Music and Chants from Great Religions,” track 16,

“Naman and Namagajar. Songs of praise and dedication to Krishna in Marathi.” 24 Gobi Desert love song (Mongolia) In the grassy plains of Mongolia live a number of different peoples. These are the great horsemen, descendants of the great Genghis Khan, who hundreds of years ago conquered most of Asia, going as far as Europe. Here a young woman sings a song of the nomad people who follow their flocks and graze their horses. The song is about the brown eagle. Sung by Weze Nar; horse-headed fiddle played by Bai-er. Recorded by Deben Bhattacharya in Hailer, October 1983. From New Earth NE 9510-2, “Roots: Traditional Music On Love, Life and Nature,” track 12, “Brown eagle, love song of the nomadic Ounkha tribe of the Gobi Desert." 25 Song to Cecilia (Philippines) In a small city in the very northern part of the Philippine Islands, a young woman sang this song, accompanied by her friend who played guitar and sang. The song is dedicated to a girl, Cecilia, whose brother died. Dolly Manuel and Boy Laso. Recorded by Robert Garfias in Laoag, Ilocos Norte, Philippines, 1966.


26 1902 orchestra music (Austria) In many parts of the world people play instruments in large groups. In Europe, a group of string instruments with more than one player on each part came to be called an orchestra (OR-kess-trah). Sometimes other instruments joined the strings: keyboard, harp, woodwinds, brasses, or percussionists. In addition to playing music for listening, orchestras also played for religious services, celebrations, ballets, operas, social dancing, and other forms of entertainment. Over time orchestras grew in size, until by 1900 composers were writing music for huge orchestras of 80 or 100 musicians, or even more. (Nowadays the word “orchestra” is used to describe all sorts of big groups of instruments: African xylophone ochestras, Indonesian gong orchestras, marimba orchestras, etc.) One important type of orchestral music was the symphony (SIM-foh-nee), usually a long piece in several sections, exploring, developing, and transforming different emotions and musical energies. Some symphonies had words or stories, but most were purely musical adventures. The Austrian composer and conductor Gustav Mahler (1860–1911) composed nine huge symphonies and much of a tenth. Mahler's use of the many sounds of the orchestra to express complex human emotions is considered one of the highest points in orchestral music. In this example from his 5th Symphony (1902) you can hear orchestral excitement and a change from one mood to another. Related examples: orchestra, G11, H17, H26, J8, J13, J15, J26, J29. Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra; Antoni Wit, conductor. Recorded at the Concert Hall of the Polish Radio in Katowice, August 16–18, 1990. From Naxos 8.550528, “Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 5,” track 2, “Sturmisch bewegt, mit

grosster Vehemenz (Stormy, with the greatest vehemence).” 27 Song from the Middle Ages (Germany) This very old German song says: up there on the mountain is a village where there are three pretty girls, one of whom I will marry. The composer, Ludwig Senfl, was a Swiss who worked in Austria and Italy before settling in Germany; he lived from about 1486 to 1542 or 1543. Convivium Musicum, Ensemble Villanella, Sven Berger. Recorded at the School of Music and Musicology, Gothenburg, Sweden, May 1994. From Naxos 8.553352, “Tugend and Untugend (Virtue and Vice): German Secular Songs

and Instrumental Music from the Time of Luther,” track 9, “Senfl: Dort oben auf dem Berge.”


28 Imitating Indonesian music (Canada/Bali) The Canadian-American composer Colin McPhee lived on the Island of Bali in Indonesia for many years. He lived there because he wanted to understand how the Balinese people made such wonderful music. He wrote a very big book that explains Balinese music in detail. Mr. McPhee also composed music, and in this piece he used European instruments like piano and cello to imitate the sound of a Balinese composition, the beginning music for a Balinese shadow puppet play. Ensemble New Music Concerts, Robert Aitken. Recorded in 1993. From Naxos 8.550171-2, “Introduction to Canadian Music/Florilége de la musique

canadienne,” CD 2, track 7, “Colin McPhee: Pemoengkah” (orig. from CBC Records MVCD 1057).

29 Balinese Gamelan Gong (Indonesia) Bali is one of the many islands of the country of Indonesia. Bali is unique because music, dance, drama, art, and sculpture play such an important part in the culture. There are hundreds of music and dance clubs. There are many kinds of music: for religious ceremonies, for local occasions, and for plays and dances. There are also many concerts. One kind of Balinese music is played by a large orchestra of gongs of many different sizes. They call this orchestra a gamelan. In this example a gamelan with great gongs plays a kind of overture (a piece for beginning an event). All of the instruments are played in pairs. Each pair of players fits their playing together like two pieces of a puzzle, combining their two instruments to create one part of the music. Gamelan Majuli Agung of Kaymas Kaja. Recorded by Deben Battachayra, Puri Karagasem, Bali, 1973. From New Earth NE 9505-2, “Spirit: Classical Traditional Music From Asia,” track 8, “Tabuh

Lelambatan by Gamelan Group named Majuli Agung of Kaymas Kaja.” 30 Hebrew chant (Israel) In religious chanting, the words are are more important than the music. Music serves as a support, helping the words to flow and making it easier to remember them. Adding a melody also helps the listener to grasp and remember the message of the text. In this example of Hebrew chant,


even without understanding the words you can feel their power with the help of the music. Related examples: chanting and religious singing, G5, G14, G32, H10, H12, J27, J31. Ashkenazi Jewish prayer sung by Moshe Anshin. Recorded in Jerusalem, June 1957. From New Earth NE 9511-2, “Devotion: Music and Chants from Great Religions,” track 3,

“Yismehu. Supplementary Sabbath Prayer in Hebrew.” 31 Sofia Gubaidulina, Silenzio (Russia) The Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina seems to use sounds like colors. In this short section of a piece entitled “Silence,” she puts each note out in space like a color, and balances it with the quiet space around it. She sometimes puts a few notes close together to make a contrast between them. The entire piece sounds like little bursts of color surrounded by spaces of silence. The instruments are a big Russian accordion called a bayan, playing with a violin and a cello (CHEL-low). Maria Kliegel, cello; Esbeth Moser, bayan; Kathrin Rabus, violin. Recorded in Hanover, Germany, August 1995. From Naxos 9.553557, “Sofia Gubaidulina: Seven Words – Silenzio – In Croce,” track 4,

“Silenzio, for bayan, violin, and cello, 3rd movement.” 32 Gospel song: “Who'll Be a Witness?” (USA) Many African-American gospel groups use the call-and-response technique. One singer or one group of singers leads the song with a short call melody, which is answered by a second group giving the response. This technique is found throughout Africa south of the Sahara desert. Sometimes this technique is used to tell stories, with the leader first teaching the response and then going on to tell or sing the story, while the group listens and responds by singing. This technique was important in the earliest African-American spiritual singing, and was adapted in other kinds of African-American religious music and even in African-American popular music. In this example, the leader of the group improvises slightly on the words while the chorus continues the same response. The Golden Gates Quartet. Recorded December 12 and 13, 1992, in Demopolis, Alabama, by the National Public

Radio Wade in the Water production team and the Smithsonian Institution.


From Smithsonian Folkways SF 40075, “African American Community Gospel: Wade in the Water,” track 8, “Who'll Be a Witness (for my Lord)?”

