Post 6 - Noh Theatre

Noh Theatre 『復活の日』

Most people watching noh theatre, especially for the first time, would find it boring. It is quite hard to realize just what you are looking at without an explanation. Noh theatre is classified by slow and often exaggerated movement, lack of facial expressions, and what few words exist are over-enunciated and drawn out.

Characters within the performance are often designated by specific masks, though it is not a mandatory characteristic. The unifying requirement is no change in facial expression. The art and story should be shown in the subtle hand, feet and body movements of the actors. A professional performer can represent several characters within a single play by simply changing their stoic expression depending on who they are playing at the moment.

The conveyance of meaning in noh is in the minute changes in body posture and gestures. Words may be added for additional explanation, but are extremely low, drawn out and traditionally in strict honorific Japanese (most modern Japanese would have a hard time understanding them). The music is of simple beats on drums and other percussion instruments tied with some spiritual yelling. Some modernized noh use more upbeat music, but that is more characteristic of kubuki theatre, also known as "doll theatre".

Post 5 - Hindustani Music Vid

Hindustani Classical Raga Lalat

This video includes several instruments and mainly focuses on two women doing vocals. Like much of this religious prayer music, it focuses on a monophony and a fixed tonic. Despite switching back and forth, these two do not use chords and are able to switch when one doesn't know the words or whatever the reason may be. Every instrument is playing a repetitive rhythm but they accent each other. It adds a certain monotonous quality to match the tonal center of the whole song.

Extra 3 - Kremlin Performance

After Kremlin's rehearsal, they returned to the stage 45min later, dressed up, ready for their performance.

Music: String only orchestral, most pieces moving at a quick pace and featuring solos, especially those featuring Mr. Borok.

Performers: Uniformally dressed but not black tux's and dresses. Not all of them seem to enjoy playing the music in this feature, but a few smiled continuously after successful phrases. Guest soloist untouched in tone quality and finger dexterity

Time-Space: Someone behind me had obviously been sipping the whiskey pre-concert. The solo performance of Dallas Symphony Orchestra's concertmaster seemed to make time drag out longer simply to hear him play just a little more.

Audience: About a fifth students, the rest older music appreciators, half of which make the monetary sacrifice to support the arts.

Before the concert, people who had donated to an arts cause recently were asked to stand. At the reception, the few faces I recognized from the audience belonged to this group. I did not notice any students at the reception or any of the performers. The guest concertmaster stayed to talk in the concert hall, but never made it to hoblitzer. I can't say much about the reception, but the concert brought together a few people with the music of Slavic roots. Emanuel Borok of the DSO joined Kremlin and conversed in Russian with the other performers. It was apparent that they all enjoyed the music and the culture responsible for its creation.

Extra 2 - Kremlin Rehearsal

It was really interesting to see the effectiveness of a professional rehearsal. Much more organized and with quicker corrections than high school would have it happen. As for any discards, shaping, repeats and public readifications I would say it is a close recount of verbal comments from the conductor.

However, I don't understand Russian so here is what I gathered from the rehearsal. The 1st chair violin didn't have a pencil (which is a big no no for rehearsals), and violins were immediately asked to repeat a series of rapid, sticcato plucking movements a few times.

Near the end of the first featured piece, a long and drawn out high chord was repeated and shaped as it didn't stay in tune the whole time. The second piece had some tempo issues and the cellos had some rhythms to brush up on.

When they added the concertmaster from the Dallas Symphony Ochestra, Emanuel Borok, the piece was repeated from the beginning twice and the tempo for some decrescendos and rollantandos was made better. Last of all, due to some aggravated English, measure 111 needs more feeling!

Extra 1 - In class discussion

I thought the discussion to be quite short for the variety of things that could have been discussed. However, we were able to see first hand a few of the skills the troupe came to display. We didn't have anything as prepared to share in return, but we were able to impart some of our interests and cultural knowledge to our friends.

I found the discussion interests of our visitors very similar to those of young college students that I met on a trip to Japan. They seemed interested in what's popular. "Who do you listen to?" "Is very popular?", these are questions that both groups had in common.

Throughout recorded history, China and Japan have shared and copied many things from each other. If the young generations of both countries have the same inquisitive interests in Americans, is it because media from both report generally the same things about us? or is it because of what information we give them?

post 4 - Googoosh

GooGoosh, Hamseda Medly

This video of Googoosh features music in duple meter starting somewhere around an allegretto tempo and before the end of the piece jumping to the high end of vivace. The melody is one mostly of sticcato flute and drums. Cadences are marked with a ritardando and extra accent to the syncopated upbeats on drums. Harmony is introduced in the flute and sometimes trumpet for extra accent. The texture is one of homophony between her voice and the repetitive rhythms and chords of the various instruments. Multiple melodies may be present at very short time frames, but throughout most of this piece a single melody is passed on between instruments.

Post 3 - 40th anniversary concert

This concert focused on Latin music, with composition from both inside and outside of the culture itself. The most interesting piece in my opinion is that of the Semi-suite from the American composer using Latin music themes.

Music: Consisted of violin, clarinet, piano, and various percussion(Marimba, triangle, feather beat snare). Of the five parts, one and five flowed with a distinct common theme, two and four heavily guided by piano melody, and three very short and using the violin as a comical interlude. Part two made use of heavy dissonance in the Marimba and Clarinet for an eerie feeling.

Performers: All dressed professionally. No visual queues made during performance. Piano seemed to set the tempo while the others listened. Clarinet remained stoic while the violin got into the music via swaying.

Audience: Mostly note takers. Before intermission, during this semi-suite it was almost a full house. Distinct smell in the air, someone peeled an orange sometime shortly before this piece was played.

Time/Place: Late evening, conference hall. The large area of wooden surfaces creates reverberation for easy tuning. Though the room was much colder than the hall outside, which can have a great effect on woodwinds and strings.