Unit IV Flashcards
Beiguan
a traditional Chinese instrumental ensemble which uses both wind instruments and percussion. players learn their parts by singing them first using gongche
Gongche
a Chinese system for learning to sing pitches. it is similar to the solfege syllables used in the West - i.e. the “do-re-mi” system. it is written in Chinese characters in columns that are read from top to bottom and from right to left
Erhu
a two-stringed bowed instrument found in China
Jianzipu
tablature style of notation for the Chinese Qin
Qin
a Chinese zither instrument
Pipa
lute instrument of China and other parts of Asia. The strings are plucked with fake fingernails
Shizu
part of the Jiangnan sizhu or “silk and bamboo” music of China
Suona
the loud and reedy instrument used in the Chinese Beiguan
Hocketing
single melody dispersed or split among two or more voices or instruments. “a very communal form of music making
Golpe or Cajoneo
type of drumming on the harp sound box found in Wayño music
Ira and Arca
the names for the two rows of a set of panpipes of Bolivia
Ira
male principle
Arca
female pricinple
Zampóña
panpipe instrument used in the Bolivian K’antu music
Organum
an approach to harmony in western music that developed in the middle ages in which the melody is harmonized in perfect fourths and fifths. this type of parallel harmony is also used in Bolivian K’antu
Azan
Islamic call to prayer
Dumm and Takk
drumming syllables of Arabia
Maqam
mode or scale in Arabian music. There are many of them
Muessin
the man who chants the Muslim call to prayer or azan
Riqq
a tambourine instrument of Arabia
Takht
an Arabic ensemble of 3-8 instrumentalists and occasionally a singer who perform traditional Arab music on Arab stringed, wind, and percussion instruments
Scordatura
false tuning; it is used to describe tuning that departs from the norm for a particular string instrument. for example, the violin is normally tuned in 5ths with strings - G-D-A-E. Arabic violinists typically tune the two top strings down a whole tone to - G-D-G-D. thus a violin tuned for Arabic music would be tuned in both 4ths and 5ths.
Tajwid
the ritualized pronunciation of the Islamic chant tradition
Qur’anic recitiation
another form of the Islamic chant tradition. used to intone passages from the Qur’an
Tarab
translating as “ecstasy” or “enchantment”, this is said to be the emotion or feeling that Arabic music produces. performers strive to create this affect, and audiences expect it
Taqasim
an instrumental improvisation in an Arabic piece such as is heard when the Takht ensemble plays “Al-Shaghal”
Iqa’
The characteristic rhythmic patterns found in Arabic music
Why did the Jingju tend to recycle melodies in various operas?
reusing music allowed performers to avoid unpaid rehearsal time, and it also encouraged them to develop multiple versions of each tune to better express the needs of the scene in question
Where does the Sizhu ensemble perform?
used to perform at weddings and local operas, but now they are better known for playing in tea shops by groups of friends who have formed a music club, similar to an Irish pub
Where does the Beiguan ensemble perform?
they play outdoor ritual music, predominantly at funerals and temple festivities
Rhythm
Printed music for the Qin uses a type of tablature notation which conveys to the player the note to be played, and how the instrument is to be plucked. What musical element is not indicated in the tablature notation?
Opera troupes were itinerant and minimal sets and props made for easier travel
Historically, Jingiu (Chinese opera) has used minimal sets and props, but elaborate costumes and make-up. Why did they used minimal sets and props?
What types of instruments are used in a Jiangnan Sizhu ensemble?
erhu, sanxian (three-stringed, long-necked lute), pipa, ruan (four-stringed, round-bodied lute), yangqin (hammered dulcimer), dizi (transverse bamboo flute), sheng (mouth organ), woodblocks, clappers, zheng or guzheng (a bridged zither with usually twenty-five strings), and a xiao (bambo end-blown vertical flute)
Where might a performance of a Jiangnan Sizhu take place?
tea shop
The Zampoña (panpipes) is played during the dry season in the Andes. The traverse flute (i.e. flutes held horizontally) or duct flutes are played during the rainy season. Why?
the preference for duct flutes during the rainy season may be related to the belief that their clear sound attracts rain and prevents frost, both of which are necessary conditions for growing crops
In a Wayno ensemble, how is rhythm created?
the golpe (a type of drumming on the harp sound box) involves something close to an eighth and two sixteenths; this pattern, sometimes close to three triplets, is the near-invariant rhythmic signature of the wayno
True or False: Zampoña players also dance when playing
True
What is the primary instrument in a Wayno ensemble?
harp
Explain why Arabian music is based on an 8-beat cycle
It is called wahda. it comes from the Arabic word wahad or “one” because there is only one dumm to each 8-beat cycle.
How is the violin tuning in Arabian music different than the violin tuning in Western music?
our violin is tuned in 5ths and theirs is tuned in 4ths and 5ths (scordatura)
What are the typical instruments in a Takht ensemble?
‘ud, buzuq, violin, nay, qanun, riqq
Describe the differences between an ‘ud and a buzuq.
an ud’ is short-necked, pear-shaped, fretless, usually with eleven strings arranged in five double courses with a fifth single bass string, generally tuned in fourths, finger plucked. a buzuq is long-necked, with twenty-four movable frets, two sets of strings in triple courses C and G, and a single bass string tuned to C, tuned in fifths, plucked with a pic.
