I've changed my execution yet again and sticking to filming, not because I'm lazy to do graphics but because of my interest in film. Oh please anything that is digital and computerized is not difficult to do.
The concept will be Lateral Thinking in which requires a creative mind to think out of the box. The opposite is vertical thinking which means what you hear/see is what you get. This may not really suit my research but it doesn't matter because my purpose is not to flood you with history and information of middle eastern music, but whereas I want to experiment and escape from cliche patterns of showing information, and change the perception of how we see things, and also to think more!! Not just spoon-feeding the audience with information and nice graphics which at the end of the day, none will remember the content. Even if they do, I'm sure it won't be of a use to them. So I might as well introduce a technique that may be of a use to them in the future. But I have to do it good of coz.
I have come out with several ways to show lateral thinking, but I wont be posting now as I have not completed it yet. But I will post some of the pictures that inspired me and the ones I might be using.
I'm inspired by that flower because its just so beautiful. Maybe I could use it as a transformation of arabesque music from tasteless to colourful. Of course I wont this picture lah.
That website above shows various costume of a belly dancer (a dance that is popular in the middle eastern). I'm thinking of using the material as a main element in my film to tie every sequence. Right now I'm not making much sense but you'll see.
In this entry, I will summarize all the research I have done on Middle eastern music culture, picking up only interesting facts that I will use for my execution. I'll start with the instruments.
OUD Start with a definition: Literally, 'ud means 'twig', 'flexible rod' or 'aromatic stick', and by inference 'piece of wood'
Then the history: According to Farabi (the greatest muslim scientist and philosopher!), the oud was invented by Lamech, the sixth grandson of Adam. The legend tells that the grieving Lamech hung the body of his dead son from a tree. The first oud was inspired by the shape of his son's bleached skeleton.
Specialty or interesting facts: In Iraq, there's a saying goes that in its music lies the country’s soul. In the 9th century, Miwardi, the jurist of Baghdad, extolled its use in treating illness. 'The oud invigorates the body. It places the temperament in equilibrium. It is a remedy... It calms and revives hearts'
Misc.: The Arabs traditionally used thin piece of wood as a plectrum, later replaced by the eagle's feather by Zyriab in Spain. The profound and mellow sound is referred to by Virtuosos throughout the Middle East as the ‘King of all instruments’. Also, the increasing fervor of Islamic militants who consider secular music to be haraam (forbidden) forced many Oud players or teachers into hiding or exile.
Secular music is non-sacred music that focused more on common law rather than religious terms. A lot of secular music were written during the Renassaince period.
QANUN Starts with a definition: The Arabic word ‘kanun’ comes from the Greek word ‘kanon.’ The term ‘kanon’ means law, administration, rule, regulation. It is basically a zither with a narrow trapezoidal soundboard.
Interesting facts on how its made: The KANUN is constructed by skilled craftsmen in workshops in Turkey. Everything is made by hand using up to seven different kinds of wood. The top is made of sycamore wood, the back of pine wood,the bridge is made of maple. The design on the sides and top is cut out of rosewood and white pine.The sound board is completed by using either fish or calf leather, giving the KANUN its rich resonance.
Misc.: In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the kanun was one of the instruments that were played by women. The kanun was quite popular in Istanbul. A professional music ensemble without a kanun was unthinkable.
The qanun is suitable for the display of virtuosity, the execution of fioriture and rapid scales. Interestingly, this traditional Arabic instrument, has been replaced by the less complex piano, itself an outgrowth of the harpsichord, an instrument which exchanged the zither's plectra with hammers.
NEY/NAY Definition: Persian for "reed" . It is the material from which the Ney is made. The end-blown ney of Turkey and Iran is made from the stem of a bamboo plant. The mouthpiece, generally made of buffalo horn, called baspare.
History and Uses:The ney is often used to create religious music in the Islamic traditions of Sufism. The music helps to induce a meditative state. Ney players are seen in wall paintings in the Egyptian pyramids. Thus, the ney has been played continuously for 4,500-5,000 years. It is one of the oldest musical instruments still in use.
Interesting facts: The ney’s mournful tone is reminiscent of a man’s voice during supplication. Additionally, the drum and the tambourine are representative of the lover, “for without the touch of the beloved’s fingers, the drum would be silent”. In Sufism, their music is believed to have healing powers, and their dancing has the power to achieve spiritual ecstasy.
Conclusion: I can create a metaphor and use humans and emotions to represent the instrument NEY. KOMUZ Definition:It is often used in the Kyrgyz Music in the Kyrgyzstan culture.
Interesting facts: This instrument was thought to have magical powers and was brought to wars and used in military bands. The names of parts of the komuz are often allusions to body parts, particularly of horses. For example, the neck is called IPA: [mojun] "neck", the tuning pegs are called IPA: [qulɑq], or "ear"s. The Kyrgyz word кыл/qyl means "string of an instrument" or "horse's hair".
MYTHS: Various myths exist about the komuz. One tells that the hunter Kambarkan was wandering in the forest when he heard a beautiful sound. He looked for the source and found the intestine of a squirrel tied between two tree branches, which he took and fashioned into a musical instrument. It is also said that the nightingale learned to sing by copying the komuz. The name is believed to have been derived from the ancient Turkic words "gop" meaning height and "uz" meaning voice, or magic music sound.
