Performance Report #2 - Side Show: The Musical

Side Show: The Musical
Performance Report 2

Introduction
On the opening night of Side Show: The Musical, the first musical ever performed by the University of Texas at Dallas’s very own students, the house was packed. Held on Thursday evening, April 8, 2010, in the University Theater, utilizing the combined forces of the music, dance students, and theater students, this musical was this biggest production UTD ever had.

Music
As a Broadway musical, the music reflects homophonic textures with a live orchestra accompanying. With the live orchestra, the music felt more resonant than it would have been if it was just a recording. There were mainly aerophones, such as clarinets and oboes, a chordophone, and there were also brass instruments visible along with percussion instruments. Besides the drums, there was also an instrument that produced a sort of rattle used in Tunnel of Love. The leading twins, Daisy had a mezzo-soprano vocal timbre that was reminiscent of a country singer while Violet was a soprano. Terry’s vocal range was of a baritone with a rich vibrato, and Buddy was a tenor. Such as of novel musicals, the dance and songs are incorporated into the storyline to play important roles. There are a variety of song types in this musical. In The Devil you Know, there was surprisingly sort of blues-y or swing rhythm. Private Conversation, for example, was a melancholy, slow ballad, with certain strikes and emphasis punctuating the lyrics where Terry proclaimed, “I want, I want, I want to tell you.” In Tunnel of Love, the passion and lust is mirrored in the surge in emotion and volume of the singers’ voices. There is often repetition as some lines are echoed back at different pitches. Most of the music consisted of the chorus and the splitting of the melody into four parts for the four leads.

Performers
With their costumes and makeup, the performers really bring their characters to life on the stage. In matching dresses and wigs, the twins show that although they are twins, they are different, evident in their different vocal ranges. They were not physically bounded, but always convincingly joined at the hip. The Snake Lady had her big, fake snake wrapped around her for most of the numbers, and in other parts of the show where it is impractical for her to wear the heavy prop, she had smaller rubber snakes wrapped around her arms. Jake also sported a loincloth when he is in character as the Cannibal King.
In parts of the musical where the whole company of the freak show is present, it is obvious to see the effort that is put in the performance. The characters are always “in character.” Such as in the scene where the “freaks” of the freak show are being introduced, the “onlookers” can be seen reacting with either fascination or disgust. Terry can be seen making questioning looks at Buddy, as Buddy tries to calm him down, while a lady can be seen getting jealous and reprimanding her husband as he gapes at the belly dancers. Another example is the scene of New Year’s Day, where all the guests can be seen interacting with each other in the background even though the focus is on the main characters that are usually speaking. The freeze frames here are also quite humorous as the characters dance around.
Dance is also an important element of this musical. In The Devil You Know, they were choreography that resembled swing dance. In We Share Everything, the twins have backup dancers that help their show and even form their “ship” that take them across the Nile. Also, in Rare Songbirds On Display, the chorus of birds danced around the birdcage. In One Plus One Equals Three, Buddy performs a humorous dance number with a top hat and cane. Notable in Private Conversation, Daisy does a ballet dance around Terry until Terry grabs her and spins her around in his arm symbolizing their union in his mind.

Audience & Time and Space
Besides being the opening night, the musical was also free to the public, meaning generally everyone on Thursdays. Thus, the show was facing a full house that night.
The audience was relatively diverse. Many different people attended, including students, parents, friends and even younger children. The performance was open to outsiders, if in this case, an insider meant a loyal follower of UTD’s arts program or a member of the UTD community. Amidst the chatter, it can also be distinguished that there was a large group of “outsiders” or visiting students from the University of North Texas.
The musical even began with audience interaction as the “freaks” emerged from behind where the audience was sitting and approached the stage. The Cannibal King at this time even leapt and jumped out at the audience, seemingly ready to pounce or attack as part of the performance. The musical also had many parts where within the performance was a performance, such as the opening number Come Look at the Freaks where they are inviting the audience, or when the twins performed We Share Everything on Vaudeville, Rare Songbirds On Display in The Follies, or when Buddy performed One Plus One Equals Three where the audience’s role was the audience. As the Finale ended the show, the audience’s reaction to the performance was really positive. When the Cannibal King, or Jake, was the last performer to step out for recognition, the applause got noticeably even louder. Even Jake was taken aback by the support of the audience! At the end of the musical, the performers received a standing ovation.