33 Panpipes: “Merry Youngsters” (Bolivia) In the central part of South America lies the country of Bolivia. Most of Bolivia is high up in the mountains and is very cold for much of the year. The indigenous people who live here belong to a culture that connects back to the days of the Inca rulers of the ancient Andean highlands, long before the coming of the Spanish conquerors. The panpipes are a very old instrument in this region, where groups of panpipe players play music for religious occasions as well as for popular entertainment. Panpipes are simply many tubes of cane tied together. They come in many different sizes and with various numbers of tubes. To make a sound the player blows across the top of a pipe. In this example the players combine the pipes in a very old manner, producing a sound that suggests the music that might have been heard before the coming of the Spanish. Hery Cortes, Hugo Emilio Blanco, Augustin Portillo, Lucio Melendrez-Tambo, Jose

Domingo Cortes. From ARC EUCD 1123, “Ukamau: Folkore de Bolivia,” track 12, “Kusi Huaynas (Merry

Youngsters), Carnival Dance and song of the Aymara people.”


Disk 8 1 Afro-Cuban dance music (Cuba) Cuban music has had a great influence on the music of the rest of Latin America and also in the United States. From Cuba’s unique blend of European and African elements a great many dance and song styles developed, like the mambo, the rumba, the conga, the cha-cha, and the bolero. These styles were taken up elsewhere in Latin America and in the U.S. This example features the famous Afro-Cuban singer Compay Segundo with his band. The melody and harmony are Spanish in origin, but the rhythm and movement derive from Africa. Compay Segundo and Cuarteto Patria: Eliades Ochoa Bustamente, guitar, vocal; Benito

Magana, guitar, vocal; Joaquin Emilio Solorzano, percussion; Armando Machado Casaco, bass; Francisco Repilado Munoz, cuatro, vocal.

Recorded in Washington, D.C., 1989. From Smithsonian Folkways SF 40461, “Cuba in Washington,” track 11, “Ahora Me Da

Pena.” 2 Dance music with bagpipes (Ireland) Much Irish music is lively and gay, and much of it is intended for dancing. In the old days, dance bands consisted of flutes and fiddles, but gradually the banjo, the guitar, the accordion and even the piano have been added to make the sound fuller. Another old Irish instrument is the Uilleann (ILL-en) pipes. Unlike the bagpipes of Scotland, which have a bag into which the player blows to fill it with air, the Irish pipes are pumped with a bellows attached to the elbow. The Irish pipes also have extra keys for additional harmonic notes to blend with the melody. Here is a lively dance tune played on the pipes, flute, fiddle, and guitar. Sean Talamh: Kieran Fahy, Noel Harris, Michael Horgan and Tommy Keenan. Recorded at Studio Bis, Beaumont, Belgium. From ARC EUCD 1252, “Sean Talamh – Traditional Irish Music,” track 1, “Irish pipes.

Scholar.” 3 Dance music with gongs (Philippines) In the hills of the northern Philippines live a number of different peoples whose social structure is communal. This means that they cooperate with each other, working together to plant and harvest the fields and to build


each other's houses. A leader is chosen democratically from among the senior and wisest members of the group. Not surprisingly, they also make music cooperatively. I visited this village in the northern Philippines, and the people danced and played gongs. They used three gongs held with one hand and beaten with a stick. Each gong player plays a steady rhythm, and each rhythm is slightly different, so that when they all play together their three parts interlock. There are also two drums played with the hands, and their patterns interlock as well. One other musician is playing on a metal hoe, hitting it with a short metal rod. To this steady, repeated music, the entire village comes out to dance in a slow and graceful circle. They dance with the arms stretched out like birds, and move as though they are gliding in the air, while their feet shuffle to the rhythm of the gongs. Community of Bokod. Recorded by Robert Garfias in Mountain Province, Luzon, Philippines, 1966. 4 Xylophone (Senegal) Xylophones have wooden keys and a hollow resonator underneath. When the key is struck with a mallet, the air in the resonator also vibrates, making the sound bigger. Xylophones with resonators made from gourds are found throughout the central region of the African continent, from Mozambique in the east all the way across to Senegal and The Gambia in the far west. In parts of West Africa the name for this type of instrument is balafon. This big balafon from Senegal has very large gourd resonators. Each of these resonators has a tiny hole cut in it, with a thin membrane stretched across the hole. The little hole with the membrane adds a buzzing sound to the music, something that the people of this region love very much. Malane Mane and Oumar Sadio. Recorded by Adam Novick in Sedhiou, Senegal, March 1994. From Village Pulse VPU 1006, “Malang Mane Balanta Balo: Talking Wood of

Casamance,” track 1, “Sanya M'baye Guen (Named after a griot [professional musician] who became president of an agricultural cooperative in Senegal and who was falsely imprisoned for five years, the song celebrates his liberation in Ziguinchor.)"

5 One-string harp (Cambodia) The kse diev is now a very rare instrument in Cambodia, and only a few people know how to play it. It consists of a tube of bamboo with a single string stretched along its length. On the other side the player holds half of


a coconut shell against his body. The player plucks the string with the fingers of one hand while lightly touching the string at various points with the other hand, and this produces a soft bell-like tone, known to musicians as harmonics. Meanwhile, by moving the coconut shell closer to or farther from his body, he can modify the sound. The playing technique is thus very complicated, and difficult to learn. Kse diev played by Khan Heuan. Recorded in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. From Celestial Harmonies 13076-2, “The Music of Cambodia: Solo Instrumental Music

Recorded in Phnom Penh,” track 5, “Phat Cheay.” 6 Bach organ chorale (Germany) Johann Sebastian Bach was one of the most important composers in European history. In his own time he was not well known beyond his own region, although he was famous among other musicians. Later composers admired his music and learned from it, and performers have continued to love singing and playing his music. Bach wrote much religious music of many kinds and also composed many wonderful instrumental pieces, some of great complexity. One great collection of compositions by Bach is the chorale preludes for organ. These are mostly short pieces based on the old chorales, or hymns, that were sung by the Lutheran congregation in Bach's time. A chorale prelude [ko-RAL PRAY-lood] is a transformation of the original hymn into a new piece of music. In some chorale preludes Bach makes elaborate changes to the original hymn, as though he is decorating it or using music to think about its meaning. In other chorale preludes, like this example, Bach presents the hymn more simply. Wolfgang Rubsam playing the Taylor and Boody Organ of Christ Church Cathedral,

Indianapolis, Indiana. Recorded March 27 and April 4, 1995. From Naxos 8.553135, “J.S. Bach: Kirnberger Chorales Vol. 2 and Other Organ Works,”

track 10, “Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier, BWV 706.”

