Potato cultivation has always been a symbolism of not only agriculture but also culture. Christine Graves examines the potatoes around the time they were discovered (around 8,000 BC to 5,000 B.C. ), and mentioned how they were a significant role in daily life before the Spanish conquest (1532), stating that: ‘time was measured by how long it took to cook a pot of potatoes.’ Through discovering the history of potatoes and their significance, she comes to the conclusion that ‘the potato is the seed of Andean society’ and that it acts of high importance to the livelihood of rural Andean communities. Potato cultivation plays an important role of influencing music within the society of Kalankira through seasonal alteration and instrumentation. …show more content…
It acts as a celebration of the potato and the dry season, in which music comes together and is performed to rejoice the end of the wet season. Here, the members of society within one community gather to celebrate ‘the endless cycle of life, death and regeneration ’, specifically in relation to the potato. As the potato is one of the most stable crops, it is recognised with great recognition. It is also important to note that in the ‘Carnival’, the instrumentation consists of woodwind instruments, with the most common being the wauqu and/or siku pipes which are symbolically used to ‘blow the clouds away’ causing clear skies . In contrast, to start the Wet Season, another celebration coincides. This takes the form of ‘All Saints’ which happens annually on the 1st November. Here, the duct (pinkillu and tarka) flutes and kitarra are heard constantly during this period, and are played ‘from the very moment the seeds are planted and begin to sprout’
The sale of food products in the market of Tlatelolco with its various colors, shapes, smells, and sounds “unified Native American cuisines while preserving rich regional variations; [epitomized] the social relationships that depended on the feeding of gods and people; and [preserved] the cultural significance of taste for pre-Columbian cooking and eating” (9-10). Cuisine played an important part in the constructing of social hierarchies in Mesoamerica, and to this day continues to shape individuality not only in Mexico, but also for every country. Traditional forms of Mesoamerican cooking mainly belonged to women, and three simple utensils including a cazuela, a metate, and a comal, allowed them to frugally make delicious tortillas. But they “derived much of their self-worth from skill at the metate, the ability to grind maize so they could feed tortillas and tamales to their husbands and children,” (14-15). This single crop has permitted for these lower-class women to preserve and refine the pre-Columbian cuisine of tortillas and tamales. Mexicans have always been and still are a people of corn, in spite of numerous attempts to change this, partly in thanks to the female
John Soluri’s book, Banana Cultures, examines the production of bananas in the world market, “interactions among diverse and often divided people, not-so-diverse banana plants, and persistent yet unpredictable pathogen’s that formed and reformed tropical landscapes and livelihoods in export banana zones” (Soluri 5). Soluri talks about the historical entanglement of the Panama and Sigatoka pathogens and the export of bananas cultivation through agro-ecology. While the fungal pathogens infected Latin America, the Gros Michel banana invaded the United States. This stirred up debates over taxes, introducing new forms of dance and providing food for the population. The pathogens destroyed livelihood and earth soils affecting the exports of the bananas
Canciones de arargue, or songs of bitterness – was the original name for the creolized form Bachata. Many closely associate Bachata with the other Caribbean styles of the African diaspora such as merengue and son. In Intro to Music Cultures of the World we were tasked with attending a world music concert. I chose to attend a Bachata concert because I already had an interest in Caribbean music. The concert was not as I had expected, but was rather intriguing and thoroughly enjoyable. In this report I hope to analyze Bachata’s roots, report on its concert style, and compare it to another piece in the genre.
Cumbia originated in the coastal region of Colombia in the early 1800’s. There were three predominant cultures in Colombia at that time: the indigenous peoples, the Spaniards, and the African slaves. The cumbia began with the essential instrumentation of the tambor drums and the gaita flutes, which derive from both indigenous and Congo-based African roots. The genre was entertainment for the slaves, beginning as a courtship dance. It later became an outlet for national resistance and protest as Colombia was contesting for its independence. The music was able to diffuse throughout the nation, spreading from the coast, primarily for the reason that many African populations were scattered in various regions. Barranquilla, a port city in Colombia, was the core of where the music became established and played for the masses, and where instruments such as horns and bass began to be incorporated into cumbia, giving it a more Latin feel. As cumbia evolved and spread to Mexico around the 1930’s, it changed from the influence o...
Music comes in many shapes and forms, and has been a magical element of inspiration and encouragement throughout time. The art of music derives from many different things, such as culture and traditions. One such type of music is mariachi music, deriving from Mexican culture and traditions. Mariachi music is often an upbeat rhythm, consisting of a band of up to six to eight violins, two trumpets and a guitar. Unlike modern music and other music bands alike, mariachi bands lack in numbers when it comes to band size. Though they are small, their music brings great significance and life to the places they perform and the people that they touch with their joyous music. In this paper, I will be comparing the culture and style of mariachi music to twentieth century modern music.