Conclusion
It is evident that a lot of time and effort was put into this show. At Friday’s Talk-Balk session, the cast divulged some behind-the-scene stories such as late-night rehearsals, character development reports where the Reptile Man courts Snake Lady, cast bonding moments and the free food provided by director Kathryn Evans. Showcasing their hard work as evident in their music, singing, dancing, sets, costumes and more, these UT Dallas students finished their first show, boasting the same musical score as the original Broadway production, to an enthusiastic crowd.

Works Cited
Evans, Kathryn. Program notes. Side Show. 08 Apr 2010. Richardson: UT Dallas University Theater
Side Show. By Bill Russell. Dir. Kathryn Evans. UT Dallas University Theater, Richardson. 8 Apr 2010.

Post #12 - Rock

You cannot talk about rock and roll without mentioning its "king," Elvis Presley. Rock and roll originated as a blend of African-American blues sounds and "prominent bass patterns" in a Tennessee recording studio in 1954. Since then, this rock music has continually evolved and eventually branched off into many different subgenres. One of which is punk rock. Some consider the first and leading band of punk rock to be the English group The Sex Pistols.
Visually, punk rock came to be recognized for its unique style. The "punk" look came to include assorted accessories, tattoos, piercings and shocking hair styles. Regarding its music, unarguably, most elements of punk rock stays true to the elements of the encompassing genre of general rock. The electric guitar is an important instrument to the music. The groups are generally small ensembles, with up to six players. The Sex Pistols for example had at the maximum four members. There is also an emphasis on singing, usually in a strong, raw style. However, in most cases, lyrics seem to often be shouted more than sung. Punk lyrics are also characteristically belligerent and comment on current world issues. In this time of a cultural revolution, punk rock sought to challenge and shock the public.

Listening Guide to The Sex Pistols' "God Save the Queen"

0:00 The song starts with the drums and electric guitar (?).
0:22 Singing starts and would alternate with a repeating guitar riff.
0:46 The song goes into a new verse.
1:13 Chorus(?) begins again.
2:05 Guitar solo starts.
2:20 Singing resumes.
3:13 The song ends with electronic distortion/feedback
Note: This song is rather repetitive in the music.

Extra Credit - University Idol

Advertising free pizza to draw in an audience, the University Idol: Cometstock edition was held on Monday April 5, 2010 at 7pm in the Conference Center. When the competition started, the modest audience took up barely half of the seats. Several people were even dressed up as hippies for the costume contest. The first performer sang "Help Yourself" to a prerecorded track and humorously flaunted his fake chest hair while dancing around stage. The music was very upbeat and jazzy. The second contestant sang "Leaving on a Jet Plane" a capella. In a clear voice, she sang the sad song and also hit the high note near the end. The third contestant was not fully prepared and forgot some of her lyrics. Luckily the song, also sung to a prerecorded track, was mostly repetitive. It was also rather high pitched- she must have been a soprano. After intermission, the next contestant actually danced and didn't sing. He claimed to be influenced by Michael Jackson. Showcasing several moves, he even did the moonwalk. The fifth contestant also sang a capella. He utilized a lot of sound ranges, making the song dynamic. The sixth contestant played guitar while singing, a homophony. The final contestant also played guitar, but he also encouraged the audience to sing along and clap their hands.

