"Like modern art, modern music has focused on variety and radical experimentation. Also like modern art, modern classical music witnessed a continuation of prewar developments (Spielvogel, 942)
The gamelan is historical; it fits with the traditions of ethnic music, and is a tie to the archetypes of the past based on the way the instruments communicate. The singer Anggun incorporates traditional gamelan tunes and even singing techniques into her works (Brown)
In reference to playing the gamelan instruments, Indonesians use the term karawitan -- the words rawit (intricate or finely works) and pangrawit, a person with the sense of elegance and ideal musical quality. In addition, The Indonesian language has a number of contextually appropriate words that describe the proportion and use of metals in the instruments; all a part of the manner in which the gamelan is viewed in society (Gold)
Vocals are more important, but there is much room within the structure for improvisation and melodic interpretations. Sudanese Gamelan -- Emphasis on rhythm as opposed to melody; used more gong tones with percussion variations (Kirman)
History- The gamelan is an ancient part of Indonesia, even before the Hindu or Buddhist culture; but more from the Ancient Sanskrit Empire that dominated the Indian subcontinent and beyond. This is especially apparent with the vocal style of the gamelan, which is very much like Indian singing (Lentz)
1960s pop music often included gamelan techniques, and a number of contemporary artists incorporate gamelan into their performances (Xiu, The Raincoats, Mouse on Mars, etc.) (Martin) Influences on Contemporary Music- In Indonesia, the gamelan remains an important part of their cultural heritage
.Today gamelan exists both as instrumental music, which incorporates elements of poetry, dance, and wayang, and as an integral part of those art forms themselves" (Peterman)
In the concept of Indonesian culture, a gamelan is a district set of instruments meant to be built, tuned and played together. Unlike Western musicians, the gamelan stays together as a unit and the players are replaced, instead of the instruments travelling with players (Prikosusilo)
The drum layer -- more of a rhythmic pattern that interlocks with the melody or passages (melodic variations called kotekan). Miscellaneous percussion -- cymbals, more rhythmic emphasis Fixed melody layer -- what Western music might call the ostinoto, or basic underlying musical structure Elaborating layer -- the various, interlocking melodies and scales Vocal tone layer -- paraphrasing (the variations of the theme -- variations on the fixed layer) (Spiller)
There, the Balinese, in particular, adopted it to their own personality and style, making it very distinctive. Even during Dutch colonialism, the gamelan became one of the ways Indonesians were able to retain their unique cultural identity -- with Javanese gamelan more restrained, and Balinese more active and vibrant (Tenzer)
Blacks in Blues Music Biographer Lawrence Jackson wrote that author Ralph Ellison was exposed to the blues and classical music from an early age, eventually playing the trumpet and pursuing a degree in music at Tuskegee (McLaren Pp)
This new sound would become a major part of American music and would eventually become a catalytic influence on music the world over, while at the same time remaining definably "black." In "The Music of Black Americans" Eileen Southern writes that "we know even less about the origin of the blues than we know about the beginning of ragtime" (Southern 330)
.blues singers wore pants," for no "truly respectable Delta woman was supposed to sing the blues even in private" (Lomax 358)
What is distinctive about the blues lyrics of the 1920's and 1930's in relation to other forms of American popular music was its "intellectual independence and representational freedom," writes Angela Y. Davis in "Blues Legacies and Black Feminism" (Davis 3)
Moreover, the birth of the blues was evidence of new realities within the black populations because the music was performed solo, therefore, it marked "the advent of a popular culture performance" (Davis 4). The word "blue" has been associated with the idea of melancholia or depression since the Elizabethan era and American writer, Washington Irving, is credited with coining the term "the blues," as it is now defined, in 1807 (Baker pp)
The beginning of the blues musical tradition can be traced through oral tradition as far back as the 1860's (Baker pp). The focus of African music is rhythmic rather than tonal, therefore, traditional African musicians were more interested in the variety of possible shadings around it than in replicating the pure tone itself (Eastman pp)
And every year there is the "Rhythm & Blues Festival" in Newport, Rhode Island (Rockport Pp). And Madison, Wisconsin hosts the annual Madison Blues Festival on Lake Monona (Kassulke Pp)
The company is home to some of the top labels in the industry including: Columbia, Epic, Jive, J records, LaFace, Sony Classical, and RCA. They have a diverse group of artists under contract, from Britney Spears to Yo-Yo Ma (Wardrip)
Some influential people during that period carried the song to every meeting with politicians, presidents or prime ministers. As a popular folk song, Bob Marley's Redemption Song focused on slavery in the new world and acted as a reminder that freedom usually comes with a cost (Hector, 2013)
These winds of change came after the post-War expansion, the assassination of an idealistic president, and America's involvement in the Vietnam conflict. Bob Dylan's seminal, "The Times They Are a-Changing" can be considered as a song that encapsulated the message and mood of the 1960s decade (Holz, 2010)