Now lets take a look atDARBUKA Darbuka (kup, or goblet drum) is a goblet shaped hand drum used mostly in Hebrew, Arabic, Assyrian, Persian, Balkan, Greek, Armenian, Azeri and Turkish music. Its thin, responsive drumhead and resonance help it produce a distinctively crisp sound. It is of ancient origin, and is believed by some to have been invented before the wheel. It is originally made of red clay. The goat or cow hide stretched across the mouth creates a pleasing sound, especially when heated. The darbuka is known by several names throughout Anatolia, including dümbelek, deblek, dömbek, deblek, güpgüp.
HISTORY OF DARBUKA In the past, the darbuka was made of leather (fish skin or animal hide) and burnt clay. However, leather gets cold quickly and loses its quality. So it was necessary to invent an instrument that can keep up with the development of other musical instruments. Therefore, the darbuka was modified and made of aluminium, plastic and screws to enhance the sound of the instrument to match the quality of other instruments. The purpose of a darbuka is to establish metres and measures and since folk music and Andalusian music rely on metres and measures, the darbuka was brought in to fulfill this role.
Modern Darbuka
HOW TO PLAY DARBUKA To play the darbuka, you should hold the instrument from the edge with the left hand while striking the darbuka with the right hand. The movements of the hand should be semi-circular and should maintain the rhythm. You have to use both hands to play the darbuka, which should be placed on your thighs since it is a heavy instrument. Its role is to maintain rhythm.
For more techniques, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darbuka
And there is an excellent history on darbuka filled with pictures here http://www.khafif.com/rhy/his.html
Now lets take a look at some videos!!!
A woman dancing to a darbuka solo!
RIQ (daff) Riq is a type of tambourine used as a traditional instrument in Arabic music. It is an important instrument in both folk and classical music throughout the Arabic-speaking world. It traditionally has a wooden frame, jingles, and a thin, translucent head made of fish or goat skin. It contains cymbals surrounding its circular body which click together making sounds similar to its cousin instrument, the tamborine. Riq players are capable of great subtlety and virtuosity.
USES OF RIQ (To put in complez owrds) Exploding in a burst of imaginative freedom to colour the orchestra with gleaming sounds. The riq is also related to worship, as in upper Egypt.
KOMUZ An ancient fretless string instrument used in Central Asian music, related to certain other Turkic string instruments and the lute. It is often used in the Kyrgyz Music in the Kyrgyzstan culture. The Kyrgyz are a Turkic ethnic group found primarily in Kyrgyzstan.
A traditional Kyrgyz Manaschi performing part of the Manas epic poem at a yurt camp in Karakol
KYRGYZ MUSIC
The main feature of the distinctive style of Kyrgyz music is the images it conjures in the mind. There is a very wide picturesque range: from heroics with dramatic (epic) effects, to the beauty of natural scenery (mountains, trees and streams) and domestic themes.
BACK TO KOMUZ: INFORMATION The komuz is generally made from a single piece of wood (usually apricot or juniper) and has three strings traditionally made out of gut, and often from fishing line in modern times. The golcha gopuz is made from a leather covering which covered around two-thirds of the surface, and the other third is covered with thin wood along with the sound board.
MYTHS ON KOMUZ Various myths exist about the komuz. One tells that the hunter Kambarkan was wandering in the forest when he heard a beautiful sound. He looked for the source and found the intestine of a squirrel tied between two tree branches, which he took and fashioned into a musical instrument. It is also said that the nightingale learned to sing by copying the komuz.
FACTS: This instrument was thought to have magical powers and was brought to wars and used in military bands
QANUN/KANUN A string instrument found in Near Eastern traditional music based on Maqamat. The kanun is one of the kithara class of instruments, which besides Turkey is used in North Africa and the Middle East, Iran, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Macedonia, Kosovo and Greece. Almost all musicologists agree that the Arabic word ‘kanun’ comes from the Greek word ‘kanon.’ The term ‘kanon’ means law, administration, rule, regulation.
The sound is produced by the vibration of taut strings arranged "openly" from short to long. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the kanun was one of the instruments that were played by women. In the second half of the 19th century, the kanun was quite popular in Istanbul. A professional music ensemble without a kanun was unthinkable.
For more information on the structure of the Qanun/Kanun, visit this awesome website! http://exoticmusicshop.com/sf-articles-of-Kanun_zither_-aid-16-tp-1_10.htm CHANGES IN THE KANUN Coming into use in Ottoman music in the 15th century at the latest, the kanun underwent changes to its structure, and its size was sometimes increased, sometimes decreased. The kanun used in Istanbul in the 16th century can be considered identical to that used in Iran and Mesopotamia. This instrument was most likely constructed entirely of wood, with metal strings, an assumption supported by several miniatures. The kalun used today by the Uygurs is the only modern instrument resembling this kanun.
HOW TO PLAY It is played on the lap by plucking the strings with two tortoise-shell picks, one in each hand, or by the fingernails, and has a range of three and a half octaves, from A2 to E6. These small levers, which can be raised or lowered quickly by the performer while the instrument is being played, serve to change the pitch of a particular course slightly by altering the string lengths. The player uses ivory picks.
Now lets see some videos shall we!
Now lets take a look at a woodwind instrument, the NEY! On previous entry I have mentioned this but now lets uncover the interesting facts of a Ney. I called this the Father because its the oldest instrument to date.
The current name is the word "Ney" which is Persian for "reed" . It is the material from which the Ney is made. The end-blown ney of Turkey and Iran is made from the stem of a bamboo plant.
