Beyond the Blog! Part 2
OUD - "King of Instruments"
All of you know from previous classes how important the Oud is to the Middle East, but I wanted to learn more about it. So, while somethings will be repeated as said in class there will also be some new facts about the Oud you hopefully learn.
- Oud in Arabic is al-ʿūd which means wood
- Praised for its healing powers by healers, musicians and religious groups
- Most known in the west because it is the predecessor of the European lute⬇
- The Oud is made of several strips of bent wood glued together
- As shown above all early plucked instruments has a rosette or rose, a decorative carved sound hole
- Since the instrument is named wood, it sure does seem super obvious, but some say it is because they want to show that it is not stretched animal skin
- Strung in courses (pairs of strings) made of gut, processed from the small intestines of sheep. Most string instruments in the medieval period were all made this way
- Four courses until the 15th century when a fifth was added (played with a wooden plectrum, later changed to an eagle's quill)
When I was reading this article, oud: a short guide to a long history – Early Music Muse, I was very shocked to see that there is a traditional story that Lamak, sixth grandson of Adam, hung the remains of his son in a tree and used the desiccated skeleton to form the world's first Oud.
As also stated in the article no one is really sure how far back the Oud goes or the if the origins were in Persia, Arabia or elsewhere. But depending on what you believed the first Oud could have appeared between 3500 and 3200 BCE.
The Oud has spread a lot across the Mediterranean, Middle East and north and east Africa, where remains popular to this day. It can be found in all different kind of genres of Arab music, from folk, to classic, to pop.
KOREAN TRADITIONAL DANCE -
Korean dance has a rich history of culture and storytelling that even continues today in many parts of the country.
- Earliest use of dance in Korea began 5000 years ago with shamanistic rituals
- Shamanism is the beliefs and practices of the indigenous people in Korea
- Both religious views and dance styles were unique to each village in these early years
- Each region has its own local Gods and the Shamans worked as a part of funeral services to guide spirits into heaven
- One dance such as Tang'ol from the south, were choreographed with the goals of entertaining a God or Goddess
- As other Korean kingdoms came dance was extensively supported and highly regarded by the royal court and educational establishments
- Some of these popular dances are
- Ghost dance
- Fan dance
- Monk dance
- Entertainer dance
- Like the fan dance and many others have roots in the original shaman dance - Other Korean traditional dance choreography is still performed by farmers and folk dancing groups
- Props are used to accentuate the beauty and drama of Korean dance
- from hats to swords will be seen
Movements -
Korean dances that are traditional include some sort of storyline representing the Korean life
Ghost dance
- Dancer reunited with a dead spouse
- Experiences grief and loss from the second goodbye
Great Drum dance
- Features a very large drum that is often bigger than the dancer
- Drum represents temptation of a pure religious figure, such as a Korean monk
- Eventually he gives in to the desire of the drumbeat
When Japan ruled Korea from 1910 until 1945 many of the celebrated dances were pushed out of society and forgotten. Many dance academies were shut down and local dance traditions faltered. Once Korea was liberated from Japan a small group of dancers reinvented the traditional choreography based upon what could be remembered. Once dance came back to Korea the storytelling aspect remained stronger than ever and is being passed down to younger students.
Some of these storytelling dances that endure today are
- Fluttering butterfly wings dance
- Phoenix dance
- Dance of the spring nightingale
- Sword dance
- Lion dance
- Dance to wish great peace
- Victory dance
- Old womans dance
andddd many more!
LAOS MUSIC -
Laotian music is compared with Cambodia and Thailand's music since they have the same Siamese origin!
Laos' music is divided into two categories
- Classical and Folk music
- Classical and Folk music
And some help from these instruments!
- Khene
- Wot
- Laos' Dance
The influence of Laotian music is many and many kinds of music coming from China and Thailand.
When the immigration of Tai people from Southern China to Laos and Thailand we now see Laos and Thailand share similar features in music!
-Both of the traditional instrument in Laos and Northern Thailand is the Wot
When traveling from North to South you will encounter variation from Luang Prabang to Vientiane and to Champassak.
- the remote area of Luang Prabang is where classical music existing in the highest degree and remains the oldest edition
- nowadays it becomes harder for you to experience Laotian classical folk music unless you visit the museums in Luang Prabang
The music in Vientiane is very alike to the music in Thai with many of the same characteristics in
- music
- festivals
- and ceremonies
The important feature to between Laotian classical music and Laotian Folk Music is their instruments.
“Khene (Khane)” which is Laos’ most popular traditional instrument.
The instrument the Khene!
is the identification of Lao culture because every traditional song or dance has the Khene!
The instrument is a mouth organ made of 7-8 pairs of bamboo pipes that are connected with small, hollowed-out hardwood reservoir. When used the air coming in creates the sound of the violin.
Folk music is called “Lam” and Mor Lam is another version of Lam including two singers: one male and one female with a khene player and another instrument player. Mor Lam is also understood as a group of folk music singers and players.
Laos classical music is very closely related to the same kind of music from Siam (partly understood as Thailand). The genre is separated into two types
- Sep Nyai and Sep Noi
Sep Nyai is used as formal music in ceremonies and other important occasions
Sep Noi allows you to play popular tones
Down below is an example of classical music from Laos
Pittaway, Ian. “The Oud: A Short Guide to a Long History.” Early Music Muse, 17 July 2015, earlymusicmuse.com/oud/#:~:text=The%20oud%3A%20a%20short%20guide%20to%20a%20long. Accessed 29 Apr. 2022.
four, Tamara Warta Tamara Warta Tamara began dancing at, and later became the Exective Director for the Royal State Christian Performing Arts Read More Dance Company Director. “Korean Traditional Dance.” LoveToKnow, dance.lovetoknow.com/korean-traditional-dance?msclkid=fd508a78c7fd11ecb2e338f26e814e34.
Laos Music - Everything about Laotian Traditional Music. (2017, May 18). Laos Tours. https://www.golaos.tours/laotian-traditional-music/#:~:text=Laotian%20music%20is%20often%20compared%20with%20Cambodia%20and
I found your blog really interesting! I loved reading about Korean traditional dance. It was very similar to the Japanese traditional dance that I wrote about in my blog.
ReplyDeleteI definitely learned some things from your blog. I was a bit weirded out about the story of the Oud being made out of a son’s bones mainly because I myself wouldn’t know how to deal with a death of a loved one and especially making something out of their skeleton. I have also known a little bit of shamanism prior to reading your blog.
ReplyDeleteI learned a lot that I didn't know before from your blog. The fact about the original oud was creepy but interesting. I didn't know that shamanism was so deeply rooted in Korean culture. Also, I thought all the stuff from Laos cool and new to me.
ReplyDeleteIts so interesting that korean traditional dance dates all the way back 5000 years ago. It was very insightful to read about the meanings/traditions behind the dances as well.
ReplyDeleteI found this blog very interesting. In the blog you talked about how lamak used his son’s remains to make the first oud I find this very informative. Also, I like how you put the meanings behind each Korean dance.
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