7 Shona mbira group (Zimbabwe) In the village of Chiduku in the eastern part of Zimbabwe, Shona people gather in a large round house, called a banya, where they play music and wait until the spirits of the wise and ancient ancestors appear to them and advise them. They will often spend the entire night in the banya playing music on the mbira, sometimes singing a little or dancing just a bit. The mbira [mm-BEE-rah] is a small instrument, like a little board onto which


a number of metal keys have been attached. The player plucks these keys with his thumbs and the first finger of the right hand. This music goes on all night, starting and stopping without any clear beginning or ending. Yet the pieces they play are all well known to them. They play in a very special style in which every two mbira players form a pair, and the music they play fits together like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Community of Chiduku, Zimbabwe. Recorded by Robert Garfias in Chiduku, 1971. 8 1948 piano music (France) All over the world people keep inventing new instruments and new kinds of music. In the early 1700s in Florence, Italy, Bartolomeo Cristofori invented a keyboard instrument with hammers to strike its strings. The new instrument had the ability to play both soft and loud, which previous keyboard instruments had not been able to do. (Earlier keyboards, such as harpsichords and organs, could be reset for different loudnesses, but they couldn't change loudness gradually.) The new instrument was called a pianoforte, which literally means “soft-loud.” Over time the instrument added more notes and became larger and more powerful, and as the instrument developed, so did the music that composers wrote for it. By the 20th century, people called the instrument “piano,” many homes had one, and it was used for many kinds of music: jazz, classical music, rock and roll, background music for movies, religious music, folk music, and entertainment music of all kinds. The French composer Pierre Boulez (born in 1925) wrote this music for piano in 1948, as part of a longer piece, his Second Piano Sonata. The music's energy changes quickly and constantly, with many sudden surprises. Mr. Boulez is a very well-known composer, teacher, and conductor. From 1967 to 1978 he was the conductor of the New York Philharmonic. Idil Biret, piano. Recorded at Studio 106, Radio France, Paris, in January and February 1995. From Naxos 8.553353, “Boulez: Piano Sonatas Nos. 1-3,” track 8, “Texte” from 3rd Sonata. 9 Minstrel's mystic song (Turkey) The master musician Ali Ekber Cicek plays an instrument call the saz [sahz], a long-necked lute. This one is a very long version called divan saz. It must be played sitting down because the neck is so long. Ali Ekber plays a mystic song of the Sufis, Islamic holy men who go from place to place,


many of them devoting their lives to explaining the principles of the Islamic religion to people. In this song, he sings of a long and difficult journey taken in order to seek the truth. Ali Ekber Cicek, saz and voice. Recorded by Robert Garfias in Istanbul, Turkey, 1973. 10 Gospel singing: “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say” (USA) In Baltimore, very near our nation's capital, African-American gospel groups sing in the local churches, and many of them retain strong African musical characteristics in their singing style, even though the message and intent of their songs is purely Christian. This group, the United Southern Prayer Band of Baltimore, sings in a style often found in the forests of Central Africa, in which the leader is part of the chorus, and the voices cascade in waves of sound from one note to another, each note carefully and delicately ornamented by the individual singers. The United Southern Prayer Band of Baltimore, Washington, and Virginia. Recorded February 1989, Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History. From Smithsonian Folkways SF 40073, “African American Congregational Singing: Wade

in the Water,” track 8, “I heard the Voice of Jesus Say.” 11 Gong orchestra (Thailand) Orchestras in Thailand include metal gongs and wooden xylophones, to which are added bowed fiddles and little double reed instruments. This music is used for dances, plays, and for most ceremonial and festive occasions. Since Thailand is very hot, most of these events occur outdoors, and the sound of the music rings through the air to let everyone know that something is going on. The double reed instrument called bi and the xylopone renat dominate in this overture (a piece for beginning or announcing). The other instruments join in so that all can play together. Piphat Sepha Ensemble. Recorded at the Dramatic Arts Department Theatre, Chulalong University, on April

15,1992. From Marco Polo 8.223200, “Siamese Classical Music Volume 4, The Piphat Sepha,” track

1, “The Pama Wat Overture.”


12 Hildegard of Bingen, “O Euchari” (Germany) In the Middle Ages, when only members of religious orders knew how to read and write, many men and women became priests and nuns as a way of life when the only other alternatives would have been to become a farmer or merchant. Hildegard von Bingen (1098–1179), the tenth child of a noble family, devoted herself to prayer and religious music. She wrote about her religious thoughts and visions and also composed much music. By all accounts she was an amazing woman and is one of the first female composers to be recorded in European history. Related examples: music composed by women, G31, J19. Oxford Camerata; Jeremy Summerly, director. Recorded at Hertford College Chapel, Oxford, England, December 14–15, 1993. From Naxos 8.550998, “Heavenly Revelations: Hymns, Sequences, Antiphons and

Responds,” track 1, “O Euchari.” 13 Gypsy song with fiddle (Romania) In the Gorj region of Western Romania, I went to seek out the famous old Gypsy fiddler Dindiri Constantin. His wife, a very handsome older woman, came out and joined him, playing the guitar, and his nephew played a string bass. They sang many songs famous in the Gorj region, and then he chuckled and played this old Gypsy cintec de pahar or drinking song. For this song, instead of bowing his violin, he broke off one hair from the bow and tied it to his violin's lowest string. He put some violin rosin onto his fingers (normally rosin goes onto the bow to make it sticky) and pulled on the hair. The unusual sound of the violin seems to match his voice as he sings this happy song. Dindiri Constantin, violin and voice. Fusul by Dindiri recorded by Robert Garfias, Tirgu Carbunesti, Romania, 1977. 14 Buddhist drums (Vietnam) In Buddhism, complete understanding is believed to bring a state of calm and peace. At the same time this inner peace gives a person a great sense of joy. In many Buddhist cultures, this joy at the point of enlightenment is sometimes expressed by the playing of complex rhythmic patterns on drums. Here is one such example from Vietnam. Related examples: Buddhist music, G14, G15, J27.


Phan Van Ty, percussion. Recorded Hanoi and Hue, 1994. From Celestial Harmonies 13083-2, “The Music of Vietnam Volume 1,” track 2, “Dang Dan,

Mua Dao, Doc Canh (Medley of Buddhist percussion music).” 15 Tamburitza orchestra (Croatia) In Croatia, as in many parts of the former Yugoslavia, tamburitza bands provide music for village dances. The tamburitza is a long-necked string instrument that comes in many different sizes. It probably derives from the old Turkish saz, which also appears in different sizes and is often played in groups like this. The Croatian tamburitza orchestra has little instruments to play the melody, and bigger ones to play the harmony and the bass parts. Together they make a lively and happy music for singing and dancing. Another example from the former Yugoslavia: G18. Saz: G18, H9. Marica Perinic with Zoran Zavrski, Bugarija; Mile Spehar, Kristina Spehar, Grodana Grgic,

Robert Spehar, and Drago Spehar. Recorded Arc Musikverlag, Hamburg, Germany. From ARC EUCD 1078, “Mi smo Sokci: Croation Folklore from Yugoslavia,” track 13, “I dodi

Lolo/Come, Lolo.” 16 "When the Saints Go Marching In" (USA) Jazz developed in America from a brew of different kinds of music, including the brass bands and African-American and French music in New Orleans (Louisiana's culture was French.) For New Orleans funerals, musicians played sacred Christian hymns on the way to the cemetery, and on the way back they tried to cheer up the mourners by playing the hymns in a way that would make the people want to dance. "When the Saints Go Marching In" is one very famous example of a New Orleans jazz piece that originates in an old hymn tune. Related examples: Jazz, G19, J6. Kings Of Harmony Brass Band. Recorded in 1992 at Wolf Trap. From Smithsonian Folkways SF 40047, “Folk Masters: Great Performances Recorded Live at

the Barns of Wolf Trap,” track 22, “When the Saints Go Marching In.”