Woman playing the ney in a painting from the Hasht-Behesht Palace in Isfahan Iran, 1669
The ney is often used to create religious music in the Islamic traditions of Sufism. The music helps to induce a meditative state. Sufi musicians aim to create heavenly sounds through abstract rhythms and patterns of notes, in contrast to the shakuhachi, which typically mimics sounds from nature.
THE NEY IN SUFISM The ney’s mournful tone is reminiscent of a man’s voice during supplication. Additionally, the drum and the tambourine are representative of the lover, “for without the touch of the beloved’s fingers, the drum would be silent”. Evidently, Sufi instruments are regarded as far more than instruments; they are almost like separate beings, in and of themselves.
For the Sufi Muslims, music has an even greater power: to forge a connection with God. Their music is believed to have healing powers, and their dancing has the power to achieve spiritual ecstasy. By integrating song and dance with prayer and meditation, Sufi mysticism is perhaps one of the most musical religions in the world.
Conclusion: I can create a metaphor and use humans and emotions to represent the instrument NEY.
Now for the most interesting part of all, the instruments!!!!
I have decided to chunk the different types of instrument at one entry or 2, because all these instruments were used in the different kind of middle eastern music. You can't say that Turkish music uses the Ney but arabesque no. NO ITS NOT LIKE THAT!
BASIC INFO ON ARABIC INSTRUMENTS/MUSIC Early Arab musicians borrowed from the Egyptians, Assyrians, and Sumerians. Many of the instruments used today are direct descendents of those depicted in the wall paintings and carvings of those past civilizations. Helping to revive an interest in Greek music and literature through Arabic translations, Arab music filled the cultural void and contributed to the later European Renaissance.
Ok now we start off with the most famous musical instrument in middle eastern, the OUD!. Why is this famous? In my opinion, this instrument is like our guitar in which its easy to learn and cool to play. That's why it rose to fame just like our guitar which is one of the more popular instruments. Logic right? Now lets find more infos on the OUD.
MEANING AND USAGE OF THE WORD OUD Literally, 'ud means 'twig', 'flexible rod' or 'aromatic stick', and by inference 'piece of wood'. From another source, the words "lute" and "oud" are both speculated to be derived from Arabic, meaning a thin piece of wood similar to the shape of a straw, referring either to the wood plectrum used traditionally for playing the lute[1], or to the thin strips of wood used for the back, or for the fact that the top was made of wood, not skin as were earlier.
HOW THE OUD WAS SPREAD AND BECAME POPULAR The oud was most likely introduced to Western Europe by the Arabs who established the Umayyad Caliphate of Al-Andalus on the Iberian Peninsula beginning in the year 711 AD. Tt was the royal houses of Al-Andalus that cultivated the environment which raised the level of oud playing to greater heights and boosted the popularity of the instrument. The most famous oud player of Al-Andalus was Zyriab.
HISTORY OF OUD According to Farabi (the greatest muslim scientist and philosopher!), the oud was invented by Lamech, the sixth grandson of Adam. The legend tells that the grieving Lamech hung the body of his dead son from a tree. The first oud was inspired by the shape of his son's bleached skeleton. This instrument appears many times throughout Mesopotamian history and again in ancient Egypt from the 18th dynasty onwards in long and short-neck varieties. This instrument and its close relatives have been a part of the music of each of the ancient civilizations that have existed in the Mediterranean and the Middle East regions, including the Sumerians, Akkadians, Persians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Armenians, Greeks, Egyptians, and Romans.
OUD AS A SACRED OBJECT/INSTRUMENT The oud has a particularly long tradition in Iraq, where a saying goes that in its music lies the country’s soul. A ninth-century Baghdad jurist praised the healing powers of the instrument. In the 9th century, Miwardi, the jurist of Baghdad, extolled its use in treating illness, a principle allowed and defended in Arab Spain by the 11th-century theologian Ibn Hazm. The symbolism lived on until the 19th century: 'the 'ud invigorates the body. It places the temperament in equilibrium. It is a remedy... It calms and revives hearts' ---> WOW!!!! There is also evidence that it was played on the battlefield. However, the increasing fervor of Islamic militants who consider secular music to be haraam (forbidden) forced many Oud players or teachers into hiding or exile. Different tunings are used and the Turkish-style oud has a brighter tone than its Arab counterpart.
DEFINING FEATURES The websites below provides great detail of the features of an OUD. http://www.oud.eclipse.co.uk/history.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oud
PLECTRUM (PICK) The strings of the contemporary 'ud are twisted, or spirally reinforced. They are plucked with a plectrum (risha, 'quill') made of an eagle's feather and held between thumb and index finger; a shell or plastic plectrum may be used instead. The technique calls for suppleness of the wrist as the plectrum strikes the strings in a simple fall, or combines risings and fallings.
he Arabs traditionally used thin piece of wood as a plectrum, later replaced by the eagle's feather by Zyriab in Spain (between 822 to 857), other sources state that he is the first one to use the wooden plectrum.
To date the Arabic players use the historic name reeshe or risha, which literally means "feather" while Turkish players refer to it as a mızrap. Currently the plastic pick is most commonly used for playing the oud being effective, affordable and convenient to get.
Like similar strummed stringed instruments, professional Oud players take the quality of their plectrums very seriously, often making their own out of other plastic objects, and taking great care to sand down any sharp edges in order to achieve the best sound possible.
Before we begin, lets hear how Andalusian actually sounds like. This is the best video I could find. The rest doesn't seem to Andalusian as it has tons of mixtures of spanish, irish etc2.
