Frédéric Chopin, entre exacerbation romantique du modèle vocal et innovations percussives : une mixité dynamique

After some in-depth analysis, for instance, of the first Ballade in G minor (1836), Frédéric Chopin’s music reveals itself as a striking case of a musical equilibrium between two major musical tendencies. On the one hand, his music brings the reaching towards an idealised voice to a full and very convincing development. His musical themes sing most of the time while all the main characteristics of his writing explore continuous spaces, to the extent the piano can achieve. He uses many melodic chromaticisms and broad gestures, very voice-like phrasings ranging from the most delicate pianissimi to the extremely dramatic fortissimo, and other vocal features. On the other hand, his music is unavoidably written for a percussion instrument (the piano), makes much use of rhythms and often dances as well, while his accompaniments are thick with vertical features, accents and other percussive traits. In reality, Chopin’s music is in a striking state of equilibrium between the vocal and the percussive and constitutes a rich case of a mixed status between the two poles. Perhaps for one of the last times in Western music, Chopin is precisely at the point of equilibrium, before the rise of the percussive that gave birth to much of the twentieth century’s music. Chopin’s music will remain a true and much beloved monument of equilibrium.

Kerala´s Ancient Mizhavu Drum: Transformations and Sustainability

The Kerala state in India offers a huge assemblage of various percussion eccentricities. Each percussion instrument sustains and preserves its own attributes: some drums accompany visual arts, others create a vibrant world of percussion music, and a few maintain both attributes. Almost all instruments are related to ceremonial pursuance and worship customs. Mizhavu is a single-headed drum from Kerala that employs these kinds of ceremonial pursuance. The purpose of the instrument, which had also been used in temples in Tamil Nadu, is to accompany the Kūṭiyāṭṭam and Kuttu performances in the great temples (mahakshetras) for the pleasure of God’s souls and the invocation of their powers. Kūṭiyāṭṭam and Kuttu – Kerala’s Sanskrit drama performing art forms – have been recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage due to 2000 years of tradition. As ‘visual sacrifice’ staging scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, they combine dance with theatre performance, Sanskrit verses (slokas), and percussive music in a ritualistic context. The main supporting percussion instrument (mizhavu) serves as deva vādyam – an instrument for the deities. Its classification as a one-headed drum covered with skin (avanaddha vadya of the dardura type) goes back to the Natya Shastra of Bharatamuni – some 2000 years ago. Definitions as kettledrum (bhanda vadya) trace it back to Kautilya’s Arthasastra. The Buddhist Pali Tripitaka refers to pot drums (kumba toonak). Tamil epics mention a muzha or kuta muzha drum. Publications in recent decades nearly mention that drum. Production methods, forms, and material of the drum have changed over the ages. Attached to the artistic heritage of a certain Brahmin caste – the Nampyar – the drum has spent a long period in the environment of temple theatres. Since 1966, it has been taught to pupils of all castes at the Kerala Kalamandalam, Thrissur District. P.K.K. Nambiar worked as the first mizhavu teacher in the later added Kūṭiyāṭṭam department. He was followed by his pupil K. Eswaranunni, the first mizhavu guru from another caste, fighting for acceptance among members of Chakyar and Nampyar families. As a passionate master with numerous awards and performance experience all over the world, K. Eswaranunni has trained most of the contemporary mizhavu percussionists, who are still performing all over India as well as abroad. This paper gives an overview of the instrument and shows how the mizhavu is described by both gurus in their books written in Malayalam and by both authors including their personal relations to the drum.

Sinhala New Year: The Banku Rabana and its Relationship to Food Culture

The main livelihood of Sri Lankan village life is the agricultural industry centered on the rice plant. This culture has incorporated a sub-culture surrounding food sprouting from this as well. Throughout history, the harvest brought home has been consumed in a festive setting. This is most clearly seen in the month of April, with the dawn of the New Year. The banku rabana is a traditional percussion instrument that is 3-4 feet in diameter and is made to represent the sun. Played by four individuals sitting around the rabana this is a custom spread island wide with variations indigenous to regions. This is a qualitative study through which the following aims are discussed. First, a rough outline of the traditional New Year festival and the significance of the banku rabana. Then, the communication methods involving the banku rabana, the different playing styles and related vocal verses as well as their hidden meanings were investigated. Finally, the aspects of food culture brought out through the banku rabana are discussed. Discussions and field observations were carried out as primary sources. Furthermore, experience in the field of Ayurveda medicine and food culture was used as a primary source here. The secondary sources used were studying the relevant texts on the topics relevant to the research. This culture is an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Sri Lanka.