17 Beethoven's Ninth (Germany) Musicians and music historians think of Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) as one of the greatest composers of the Western tradition. His music is very popular with audiences, and can often be heard in concerts, in recordings, and on the radio. Two things that stand out in his music are its power and his use of variation. Even in a single line of melody his music is powerful. He uses strong, contrasting patterns that are also engaging and natural. His way of varying his melodies creates interest and drama. This short section from Beethoven's famous Ninth Symphony is a short set of variations. The orchestra introduces one of Beethoven's best-known melodies, the "Ode to Joy," and repeats it three times, each time changing how it is played. First the lowest string instruments, the cellos and basses, play the melody all by itself. Then the violas and cellos play the tune a little bit higher while the basses accompany and a lone bassoon plays another melody. Next the theme rises into the violins, and all the strings play along. Finally the whole orchestra joins in, playing the tune loudly and joyfully. With each variation, the “Ode to Joy” gathers more instruments and rises higher, creating a feeling of increasing excitement. Beethoven's musical imagination was so vivid that he composed this music, and the entire long symphony, after he had become deaf. Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinofonia and Chorus; Bela Drahos, conductor. Recorded at Phoenix Studio at the Italian Institute, Budapest, in August 1996. From Naxos 8.553478, “Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 ‘Choral,’” track 4, Finale. 18 Wedding music (China) In old traditional China at the time of a wedding, when the young bride was carried in a covered chair to her new home, this gay music was played on little double reed instruments (like oboes) and on little mouth organs (sounding a bit like harmonicas). The music served as a kind of processional, and let everyone in the neighborhood know that the new bride was coming. Liu Yuan and Xia Fei-yun. Recorded in Shanghai, China in May and June 1990. From Marco Polo 82001, “The Legend of Shadi-er: Compositions for Chinese Instruments

Ensembles,” track 3, “Yiuchang.”


19 Kang Te-hong, Kayagum music (Korea) The kayagum is a zither with 12 strings, a long, hollow, flat, board-like instrument. While the fingers of the right hand pluck a string, the left fingers push the string to make the note go up and down. Each of the strings is a different thickness, from the thicker low strings to the thinner high ones. The kayagum is accompanied by a drum called the changgo, which is played with a stick on one side and the hand on the other. The changgo player only plays a few strokes to indicate the important beats of the rhythm, leaving the kayagum player free to create different patterns in the spaces between. Kayagum played by Won Ok-Hwa; changgo accompaniment by Kim So-hi. Recorded by Robert Garfias, Seoul, Korea 1966. 20 Flamenco singing (Spain) The culture of Spain is distinct from the rest of Europe. One reason must be the long period during which Arab culture was established there. In 1492, the year Columbus “discovered” the Western hemisphere, the Arabs and the Jews were expelled from Spain. But Arabic culture had been in Spain for over five hundred years and continued to influence Spanish music. In the 1600s Gypsies from other parts of Europe began arriving in Spain. They took up the guitar and some of the song styles of the Spanish, and added their own Gypsy flavor. This music eventually became known as flamenco. This song is a fandango, a type of flamenco song and dance that was popular in Spain for many years and was also brought to the New World. Related examples: Gypsies, H13, H29. Danza Fuego: Octavio, vocals; Pedro Palomo, guitar. Recorded 1995. From ARC EUCD 1115, “Danza Fuego: Flamenco Poetry,” track 5, “Fandangos.” 21 Panpipes, flutes, and guitar (Peru) In the mountainous highlands of Peru, the indigenous people love the old-style melodies that date from before the coming of the Spanish. To these melodies they often add instruments that they learned from the Spaniards, like the guitar and harp. Still, the music retains the sound of ancient times of the Inca rulers of the Andean world.


Alex Gallegos Torre, Elmer Espinoza Valencia, Edward Soto Bazan, Mauro Dionicio Miranda, Robert Montoro Ortiz.

Recorded 1991. From ARC EUCD/MC 1184, “Alpamayo: Music from Peru & Ecuador,” track 3, “Clavel

Pallay – Pumpim / Ayacocho – Peru.” 22 Scottish bagpipe band (UK) Bagpipes have a windbag attached to pipes. The player blows into the windbag through a tube to keep it full, while sqeezing the bag under an arm to push air through reeds in the pipes. One of the pipes has holes for the fingers to play melodies, and the other pipes make a droning sound. Although many people think of bagpipes as typically Scottish, there are many types of bagpipe throughout eastern and western Europe—in Ireland, northern France, Spain, Portugal, and Italy as well as Poland, Russia, Romania, Bulgaria and the countries of the former Yugoslavia. Still, it is the sound of the Scottish pipes that most of us think of when we talk of bagpipes. Here is a Scottish bagpipe band with drummers and a great number of pipers. Related example: Irish bagpipes, H2. The Beeston Pipe Band. Pipe President: Robert Morris; Pipe Major: Patrick Larkin; Drum

Major: John Wright; Pipe Sergeant: Campbell Connet; Drum Sergeant: David Wright. Recorded Redfort Studios, Southall, Middlesex. From ARC EUCD 1189, "Amazing Grace: The Beeston Pipe Band, Nottingham: The pipes

and drums of Scotland,” track 10, “Raigmore/Calum Lain.” 23 Comanche Scalp Dance (USA) The Comanche are one of the groups of Native Americans of the Great Plains. For many years during the westward expansion of the United States there was warfare with the Comanches and other Plains Indian groups. Today there are several groups of Comanche residing in various plains states and elsewhere. They are proud of their traditions and are doing much to try to preserve their songs and dances. This music is for a Comanche social dance that was once part of the victory celebrations after battle. Related examples: Native American music, G5, G10. Darrell Cable Sr., Gerald Chasenah, Otto Mahsetky, Elrod Monoessy, Edmond

Nevaquaya, Sammy Pewo, Moses Starr, Edward J. Tahhawah, Elton Yellowfish and others.

Album recorded in Washington, D.C. and New York in 1992 and 1993.


From Smithsonian Folkways SF 40410, “Creation’s Journey,” track 2, “Comanche. Scalp Dance.”

24 Polska dance (Sweden) In the rural areas of Sweden people still dance to the sound of one or two fiddles. On long summer nights the dancing can go on for hours just to the music of the fiddles and the sound of the fiddlers' feet tapping. The polska is very popular in rural Sweden and was derived from an old Polish court dance. There are hundreds of Swedish polskas still played today in Sweden. Related examples: Norwegian fiddlers, G9. Polish dance, J21. Fiddle: Curt Johansson, G. Jonasson, Kirsten Johansson, Carina Pettersson, Thomas

Pehrsson, Anders Malmros, Bengt Bergman. Recorded Studio MaNi, Sweden 1990. From ARC EUCD/MC 1108, “Blekinge Spelmansførbund: Songs and Dances from

Sweden,” track 23, “Polska.” 25 Royal drums (Ghana) Along the southern coast of Ghana lies the area of the great forests, and from the trees there great drums are made. The kings of Ghana had special bands of drummers whose playing announced the king. These royal drums, called Fon don from, consisted of several pairs, the largest ones four or more feet long. Each pair of drums not only plays the rhythmic patterns for the music, but also talks, reciting the praises of the king. Nowadays, along with Ghana’s modern-style government, kings or chiefs still have authority to settle some kinds of disputes, and their presence is announced by music like this. Fon don from music is also used by political leaders as a symbol of their authority. Related example: African drums, G1. Group from Eyisam; Opanyin Yaw Amoah, group leader. Instruments: two from (tall

barrel-shaped drums), one atumpan (pair of goblet-shaped talking drums played by one person), two eguankoba (medium-sized barrel drum), one gongon (large iron bell played with a wooden beater).

Recorded Eyisam, 1992. From Smithsonian Folkways SF 40463, “Rhythms of life, songs of wisdom: Akan music from

Ghana, West Africa,” track 6, “Fontomfrom (Fante Area).”