ANDALUSIAN MUSIC Itss a style of Arabic music found across North Africa, though it evolved out of the music of Andalusia between the 9th and 15th centuries, during the Al-Andalus period. It is now most closely associated with Morocco. Ok now thats a lot of information for one sentence. Lets break it down.
MUSIC OF ANDALUSIA (the bold one above) Andalusia is a region in Spain that is best-known for flamenco, a form of music and dance that is mostly performed by Gypsy people and popular throughout the world. Arab Muslims influence seems common, and more inherent than in the rest of Spain.
Flamenco is the music of the gypsies and played in their social community. Flamenco is very interesting! I will elabourate on it more on the next entry.
Al-Andalus was the Arabic name given to the parts of the Iberian Peninsula governed by Arab and African Muslims, at various times in the period between 711 and 1492.
CONTINUE: ANDALUSIAN MUSIC (note that music of andalusia and andalusian music is 2 DIFFERENT things) Arab-Andalusian music, a unique art form, the love and knowledge of which are transmitted entirely by oral tradition, is not played in Morocco in concert halls, but is performed at festivities, often at family gatherings, where the traditional songs are sung.As in Moroccan Arab-Andalusian music, the instruction is essentally oral and is passed on by ear from generation to generation.
Nothing much interesting I can find about Andalusian Music and its not really popular in Internet. Should find books regarding it, though I doubt the library will have it, or at least, have something that is different from what I have researched here.
CONTINUE: MORE INFORMATION ON ARABESQUE MUSIC Arabesque music is very melodic and emotional. The main theme of the lyrics has always been ‘love’. Every other theme, especially in the early lyrics, melts into and speaks through the authority of love. The early lyrics are usually made up of ‘traditional’ concepts. The musical structure of arabesque is hybrid, blending both Turkish Classical and Folklore music’s rhythms, modes, forms and instruments and popular Western rhythms, instruments and scoring system for individual instruments. HISTORY OF ARABESQUE MUSIC The bureaucrats and intellectuals of diverse political inclinations in Turkey have shared the opinion that arabesque is tasteless and grieved and reflect the alienation of the new urban migrant citizens who brought the village with them to the big cities degrading the city (esp. Istanbul).
Bureaucrats is someone within an institution of a government.
"A music of alienation" is the major concept coined to arabesque in the Encyclopaedia of Music. The left in general emphasized that arabesque is traditional (backward), preaches fatalism.
This is something interesting! The Turkish Classical and Folklore musicians condemned it for corrupting classical forms due to the both Arabic and Western influences. As a matter of fact, the word ‘arabesque’ has carried a negative connotation from the beginning and its meaning grew like a snowball with each new connotation. The word was first coined in the 1960s to mean that the new music was an imitation of arabic music due to the infusion of the Egyptian melodic nuances and the style of the string performance.
hen the word came to be used as an adjective to name almost everything and every aspect of social life considered to be degraded, which really meant matching neither with ‘traditional’ nor ‘modern’ forms (arabesque democracy, economy, people, situation, taste, feelings, way of thinking and living). ---> HAHA I will now use Arabesque as a bad word!! Miss Tina is an arabesque!! LOLZ
http://ignca.nic.in/ls_03013.htm In the last paragraph of the website, it explains relations of arabesque to modernization theory. I can't really understand as its abit chim. Will discuss this with Mr Alex.
EVOLUTION OF ARABESQUE MUSIC Since the end of the 1960s the genre has undergone change, given birth to many versions, differentiated as it got more popular and thus reproduced itself with different audiences, as the music industry developed and social relations and people changed. In time, especially in the 1980s, it became more of a medium of entertainment, football game’s musical slogans and political campaign songs. Arabesque music influenced other popular musical genres too, that is classical Turkish music, folkloric music, pop music which are also officially permitted on the state TV, especially with its melodic patterns, rhythmic emphasis and performance of the instruments and the singer.
I agree!! Right now its extremely difficult to distinguish an arabesque music from turkish music or even a pure arabic music.
Musician and politician Zülfü Livaneli states, "The arabesque trend is not only a form of music; rather, it is the identity problem of a nation placed between East and West, and unable to integrate with either of them." ----> A few sources have also stated that arabesque is neither here nor there.
http://www.turkishmusicportal.org/page.php?id=34&lang2=en This website is a bomb! Its greatly explain the evolution in arabesque music. Very interesting indeed!! I will summarize it later. Am still reading it.
Another type of music in Turkey is the Arabesque Music!
Arabesque or Arabesk is a genre termed so by Turkish musicologists for Arabic-style music created in Turkey. The so-called ‘arabesque’ music in Turkey has been the most popular musical genre since late 1960s. Although melodies and rhythms are predominantly Arabic-pop influenced, it also draws ideas from other aspects of Middle Eastern music including Bağlama music, Turkish forms of oriental dance and Ottoman classical music.
BAGLAMA Bağlama is a stringed musical instrument shared by various cultures in the Eastern Mediterranean, Near East, and Central Asia. It is sometimes referred to as the saz. The term saz is mainly used to refer to a family of plucked string instruments, long-necked lutes used in Ottoman classical music, Turkish folk music, Kurdish music.
No wonder I found the word saz to be quite familiar. They're both the same!!
The most commonly used string folk instrument in Turkey, the baglama has seven strings divided into courses of two, two and three.
The different types of Baglama Family: It can be tuned in various ways and takes different names according to region and size: Bağlama, Divan Sazı, Bozuk, Çöğür, Kopuz Irızva, Cura, Tambura, etc. The cura is the smallest member of the bağlama family: larger than the cura is the tambura, tuned an octave lower. The Divan sazı, the largest instrument in the family, is tuned one octave lower still.
