Music Chapter Journal
s770786547
finalassisment.docx|
Your Name |
|
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
October 13, 1948 – August 16, 1997
Nusrat Live at Meany Auditorium UW 1993
Nusrat Live At Meany (1998) (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
“Allah Hoo” - Allah Hoo is the opening song of this concert.
Allah Hoo - "God is. God is. God is Truth."
Qawwali
Qawwali is a form of Sufi devotional music popular in South Asia, particularly in the Punjab and Sindh regions of Pakistan, Hyderabad, Delhi and other parts of India. It is a musical tradition that stretches back more than 700 years.
Originally performed mainly at Sufi shrines it has also gained mainstream popularity.
Qawwali music received international exposure through the work of the late Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, largely due to several releases on the Real World label, followed by live appearances at WOMAD festivals.
Sufism
“While all Muslims believe that they are on the pathway to God and will become close to God in Paradise--after death and the "Final Judgment"-- Sufis believe as well that it is possible to become close to God and to experience this closeness--while one is alive.”
Dr. Alan Godlas, University of Georgia
http://islam.uga.edu/Sufism.html
From The BBC – about Sufism
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/subdivisions/sufism_1.shtml (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
The Spirit of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Andy Carvin
In 1993, a winter performance at the Gateway Theater in Chicago displayed all the ingredients of a typical rock concert: an endless, almost hypnotizing beat; hundreds of mesmerized individuals slavishly clap to the beat while dozens more dance in the aisles. But unlike a U2 or Pearl Jam show, this was a concert with a higher purpose - rejoicing in the grace of Allah.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, a name which is neither well-known or well-pronounced by most Americans, is a pinnacle of success in southern Asia and many other parts of the world. Hailed by many as the Pavarotti of Pakistan, Khan is the worlds’ most celebrated qawwal. A qawwal is a specially-trained male vocalist who performs qawwali, a musical expression of devotional poetry practiced by the Sufis. The Sufis, an ancient mystical sect of Islam, achieve spiritual enlightenment through music; much like a Whirling Dervish achieves a higher state of consciousness through dancing.
In performing qawwali, the main vocalist sits with three other vocalists, two of which are playing harmonium pump organs. Behind them sit five other men: four who clap and sing as a chorus, and one who plays the tabla, the traditional drum of the Subcontinent. As the harmonium players begin to solo in the chosen key, the chorus and tabla player keep a steady beat. The qawwal and his other singers then sustain a passionate cry, calling the audience to order. Once the qawwal is ready, he begins the lyrics - often a praising of Muhammad or a tale of love.
Qawwali is performed in a simple verse-and-chorus format. The qawwal will continue each verse, trading off lines with the other singers. As each verse builds to a climax, they passionately return to the chorus, over and over again, for up to twenty minutes. Words are repeated until they lose meaning, leaving only the music and the spirit behind.
While traditional Qawwal is performed at Sufi shrines and weddings, Khan has brought the style to the West with wild abandon. Though other vocalists may have a stronger voice or greater range, it can be easily argued than Khan has the most passionate voice in the modern musical world.
To be in the presence of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is a mystical experience in itself. A short, heavy man, Khan sits on the stage with his party, made up of his younger brother Farukh, his nephew Rahat and half a dozen cousins. Waiting for the right moment to sing, he stares intently at the floor. His eyes close as he slowly gestures his hand in front of him, as if to say the song is about to begin. Please join me and listen. As the spirit of the music grows, his excitement grows ever so slightly. Khan, now swaying his large, majestic torso back and forth, winces while his left hand flails in front of him. The hypnotized audience rests on each syllable of his words. Adoring fans dance to the stage and throw handfuls of dollars over him over forty times last Friday alone and he does not even acknowledge him. The music is too important to be distracted by several hundred dollars showering from above.
It is no surprise that Khan decided to become a qawwal, for his family has performed traditional Sufi music for over twenty generations. As he explained to me through a translator, “my family has been raising qawwals for over 600 years. I have been trained with it since I was very young. My father, who was also a qawwal, actually would have wanted me to become an engineer or a doctor. Instead, I chose to follow the tradition under the apprenticeship of my father and uncle.”
By choosing to follow the Qawwal tradition, Khan commits himself to more than the music; he commits himself to Sufism itself. His fans praise him like a gift, calling him The Master. He is known throughout the world as Shahen-Shah, the Shining Star. To compare his stature to even the greatest performers in the West would still be an understatement. Yet, he remains a humble servant to God, never allowing his fame to defeat his purpose.
When I went backstage to interview him during the intermission, he was sitting in a chair, surrounded by fans as they knelt on the floor. Not knowing how to act or how to address him, I also knelt before him in awe, looking up at the great Shahen-Shah. Before he addressed me, I turned to one of my translators and asked, "What should I call him?" fearing that there must be a proper term in his native Urdu. A young moustached man smiled and says, "Mr. Khan will do. He is, alas, only a man like you or I.”