26 Silvestre Revueltas, Sensemaya (Mexico) The Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas (1899–1940) composed a great amount of music in his very short life. He was one of the pioneers of the Mexican music style that developed in the 1920s. His composition Sensemaya, inspired by the poetry of a Cuban poet, makes use of Afro-Cuban rhythms while blending in elements of Mexican music. This is one of Revueltas’ most frequently performed works. Festival Orchestra of Mexico; Enrique Bátiz, conductor. Recorded in Mexico, March 1993. From Naxos 8.550838, “Latin American Classics, Vol. 1,” track 2, “Sensemaya.” 27 Koran recitation (Iran) The Koran is the book of sacred scripture of the Islamic faith. It is the actual words of the Prophet Mohammed, and the careful and correct recitation of the texts is very important to followers of Islam. In this example, we hear a holy man from Iran reciting the sacred words of the Koran in Arabic. Recited by Sayed Jabihi. Recorded by Deben Bhattacharya in Tehran, October 1955. From New Earth NE 9511-2, “Devotion: Music and Chants from Great Religions,” track 11,

“Recital of the Koran by Sayed Jabihi.” 28 Shaman's music (Vietnam) Vietnam, a small country in Southeast Asia, has many different peoples: the Vietnamese themselves in the lowland areas and hill peoples in the highlands. The spoken language of the lowland Vietnamese is related to that of Thailand, but culturally the Vietnamese of long ago followed Chinese patterns in many things: music, art, education, and system of government. Despite being ravaged by war throughout much of the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s, and in spite of its small size, Vietnam is rich in its cultural heritage. There are many forms of music and theater in Vietnam. There are also classical music, court music of the old kings of Hue city, and many forms of folk and religious music. This shaman's healing song, accompanied by a string instrument, gives the flavor of the folk music of Vietnam. The music was associated with rituals of a particular sect of healers and mediums.


Performed by Pham Van Ty. Recorded in Hanoi and Hue, 1994. From Celestial Harmonies 13082-2, “The Music of Vietnam: Vol. 1,” track 6, “Doc Con Xa

(Religious ritual music).” 29 Gypsy music (Hungary/Romania) Gypsy people, or Rom as they call themselves, started coming into eastern Europe in the 1400s. The had a very difficult time, but many found a way to make a living by playing music. Soon music became a special profession for the Rom. Much of the folk music of these regions used flutes and bagpipes, but the Rom musicians preferred to play the violin, cello and string bass. They began imitating the droning sound of the bagpipes with their fiddles, and created a new version of the local folk music. Here is a typical kind of dance music from the plains of Transylvania, in what was at one time Hungary, but is now again part of Romania. Related examples: Gypsies, H13, H20. Kalman Balogh, Beata Salamon, Istvan Beran, Zsolt Nagy, Elemer Konkoly, Albert

Mohacsy. Recorded in Hamburg, 1996. From ARC EUCD 1373, “Gypsy Music from Hungarian Villages,” track12, “Szerelmes

dal/Mezoseg.” 30 Sarangi (India) The sarangi is a string instrument from northern India. It has four melody strings which are bowed with a horse hair bow and fingered along the fingerboard. Underneath these melody strings are about 15 unplayed metal strings that are tuned to the main notes of the melody being played. A metal string rings like an echo whenever its note sounds on the melody strings. This makes the sarangi sound as though it is being played in a hall with echoes. The sarangi is often used to accompany the voice, and it is also plays solos, accompanied by the pair of drums called tabla. Here is the master musician Sabri Kahn playing a solo in the raga (melodic pattern) called Kafi. Kafi is meant to be heard during the early hours of the night, and provokes a mood especially associated with that time. Ustad Sabri Khan, sarangi; Ghulam Sarwar Sabri, tabla. Recorded at ARC Music Studios, East Grinstead. From ARC EUCD 1172, “Indian Sarangi and Tabla Recital: Ustad Sabri Khan & Ghulam

Sarwar Sabri,” track 4, “Raga Kafi.”


31 1842 chamber music (Germany) In many cultures, including our own, people like to get together and make music. It is wonderful to hear friends make music together in a home. Many cultures have special music to be played in the home, such as Japanese koto music (G2), Chinese chamber music (J7), and Korean kayagum-playing (H19). Sometimes a wealthy person has one or two musicians play for his or her own pleasure or for a few friends. In traditional India, a Rajah or wealthy man might have been a patron of musicians like those in the previous example (H30). In Europe in the 1800s many people played instruments, and many European composers wrote music to play together with their friends. Compositions designed for playing at home were in great demand. Many people bought the printed music so that they, too, could enjoy playing it. Imagine the wonderful sound of this music composed by Robert Schumann (1810–1856), sounding in your own living room. This combination of instruments is called a piano quintet, which does not mean five pianos! The instruments playing are four string instruments (two violins, viola, cello) and a piano. Related example: Clara Schumann, J19. Kodaly Quartet with pianist Jeno Jando. Recorded at the Italian Institute in Budapest February 1-7, 1990. From Naxos 8.550406, “Schumann – Brahms: Piano Quintets,” track 3, “Scherzo.” 32 The Carpenter Bird (Mexico) In the Mexican state of Veracruz, on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, is a hot, tropical region known as La Jarocha. In this region there are lively dances such as La Bamba. The musicians sometimes get together for competitions in which each singer takes a turn at making up new words to a well-known song. Here three musicians play different types of guitars—two play melodies while the other strums the harmony. Two of the musicians, a man and a young woman, exchange couplets (two-line rhymes) based on a song about the carpenter bird, or woodpecker. Andres Vega, Gisela Farias Luna, Eugene Rodriguez. Recorded by Eugene Rodriguez in San Pablo, California, 1998.


Disk 9 1 Musette waltz: "Pigale" (France) In the many local neighborhoods of Paris, far from the main tourist centers, you can hear music that many Parisians love. The main instrument is a French accordion, and the groups play fast little waltzes that the French call musettes or tourbillon. This example is a famous and popular musette called "Pigale," named for a neighborhood of Paris. Composed by G. Ulmer. Enrique Ugarte, accordion; Pablo Carcamo, guitar; Dionisio Crespillo, drums. Recorded ARC Music Studio, Hamburg. From ARC EUCD 1168, “Valse Musette,” track12, “Pigale.” 2 Dance music (Tahiti) The Polynesian cultures cover a wide area of the Pacific islands, forming a great triangle in the ocean from Hawaii to New Zealand to Tahiti. All of the Polynesian peoples are related culturally and linguistically, yet each area has developed its own unique style of music and dance. Tahitian dance is remarkable for its intense rhythms played on percussion instruments. The dancers shake their hips to the rhythm while moving their upper bodies slowly and gracefully. Album recorded by David Fanshawe at the “Heiva I Tahiti" festival, 1982–1986 From ARC EUCD 1238, “Heiva I Tahiti: Festival of Life,” track 14, “Paoa Te Vahine Heipua.” 3 Renaissance tower music (Flanders) During the Middle Ages and later, many European cities had a tower in the center of town where musicians were employed to mark the hours so that people in the town would know what time it was. These musicians played oboe-like reed instruments or brass instruments similar to the trumpet and trombone of modern times. The musicians used clocks to keep track of the time, but eventually the clocks replaced the musicians in the towers of the old European cities. This music is by Heinrich Isaac, who lived from about 1450 to 1517. Convivium Musicum, Ensemble Villanella; Sven Berger, director. Recorded at School of Music and Musicology, Gothenburg, Sweden, May and

September 1994.


From Naxos 8.553352, “Tugend & Untugend (Virtue & Vice): German Secular Songs and Instrumental Music from the time of Luther,” track 1, “Carmen a 5 (Isaac).”