The bağlama is believed to be a synthesis of historical musical instruments in Central Asia and pre-Turkish Anatolia. Bağlama literally translates as "something that is tied up", probably a reference to the tied-on frets of the instrument.
Smallest and Largest Baglama
CONTINUE: ARABESQUE MUSIC A very small percentage of Arabesk is exclusively instrumental. As the year goes by, the sound grew more dancey and upbeat.
Founder of this genre: Orhan Gencebay
One of the most prolific and commercially successful is İbrahim Tatlıses.
İbrahim Tatlıses is a singer of mixed Arab and Kurdish background born in the town of Şanlıurfa in Turkey. Why is he the most profilic artist in Turkey's history? He broke all sales records in Turkey in 1978 and continues to turn out popular music to this day. Thus, he made a major change to Turkey's music industry. His music basically focused on traditional folk music played on indigenous instruments. Tatlises, with no doubt is great singer and he can easily high pitch his vocal from three to five musical scales. He has maintained popularity in the Arabesk scene in recent years through remixing his tracks into dance friendly club tracks.
These are some of his marvelous works! I found this one below interesting as the beginning reminds me of a particular malay song which I couldn't recall the title.
A more upbeat music. Quite traditional yet has an essence of modernity (does that word even exist?)
Creative use of instruments! Very hindi though but folky (hahaha folky!)
Another artist that is popular with Arabesque Music: Bülent Ersoy
She has a very controversy history in which she undergo an operation for a sex change! But its not something that I would want to elabourate on, so I'll just leave you with her works. This shemale is very famous for arabesque music. And to me, her music is much more better than Tatlises as he/she works are more purer to arabesque and not so much on modern and pop.
Conclusion: After listening to various songs/music by different artist, I can say that arabesque music tends to use ALOT of string instruments! And its usually heavy and very hindi-ish.
My brother is gonna use this com. So i'm gonna briefly explain what I'm goin to further research on, even if Miss Tina were to ask me to stop and execute, I WONT! Coz Im in my paranoid research moments where I would go around researching non-stop!
After I cover Kurdish and Turkish music, I will cover Arabic/Arabesque, Arabic Andalusian. AFter covering part of middle eastern music, I will proceed to Celtic music (irish music in Scotland), Asian music and if I have time, African music.
African music has an interesting history as it consists of mixtures of musics form all parts of the world. Asian music for some reason Miss Tina said need to research, so ok lor. And I like Celtic music which has a very fascinating history of harpies and fairies!
This might be a wordy entry, but its very useful to me, so Miss Tina, bear with it!! MORE AND MORE INTERESTING FACTS REGARDING TURKISH MUSIC CULTURE
First and foremost, the basic history as to why some of Turkish music has an influence of other regions. The term to take note here is CULTURAL EXCHANGE.
The Turks have lived in Anatolia and Thrace for nearly 2000 years. Along with the musical culture they brought with them from Asia, they have participated in cultural exchange with the local people in these regions. Consequently Turkish folk music in Anatolia displays a special structure comprised of several independent musical regions.
How these people actually create music?
it takes as its subjects all the natural and social events experienced by the people. The variety in its musical structure, instruments used, those who perform the music, and their social positions, are direct reflections of the people's lives.
The next paragraph might be wordy, but they are extremely useful and interesting to me!
Turkish folk music is fed by two main sources: türkü singers (those who create local music via anonymous songs) and âsiks. Türkü singers sing the songs that are performed in all sorts of celebrations, special rituals, certain religious gatherings and funerals throughout Anatolia. As they sing them over and over, they add different words, and create new songs with new names. The musical patterns as well as the lyrics they use are anonymous. Asiks on the other hand, are people who mostly create music with their own lyrics or the lyrics of other asiks. As they are outside the local music culture and sing and play in their own unique styles, the personal quality of their music is more obvious.
INFORMATION ON TURKISH LYRICS
As in Turkish music in general, Turkish folk music is based chiefly on lyrics. Turkish folk music is the musical expression of folk literature, which addresses events experienced by all sections of society with both a secular and religious approach. In Turkish society, where the word is considered sacred, it is natural that the meanings of lyrics should take on a sacred character.
This website gives a whole lot of information regarding the MUSICAL STRUCTURE, in which U have read it, but im afraid by summarizing, I might lose out important things. So I'll just leave it as it be.
http://www.turkishmusicportal.org/page.php?id=40
MINSTRELS IN TURKISH MUSIC Remember minstrels in kurdish music? Now here they are in Turkish music!
The Asiks (minstrels) are one of the most distinguished and brilliant communities of performers encountered within the realm of Turkish culture. Generally coming up singing lyrics and poetry to the accompaniment of the saz, the asiks are artists that give voice to all of the social events of the societies in which they exist, and write footnotes to history.
In general terms, we can divide the asiks into two main groups: Itinerant asiks and local asiks.
There is also Asiks culture. I'm not sure whether to expand on it or not. OK THATS THE END OF MY TURKISH RESEARCH!
Here are some of the Turkish music that I have found on youtube. NOTE: they are not just randomly picked but carefully selected!
TRADITIONAL TURKISH MUSIC/SONG I like this one. Very nice and turkish-ish
From the Ottomon period. I should find more of these.
FOUND! (might be abit Iranian (irish sound) though
This is just a violin instrumental music. Nice!