Post #11 - The Gullah People

The Gullah people have astonishingly been able to preserve their culture and way of life for as long as they have. Their music culture has obvious roots in African traditions. The time and space of their music can vary from inside their church to open spaces inside or out.Percussion instruments especially the drums are very prevalent, creating very rhythmic and pulsatile beats. "Rhythm- everything's about rhythm," says Queen Quet. Dancing among other activities is a significant part of this culture. Often seen with many performers dancing in sync to the tempo and beat. Regarding the material culture, performers seem to often wear traditional dress while dancing. Sometimes both the dancing and the instrument playing are incorporated into the actual performance as seen when the young people are hitting and striking the sticks in their dance (first video). The Gullah people also us stilts in their performances. There are also some hints of shimmers among the cries and trills of the women. Also, there seems to be a bit of the call and response quality in the music. Music is incorporated into their religious life, taking form in the gospels that they sing in church. The music often blends English with African languages, notable Mende, resulting in this unique Gullah music culture. With a rich culture such as of the Gullah people, music is also prevalent in ceremonies as seen with the example of the Mende funeral song.

Performance Report

Shakespeare in Song
Performance Report

Introduction
On Friday evening, March 26, 2010 the University of Texas at Dallas Chamber Singers performed a concert entitled Shakespeare in Song at the Jonsson Performance Hall. Pulling songs from several Shakespearean plays, the Chamber Singers entertain complete with dialogue and costumes from the historical era.

Music
The performance repertoire consisted of Shakespearean songs that either came from William Shakespeare’s plays themselves, British composer Roger Quilter, or Juilliard graduate Mathew Harris (Evans). Also the performers were split into four different ranges: soprano, alto, tenor and baritone/bass. As such, normally the males sang in a lower octave than the females, establishing a harmony and a quasipulsatile sound. Accompanied by the piano, a chordophone, the music’s tempo varied from song to song.
The first half of the performance seemingly consisted of songs with more morose or melancholy moods, while the second half had merrier or at the least more lively songs. There were several soloists that took the stage. In Cymbeline’s Fear no more the heat of the sun, Guiderius’s vocal timbre is deep, with a rich vibrato, while Hamlet’s Ophelia had a much higher and lighter timbre. The songs included many repetitions and sometimes the repetitions were repeated at different pitches by another section. Unexpectedly, there were even gender-specific songs. Othello’s The Willow Song was sung by only the females, and the Twelfth Night’s Oh mistress mine was song by only the males. The resulting textures were drastically different than if sung with a mixed choir. However in context of the play, it would make sense why the songs were sung exclusively by females or males.
There was a very rich texture as the music was arranged into multiple parts. For example, in the last song from Twelfth Night, When that I was and a little tiny boy, the arrangement “ends in a quadruple-four-part round (16 separate parts)!” (Evans).

Performers
The performers costumed in Shakespearean attire gave a sense of immersing the audience in a different time and place. Even the pianist and director were in costume. There was also some use of props as seen in The Tempest where Stephano, the “drunken butler,” has a flask of alcohol (Evans).
This performance unexpectedly included some dialogue from the actual plays “’surround[ing]’ these compositions... to set them in context” (Evans). At times, the dialogue actually interrupted the singing as with The Tempest. While Ariel is singing, Ferdinand is musing about where the music is coming from. Also in The Willow Song from Othello, Desdemona exclaims “nay” several times as Emilia would respond to her. Character interaction is present a lot almost in between every one or two songs. In Twelfth Night, Feste, the clown, can be seen trying to crack jokes and bring in a jovial attitude.

Audience
This performance was open to outsiders of the music culture; as a free event, anyone may attend. Someone who may be quite familiar with the works of Shakespeare or just someone who actively follows the Chamber Singers could be considered an insider. The audience actually consisted of many college students and older adults who were most likely family members or friends of the performers. Generally there were not any younger children. Also a majority of the college students probably attended as a requirement for their arts class. The audience applauded whenever the director turned around and gave the cue by slightly bowing and gesturing to the singers. There were not any noticeable interactions between the performers and the audience outside of this.

Time and Space
The Friday performance was the first performance of this presentation, and thus probably had the best attendance. Attendance is not the best possibly because it is held on a Friday evening, when many college students have started their weekend plans. The University of Texas at Dallas also has a large commuter student population, and with the venue being on campus, sadly most students do not bother to drive out to see the performance unless they are really interested in the arts, music, Shakespeare, the Chamber Singers, or are required to attend.

Conclusion
Combining music and literature is a great way to generate interest and awareness to both parties. Not only through song, the UT Dallas Chamber Singers brought life to these Shakespearean art songs also through other modes such as dialogue, costumes and props. Hopefully their second performance was just as or even more so successful.

