BA on Music Theory Print

Bacchanale

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Bachata (music)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Instrumentations#

The typical bachata group consists of five instruments: requinto (lead guitar), segunda (rhythm guitar), bass guitar, bongos and güira. The segunda serves the purpose of adding syncopation to the music. Bachata groups mainly play a straightforward style of bolero (lead guitar instrumentation using arpeggiated repetitive chords is a distinctive characteristic of bachata), but when they change to merengue-based bachata, the percussionist will switch from bongo to a tambora drum. In the 1960s and 1970s, maracas were used instead of güira. The change in the 1980s from maracas to the more versatile güira was made as bachata was becoming more dance oriented.

Bachatón

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Background#

Bachatón is a mix of bachata and reggaetón. The histories of the two genres are described below.

Bachata#

Bachata is a genre of music that originated in the Dominican Republic in the early parts of the 20th century and spread to other parts of Latin America and Mediterranean Europe. It became popular in the countryside and the rural neighborhoods of the Dominican Republic. Its subjects are often romantic; especially prevalent are tales of heartbreak and sadness. In fact, the original term used to name the genre was amargue (“bitterness” or “bitter music”), until the rather ambiguous (and mood-neutral) term bachata became popular. The form of dance, bachata, also developed with the music. The earliest bachata was originally developed in the Dominican Republic around the early part of the 20th century, with mixed Cuban boleros which originated from Son with African elements, and Puerto Rican 18th century jibaro music combined with traditional Latin/Caribbean rhythms. During much of its history, bachata music was denigrated by Latino/Caribbean society and associated with rural backwardness and delinquency. The typical bachata group consists of five instruments: lead guitar, rhythm guitar, electric bass guitar, bongos and güira. The rhythm guitar is also known as a segunda and serves the purpose of adding syncopation to the music. Bachata groups mainly play a simple style of bolero (lead guitar instrumentation using arpeggiated repetitive chords is a distinctive characteristic of bachata), but when they change to merengue based bachata, the percussionist will switch from bongo to a tambora drum. In the 1960s and 1970s, maracas were used instead of güira. The change in the 1980s from maracas to the more versatile güira was made as bachata was becoming more dance oriented.

Background music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Incidental music#

The use of incidental music dates back at least as far as Greek drama. A number of classical composers have written incidental music for various plays, with the more famous examples including Joseph Haydn’s Il distratto music, Felix Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream music, Robert Schumann’s Manfred music, Georges Bizet’s L’Arlésienne music, and Edvard Grieg’s Peer Gynt music. Parts of all of these are often performed in concerts outside the context of the play. Vocal incidental music, which is included in the classical scores mentioned above, should not be confused with the score of a Broadway or film musical, in which the songs often reveal character and further the storyline. Vocal incidental music sets the tone for a film through using various beats or sounds, portraying the emotions of certain scenes. Since the score of a Broadway or film musical is what actually makes the work a musical, it is far more essential to the work than mere incidental music, which nearly always amounts to little more than a background score; indeed, many plays have no incidental music whatsoever, allowing the actors to express their characters solely through words and their expressions.

Bagad

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Premier Category 2008#

The most successful bagadoù compete in the ‘Premier Category’. * Bagad Brieg, Briec – Bagad Brieg * Kevrenn Alre, Auray – Kevrenn Alre * Bagad Roñsed-Mor, Locoal-Mendon – Bagad Roñsed-Mor * Bagad Kemper, Quimper – Bagad Kemper * Bagad Cap Caval, Plomeur – Bagad Cap Caval * Kerlenn Pondi, Pontivy – Bagad Kerlenn Pondi * Bagad Bro Kemperle, Quimperlé – Bagad Bro Kemperle * Bagad Quic-en-groigne, Saint-Malo – Bagad Quic-en-Groigne * Bagad Gwengamp, Guingamp – Bagad Gwengamp * Bagad Sant-Nazer, Saint-Nazaire – Bagad Saint-Nazaire * Bagad Er Melinerion, Vannes – Bagad er Melinerion * Bagad Beuzeg ar C’hab, Beuzec-Cap-Sizun – Bagad Beuzeg ar C’hab * Bagad Penhars, Quimper – Bagad Penhars * Bagad Ar Meilhoù-Glaz, Quimper – Bagad Ar Meilhoù-Glaz * Bagad Sonerien Bro Dreger, Perros-Guirec – Bagad Sonerien Bro Dreger

Baganda music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Musical instruments#

In addition to voice, a range of instruments are used, including the Amadinda, the Akadinda xylophones, the Ennanga harp, the Etongoli lyre, drums, and the Kadongo (plural “budongo”) lamellophone. Amadinda, akadinda, ennanga, and entongoli, as well as several types of drums, are used in the courtly music of the Kabaka, the king of Buganda. The kadongo, on the other hand, was more recently introduced to Baganda music, dating to the early 20th century. For this reason, budongo music is not part of the traditional court music.

Bagatelle (music)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Earliest known bagatelle#

The earliest use of the name “bagatelle” for a musical work was by François Couperin, in his tenth harpsichord ordre (1717), in which a rondeau is titled “Les bagatelles”.