This is a more pop and modern song of the Turkish, combined with different instruments. Doesn't really sound like pure Turkish Music, or even Turkish music at all!
This is a better modern Turkish pop song.
Combined with piano and abit of upbeat. Modern but still very turkish.
A very upbeat and poppish kind of turkish music which has an essence of persian music. Not bad. I like!
MORE ON TURKISH MUSIC ORIGINS Turkish classical music refers quite specifically to the music cultivated by the Ottoman Empire. That empire included substantial territory which had been under Byzantine or Arabic control, and the substratum of traditional music in Turkey was conditioned by that history. Moreover, the music of the Arab Empires had already been strongly conditioned by Persian culture. The Ottoman Empire eventually became very cosmopolitan.
Conclusion: So, in short, Turkish music has an influence on Persian culture?
Turkish music has a large & varied system of modes, overlapping the Arabic system of maqam.
MAQAM Arabic maqām is the system of melodic modes used in traditional Arabic music, which is mainly melodic. The word maqam in Arabic means place, location or rank. The Arabic maqam is a melody type. Each maqam is built on a scale, and carries a tradition that defines its habitual phrases, important notes, melodic development and modulation. Arabic maqams are based on a musical scale of 7 notes that repeats at the octave. Some maqams have 2 or more alternative scales (e.g. Rast, Nahawand and Hijaz)
Conclusion: So maqam can be considered a scale like a chromatic scale that our modern days used in concert bands. Hmmmm...not something that I want to further elabourate on.
Ok now lets go into the different types of instruments. First of all, one of the more significant musical instrument in Turkish, the NEY.
In the Sufi tradition, the reed flute ney is the most important instrument. The ney is used in one or more forms throughout the region, and whereas the Iranian technique features alternation between two positions (including the more shrill sound of holding the mouthpiece with the teeth), Turkish technique relies only on the airier sound achieved by positioning the instrument against the bottom of the lower lip. The ney is specifically connected to Ottoman court music through the ceremonies of the Mevlevis (whirling dervishes), which were supported by many Ottoman rulers.
FYI, SUFI is derived from SUFISM which is an inner mythical of Islam.
One of the best player of the Turkish Ney is Kudsi Erguner, a Turkish musician. More information on this musician can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kudsi_Erguner
Now here is a picture of him. Awww doesnt he look cuuutteee!
This is one of his work from one of his many albums which featured mainly Islamic songs which is praises to God.
MORE INFORMATION ON NEY An end-blown flute that figures prominently in Persian, Turkish and Arabic music. In some of these musical traditions, it is the only wind instrument used. It is a very ancient instrument, with depictions of ney players appearing in wall paintings in the Egyptian pyramids and actual neys being found in the excavations at Ur. This indicates that the ney has been played continuously for 4,500–5,000 years, making it one of the oldest musical instruments still in use. It is a forerunner of the modern flute.
An interesting fact indeed!
Lets take a look at how a NEY is being played.
The ney consists of a piece of hollow cane or reed with five or six finger holes and one thumb hole. However, modern neys may be made of metal or plastic tubing instead.
There are also other types of flutes: Kargı Düdük (a long reed flute) and Tsuur (an end blown flute that is found in western Mongolia). But I'm not gonna concentrate on these two.
I found this very very very useful websites that provides all one need on the insights of a Turkish Music. http://www.turkishmusicportal.org/index.php
After a long research on Kurdish music, lets move on to another part of the middle eastern music, which is Turkish Music.
TURKISH MUSIC (STYLE) Turkish Music is not really music of Turkey, but rather a musical style that was occasionally used by the European composers of the Classical music era. This music was modeled — though often only distantly — on the music of Turkish military bands, specifically the Janissary bands.
JANISSARY The Janissaries (meaning, new soldier) comprised infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultan's household troops and bodyguards. The force was created by the Sultan Murad I from Muslim sons in the 14th century.
Janissaries Officers
The Janissary corps were significant in a number of ways. The Janissaries wore uniforms, were paid in cash as regular soldiers, and marched to distinctive music, the mehter, similar to a modern marching band.
The military march music of the Janissaries is characteristic because of its powerful, often shrill sound combining davul (bass drum), zurna (a loud oboe), naffir (trumpet), bells, triangle, and cymbals (zil), among others. Janissary music influenced European classical musicians like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven, both of whom composed marches in the Turkish style (Mozart's Piano Sonata in A major. CONTINUE: TURKISH MUSIC (STYLE) "Turkish" music is always lively in tempo, and is almost always a kind of march. ----> something to take note of. When "Turkish" music was scored for orchestra, it normally used extra percussion instruments not otherwise found in orchestras of the Classical period: typically, the bass drum, the triangle, and cymbals. Often there is also a piccolo, whose penetrating tone adds to the outdoor atmosphere. ---> a feel/mood for Turkish music
Turkish music is one of the world's great undiscovered artistic treasures. WHY? Most traditional Turkish music is based on quarter-tone modes or scales which makes the music sound strange and many notes sound flat to Western ears familiar with half-tone scales. They aren't really flat, they're quarter-tones (the tone between two half-tones). Once you're used to them, they sound fine, and give an entirely different color to the music.
All three of the great Classical era composers, Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, wrote at least some "Turkish" music. (INTERESTING FACT). For more information on this, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_music_(style)
Another interesting fact. Eventually it became possible to write music with bass drum, triangle, and cymbals without necessarily evoking a Turkish atmosphere, and in the later 19th century symphonic composers made free use of these instruments. Thus in the long run the Turkish instruments are a gift to Western classical music from the Turkish military-music tradition.