Bibliography

Evans, Kathryn. Program notes. Shakespeare in Song. 26 March 2010. Richardson: UTD Jonsson Performance Hall.

Shakespeare in Song. Dir. Kathyrn Evans. UTD Jonsson Performance Hall, Richardson. 26 March 2010.

Post #10 - Opera

Rossini's The Barber of Seville
"Una Voce Poco Fa"

The above is a clip of a song from Rossini's opera "The Barber of Seville" called "Una Voce Poco Fa" sung by Beverly Sills. In this song, the character Rosina, is singing about defying her guardian (who wants to marry her himself) and running off to marry Lindoro, whose "voice [she] just heard." She claims that she is a gentle and obedient woman who will take orders, but if anything gets in her way for love, she will be a viper and "play a hundred tricks to get [her] way." The orchestral music here at this part accordingly follows her lead. At first the music plays relatively intermittently during her pauses, as an accompaniment, or as a homophony relationship. Then as she sings about how kind and gentle she is, it is in the style of cantabile, which follows the melody, until she reveals her underlying stealthy nature, where she breaks into a buffo style, which is faster in tempo or speed and continually jumps around the tonal center, in a sort of haughty manner.
Sills is also very animated and portrays her character very well. The opera's story line still continues even as she sings, seen by how she takes several moments to write her letter.
Throughout the whole song, there is a great deal of vibrato and trills utilized and the orchestral ornamentation and embellishments are also obvious.

Post #9 - Avatar

Honestly, I have not gotten a chance to go see Avatar, but I did listen to the soundtrack. The film score, or the soundscape of the film, either tries to imitate the sounds of nature in Pandora or build the suspense and tension correlating with the plot, while the music of the Na'vi people had a substantial amount of chanting or singing in their native language. There is ample use of aerophones and some drumming and other percussion to portray the "otherworldly sounds." For more dramatic turning points in the movie, the film score is prominent in trying to carry the mood of the moment with a sound more similar to the Western music that the audience is accustomed to. Many of the songs remind me of tribal elements and sounds originating possibly from Africa or South America.


For example, the song called "The Bioluminescence of the Night" is part of what I consider the film score. There is a lot of percussion used and the many crescendos, decrescendos and its overall nonuniform nature makes me identify it as soundscape music.


On the other hand, this is what I consider an example of the Na'vi people's music. It has a lot of vocal harmonization in its alien language that definitely gives it an ethereal feel.

Musical Ethnography of a Dallas Music-Culture

INTRODUCTION

The music-culture of the Vietnamese-American community in the Dallas area is arguably the most lively and festive during the Tet or Lunar New Year celebrations. Music plays an integral role in these festivities from events and functions like the lion dances to the temple monks’ chanting mantras. Throughout the years, this unique music-culture has grown and expanded from its traditional roots and Chinese influences to even assimilating aspects of American culture in all its components of ideas, activities, repertoire, and material culture.

METHODOLOGY

Information about this music-culture was obtained in addition to prior knowledge and initial research from observation of three separate events and two interviews. On Lunar New Year’s eve, I visited a nearby Vietnamese Buddhist temple to pay my respects. Unfortunately, I was not able to stay for very long, but I believe it was a very good primary source of information that encompasses the roots of its tradition. The next afternoon, I attended a lion dance celebration hosted by a local Vietnamese supermarket, and later that week, I dropped by the Vietnamese Student Association’s (VSA) New Year celebration held on campus. Since I spent a significantly longer time at these two events, I was able to retain the most information from them. Additionally, I interviewed two friends who I know to have had close contact with this music-culture. Christopher Tran, a loyal temple member and volunteer, and Fred Nguyen, a former lion dance performer and active temple leader, offered me their insights on the Tet music-culture.