4 Sehtar solo (Iran) Nur Ali Burmand was trained as a doctor, but when he became blind he took up the study of music. He learned hundreds of old traditional pieces of Persian (Iranian) classical music, like this delicate instrumental piece of a type called Charmezrab. His instrument is the sehtar, a small string instrument with a long fretted neck. He places his thumb and middle finger on the face of the instrument and forms a triangle with them, leaving his index finger free to pluck the strings. Nur Ali Burmand, sehtar. Recorded by Robert Garfias in Tehran, Iran, 1965. 5 Dripsody (Canada) The Canadian composer Hugh LeCaine created this piece from the sound of a single drip of water. After recording the drip, he re-recorded the sound at different speeds to create this amazing composition, all of it made exclusively from one sound. The title Dripsody is a joke on the word “rhapsody,” a kind of classical music piece. Early variable-speed tape recorder invented by Hugh LeCaine. Recorded on a single night in December 1955. From Naxos, 8.550171-2, “Introduction to Canadian Music/Florilége de la musique

canadienne,” CD 2, track 16, “Electroacoustic Music: Dripsody." 6 “Walkin’” (USA) This blues tune by Richard Carpenter was made famous by the late African-American trumpeter Miles Davis, one of the great pioneers of jazz. This is jazz in the style of the 1960s and 1970s. The musicians play the initial tune together and then begin playing solos based on the melodic and harmonic pattern of the tune. They improvise the solos—make them up on the spot, composing as they play. Clifford Adams, trombone; Antonio Hart, alto saxophone; Kenny Baron, piano; Ray

Drummond, bass; Lewis Nash, drums. Recorded at Systems Two Studios, Brooklyn, New York, February 3, 1998. From NaxosJazz 86015-2, “Clifford Adams: The Master Power,” track 7, “Walkin’.”


7 Flute and lute (China) China has documents about music that go back two thousand years or more. Although it is now impossible to imagine what ancient Chinese music might have sounded like, we do know that music of various kinds has been important in China for a very long time. There was ceremonial music used to pay respect to the ancestors, and there was music in the courts of the Chinese emperors. There was a special kind of music played by poets and scholars, as well as various kinds of folk music from every region of China. Blending elements of court music with those of folk music, a kind of popular chamber music (music for a small group) developed in many regions of China. Various combinations of instruments were used for this music, from small orchestras of ten or twelve musicians to duets such as this one for the ti-dze (flute) and the three-string san hsien (lute). The sounds of these two instruments blend and contrast perfectly. San hsien (lute) played by Xu Feng Xia; ti dze (flute) played by Du Chong. From Celestial Harmonies 13043-2, “The Hugo Masters: Vol. 2,” track 6, “China: San hsien

& Ti-dze duet." 8 Heitor Villa Lobos, The Little Train (Brazil) The Brazilian composer Heitor Villa Lobos (1887–1959) composed much music with a Brazilian flavor, using the rhythms of the country’s folk and popular music to create concert pieces. In this piece, “The Little Train,” his music describes a steam train that climbs the mountains to take people from one place to another. Festival Orchestra of Mexico; Enrique Bátiz, conductor. Recorded in Mexico, March 1993. From Naxos 8.550838, "Latin American Classics, Vol. 1,” track, “El Trenecito (The Little

Train).” 9 Veracruz harp ensemble: “La Bamba” (Mexico) The song “La Bamba” became popular in the U.S. after the 1960s pop singer Richie Valens made a recording of it. Most Mexican people know the song, too, and it is played in many versions. The song originated in the Mexican coastal region of Veracruz, where dancers dance to music like this on a wooden platform that resonates with the sound of their rapid heel and toe tapping. The music is played by a band of guitar-like instruments of different sizes and a wooden harp without pedals. The


singers sing a number of different verses, many of them quite humorous. One line says, “I am not a sailor, but for you I will be,” to which the next singer answers, “I am not a sailor, I am a captain!” Hermanos Rosas, with Pepe Barada, harp. Recorded by Robert Garfias at the University of Washginton, Seattle, 1969. 10 Harpsichord (France) A European keyboard instrument that developed in the 1400s, the harpsichord has little quills to pluck the strings when a key is pressed. French composer Louis Couperin (Koo-per-RAN) (about 1626–1661) wrote many harpsichord pieces based on dance music. This courante (koo-RAHNT) is based on a dance that had been popular in France since around 1600. The name courante means "running" or "flowing," but the movements were dignified. Although the music is inspired by the dance, this piece is meant for listening. Louis Couperin came from a musical family. Couperins worked in Paris as musicians from the late 1500s to the mid-1800s. In 1650 Louis Couperin became organist at the church of St. Gervais in Paris, and for the next 170 years a Couperin family member would hold that job. Most of Louis Couperin's surviving compositions are for the organ or for the harpsichord, Related example: Dance music for listening, J15. Laurence Cummings, harpsichord. Recorded in Forde Abbey, Dorset, England, June 13–15, 1993. From Naxos 8.550922, "Louis Couperin: Harpsichord Suites – Tombeau de M. de

Blancrocher," track 21, Suite in F major: Courante. 11 Xylophone orchestra (Mozambique) In the far eastern part of Africa, the Chopi people have a xylophone much like that of the people of Senegal and The Gambia in the west. The Chopi people call their xylophone "timbila." They usually play them in large groups of 10 to 15 players, accompanied by rattles and drums with singers and dancers. In Chopi country there are several of these timbila groups, and every year each group creates a new show consisting of several new songs and dances. Here is a short section of one of their timbila songs. Related example: Senegalese xylophone, H4. Timbila group led by Chambini. Recorded by Robert Garfias, Mavila, Mozambique, 1971.


12 Klezmer dance music (Eastern Europe) The Jewish peoples who lived in the countries of Eastern Europe—such as Poland, Russia, Romania, and Bulgaria—were required to live in separate communities. They developed their own unique musical tradition, blending the old Jewish heritage with elements borrowed from the local folklore and also from Gypsies, who were everywhere in Eastern Europe. The music they created came to be known as Klezmer. It is played on a variety of different instruments, although the violin and clarinet predominate. Klezmer music retains a mixture of humor and sadness. Klezmer music is becoming increasingly popular now both inside and outside the Jewish community. Gregori Schechter, clarinet; Paul Jayasinha, trumpet; John Francis, violin and viola;

Ronnie Goldberg, guitar; Rob Levy, double bass; Hans Ferrao, drums and percussion. Recorded at Arc Music Studios, Bulrushes Farm, East Grinstead, England. From ARC EUCD 1324, “Klezmer Festival Band,” track 1, “Skotchne #1 (Polish Dance).” 13 Toru Takemitsu, Toward the Sea (Japan) The Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu (1930-1996), was a serious, quiet, and very kind man. He was my friend, and I like his music very much. He lived in a quiet place not far from Tokyo. He liked lemon drops, and he would often pop these into his mouth while composing. His music uses few notes, but is very expressive in that it makes use of the silences surrounding the notes as well as the notes themselves, much like the way a Japanese brush painting uses only a few strokes of black ink on white paper. This example is part of a composition called Toward the Sea, for alto flute (a slightly larger and lower-sounding flute) with harp and strings. The title evokes a place Mr. Takemitsu visited on the coast of New England, and the music creates sound images to resonate with memories and images of the sea. Petri Alanko, alto flute; Tapiola Sinfonietta; Okko Kamu, conductor. Recorded at Tapiola Concert Hall, Helsinki, Finland, January 1997. From Naxos 8.554185, “20th Century Music for Flute and Orchestra,” track 6, Toward the

Sea II for alto flute, harp, and strings: 2nd movement: Moby Dick. 14 Vinas (India) The South Indian musician T. Brinda was a lovely, gentle lady, famous both as a singer and as a player of the vina. The vina, a string instrument of


South India, has a very large body and a long neck. It is plucked with little metal clips attached to the fingers. The vina makes use of slides and shakes to ornament the melody in imitation of the human voice. T. Brinda specialized in singing and playing the religious songs that were part of her family's musical tradition. The songs have been known in her family for hundreds of years, and few people outside her family can perform them properly. In the songs the performer expresses her love for God in a personal and very expressive manner. In this example she plays the vina, accompanied by her daughter on a second vina. Her cousin, the famous drummer T. Ranganathan, who taught Indian music in the United States for many years, accompanies them on the double-headed drum called mridangam. Vinas played by Tanjore Brinda and her daughter Vega; mridangam (drum) played by T.