Kurdish music exist in 4 different types of country: Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria. But I will only expand on Turkey, and Iraq, which I find pretty interesting.
KURDS OF TURKEY For most of the 20th century, songs in Kurdish Language were banned in Turkey. Some singers sang in Turkish, while others violated the ban and were imprisoned or fled to various countries, especially Germany. In the 2000s the ban has been lifted.
Some of the foremost figures in Kurdish classical music of the past century from this part include Mihemed 'Arif Cizrawî (1912 - 1986), who is considered the greatest Kurdish classical composer and vocalist.
Mihemed 'Arif Cizrawî
CONTINUE Şivan Perwer, the most famous Kurdish musician of all time, came from the Kurds of Turkey. He came to fame in 1972 during a Kurdish revolt in Iraqi Kurdistan, and became a superstar before fleeing to Germany in 1976. Şivan Perwer is a superb composer, vocalist and tembûr player. He concentrates mainly on political and nationalistic music - of which he is considered the founder in Kurdish music - as well as classical and folk music.
ŞIVAN PERWER For many years, his songs were banned in Iraq, Syria,and Turkey because they are sung in Kurdish and often cite the oppression against the Kurdish people in the Middle East. He has composed music and sung many songs using the poetry of the late Kurdish poet, Cigerxwîn. Cigerxwîn was well-known for his poetry about the Kurdish struggle and also about Kurdish culture and history. At one time, Cigerxwîn referred to Şivan as "the Voice of his poetry". Kurdish songs (or dengbej) are considered by some to be one of the key elements in preserving the Kurdish culture and history.
Şivan Perwer is something that I could mention in my execution.
OK WAIT!!! I SUDDENLY HAVE SOMETHING IN MIND!!!
Pause the research. Ok now after looking at examples of Information design clip, I have a more clearer view on what I want for my final execution. I want to do something like an information design clip like this one below, and at the same time, I can combine it with video footages. I thought that a narrative wouldnt be a good idea. Or at least at this point of time where I will have difficulties getting locations and casting, filming would not be the ultimate choice. Thus, I have no choice but to stick to motion graphics. DAMN! OOOPZZZ...hehe
Before we jumped into the different types of kurdish instruments, which is mostly the same as the whole middle eastern musical instruments, let me update more on the kurdish music culture.
MORE INFORMATION ON KURDISH MUSIC CULTURE
Traditionally, there are three types of Kurdish Classical performers - storytellers (çîrokbêj), minstrels (stranbêj) and bards (dengbêj). We have learnt about the interesting bards in the previous post, now, lets go into the minstrels.
MINSTRELS A minstrel was a medieval European bard who performed songs whose lyrics told stories about distant places or about real or imaginary historical events. Though minstrels created their own tales, often they would memorize and embellish the works of others. Minstrelsy fed into later traditions of traveling entertainers, which continued to be moderately strong into the early 20th century, and which has some continuity down to today's buskers or street musicians.
Some of the musical instruments they used include harps, fiddles, bagpipes, flutes, flageolets, citterns, and kettledrums.
Ahhh interesting!! Buskers actually originated from minstrels!
CONTINUE: HISTORY OF KURDISH MUSIC Many songs are epic in nature, such as the popular Lawiks which are heroic ballads recounting the tales of Kurdish heroes such as Saladin. Saladin was a Kurdish Muslim who became the Sultan of Egypt and Syria. He led Muslim opposition to the European Crusaders in the Levant.
Kurdish Music has very ancient roots that go back to the Hurrian period of Kurdish history. A Hurrian tablet dating back to the 13th century B.C. was discovered in Ugaret; it contains in its upper portion the text of a Hurrian hymn. In the lower portion, it contains a series of numbers and technical terms that have been interpreted as a score rendering the tune to which the hymn would have been sung. This is then the earliest known musical score in history. ----> an interesting fact indeed!
The nomadic way of life had a profound effect on cultural life and especially on music. The songs of the nomad shepherds, the melodies sung in olden times on the occasion of festivities marking the departure for the ZOZAN (high mountains) or the return to the plains, or in the course of celebrations over the birth of lambs or the shearing of the wool, all of these still have an important place today in the repertoire of Kurdish music.
The bold ZOZAN is an ancient city located in Iran. Its listed as one of the world's heritage. I can't seem to find pictures of it.
Nomads are communities of people who moved from one place to another, rather than settling dowm on one location. Sad right CONTINUE The demarcation between the mountain culture (of nomad origin) and the sedentary culture of the plains is rather clear in the field of music. While the music of the mountain people makes use particularly of wind instruments, some of which, such as the dûdûk, have a special capacity for creating echo effects, in the instruments of the plains stringed instruments predominate and especially the tenbûr, a six-stringed lute. INFORMATION ON DUDUK Duduk is particularly one of the interesting instrument to me because its one of the earliest instrument made (around 1500 - 3000 years ago) and its still being practiced today! Duduk is a woodwind instrument originated from Armenia.
Earlier days, the duduk were made of bone or entirely cane. Till today, some duduks are still made of these as to preserved its origin form. SOOOO COOOOL!!! But most of it is exclusively made of wood with a large double reed. Armenian duduks are mainly made from aged apricot wood. The reed is made from one or two pieces of cane in a duck-bill type assembly. Unlike other double-reed instruments, the reed is quite wide, helping to give the duduk both its unique, mournful sound, as well as its remarkable breath requirements. The duduk player is called dudukahar (դուդուկահար) in Armenian.