ASPECTS OF THIS MUSIC-CULTURE

Ideas about Music
Because Tet only comes around once a year, the culture that accompanies it is very special. Tet is often considered the biggest and most important holiday in Vietnam. “Tet is always happy” (Tran.) The music of Tet is normally about the coming spring, good luck, prosperity, family, and sometimes love. Upbeat and positive, this music essentially sets the mood for the new year. As tradition goes, everything has to be prepared and auspicious for the new year. By starting it off with happy music, the upcoming long year is sure to be a good and prosperous one. Originating from Vietnam and heavily impacted by Chinese traditions, this music culture still focuses on tradition but is also very open to adaptations.

Activities Involving Music
At the Vietnamese Buddhist temple, the outside was hustling and bustling as people came and went, full of loud chatter and sounds of children playing. However, upon entering the main chamber with the golden Buddha, the soundscape drastically changed. The Buddhist monks’ serious and focused chanting resonated throughout the room. It was very comforting and soothing. In this location and specific situation of the music culture, it is hard for a person of a different race, ethnicity or religion to participate. However, I did encounter several Caucasian visitors (Buddhist Chanting).


After my encounter at the temple, the next day I went to a see a lion dance. Every year around Tet, all the local Asian super markets around always throw a celebration showcasing a lion or dragon dance. The super market I went to had booked a group from the Chinese Cultural Center. The performers were mostly younger student-age kids, but there were also some older adults. To my surprise, it was actually a very diverse group that was not just limited to Chinese or Asian members. There were several Caucasian men and an African-American teenager. Rather than professional players, they all seemed to be performers as a hobby. The ages ranged from a child of about seven years to older middle-aged men. They continuously switched off beating the drum to relieve the current player (Lion Dance). Nguyen, a former lion dancer, points out that these productions are largely led by the young performers themselves.


The Vietnamese Student Association’s “Lunar New Year Bash” was a startling contrast from the temple’s atmosphere. The music played was a mix of current popular mainstream American songs, and everything was more comfortably conducted in English. It goes to show how far this community have gone to assimilate into Western culture. The performers were students who had a passion to sing, dance or entertain others. A girl sang “Killing Me Softly” by The Fugees, a guy performed a song on his acoustic guitar, and there was a finale performance by a b-boy group. The music making was just done by everyday students, and the organization welcomed everyone and anyone to come (Lunar New Year Bash).

Repertoires of Music
There are actually many types of music in this music-culture. There is the Buddhist chanting that may fall into folk music or religious music specifically. The chanting of Buddhist sutras, or ancient scriptures, is very significant to the Buddhism faith. Passed down in written scripture as well as verbally through chant, this music is transmitted as long as the religion survives (Buddhist Chanting).
Meanwhile, the music of the lion dances is largely percussion. “All you hear are the drums and the gongs” (Tran). The distinct music of the lion dances always helps build excitement. The lion dance movements accompany this music as the lions lead the way to find the lucky money. Along with the lion dances, there were also several martial arts displays featuring the familiar Chinese theme song Wong Fei Hung. It seems that wherever martial arts are involved, this song will inevitably crop up (Lion Dances).
As far as the repertoire of VSA’s music goes, it stayed mostly in the category of American mainstream music. Songs by Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, and Timberland could be heard playing from the radio at the event (Lunar New Year Bash).

Material Culture of Music
The main material objects associated with the temple music are the temple itself, the Buddhist statues, and the bell to ring in the new year (Buddhist Chanting). Drums, gongs, or percussion instruments overall are required for lion dancing along with the intricately decorated lion costumes (Lion Dancing). “You can’t have lion dancing without three things: the lion head, the lion tail and the drummer” (Nguyen).
Meanwhile, VSA also offered a paper lantern decorating contest, since lanterns are also often seen during Lunar New Year (Lunar New Year Bash). Lunar New Year is also characteristically associated with the red color for luck. It is the time of year where adults present their children with red money packets called li xi. Commonly there are also dried and candied fruits and coconut shreds or traditional rice cakes. Tet essentially is a major celebration, and food is always a major part of that celebration culture.

CONCLUSION

With the growing number of Vietnamese-American citizens in Dallas, they have developed a distinctly special music-culture of their own, most prominently during Tet, assimilating traditional values along with new Western flairs. The variety of their music ranges widely from Buddhist monks’ chanting to percussion performance music and even popular American music, reflecting the versatility of this culture. With such diversity, this culture allows for Tet to be a joyous and endeared holiday for all, both young and old.