Ranganathan. Recorded by Robert Garfias, University of Washington, Seattle, 1968. 15 Waltz for strings (Russia) The waltz developed from central European folk dances. In the 1800s it became the most popular ballroom dance in Europe. Its rhythm is ONE, two, three, ONE, two, three. Like later social dances, the waltz upset some people who thought its whirling movements were dangerous or even vulgar, and some places banned it. But the dance's popularity grew and grew. The Viennese composers Johann Strauss and his son, Johann Strauss II, became famous for their many waltzes. Many other composers turned to the waltz as a light, gay dance rhythm that could be expanded to create wonderful changes of feeling and movement. Some waltzes, like this example, were written just for listening, and waltzes became parts of symphonies or other concert pieces. The Russian composer Peter I. Tchaikovsky (chai-KOFF-skee) (1840–1893), who wrote the well-known ballet The Nutcracker, composed a set of pieces for string orchestra that he called Serenade for Strings. One part of the serenade is this beautiful waltz. Vienna Chamber Orchestra; Philippe Entremont, conductor. Recorded at Casino Baumgartner in Vienna, February 19-21, 1990. From Naxos 8.550404, “Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings – Souvenir de Florence,” track 2,

“Walzer.”


16 Storyteller (Korea) The people of the southwestern part of Korea, a region called Cholla-do, developed a special style of singing called P’ansori. This very expressive way of singing is used for telling long stories, often lasting more than an hour. The singer is accompanied only by a little double-sided drum called puk, which is struck with a single stick. The singer can use her voice to speak for all the characters in the story, and can also recreate the sound of crying, running, and even the effects of a boat being tossed by the sea. In this short example, the famous singer Kim So-Hi uses her voice to create many of these effects. Kim So-Hi, voice; puk (drum) played by Shin Pyun-Il. Recorded by Robert Garfias, Seoul, Korea, 1966. 17 Fado song (Portugal) The popular music of the city of Lisbon, called Fado, has over time come to be a symbol of all Portugal for people from other countries. The singing is accompanied by two guitars; one is the regular acoustic guitar, and the second is a smaller guitar with double sets of strings that plays the melody. The nostalgic Fado songs, often about love and romance, express the mood of Lisbon. Francisco Fialho, Antonio Carvalho, Alfredo Pena. Recorded ARC Music Studios, Hamburg. From ARC EUCD 1457, “Best Of Fado Portuguese,” CD2 track 3, “Colchetes di Oiro”

(Golden Hooks). 18 Goksel Baktagir, Kanun solo (Turkey) A young Turkish musician, Goksel Baktagir, plays his own composition on an instrument called the kanun. The kanun is a small hollow box with about 50 strings stretched across it. After carefully tuning the strings and adjusting the little bridges on the left to make the correct tuning for his music, he begins to play his new composition based on a very old melody type. Sometimes he delicately raises the little bridges to change the pitch of a note while it is sounding. Goksel Baktagir, kanun. Recorded by Robert Garfias in Istanbul, Turkey, 1996.


19 Clara Schumann, Toccatina (Germany) For centuries in Europe few women became professional musicians, and even fewer devoted themselves to music composition, because this was not seen as an appropriate profession for a woman. Clara Schumann (1819–1896), known throughout Europe as a phenomenal pianist, fine composer, and influential teacher, stands out as one of the important women of her time. She was married to the composer Robert Schumann, and was also a great friend and supporter of the younger composer Johannes Brahms. Her opinions and musicianship influenced both composers, and she championed their music in her performances. Clara Schumann gave concert tours in many different countries until she was more than 70 years old, and continued to teach and travel to the end of her life. The title of this piece, Toccatina, comes from the word “touch.” It shows off the clarity and speed that a piano and its player can display. Related example: Robert Schumann, H31; women composers, G31, H12. Yoshiko Iwai, piano. Recorded at St. George’s, Brandon Hill, Bristol, England, November 10–11, 1996. From Naxos 8.553501, “Clara Schumann: Piano Music,” track 8, “Toccatina.” 20 Budongo ensemble (Uganda) When I was in Uganda in East Africa, I went way out to the eastern part of the country, crossing the source of the Nile river, to the country of the Basoga people. In a small wooden schoolhouse in a forest, I asked a group of Basoga men to gather to play music. The group includes flutes and fiddles, but the most important instrument is the budongo. There are actually five budongo of different sizes, some to play low notes and others to play higher notes. Each budongo is a wooden box about the size of a book. Onto the box a number of little metal tongues have been attached, and the musicians pluck these with their thumbs. Each of the musicians plays a different part, but the parts all fit together to make a joyful and welcoming music. Budongo ensemble of Jinja, Uganda. Recorded by Robert Garfias in Jinja, Uganda, 1971. 21 Zywiec folk dance (Poland) Folk music is music that belongs to an entire culture or community. The melodies and dance steps are usually anonymous: they have been with


the people for so long that no one can remember who originally composed or created them, so there is a sense that everyone owns them. In Poland, as in many places in Central and Eastern Europe, the entire village comes out to dance at important festivals. A group of musicians who are particularly talented and who remember great numbers of old tunes, are selected to play while the entire village dances. This dance comes from the Zywiec region of Poland. Related example: Swedish dance based on Polish music: H24. Karolinka: Jerzy Pockert, Jane Howard, Robert Bowness-Smith, Gaynor James, Hossam

Ramzy. Recorded at Blue Moon Studios, London. From ARC EUCD 1124- 6, “Karolinka: Songs and Dances from Poland,” track 5, “Zywiec.” 22 Panpipe orchestra (Solomon Islands) In the southwestern Pacific lie the Solomon Islands. On some of these islands the people have created a very special kind of music for the panpipes. Their style of playing is very different from the panpipe playing of South America. The music represents natural sounds like a bird singing, a man snoring, or the wind blowing. These sounds are imitated on the panpipes and become compositions. The musicians play in groups of four or five, sometimes even more. They play sets of these pieces for important festivals. Related examples: panpipes, G33, H21. Recorded by David Fanshawe in the village of Buma on Santa Isabela island, Solomon

Islands. From ARC EUCD 1254, “Exotic Voices and Rhythms of the South Seas,” track 8, “Pan Pipes

of Buma.” 23 Texas-Mexican: “Ballad of a Horse Race” (USA) Among the Mexican-Americans of the southwestern U.S., the music of the Texas border is very popular. In addition to dance music, they sing story songs, called corridos. This corrido about a horse race tells of the proud horse that won and its owner. Los Invasores de Nuevo Leon. From Smithsonian Folkways SF40418, “Borderlands: From Conjunto to Chicken Scratch,”

track 9, “El Saino de Donna, Texas.”


