World Music Exploration 2010/11 Week 10 - Canadian Folk Songs

The Inuit Throat Singing video garnered the most comments last week from my students, from "Cool!" to "Weird" and everything in between. This week, we're exploring early Canadian folk music. I've selected two clips again this week (French and English).The first clip is the French Canadian song Dondaine la ridaine. It's a call-and-response song, commonly used as a working song. The song is about a man who met a beautiful girl and his conversation with her. He asks if she's willing to marry, to which she replies, "Not to a shoemaker." This performance is by EclecTrip, which is comprised of Daniel Gervais and Clinton Pelletier of Western Canada. Check out the group's music here.

The second clip is of one of my favorite childhood songs - St. Anne's Reel. I remember stepdancing to this as a kid. Featured in the video are Canadian fiddle greats Don Messer and His Islanders.

Note that the style of dancing shown here is Canadian stepdancing (not to be confused with Irish dancing, Highland dancing or Riverdance). Pianists - look at band configuration and think of other styles of music that are similar.

Don Messer is considered one of the the greats in Canadian fiddle music.

(c) 2010 by Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.

World Music Exploration 2010/11 Week 9 - Aboriginal Canadian Music

This month, my students and I are exploring Canadian music. With Canada Music Week taking place November 21 - 27, I thought it was apropos to dedicate the month to exploring our own musical culture.

This week, I've selected two contrasting clips of music by our First Nations peoples. This first clip is of the Native American Hoop Dance. The dance signifies the circle of life, with no beginning or ending. Each hoop added represents another layer or thread in our lives as we learn new things and interconnect with others.

The second clip demonstrates Inuit throat singing. I had the pleasure of watching a performance at a friend's wedding a couple of years ago.

Initially, it was a means for Inuit women to entertain themselves while the men were out hunting. Today, it is sung primarily by women but sometimes by men.

Throat singing has different names in the Inuit language. Depending upon the Arctic region, it is called katajjaq, pirkusirtuk or nipaquhiit.

If it sounds to you like the two girls are playing a game, you're spot on. One woman leads the game, while the other woman responds. According to Timothy McGee, author of The Music of Canada, the women create rhythms with their breathing and guttural sounds at a fast tempo. The one who can keep going the longest without missing a beat or running out of breath is the winner.(c) 2010 by Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.

World Music Exploration 2010/11 Week 8 - Babasonicos

We wrap up this month's exploration of Argentine music this week with the band, Babasónicos. This rock band came together in the 1990's and quickly became one of the leading groups in the "sonic" underground rock movement in Argentina.

"Babasónicos" refers to Sai Baba, an the Indian guru, and the Spanish version of The Jetsons, Los Supersónicos. The band members are: Adrián "Dárgelos" Rodríguez (lead singer), Diego "Uma-T" Tuñón (keyboards), Diego "Uma" Rodríguez (guitar/lead singer), Diego "Panza" Castellano (drums), Mariano "Roger" Domínguez (guitar) and Gabriel "Gabo" Manelli (bassist). Manelli passed away in 2008 from Hodgkin's Disease.

Babasónicos has won numerous MTV Music Awards in Latin America.

Below is a clip of their song, Microdancing:

(c) 2010 by Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.

World Music Exploration 2010/11 Week 7 - Alberto Ginastera

This week, my students and I are exploring one of my favorite composers, Alberto Ginastera. He lived from 1916 - 1983.His musical output is extremely diverse, from ballet (Panambí and Estancia) to concerti, and from opera (Don Rodrigo, Bomarzo) to solo piano works (Danzas Argentinas, Suite de danzas criollas). Ginastera's compositional style incorporates folk elements, serialism, polytonality and cross rhythms.

One interesting tidbit: His second opera Bomarzo premiered in Washington in 1967, but was banned in Buenos Aires for its content and was not staged until 1972.

The following clip is of a piece I performed for my ARCT in Piano Performance, Danzas Argentinas. It was fun but boy, was III - Danza de le gaucho matero ever a doozy to learn!

Danzas Argentinas, op. 2I - Danza del viejo boyero (“Dance of the Old Herdsman”)II - Danza de la moza donosa (“Dance of the Beautiful Maiden”)III - Danza del gaucho matrero (“Dance of the Arrogant Cowboy”)

The performer is Italian pianist Roberto Plano. Career highlights include: First Prize Winner of the 2001 Cleveland International Piano Competition, Finalist at the Twelfth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (2005),Laureate of the 2003 Honens International Piano Competition and the 2006 Axa Dublin International Piano Competition.(c) 2010 by Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.

World Music Exploration 2010/11 Week 6 - Astor Piazzolla

This week is Group Class Week for my students. That is, they get a group class in lieu of their regular lesson. Not only does it give my students a chance to interact and socialize, but it gives me time to catch up (or at least attempt to) on paperwork. At the group classes, they will be exploring the Argentine bandoneon player and composer Astor Piazolla.

He lived from 1921 - 1992. Although he was born in Argentina, he moved to New York at a young age.

Thanks to a scholarship, Piazolla studied with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. Boulanger taught many prominent American composers, including Aaron Copland and Phillip Glass. She encouraged Piazolla to explore his Argentinean heritage through music.

Piazolla developed the nuevo tango style, a fusion of Argentine folk music, jazz and contemporary angst. His jazz combo, the Quinteto Tango Nuevo, has performed throughout the world.

This video features Antonio Agri, Hector Console, Horacio Malvicino, Leonardo Marconi, Nestor Marconi and Yo-Yo Ma performing Libertango , a violently passionate tango:

(c) 2010 by Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.