WORKS CITED

• Buddhist Chanting. Dir. Thich Gia Duc. Chua Tu Quang, Garland. 14 Feb 2010. Performance.
• Lion Dance. Perf. Chinese Cultural Center. Carrollton Plaza, Carrollton. 14 Feb 2010. Performance
• Lunar New Year Bash. By Vietnamese Student Association. Galaxy Room @ UTD, Richardson. 18 Feb 2010. Performance.
• Nguyen, Fred. Telephone interview. 09 Mar 2010.
• Tran, Christopher. Personal interview. 09 Mar 2010.

Post #8 - Difficulties

Some of the difficulties I encountered so far include the language barrier. Although Vietnamese is my first language, I have forgotten a lot of it, and unfortunately, I cannot read it fluently. I feel that research may be a bit more easier if I could tap into resources that aren't just in English and if I could better comprehend the language, especially the song lyrics. Also, because Tet only comes once a year, I had to make sure I planned to set aside time to catch the events.

Another problem I had was that Tet is heavily influenced by Chinese traditions, thus blurring the lines a bit so far as the boundaries of my topic goes. I may expand my topic to encompass the Lunar New Year culture in Dallas's Asian-American community in general (not just Vietnamese). Also, with a large percentage of assimilated Vietnamese-Americans, notably the younger generation, the music I've heard also included current mainstream American music.

My interview is conducted with a friend who is very involved with his temple, and is not unfamiliar to these festivities. He has been very cooperative.

I was lucky to catch 3 different events for my research. I visited a Buddhist temple, a local supermarket that hosted a lion dance, and a local Vietnamese student organization's celebration.

Post #7 - Music Culture Overview

Tet, or the Lunar New Year, is one of the biggest celebrated and beloved holidays in Vietnam. During the festivities and celebrations, music plays an integral part. Some of the more well known are the familiar beats of lion dancing. In the Dallas area, during Tet, many of the major Asian super markets would host a celebration that nearly always includes a lion dance. There are sounds of fire crackers, laughing and talking along with the loud percussion beats of the drum and gongs. The lion dances are not limited to lions but also dragons, and it includes a person dressed in a fat suit equipped with a fan wearing a jolly mask. The purpose of this man is to lure the lion to the specified destinations, or where the lucky red envelopes lie. The purpose of these dances are to ward off bad luck for the upcoming year, as well as gaining a contribution for the dancers who perform in these music cultures. Also during this time, many flock to the local Buddhist temples where the monks' chanting, or pray mantras, fill the air. There are often also other musical performances, martial arts displays that often feature the Chinese Wong Fei Hung theme song, A Man of Determination, karaoke, and even popular American songs can be heard with the large showing of the younger generation. There is a lot of cultural food that is served to celebrate traditions to bring in a luck and prosperity for the upcoming year.

Post #6 - Japanese Noh

This video is not actually of a Noh performance but more of an informational video.

Elements of Japanese Noh
- This art lies heavily on tradition.
- The hayashi, or the musical ensemble, composed of the nohkan flute and three small drums ( the taiko, the o-tsuzumi, and the ko-tsuzumi).
- Masks are often used by the main actor if depicting a god, old man or anyone else other than an adult male.
- Women's masks typically are designed to display several different emotions depending on it's orientation and/or lighting.
- Music is nonpulsatile and standardized resulting in "floating, dreamlike meditation" (Alves 209).
- The singing is similar to Buddhist chanting.
- Stage is relatively empty (to correlate with the Japanese ma principle) with few props, but the props that are present are highly symbolic. The Noh stage is also unique with specific components.
- The actors sometimes stomps.
- The exclamations from the drummers called kakegoe are also components of Noh.
- Fans are used as props and are also symbolic.
- Movement is subtle, graceful, and standardized.
- There tends to be a male chorus.
- There are defined roles (with help from this site) such as the shite, the main actor, the tsure, the shite's companions, and the waki, the secondary characters, the shite's foil.