24 Didgeridoo (Australia) The didgeridoo is a long wooden tube, usually a hollowed branch. Didgeridoos have been used by the original inhabitants of Australia, the aborigines, for hundreds of years, and people from different areas call the instrument by different names. To play it the player buzzes his lips into the instrument, and may hum at the same time. He keeps the sound going continuously by breathing in through his nose while he continues to blow from his mouth. A great many different sounds can be produced on the didgeridoo. This example gives you an idea of what can be played on this instrument. David Hudson, didgeridoo. Recorded at Timeroom, Tucson, Arizona. From Celestial Harmonies 13071-2, “Woolunda: Ten Solos For Didgeridoo,” track 1,

“Jowelbinna.” 25 Flute and zither (Indonesia) The Sundanese people live on the western part of the island of Java. Like the Javanese and Balinese, they have large and small orchestras called gamelans, made up of bronze gongs and chimes. The people of Sunda also play their gamelan music on a combination of a flute and one or two large stringed zithers called kechapi. The flute, called suling, imitates the sound of the human voice and makes light, delicate ornaments on the basic melody, while the zither plays in a style that imitates the gongs and chimes of the gamelan, with the lower strings of the zither imitating the sound of the Sundanese drums. Sometimes this little group accompanies a male or female singer. The delicate mixture of strings, flutes, and voices makes a special kind of Sundanese chamber music. Related examples: Balinese music, G29 (and G28). Members of the Rosadi Group. Recorded by Robert Garfias in Djakarta, Indonesia, 1966. 26 Russian Dance (Russia) The Russian composer Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971) spent much of his later life in the United States. He was a very active composer, writing music in many different styles and forms. No doubt he and Bela Bartok (see G11) will be remembered as two of the most important composers of the 20th century. Stravinsky's early compositions, many of which are still very


popular with musicians and audiences, reflect a strong flavor of Russian folk music, and were often based on Russian folklore. One of these early works, written when Stravinsky was just 28 years old, was the music for the ballet Petrushka. It is the story of a puppet who falls in love with a ballerina. The Russian Dance from that ballet shows the force and energy of Stravinsky's music. BRT Philharmonic Orchestra, Brussels; Alexander Rahbari, conductor. Recorded at the Concert Hall of the Belgian Radio and Television in Brussels, January 18–

20, 1990. From Naxos 8.550263, “Stravinsky: Firebird – Petrushka Suites Nos. 1 and 2,” track 9, “Danse

Russe.” 27 Buddhist singing (Korea) Buddhist monks in Korea use two main kinds of singing. One is for the reciting of Buddhist sutras (sacred texts), and these are usually recited and sung in a steady, even rhythm to allow the words to be heard clearly. The second is a beautiful singing style used for certain hymns. The hymns are also sacred texts, but the monk brings out the meaning of the words by adding feeling and expression, to help others to understand the deeper meaning of the text. Park Song-Am, monk of An Jang Sa. Recorded by Robert Garfias, An Jang Sa Temple, Korea. 28 Seven-person marimba (Belize) The marimba of Mexico and Central America is directly related to many of the xylophones of Africa, like the balafon of Senegal and timbila of Mozambique heard in this collection. This type of instrument was brought to the Americas by slaves from Africa, who taught the making and playing of it to the Native Americans when they worked together for the Europeans. The Native Americans of Central America quickly took this instrument as their own and began to use it for their own music, as well as for the mixed indigenous and Spanish music of the local region. For many years I was interested in finding marimba music in Mexico and Central America. In each area different songs were played. In southern and eastern Mexico there were often different sets of songs in every town. I found these musicians in the little town of San Jose Soccotz in western Belize, not far from the ancient Mayan ruins of Tikal. I asked the seven men to play for me. They had two large marimbas side by side, one a little smaller than the other. One was played by four men, and the larger one,


which played the bass notes, was played by three men. Together they formed a kind of marimba orchestra. They played this wonderful piece, "Vaqueria," or “Rodeo.” Related examples: balafon, H4; timbila, J11. Marimba Alma Belicena. Recorded by Robert Garfias in San Jose Soccotz, Belize. 29 Fanfare for the Common Man (USA) Aaron Copland (1900–1990), one of the great composers of the United States, was fascinated with American folk music. He used folk songs and a folk-like style to give a particularly American sound to many of his compositions, such as the music he wrote for the ballets Appalachian Spring, Billy the Kid, and Rodeo. Some of his other compositions were influenced by jazz and by Latin American music. Mr. Copland composed this wonderful short fanfare in 1942. Originally fanfares were played to announce royalty, but Copland's fanfare celebrates the importance of ordinary people. Related music: another piece by Copland in Guided Tour no. 6, track K6. Czechoslovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (Bratislava); Stephen Gunzenhauser,

conductor. Recorded at the Concert Hall of the Czechoslovak Radio, Bratislava, September 1989. From Naxos 8.550282, “Copland: Rodeo – Billy the Kid – Appalachian Spring – Fanfare for

the Common Man,” track 1, “Fanfare for the Common Man.” 30 Song of Welcome (Fiji) Orchid Island lies close to Suva, the capital of the Fiji Islands. Like many people of the Pacific Islands, the people of Fiji very much enjoy singing together in groups of different sizes. Polyphonic singing—singing in which different voices sing different parts—was widespread throughout the islands of the Pacific. When Christian missionaries came to the Pacific they found that the islanders quickly took up the singing of Christian hymns. In this Orchid Island song of welcome, there is both singing and drumming. You can hear traces of old Christian hymns in the singing. Recorded on Orchid Island by David Fanshawe. From ARC EUCD 1254, “Exotic Voices and Rhythms of the South Seas,” track 12, “Orchid

Island Group.”


31 Renaissance church music (France) At a time when European painters were depicting life around them in great detail, European musicians were learning to compose music that showed the beauty of combining human voices singing different parts. After a starting melody, other melodies would begin by imitating, then become independent while also complementing each other. Guillaume Dufay was born in Burgundy (now part of France), and lived and worked in many of Europe's important musical cities. During his lifetime (about 1400 to 1474) he was regarded as Europe's greatest composer, and musicians from later centuries have held his music in the same high esteem. This music was for a church service; the words are the ancient plea Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, "Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy." Oxford Camerata; Jeremy Summerly, conductor. Album recorded in the Chapel of Hertford College, Oxford, April 4-5, 1994. From Naxos 8.553087, Dufay: Missa L'homme armé Supremum est mortalibus bonum,

track 2, “Kyrie.” 32 Bouzouki ensemble (Greece) In Athens and other big cities of Greece, musicians use an instrument called the bouzouki. It is a little like a guitar, but it has a long, thin neck and comes in many sizes that play lower or higher. Bouzoukis have two strings for each note, and this makes the instrument sound different from the usual guitar. This is a song accompanied by a group of bouzoukis. The Athenians: Manolis Harokopos, Antonis Gialeles, Kostas Smirnios. Recorded at Lamplight studio, Hamburg, June 1988. From ARC EUCD 1063, “The Athenians Play Rembetiko,” track 1, “Istoria enos Bouzoukiou

(History of a Bouzouki).”


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Music from Planet Earth · 29 Fanfare for the Common Man (USA) 30 Song of Welcome (Fiji) ... “Music from Planet Earth,” you might get ideas for other ways to connect