Its sound is clean and pleasant.
Duduk (also called gemete)
Oh the duduk is famously used in the 2000 movie Gladiator. Below you can see a man playing the gladiator theme song using the duduk! Maybe I should contact him to steal his duduk from him!!
INFORMATION ON TEMBUR Tembur is a fretted-string instrument. It is associated with the Ahl-e Haqq religion in Kurdish areas and in the Lorestān Province of Iran. It is currently the only musical instrument used in Ahl-e Haqq rituals, and practitioners venerate the tembûr as a sacred object.
The resonator is pear-shaped and made of either a single piece or multiple carvels of mulberry wood. The neck is made of walnut wood and has fourteen frets.
This is the best picture of a tembur I can find.
Lets take a look at how its being played.
Hmmmm, tembur is not an interesting instrument to be further studied and developed (based on information-wise). But it is one of the more popular insrtument used maybe because of the easy-listening sound and its cool and easy to play. Just like our guitar, whereby its one of the more popular instruments used because its easy to learn to play, but master it, HELL NO. Also, it does give an interested insights which is its linking with the Ahl-e Haqq religion.
AHL-E HAQQ RELIGION AHL-E HAQQ means People Of Truth. They are members of a religion founded by Sultan Sahak in the late 14th century in western Iran.
There is a long history of this religion. Shall I research on it? I scan through the history of it and nothing interesting really caught my eye, and its a bit too philosophical.
I have alot of research to update here as I never been updating much for the past week. Ahhh All these research which I never presented. Like what Miss Tina said, I chose the wrong ones to present, leaving them clueless to what I was saying. I might be dividing it into parts to look more clean.
First, I took a look at Kurdish music (from the middle eastern music).
WHAT KURDISH MUSIC IS FOR:
From historical chronicles to lyric poetry and from epics to literary works, all are sung, everything is put to music in order to be better or more easily memorised and thus handed down to posterity.
Kurdish music is, then, principally folk music and "anonymous". The circumstances of its origins and development are, in fact, very diverse and difficult to establish with accuracy. originally purely vocal, a song was often composed by a woman wishing to express her feelings of sadness or, more rarely, of joy. It might also break forth in the course of the poetic contests the young men and women indulged in on their return along mountain paths or at other gatherings of young people: nocturnal meetings in the village square, New Year's celebrations, marriage ceremonies which might last from three days to three weeks. or, then again, a song might be created from the blow of tragic events.
The first 2 para are taken from http://www.institutkurde.org/en/kurdorama/music/
So, after all the songs have been composed and created, they were given to the BARDS (called dengbej) to popularize it. A little information about bards...Bards travel from village to village, encampment to encampment, to promote the songs. Bards are usually specialize in one type of musical instrument. Interesting...
BARDS
Transmitted orally from generation to generation, the song, as a general rule, retains quite faithfully its original words. But the melody is only a very supple frame, subject to constant modifications and to continuous renewal a renewal which helps to perfect the music and provides a guarantee of its perennial quality.
I think Bard is an interesting element which I can use for my short film/docu/info design or whatever which I still havent figure it out YET!! ARGH!!!
Kurdish have also had influences on the NOMAD and its way of life.
More info on kurdish music culture can be found in this website http://www.institutkurde.org/en/kurdorama/music/
There are 2 definitions to a short film, one is by following the North American way, and the other, the European way.
The American stated that a short film generally refers to films between 20-40 minutes, whereas the European definition stated that a short film can be of a duration between 1-15 minutes, so long as it touches a minute. The North American also tend to focus more on character whereas the European focuses on visual drama and plot twist.
Short films often focus on difficult topics which longer, more commercial films usually avoid. Short films can be classified based on story line. There may be single, duo, triple, or multi-version modes in picturizing a short film. Short films can be made to test new technologies and techniques.
On conclusion, short film can be an experimental film (duh)....
Firstly, I want to start of by saying that Im still hooked on to the cinematography book that Miss Tina had lent me! Perhaps I could experiment the screenwriter's techniques when I execute my project later on.
I researched on this term called SOCIOMUSICOLOGY. Its actually a broad topic which also includes ethnomusicology. However, sociomusicology focuses more on the musical behaviour and the role of music in the industry. It maintains a relatively less of an emphasis on ethnic and national identity, but a strong interest in observable behaviour and musical interactions within a society.
Ahhh now that is something for a start! Not bad eh. I'm also still reading up on the long history of the instrument Didgeridoo from northen Australia. Interesting to see how it evolves from a Eucalyptus tree into an instrument today.
Different kinds of Didgeridoo
Next, I took a look at Middle Eastern music, from Morocco to Afghanistan. Its influenced by the music from Greece and India. Some of the famous genre of music under Middle Eastern music is the Cypriot music (a type of Turkish Medieval music). the Kurdish music (also from Turkey), Arabesque music, Arabic pop/rap.
Characteristics of Middle Eastern and North African music include very complex rhythmic structures, generally tense vocal tone, and a homophonic texture.
Here are some of the arabic instruments: http://www.maqamworld.com/instruments.html
There are just soooooooooo many interestingand wonderful things to read up under Middle Eastern music and it leads to all sorts of different styles of other Music. What I had in mind now while typing this is to study all this different kind of Middle Eastern genre, and then perhaps fuse them with a different set of cultural/ethnic music. Might work or not. Well, I still have the edutainment backup, right Miss Tina..?!
.jpg)