AZERBAYCAN AŞIK SANATINDA ŞİRVAN AŞIK ORTAMININ ROLÜ THE ROLE OF THE SHIRVAN ASHİK ART IN AZERBAIJAN ASHİK ART

The art of minstrel, whose etymological meaning is "ash", "light", "love", is common in all Turkic peoples, including Azerbaijan, Göyçe, Borchali, Nakhchivan, Yerevan, Ağbaba, Çıldır, Derbent, Karabakh, Ganja, Tovuz, Gazakh, Shamkir, Shamahhi, It was developed in Ismayilli, Agsu, Goychay, Khizi, Guba, Tabriz, Urmia, Khorasan regions. Although the Shirvan minstrel environment has been included in the research of philologists, it has been little studied in musicology. From this point of view, the works of K. Akhundova (Dadaşzade), Ahliman Rahimov, Aliyeva Hanim devoted to examining the Shirvan ash circle are quite remarkable. Shirvan ashik environs have spread over a wide area, including Shamakhi, Ismayilli, Agsu, Goycay, Hızi, Ujar, Gobustan, Mugan region, Salyan, Sabirabad and Belasuvar regions. Shirvan minstrels always responded to cultural events with their art, and took an active role in minstrel congresses and other important state events that played an important role in the development of this art. Shirvan ashik’s have always come to the fore with their musical creations. In Shirvan's minstrel environment, air is played in the accompaniment of various instruments, unlike other regions. It included two balabans, a percussion instrument (double drum) and a ashik singer, including a ashik. In this respect, the group of Shirvan ashik’s can be called a community. One of the characteristic features of the representatives of the environment is that the mugham is performed at the beginning of the air, sometimes between the second and third lines, which shows the skill of the minstrel. Balaban performers also have other responsibilities within the group. It adds color to the general sound of the air accompanied by two bitterns. While one of the balaban players plays a musical theme, the other has a kind of "helper" structure and takes exemplary notes in accordance with the mood and melody of the air. The inclusion of the percussion instrument in the backing demonstrates the uniqueness of this setting not seen in other regions. Although they can be found in other environments such as Güzell?, sikeste, keremi, muhammes, gerayli, they are completely different from Shirvan airs in terms of melody. Peşrov and Shesangi melodies belong only to Shirvan ashik’s and are not performed in other settings. Shirvan ash tunes are also very rich in terms of musical style and contain developed moments, melodies and rhythms.

Marimba Solis Performance with Repertoar the Variation on Theme (from the Malay's "Pucuk Pisang")

Performing the art of music in the era of the industrial revolution 4.0 experienced many changes, these changes had a big impact on industry players in terms of music marketing and consumers to enjoy music. In the era of revolution 4.0, every individual is currently required to race against each other in filling life both in education and skills. To respond to the challenges in this 4.0 era, the writer has a desire to change himself, both in ways of thinking and in skills so that the author can be useful both for self-improvement and beneficial to many audiences. On this occasion, the presenter performed a modern repertoire using marimba instruments that had different levels of difficulty. It is a challenge for the presenter to master the techniques with the difficulties inherent in each repertoire. Marimba is a type of melodic percussion instrument that is rarely known by the public. In this marimba show, the presenter presents a musical repertoire, i.e The Variation On Theme (From the Malay's “Pucuk Pisang”) the show is presented in the form of a solo marimba and accompaniment. Repertoire The Variation On Theme (From the Malay's “Pucuk Pisang”) has a difficulty level. Here the presenter is required to master and practice all the difficulties contained in the repertoire, especially basic techniques.

THE IMPACT OF ACOUSTIC OF SELECTED SPACES ON PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS

The results of the investigation of the room acoustic properties influence on the perception of the sound of percussion musical instruments are presented in the paper. At first, the acoustic properties of two rooms were determined without musical instrument. Subsequently, the acoustic properties of the rooms were determined during the presentation of cajon music. On the base of reverberation time (EDT, T30), Clarity C80, Definition D50 and bass index BI) we can conclude that the room of the Hron cinema is more suitable for musical presentation, but it cannot be considered as ideal one. The Royal Hall of Zvolen Castle has a smaller influence on the sound of a percussion instrument. The influence of room acoustic properties on the resulting sound of the instrument was evaluated only on the base of results obtained with using the objective methods by the physical quantities measurement. Finally, the design of these rooms modification is presented to achieve a better sound quality of percussion instruments.