Folklores are stories that have been through many time periods. Folklore include Legends, Myths, and Fairy Tales. Legends are traditional tales handed down from earlier times and believed to have a historical basis. Myths are ancient stories dealing with supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes. Fairy Tales are fantasy tales with legendary being and creators.
Music and dance are important parts of Peruvian culture. “Andean Folk Music is common in Peru. People perform a stylized dance to energetic music mixed with sad songs. Popular instruments include clay panpipes, flutes, conch shell trumpets, and puma-skin drums”(Falconer, Kieran, and Quek 102). The music follows themes of religion, war, and profanity. Peruvians are always found dancing, whether at a festival, carnival, or just for fun. Music shows important parts of Peruvian culture.
Throughout the semester, various styles of music and the aspects of culture associated with these styles have been analyzed. Musical elements such as dynamics, texture, form, timbre, melody, instruments, etc., have been used to thoroughly explore each kind of music from different areas of the world, with an emphasis in music from Africa, India and Indonesia. These aspects of music go far beyond just music itself. Culture also plays a huge role in music and the accompanying musical elements. Each country and culture has a different style and distinctiveness that add to what makes the music of that certain culture unique. Music in Africa may differ dramatically from music in Indonesia or India not only due to those certain elements but also due to how it is interpreted by people and what it represents for those people. In addition to this, what one may consider music in one culture may not be music to another. These differences have been made apparent in the several demonstrations that we have been exposed to in class.
“How Musical is Man?” was published in 1974. This book was written by John Blacking, a musician turned social anthropologist. His goal in writing this ethnography, and several other papers during this same time period, was to compare the experience of music-making that takes place within different cultures and societies throughout the world. In this book, he discusses and describes the musicology of the Venda people in South Africa. Though he does go to Africa to research and learn about the Venda people and their music, he specifically states that his book is “not a scholarly study of human musicality” (ix), but rather it is a summary (written from his point of view), which is both expressive and entertaining, of several different issues and ideas that he has seemingly been contemplating for some time.
"Music is a common experience and a large part of societies. In fact, anthropologists note that all human communities at all times and in all places, have engaged in musical behaviours. Music as a mode of human activity is a cultural phenomenon constituting a fundamental social entity as humans create music and create their relationship to music. As cultural phenomeno...
Kuss (2004) explores the idea, “in some measure to the eradication of essentialisms and to critical reassessments of the infinite ways in which cultural representation still relies on criteria and conceptual frameworks developed within the Eurocentric sphere of influence, including some models of cultural criticism stemming from vastly different historical experiences.” Firstly, one of the most popular Latin American genre is mestizo music’s. “One prevalent feature found in this genre of music is the emphasis on chordophones, such as guitar, harp, and mandolin (Thomas, 2011). This genre of music is more rhythmically based, fast-paced, with a strong instrumental performance and a strong vocal presence. Some general features of this genre is the prominent use of costume. Moving into the twentieth-century brass bands and various types of accordions became more popular (Thomas, 2011). “During the colonial period, missionaries used music and costumed dances to attract indigenous peoples to Christianity” (Turino). This genre can be seen throughout Latin-America, and specifically in Mexico and Chile sine the influence of the Catholic church has grown. This genre involves a combination of
During the first week of March before failures, there are processions of people in colorful traditional costume. The first procession is the Crida or call to action, follow the parade ninot, the splendid parade of the Kingdom, the "song of the wood" and ninots. There is also a Mascletá a fireworks display daylight, in the Town Hall Square daily at 2 pm. The point is not Mascletá visual effects but is making deafening noise and harmonious. During the week of the festival, it is loud and crazy.
Music has played a role in society since the dawn of man. Said to be the beginning of communication in early civilization, music and dance have influenced how we think, act and treat members of our own society. Song and dance is used in rites of passage ceremonies such as births, weddings and funerals throughout the world. Jamaican and Yoruba cultures have made many contributions to our society. The uses of this music as a vehicle for political issues, values, and beliefs have been used by many musicians from different cultures. I intend to discuss the Contribution of these two contemporary cultures music and their effect on society.
West African music is characterized by vibrant and hypnotic tempos. For West African peoples, the role of music is fundamental for communicating with their ancestors, their gods, their loved ones who passed away. In other words, music is a direct mean of entering in contact with the “other world”. For instance, repetitive rhythms and dance are often performed together to enter in a “trance” state. The way rhythms and timbres change and evolve in West African music testify of expressing values and reflect West African peoples’ behaviors in everyday life.
Sending personal invitations or messages is a common way to inform people; yet the tribe has ancient method of inviting its community. The crude sound of the gangsa is played, this is to remind people to assemble, that the ritual is being solemnly celebrated. The invitation served as token of friendship according to Watson and Caldwell (2008). The feast is a universal calling to share and partake in the feast and food with the community; although, some do not heed the invitation and will not attend the said celebration and yet all are called to join and