Here is a video of an actual performance, a "Kamo" presentation, or a dance of the thunder god.

Post #5 - Hindustani Music

In this performance of "Darbari Tarana" by Pandit Satyasheel Deshpande, it seems (to me) that the single soloist is improvising for the majority of the performance. I understand that "improvisation" in this culture doesn't necessarily mean the same as it does in contemporary popular American culture. In a more rigidly defined music culture such as this one, the soloist or performer has to use his own style and sense in how to execute the traditional details. I infer that this improvisation was based on raga.
There is the notable, characteristic drone heard throughout the piece played by one of the chordophones, most probably a sitar. There was also accompaniment by a set of hand drums. The number of musicians was also small, as often expected because orchestral music is uncommon in India. I would categorize this as a homophony, and possibly quasipulsatile. There are actually several lulls in the music where the volume decreases, but there's a gradual crescendo. I think the unadorned, black backdrop of the stage directs and focuses the attention of the audience solely on the music.
Pandit Satyasheel Deshpande is actually known for his specialization in khyal, a popular vocal genre where it more embellished, reminiscent of the melismas or vibratos. From the comments, Deshpande seems to have great style and is extremely expressive in his music.

Post #4 - Googoosh

According to the video poster, this was performed in Anaheim, California on October 7, 2000, the year that the Islamic Republic of Iran finally allowed her to perform outside of Iran. The exiled Iranians were more than happy to welcome her, seeing this as a valuable cultural exchange with America. She was performing on a big stage, with an appreciative audience that applauded loudly at the end of her performance.

Googoosh herself was very into the music, very passionate in expressing her lyrics. Possibly this could be described the feeling of tarab, the strong emotion that comes from really expressive music.

In this performance of "Marham," Googoosh uses a lot of elaborate melismas, characteristic of Middle Eastern music. Melismas are melodies with many notes to a syllable, which I think is really similar to a vibrato. It sounded like a homophony to me, with Googoosh's vocals as the melody accompanied by the band behind her. You could say the rhythms were based on the beat patterns.Many instruments are also featured such as the piano and guitar, a chordophone, a trumpet, a aerophone, and the drums, a membranophone.

Since I am altogether unfamiliar with Iranian styles of music, I can only infer that this fuses a lot of folk elements with popular Iranian music. It definitely has the distinct trait of Middle Eastern music.

Extra Credit #4: Chinese New Year Celebration

The celebration was FANTASTIC! I was captivated the whole show.
It was late evening when the celebration took place, held in the tiny auditorium in the Conference Center. The place was jam-packed! Sadly, some people were turned away or left to standing in the aisles.Although the audience was largely made up of Chinese or Asian people, there was also a mix of other races too. I liked that the audience had some diversity.

The show starts off with a display of martial arts. The performers all had on traditional Chinese dress and seemed really focus on their actions. Of course the performers would differ in each act. In the "Glamorous Peacocks" dance, the girls were more lively and smiling. The costumes were really intricate and pretty. The Peking opera singer's costume was really cool. When the singers sang some English songs, they reverted to Western clothes.

Music-wise, besides the English songs, everything else had a relatively distinct Chinese element to it. The folk song "Jasmine Flower" was lovely, very soft and pretty. The Peking opera utilized a lot of percussion which I really liked because it made all the actor's movements more dramatic. The ending act, the Xinjiang "Jierla" was the song that they played for us at the discussion except with dancers. Along with the music, the costumes also looked distinctly different from the previous costumes, really showing that it was a part of a different ethnic group's culture. It's amazing how China is so diverse just within itself!

Extra Credit #1- Cultural Exchange

The Student Art Troupe from UIBE were really kind to give us a sampling of their upcoming show.

I was glad to hear there would be Peking opera. One student demonstrated the pitch difference in a female and male opera singer's voice. Growing up, I've been familiar with the Vietnamese version of Chinese opera, and I've always been intrigued by the makeup, costumes, and especially the battles that they perform.

