Caribbean Ensemble - Essay Example

? York 15.03 Carribean Ensemble Introduction It will be a personal story of the Carribean Ensemble at York University, 15.03.2013. Due to a fact that performances were divided into three groups, we will present each one from the narrator's point of view, analyzing only one student performance within it. For example, from the group one it will be 'I Shot the Sheriff' by Bob Marley and The Wailers; from the second --- 'Moliendo Cafe' by Hugo Blanco; and from the ultimate --- 'Waka Waka' by Shakira. It is done in order not to be disseminated in the analytical paper. Choosing only one student performance within the group, it is possible to show bright interactions between this popular/classical theme and the history of music, cultural backgrounds, instrumental history, where all factors help to get a deeper understanding of --- at first sight --- famous and well-known composition. These interactions will find out the deeper layer of these compositions' reasoning, definitely. Additionally, except the aforesaid ones, there also were such as: 'Take 5: Dave Brubeck;' 'Tomorrow: Annie (The Musical);' 'Oye Como Va: Tito Puente;' 'Footsteps: Machel Montano;' 'Rolling the Deep: Adele and Paul Epworth;' 'I'll be There: Berry Gordy, Bob West, Hal Davis, and Willie Hutch;' 'Under the Sea: The Little Mermaid;' 'Oh, What a Night: The Four Seasons;' 'Hungarian Dance: Johannes Brahms;' 'No One: Alicia Keys;' 'Habanera from 'Carmen:' George Bizet;' 'One Note Samba: Antonio Carlos Jobim.' As we could see, the program of the World Festival, 2013, was so ambitious that every single should be regarded as a 'special event' in it. G1/4. I Shot the Sheriff: Bob Marley 'I Shot the Sheriff: Bob Marley' belonged to the first group of the Carribean Ensemble at York University. However, it was not performed by Robert Nesta Marley himself; rather, in the very beginning of the paper we should clearly state an interaction between this composition from the album 'Burnin,' 1973, and student musical activity. Obviously, 'I Shot the Sheriff' was a reggae composition. Reggae was a musical genre from Jamaica, late 1960s. (Larkin, 1998, p. 37) Principally, it was created in a symbiosis of ska, rocksteady, mento, and rhythm and blues. Having had many subgenres --- early reggae, roots reggae, dub, etcetera, --- this genre exploited drums (for example, snare drum and tom-tom drum), bass, guitars, keyboards, horns, and vocals. (We will evaluate all these items within Marley and The Wailers' song and its student interpretation.) From the perspective of music theory, reggae had 'lower tempo' than ska and rocksteady. (Bradley, 2000, p. 41) Accordingly, it could be characterized by the 'offbeat rhythms', (Barrow, 2004, p. 21) and by a prominent fact that reggae was played in '4/4 time.' (Manuel, 2006, 11) Harmonically, it used 'simple chord progressions;' (Barrow, 2004, p. 23) furthermore, its 'rhythmic pattern accents the second and fourth beats in each bar,' with the drumer's 'emphasis on beat three.' (Manuel, 2006, p. 12) First of all, 'I shot the Sheriff' was a social-oriended song about sheriff's (not deputy's) murder, which was made from the narrator's face. In the composition it could be heard synthesizer, The Wailers' horus, bass, drums, guitar, and leading vocal. It used offbeat rhythms, 4/4, lower tempo, and simple chord progressions; second and fourth beats have been emphasized in each bar, with the drumer's accent on beat three. These means of musical expression, along with the offset and syncopated rhythm-section, producted relaxive, but ideologically very intensive, reggae hit. Moreover, aforesaid suggestions on reggae music and particularly on current musical form should be applied to the student performance. Therefore, it could be stated that the very motif was maintained successfully, overall tempo was lower, than in ska and rocksteady; there was constant reggae offbeat, 4/4. From the other point, students were not always in the right time-space presence of the current moment; sometimes they were ideologically/mentally disbalanced and split off within the performance. Nevertheless, right accents on second and fourth beats in each bar helped them to be finally rescued. G2/4. Moliendo Cafe: Hugo Blanco 'Moliendo Cafe' by the Venezuelan well-known composer Hugo Blanco was in the group two, number four, within the Carribean Ensemble. Blanco wrote it at the age of 18, 1958, with a help of his uncle, Jose Manzo Perroni. (Dydynski, 2004, p. 56) Thus, he invented a new Venezuelan music style, 'orquidea,' 'a fusion of joropo and Cuban music.' (Dydynski, 2004, p. 78) Accordingly, Cuban music is so complicated and blended area to be discussed here; hence, we would rather be concentrated completely on joropo, one of the immediate sources for 'Moliendo Cafe;' then, we will give an analysis to the student work. Except direct Cuban influences, Hugo Blanco's composition was joropo. Using 'folk rhythm' (for instance, it can be easily recognized in 'Alma Llanera' by Alirio Diaz), this musical style can be represented as a 'wild mix' of waltz dance and African and European impacts, along with the Venezuelan 'fundamental genre' of musica criolla. (Dydynski, 2004, p. 76) After fandango, joropo identified Venezuelans as a musica llanera. There were such instruments when performing it: initially, harp, bandola, cuatro, and maracas; later on, guitar, flute, clarinet, and piano. (Dydynski, 2004, p. 56) Essentially, harp or bandola mantained the main melody, whereas cuatro 'performs the accompaniment,' (Dydynski, 2004, p. 77) with maracas as the only percussion. Additionally, joropo used 'polyrhythmic patterns,' played in '3/4 and 6/8 tempos.' (Dydynski, 2004, p. 79) Sagnificantly, all these effects were presented in 'Moliendo Cafe:' cuatro/bandola mantained the main melody; maracas was the only percussion; polyrhythmic patterns were evedently used; composition was played either