Suddenly relaxed by this poetic, if not rehearsed response, I introduced myself. Khan, with an overwhelming smile planted on his baby face, shook my hand vigorously and offered me tea. As we conversed through three tag-teaming translators, Khan listened intently to my every word. He tried his best to understand my English, having recently moved to America as Artist-In-Residence of the University of Washington, Khan used our meeting as a chance to analyze his language skills. While he patiently worked his way through every word, I noticed a small case of lazy eye. As we finished, I am once again offered tea and a small somosa. I had feared an uncomfortable conversation with a saint. I enjoyed a conversation with an old friend instead.
“I cannot allow the fame to go to my head,” explains Khan. “Many have said I have compromised my faith by coming to the West. But this is not so. To travel the world and open the hearts of those whose were previously closed is a joy worth the other sacrifices.”
To live the life of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is by no means simple. In addition to his teaching duties at the University of Washington, Khan performs as often as possible. The Chicago concert, in fact, was literally a last minute affair, planned from start to finish in two weeks alone. The concerts themselves add to the toll; unlike most western concerts, qawwali performance continues until spiritual elevation is achieved. His recent appearance, which started around nine p.m., continued past one in the morning. "The touring is intense, but enlightening," he admits. But the humble Khan refuses to complain: "Qawwal can never be seen as a chore."
Though popular in Europe since the early seventies, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan has only recently reached the ears of Americans. Much of this new-found success is due to his friendship with Peter Gabriel, who produced his last album, appropriately entitled Shahen-Shah, on Gabriel's Real World label.
"I was first introduced to Peter Gabriel several years ago," remembers Khan. "He had recently heard my voice and asked if we could meet.” In 1987, he used my voice on his album Passion and the movie The Last Temptation of Christ in the scene where the Christ was raised unto the cross. Working with Peter is a great joy.
Wrapped within a lifestyle of fanatical fans, never-ending tours and teaching the tradition, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan lives in a spiritual fast lane, not that unlike an American rock sensation. But for Khan, this is the only way he would have ever wanted. The Sufi credo teaches an ascetic lifestyle, achieving Allah through music and experience. From this life a paradise is born.
“To be a qawwal is more than being a performer, more than being an artist,” he notes with a stern, but wise smile. "One must be willing to release one's mind and soul from one's body to achieve ecstasy through music. Qawwali is enlightenment itself."
Enlightenment, indeed, for all who may listen.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Ensemble Live at Meany Auditorium, University of Washington (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.As a backup, if the above video becomes unavailable, use the following:
Alla Hoo (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
1. View and listen to the opening Qawwali song, Allah Hoo - "God is. God is. God is Truth" and respond to the following questions:
Describe the musical activity as it unfolds.
How does it begin?
What music characteristics do you notice in this music?
Is there any evidence of improvisation in this music?
What is a Harmonium?
What moods are being conveyed in this Qawwal?
Be sure to note the interaction between the members of the Ensemble and Nusrat himself.
What contrasts do you notice in the music as it unfolds?
Look, listen, and make note of any changes in texture, dynamics, and intensity in this selection--use minute/second time marks in your observations to indicate where you noticed specific characteristics.
Finally, include your reflections on this musical experience.
Hwang Byungki
(b. Seoul, 1936)
Hwang is the foremost South Korean player of the gayageum, a 12-string zither with silk strings. Hwang is also a composer and an authority on Korean sanjo, a form of traditional Korean instrumental music
In 1951 he began playing gayageum at The National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts in Seoul, where he studied under the famous gayageum masters Kim Yeong-yun (김영윤), Kim Yun-deok (김윤덕), and Shim Sang-geon (심상건). In 1959 he graduated from Seoul National University School of Law.
In 1962 he began composing concert and film music using traditional Korean instruments. He presented the premiere performance of Alan Hovhaness's Symphony no. 16 in South Korea in 1963. In 1964 he traveled around the world to Europe, the United States, Japan, and Southeast Asian countries, giving gayageum performances in each place.
In 1985 he served as visiting professor of Korean Music at Harvard University.
Since producing his fifth gayageum album in 2007, Hwang continues to compose innovative Korean music. Ranging in style from the evocation of traditional genres to avant-garde experimentation, a selection of these pieces is available on a series of five albums.
He is an emeritus professor of Korean music at Ewha Womans University. Hwang also teaches a course entitled "The Introduction to Korean Traditional Music" at Yonsei University in Seoul.
Hwang serves on the government's Cultural Properties Preservation Committee, and in 2000 was appointed to the National Academy of Arts.
