Music & Us : Our New Playlist

 

    Hello, 

    I began my search for new music by thinking about the people around me. I realized I know A LOT of international people, and I'm really close with many of them. So I decided to primarily search for music from their countries. 

I started my search in the continent of South America, where we have been, but I chose to focus on a different country. I decided to research Argentina. In my years at Converse, I've known 5 different girls from Argentina, and each is from a different part. Most are from(50) Buenos Aires, which is a city, but it is also a province. When researching, this is an example of music that I found. It is called Chacarera, which is not only a music genre but also a dance. It originated in Santiago del Estero, which is a rural province in the North-central area of Argentina. It dates back to the 1800s and was influenced by indigenous people (Quechua), Spanish colonial settlers, rural criollo gauchos, and Afro-Argentine communities. This music is definitely syncretic. The music itself is Argentine Folk music, a traditional criollo folk genre. The instruments used are: Bombo legüero (drum), Guitars, and a violin. My example I've provided is said to be one of the closest examples of what the original chacarera would sound like.

This example is "La Negrita" - Chacarera 

The next country I decided to research is in the Continent of Europe. That country is Spain. While researching, I noticed that Spain has a rich history with music, but one that caught my eye is called the "Mozarabic Chant" or (Visigothic Rite Chant). This was a chant used by Christians living in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. These Christians who maintained their traditions were called Mozarabs. Although the chant is actually much older, as it comes from the Visigothic Rite. This chant has no harmony, no rhythm, and, like Arabic music, has many notes for one syllable. It also may include call-and-response. These chants are written in Latin. Although a period of time went by where the chant was replaced with a Roman chant. The Mozarabic chant only survived because of a few families and the writing of the chant. After this occurred and the chant was returning, it had to be reconstructed, and now only fragments of the original survived, but we can still get a good idea of what it would've sounded like. There are no instruments used in the chant; it is just vocal. Here is an example of a "Mozarabic Chant" 

For my next continent, I chose our home of North America, but I actually chose the country of Canada. As I researched, I found a very interesting type of music. Katajjaq is the term, but it's called Inuit Throat Singing, which is one of Canada's most unique traditional music cultures. This music style has a very strong modern representation. This music style is a musical tradition performed mostly by Inuit women from Northern Canada (especially the tribes Nunavut and Nunavik). The history of throat singing in Canada is interesting because it was actually banned by Christian missionaries in the early 1900s and revived by Inuit communities in the 1980s-2000s. It is now celebrated as a symbol of identity and resilience. The music does not focus on the musical instruments, but they are providing the background sound, but it can be described as alternating between
breaths, rhythmic patterns, fast pacing, and non-verbal sounds imitating nature or daily life. Some important facts about this culture are that it is led entirely by women and is embraced by modern global audiences. 

Here is an example of the Inuit Throat Singing by "Tanya Tagaq" 

Lastly, the culture I chose is from the country of China. It is Traditional Chinese Opera (Jingju), especially Beijing (Peking) Opera. This Opera combines singing, acting, martial arts, acrobatics, and symbolic costumes. The instruments of the opera are Jinghu, a high-pitched two-string fiddle, Bangu, a leading drum that controls tempo, Suona, a bright, powerful double-reed horn, and Erhu, Pipa, Guzheng, and gongs/cymbals. The history of this opera began around 1790; it was blended from Han opera, Kunqu opera, and local Beijing performance styles. It grew a lot in the 19th century and became the most popular entertainment in Beijing. Today the operas are restored and modernized. 

Here I have provided an example, it seems as though it is very similar to a theatrical performance. 

That is all for my new playlist. I hope you enjoyed learning about these new cultures. Thank you!