When we were asked about music in the USA, I noticed that our class seemed to be more biased towards the rock genre, which may skew the Chinese students' perspectives. However, the main speaker did bring up Lady Gaga, so I think they are relatively aware already of the "popular" music culture in America. One female student brought up jazz and the appeal of its improvisation.

On the topic of folk music, none of us could really provide a concrete example, since our music is so blended and mixed. I liked how one student put it, that because America is so diverse, the folk music could actually be considered to come from each individual's place of origin. In contrast, China with its numerous and various ethnic groups has an array of folk music. The Chinese students even obliged us with a song on the guitar. I also agree that it had characteristics very similar to a song that could be popular in the US. It was very lively and upbeat. One female Chinese student also sang us a very pretty folksy song, which reminded me of old (dubbed) Chinese ancient dramas I used to watch.

Post #3 - Music Faculty Concert (40th Anniversary)

I quite enjoyed An Evening of Latin Music last Friday. Held during the late evening in a rather small auditorium, the audience was politely quiet as the music played. It was full of many different types of people, from students to parents and even little children. As for the performers, they all seemed very professional and displayed a lot of emotion into playing their instruments.
During the Semi-Suite's second play of The All-Purpose Rag, the violinist seemed to have a bit of fun, acting in a joking manner. With this piece, the drums and triangle were added to the predominant violin, clarinet and piano. The tempo was overall fast with a slow lull at a point. To me, it sounded a little like a random collection of discordant noises. The song even ends with each player striking a final, emphatic note. I believe some of the audience had an amused response.
With How Insensitive, the electric guitar and piano took center stage. It started slowly, but gradually grew more lively, with the drums and bass joining in. In the jazzy Lamento, there was also a drums solo.
The ending piece Tango di Tango, showcased an accordion which really added to the dramatic effect of the song. It was a great song to end the night.

Post #2 - Music Ethnography Proposal

With the Lunar New Year approaching, I think I would like to explore the local Dallas Vietnamese music culture. Heavily influenced by the Chinese, the Vietnamese have adopted a lot of similarities, but still kept their own distinct touch to their culture. The Lunar or Chinese New Year, or Tet in Vietnamese, has always been a big deal in my household. My mom would put up the red decorations, the fruits for offerings, and the "hoa mai" tree, all while playing the characteristically cheerful, and optimistic music about the coming spring.

Dallas, as one of the largest metropolitan cities of the US, has a substantial amount of Vietnamese citizens which I believe is only growing. Many local Vietnamese Buddhist temples at this time throw huge celebrations complete with dragon dances, traditional foods, and many other various performances.


I have always thought that the dragon dance's percussion music was readily recognizable. Once we hear those drums, my sisters and I would know to turn our attention over to the lion dancers. I'm also aware that there are various singing contests at these celebrations, and karaoke is also an activity that most folks are fond of.
My friend has invited me to his temple for the Tet festivities this February. The air is sure to be buzzing and lively with the happy and bright music to welcome the new year. I am anticipating a lot of good food, music and fun!

Blog Post 1 - Music Cultures

One music culture that has influenced me as I was growing up is alternative rock. I have had several different stages of different music preferences, but I think this genre had quite an impact on me then. I was (and still am sometimes) rather impressionable, and these songs were popular on the radio and among my friends. However, it was the lyrics that reflected my own feelings that struck a chord with me. During my earlier teenage years, I listened to songs along the lines of Simple Plan's Perfect and Addicted, Evanescence's Bring Me To Life , Green Day's Boulevard of Broken Dreams, The All-American Rejects' Move Along, and Linkin Park's Numb. These songs then acted as a comfort to me because I felt that they almost perfectly captured my thoughts. Most of the melodies were catchy but not overly happy or sometimes just downright morose. At a time where I was still trying to find my place, establish myself as an individual and trying to endure the day by day mishaps, these songs allowed me to destress and feel like I wasn't alone. Generally these songs were relatively angsty, but they allowed me to vent. Without this outlet, I'm not sure how well I would have sorted out my emotions. I was exposed to this type of music during a critical point in my growth, and if I ever feel down, frustrated or aggravated today, listening to these old favorites would probably calm me down a bit. They bring back memories.