Music of Asia

     For today's blog, we're going to head over to China and Mongolia! Though there are many different types of music to study in the continent of Asia, these are a couple of my favorites. Specifically, I'd like to share some information on Mongolian Throat Singing, the traditional Chinese instrument called the Erhu, and some facts about something known as the Chinese Opera. So without delay;

    I've planned to talk about Mongolian Throat Singing since the first day of class! The idea of it has been brought up in the classroom a few times, so I thought it would be good to go ahead and share this truly artistic style of music. I will say, throat singing/overtone singing is not just a technique used in Mongolia. Many other cultures use overtones in their vocals to create similar music to that of Mongolia, but I personally just like how it's performed in this country. The origin of how they view throat singing is also one that fascinates me. It originally comes from herders in the mountains of Mongolia who used overtones as a means of communicating with nature. As said on takelessons.com, throat singing provides the sound of the wind, mountains, thunder etc. The idea that it connects them to nature comes from animism, which is the idea that all the natural sounds of nature forms a type of spiritual music. If anyone has seen the film August Rush, it's similar to how August would listen to natural sounds from a field or a city and hear music within it. But back to throat singing! You will notice in the video below that the singers timbre is very deep and rumbling(like thunder), but also take note that he is recording this on the mountains where he is one with nature. (I also included a clip from August Rush to better explain my example).  

   

    It is likely that you have never heard of the Erhu, but I guarantee you know what it sounds like. It is also commonly known as the traditional Chinese Violin. Along with instruments like the Zhonghu and the Gaohu, the Erhu is an ancient instrument dating back well over 1000 years ago(Link). Over those years, it has solidified itself as one of the most traditional instruments in Chinese music culture. As you can see in the picture, it only consists of two strings and does not use a fret board. The notes are played just like you'd play any stringed instrument, but rather than pushing the strings down all the way, they mostly float as they move up and down the instrument. This gives the Erhu it's unmistakable sound that I will demonstrate in a moment. As far as how the instrument is made, traditionally the the body of the instrument is crafted out of sandlewood. However, unlike most chordophones with a hide wrapped around the wooden frame, the Erhu uses snake skin to give it a much smoother tone. It is a beautiful sounding instrument and I'm glad to say we actually have one in my home. Some years ago a relative from China actually brought one home and gave it to my brother because he was studying music in college at the time. It is a beautiful instrument to see up close but also very difficult (at least for me) to play. But you probably want to hear what it sounds like. The video I attached is a cover of the theme from Kung Fu Panda played on the Erhu. I chose this movie because it is recognizable for it's Erhu parts, and it's a good movie with a good score.

    One of the most popular forms of entertainment and one of the most defining parts of the musical culture of China is the Chinese Opera. It is essentially the American equivalent of musical theatre. The opera is a very artistic tradition with the inclusion of many colors, costumes, songs, and dances. According to ThoughtCo, the tradition dates back centuries and was developed into what it is now by combining different cultures of different cities around China. Places like Shanxi and Gansu Provinces were big contributions to the Chinese opera. However, there have been times that the opera has been looked down on. From around the 1950's to the late 1970's, there was a lot of unrest with the opera when a particular play revolved around a man who directly criticized the Emperor. Many people took it too seriously and got offended by the play. For a long time, many of the operas were banned from being shown, with roughly 8 different plays being allowed. However, more of the plays from different parts of the country were slowly brought back into the culture around 1976. Older performers who use to work in the plays were able to teach younger students about the art and pass on their knowledge of the operas. Today, there are tons of different operas you can see in China. Some are modern, and some date back to the days when it was first created. Attached below is a short clip from one of the Peking operas, which is one of the prominent plays performed today.

Well that's all for today! Asia is truly a great source to learn about some very different musical cultures.