in ? or in 6/8. When it was needed, accompanent was provided by the four-stringed instruments, cuatro and bandola. Students of the York University knew this for sure, performed current work of Blanco as a mix of musical genres: waltz, musica llanera, and musica criolla. What was special --- the main melody' line, accompanied by the string section, and a professional sense of altering tempos: from ? to 6/8, and vise versa. G3/4. Waka Waka: Shakira Within the 'Carribean Ensemble,' in the third group, Shakirean 'Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)' was performed. Of course, not by Shakira herself, but within the York university 'Carribean ensemble' at 'Tribute Communities Recital Hall.' To understand the meaning of this composition in terms of student performance, it must be provided a short analysis of both Cameroonian makossa and Dominican merengue. Composed in D major, Shakirean song was the official for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Africa, inspired by both Cameroonian makossa and Dominican merengue (Austerlitz, 1997, p. 67), due to a fact that she used the traditional African song of 'Zamina Mina (Zangalewa),' 1986 makossa hit of the Cameroonian group 'Golden Sounds,' after 'Dominican Republic group 'Las Chicas Del Can' released their merengue version of the song 'El negro no puede.' (Manuel, 2006, p. 89) So, Shakira in her 'Waka Waka' used makossa theme after the interpretation of the marengue version of this song. Therefore, in order to understand the student interpretation of the famous composition we need to analyze at least four: makossa, merengue, Shakirean, and student ones. Primarily, 'makossa' meant 'dancing' in the Duala language, and this word gave name for the Cameroonian popular urban musical style (uses 'strong electric bass rhythms and brass'), (West, 2004, p. 159---162) derived from the Congolese soukous. Analogically, 'Zamina Mina (Zangalewa)' initially was the military song from the times of the Nigerian Civil War, 1967-1970. (West, 2004, p. 54) In their composition, 'Golden Sounds' used a harmony of that song, strong electric bass party, special military hoots, and the overall peaceful rhythm. When watching the official video from the 1980s, it seems like the group members, participated in the military operations, try to produce a parody on militarist activity at all. Essentially, melody of the song was built on the constant repeatings of the spontaneous statements, produced by one of the leading voices. Except the electric bass, there were also specific drums as percussion instruments with their atmospheric sound. Then, secondly, merengue. This style originated from the Dominican Republic, and it was like the official style in music and dancing under Rafael Trujillo, 1930-1961. (Manuel, 2006, p. 34) Merengue combined a lot of influences: German diatonic accordeon, supposedly, French title, West African motifs, and so on. Substantially, merengues were 'fast arrangements with a 2/4 beat,' (Austerlitz, 1997, p. 2) with two essential percussion instruments, tambora, 'two-sided drum,' and guira. (Austerlitz, 1997, p. 10) Similar to maraca, guira was a 'sheet of metal with small bumps on it, shaped into a cylinder, and played with a stiff brush; guira is brushed steadily on the downbeat with a 'and-a' thrown... .' (Austerlitz, 1997, p. 11) So, 'Las Chicas Del Can' interpreted 'Zamina Mina (Zangalewa)' within the merengue style, with a name of 'El negro no puede,' and it was the original Shakira listened to for her 'Waka Waka,' performed, later on, at the 'Carribean Ensemble.' They used tamboras, guiras, and trumpets in their funk version of the Cameroonian motif. 'Las Chicas del Can' added both cheerful and generous 2/4 beat in their interpretation. Thirdly, Shakira used the merengue insterpretation of the macassa 'Zamina Mina,' in a light (i.e. ethno-disco) movement of the combined elements: chorus of 'Zangalewa,' Soca beat, and the Southern African guitars, (Blatter, 2007, p. 28) concerning the South African band 'Freshlyground.' Fourthly, student performance. Maintaining 'Zamina Mina' motif in a light frame of the Shakirean disco-version, there were a strong percussion rhythm and a vibrating melodical party brought over a catching harmony of the original. Conclusion 'I Shot the Sheriff: Bob Marley,' 'Moliendo Cafe: Hugo Blanco,' and 'Waka Waka: Shakira' --- were analyzed as the 'special ones,' and it was within these themes that we tried to find out some relevant correlations between the cultural history, history of the popular music, and instrumental history. It was shown, firstly, that the first composition was deeply rooted into the Jamaican reggae theory; secondly, the next one could be connected with the joropo; and, the ultimate must be applied to both Cameroonian makossa and Dominican merengue. Presumably, in in a frame of such 'enigmatic' --- at first site --- particulars it was possible to prove a significance of the student interpretations of these motifs. References Austerlitz, P., 1997. Merengue: Dominican music and Dominican identity, Philadelphia: Temple University Press. Barrow, S., and Dalton, P., 2004. The Rough Guide to Reggae, London: Rough Guides. Blatter, A., 2007. Revisiting Music Theory: a Guide to the Practice, Chicago: Chicago University Press. Bradley, L., 2000. This Is Reggae Music. The Story of Jamica's Music, London, Penguin Books Ltd. Dydynski, K., 2004. Lonely Planet Venezuela, London: World Press Ltd. Larkin, C., 1998. The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae, Virgin Islands: Virgin Books. Manuel, P., Bilby, K., and Largey, M., 2006. Caribbean Currents: Caribbean Music from Rumba to Reggae, Philadelphia: Temple University Press. Manuel, P., 2006. Caribbean Currents: Caribbean Music from Rumba to Reggae, Philadelphia: Temple University Press. West, B., 2004. Cameroon: The Bradt Travel Guide, Guilford, Connecticut: The Globe Pequot Press Inc. Read More