The Labyrinth
Hwang Byungki - Gayageum, composer
Sin Cha Hong - Voice
Hwang Byungki – Kayagûm Masterpieces Vol. 3
Originally recorded in 1983. 96 KHz / 24-bit remastering at Sonic Korea, January 2001. Liner notes and titles in Korean, English, French and Japanese.
Sin Cha Hong (홍신자; b. 1943)
Sin Cha Hong is a noted modern dancer, choreographer, vocalist, and writer from South Korea. She is acknowledged as South Korea's first avant-garde dancer, and has been credited as that nation's premier performance artist.
She lived and worked in the United States from the late 1960s until 1990, founding the Laughing Stone Dance Company (웃는돌 무용단) in New York City in 1981.
She returned to live in South Korea in 1990. She has collaborated with the gayageum player Hwang Byungki. She also studied meditation for 30 years, and is known as a meditation master.
The Labyrinth, Hwang Byungki (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
2. Click on and listen to The Labyrinth (above) and respond to the following questions:
Describe the musical activity as it unfolds.
How does it begin?
What music characteristics do you notice in this music?
Sounds generated on the Gayageum are traditionally made by plucking the strings. What other ways are sounds being sounds on the Gayageum being produced here?
What moods are being conveyed in this piece?
Be sure to note the interaction between Hwang Byungki, gayageum and Sin Cha Hong, voice.
What contrasts do you notice in the music as it unfolds?
Look, listen, and make note of any changes in texture, dynamics, and intensity in this selection--use minute/second time marks in your observations to indicate where you noticed specific characteristics.
Finally, include your reflections on this unique musical experience.
Hamadan (played in Hwimori Cycle), Hwang Byungki on Gayageum and a Janggu player (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
3. Click on and listen to Hamadan (above) and respond to the following questions:
Describe the musical activity as it unfolds.
How does it begin?
What music characteristics do you notice in this music?
Be sure to describe what you hear from the Gayageum and from the Janggu.
What contrasts do you notice in the music as it unfolds?
Make note of any changes in texture, timbre, rhythm, and intensity in this selection--use minute/second time marks in your observations to indicate where you noticed specific characteristics.
Finally, include your reflections on this music.
The Janggu (sometimes spelled “janggo” or “changgo”) is the most widely used drum in the traditional music of Korea. It has an hourglass-shaped body with two heads made from animal skin. The two heads produce sounds of different pitch and timbre, which when played together are believed to represent the harmony of man and woman.
4. Click the link below to listen to Aaiye Meherbaan - a song composed by Indian film music composer O.P. Nayyar, and sung by famous playback singer Asha Bhosle in the 1958 Bollywood Film, Howrah Bridge. Write a brief description of what you are hearing musically and its application in the scene from the film as well.
Aaiye Meherbaan (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
5. Click the link below to listen to Mon Monage A Moi - a song by Polish-born French composer Norbert Glanzberg (1910-2001); sung by the amazing French singer Edith Piaf (1915-1963) in 1958. Write a brief description of what you are hearing in this classic recording.
Mon Monage A Moi (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
This next question requires you to have completed the previous two questions first - question 4 and question 5.
6. Click on The Music Video for Question 6 link below and listen very carefully. Describe in detail what you are hearing and seeing in this live performance.
Photographs and names of the respective musicians are below the link - enjoy!
The Music Video for Question 6 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Samira Koppikar - Hindi Vocals
Mynah Marie - French Vocals and Accordion
Marie-Line Aubry - Violin
Vinayak Pol - a percussionist playing an instrument in the video called the Cajón
Oliver "Tuku" Mtukudzi (1952)
Zimbabwe
Musician, businessman, philanthropist, human rights activist and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Southern Africa Region; Tuku is considered Zimbabwe's most renowned and internationally recognized cultural icon of all time.
7. Click on the link to the video performance of "Neria" and the link to the Live Performance on KEXP FM93 Radio below. Write a brief musical description and response to what you hear and see in these two performances by Tuku!
Oliver Mtukudzi - "Neria" (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.Written and sung in 1993 by Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. the song ‘Neria‘ is rather a modern classic but surely one of the greatest song by the living legend from Zimbabwe. The song was written for the soundtrack of a movie called ‘Neria‘ which is about the struggles of a woman in rural Zimbabwe who lost her husband through an accident. Oliver Mtukudzi’s very emotional song is about the strength of women and how they succeed in facing live challenges.
“Don’t be disheartened Neria, God is with you (Mwari anewe). May your heart be strong, be strong, God is with you. Death is jealous, it separates those in love. Don’t be disheartened my sister, God is with you.”
Lyrics to Neria in Shona Language (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
A very cool Tiny Desk Concert:
Oliver Mtukudzi NPR Tiny Desk Concert (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
A very cool KEXP 90.3FM Seattle performance:
Oliver Mtukudzi and the Black Spirits - Full Performance (Live on KEXP 90.3) (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
