Week 5 Blog

Week 5 Blog

Rap e Embolada - Os Emboladores Pinto e Matury

Ritmo Embolada: An Introduction of Brazilian Rhythm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2v1b8hRKEs

According to the Smithsonian Folkways website, http://www.folkways.si.edu/tools-for-teaching/lessons “embolada” is a form of poetry and song that has set refrains.  In the attached Youtube example, embolada, one of the definitions of “embolada” is acted out on a street where an “Embolador” sings while hitting a “Pandeiro.”  This form of the “embolada” is call and response.  The video is perfect for displaying the rhythmic form.

Applying Campbell’s strategies in Creative "World Music" Experience 6.1 and 6.6, students in grades K-2 would be introduced to the form of the “embolada” initially by using the rhythm in 2-4 bar measures until perfected.  Students would then be exposed to poetry that would fit the rhythm with various video examples.  Students will experiment with the call and response until they have a greater understanding of the style.  Assistance would be needed from a foreign language teacher so that pronunciations are correct and meaning is not lost in the translation of the piece if students are English speaking.  

Ultimately, the aim is to have students appreciate the rhythmic style as if it is their own.  Once that is accomplished, the performance will appear authentic.

Week 4 Blog Post

Native American Indian Music - 'Spirit Of The Drums

Kenneth St. King

Native American

Drums, pan-flute, tambourine, keyboard, bass, castanets, vocal

Native American music has always been intriguing to me.  The Native American on a whole has been exploited in films and “Hollywood” so much that persons do not know, or take the time to know, the authentic sound of their music.  The “Spirit of the Drums,” depicts one of the most authentic representations in my estimation.  The sound, pictures and dancing represent what is little known to non-Natives.  As scholar Anthony Palmer states in Koops (2010) said, “On one end is absolute authenticity:  the music the way is performed in its home setting.”

Expect the authentic sound of drums beating, voices chanting, and the visual of ritual dancing.  Welcome to Native America in the North East.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDO5IxzGFtY

Week 3 - Ms Louise Bennett and the structure of Jamaican Folk Songs

This week's feature is Miss Louise Bennett who hails from the island of Jamaica.  Ms. Bennett Or Miss Lou as she is sometimes called, was a folklorist and singer whose poetry was her claim to fame.  

1. Miss Louise Bennett .  "Miss Lou (Part 9) ~ Oman a Breadwinner ~ Chi Chi Bud ~ Gay Paree ~ Walk Good"
2. Culture or Origin
3. flute, keyboard, drum, bass guitar, vocals

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sB6KcYDEQ7U

In the attached video, the first piece is very repetitive in its musical structure - I - ii - V - I throughout.  The second piece "Gay Paree" is a poem that though it is spoken, has a musical sense in the way she conveys the story. You must utilize engaged listening to understand the Jamaican accent to understand the story.  The third piece explains one of Jamaica's cultures set to music - following the verse chorus setting.

The piece was put together as a tribute to Ms Bennett when she died in 2006.  In one of her other videos, she explains the difference between the calypso and mento -- "Calypso has a strong beat while the mento has a rounder sound" -- the two have similar rhythms, but the mento is not as widely known outside of Jamaica.

People in the Caribbean have grown up hearing calypso and reggae frequently.  I was not aware that there were different styles within those two groups until this class.  For instance, the calypso and soca are from the same family, but the bass rhythm is slightly different, as is the reggae and the ska.  The structures of the different types of music, though similar, create a different feel for the listener.

For more information on Ms. Bennett you can visit:

http://www.folkways.si.edu/louise-bennett/jamaican-folk-songs/caribbean-world/music/album/smithsonian

Dancing Calypso

For this week's post, we travel to the island of Trinidad just off the coast of Venezuela.

In order to share free music, please follow the link below and in the track listing, play No. 103, Booboo Man.

http://www.folkways.si.edu/calypso-awakening-from-the-emory-cook-collection/caribbean/music/album/smithsonian

The recording only plays a few seconds of Lord Melody You see, effective calypsonians say one thing but mean the next and oftentimes leave you wondering what message they truly intended to convey.

Lord Melody, whose real name is Fitzroy Alexander, died in 1988.  He was a friendly rival of the great Might Sparrow.  He recorded calypsos from 1956 until 1985.

At the time of this recording, 1956, there would be numerous extemporaneous calypso duels.  From the sound of this recording, there was a live audience as is evidenced by clinking of classes and loud laughter throughout.  Because of the "double entedre" that is the style of calypso, only the Lord knows what happened when the crowd started to laugh at its loudest almost three minutes in.  The instruments used in this recording are few compared to today's groups.  Of course, the calypso of today is much more modern and consists of more electronic equipment than there are performers.  The double meaning is not as apparent, because a lot of artists just say what they have to say instead of the traditional throwing of words.

Applying this week's readings, "engaged listening" will allow you to picture what the score may look like, while "attentive listening" must be utilized in order to understand the meaning of what is being sung.
The following page gives a brief biography of Lord Melody:

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/lord-melody-mn0000828756/biography

The following YouTube link gives you the full version of the calypso, Booboo Man.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srEDcmbrmZA

Title of piece:  Booboo Man / Mama Look a Boo Boo
Performers:  Fitzroy Alexander (Lord Melody)
Culture:  Calypso
Orchestration: Guitar, Bass, Drums

*Disclaimer:  This is a revised blog post...the original links did not lead to the piece I originally researched.  I have no knowledge of why the link was changed.