Best-known bagatelles#

The best-known bagatelles are probably those by Ludwig van Beethoven, who published three sets, Opp. 33, 119 and 126, and wrote a number of similar works that were unpublished in his lifetime, including the piece that is popularly known as Für Elise. Other notable examples are Franz Liszt’s Bagatelle sans tonalité (an early exploration into atonality); a set for violin and piano (Op. 13) by François Schubert of which No. 9, The Bee, is often performed; the set by Antonín Dvořák for two violins, cello and harmonium (Op. 47); and sets by Bedřich Smetana, Alexander Tcherepnin and Jean Sibelius. Anton Diabelli also wrote a bagatelle in a short, happy form. Mauro Giuliani wrote ten for guitar in his Bagattelle per la chitarra, Op. 73. Camille Saint-Saëns wrote Six Bagatelles, Op. 3, and Friedrich Baumfelder also wrote one bagatelle, Op. 386, in his later years. In the 20th century, several composers have written sets of bagatelles, including Béla Bartók, who wrote a set of fourteen (Op. 6); Anton Webern, who wrote a set of six for string quartet (Op. 9); Gerald Finzi, who wrote Five Bagatelles for clarinet and piano; and Alan Hovhaness, who wrote Four Bagatelles for string quartet (Op. 30). Another canonical modern bagatelle is the set by György Ligeti, who originally composed a set of eleven short works for piano entitled Musica Ricercata (1951–53), and later arranged a selection of them as Six Bagatelles for Wind Quintet (1953). The Northern Irish composer Howard Ferguson wrote a set of Five Bagatelles for piano (Op. 9), which, along with his Piano Sonata in F minor, are among the composer’s few regularly performed works. William Walton also wrote Five Bagatelles for the classical guitar for Julian Bream dedicated to composer Malcolm Arnold around 1970. These five pieces have been recorded by several eminent classical guitarists including Julian Bream, Sharon Isbin, Christopher Parkening and Ana Vidović. The American composer Charles Wuorinen wrote a Bagatelle for solo piano, which he later orchestrated. The Australian composer Carl Vine also wrote Five Bagatelles for piano (1994), which are quite frequently performed at piano competitions, especially in Australia. Peruvian composer Jorge Villavicencio Grossmann also wrote Cinco Bagatelas Opacas y Traslucidas for violin and piano (also existing in a trio version with bass clarinet). In 2006 the American composer Allen Shearer wrote Bagatelles (a set of seven) for flute and clarinet, and in 2015 John Zorn composed a book of 300 Bagatelles for open instrumentation that were premiered that same year by Sylvie Courvoisier, Mark Feldman, John Medeski, Craig Taborn, Uri Caine, Jamie Saft, Marc Ribot, Gyan Riley, Julian Lage, Erik Friedlander, Peter Evans, Jon Irabagon, Jim Black and Ikue Mori among others.

Baggy

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

The genesis of indie-dance was the Balearic beat scene (where there were DJs playing an eclectic mix of records including such rock/dance crossovers like “Jesus on the Payroll” by Thrashing Doves and producers like Paul Oakenfold ) and the indie music scene in the north west of England, which featured Tony Wilson’s Factory Records and former post-punk band the Stone Roses in Manchester. Even though the Stone Roses were not signed to Factory Records, instead signing to Paul Birch’s Revolver Records in Wolverhampton (before taking a deal with Jive Records’ Silvertone), the band did have links to Tony Wilson, Martin Hannett and Peter Hook, with the New Order bassist scheduled to produce their debut album before John Leckie took over. It was Leckie who produced the Stone Roses single “Fools Gold” (an indie-dance record which had a prominent ‘shufflebeat’ which came from a four-bar loop based upon Clyde Stubblefield’s “Funky Drummer” drum pattern, as well as Bobby Bird’s “Hot Pants” beat) and it was mainly fans of the Stone Roses who started to wear the fashions that gave the genre/scene its alternative name.

Baião (music)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Description#

Amerindian elements include the use of flutes, later replaced by the accordion, and wooden Shaker; African-influenced baião might be accompanied by atabaque drums and include overlapping call and response singing; and European influences include the use of the triangle, Western harmony, and dance music such as the quadrille, polka, mazurka, and schottische, heavy influences to forró, a dance-oriented variant. Repente music uses the baião rhythm in the context of acoustic guitar-centric vocal music, featuring the singing of improvised or pre-written lyrics in a specific meter and sometimes accompanied by the baião-style accordion and rhythm section. Some instances were accompanied by European-style orchestras. According to Guerra Peixe, baião mostly borrows harmonically from European music tradition and uses the minor mode and the major scale (Ionian mode), Mixolydian, Lydian and Dorian modes, and the first, second, fourth and fifth scale degrees in chord progressions. The supertonic frequently appears with an augmented fourth. It is notated in duple meter (2/4 time) and most frequently uses eighth notes, quarter notes, half notes, and dotted whole notes.

Baila music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

After their arrival in 1505, the Portuguese began to convert the Sinhalese to Roman Catholicism, building their wealth and power through the spice and slave trade. As early as 1630, African Kaffirs were brought to Sri Lanka to work as slaves or soldiers. The Kaffirs were once described as a people ‘steeped in opium and witless with drink’. The Kaffirs’ carefree spirit inspired two music forms known as chicote and “kafrinha” infusing them with humour and satire. In 1894, Advocate Charles Matthew Fernando wrote that chicote as a “slow and stately” music, while “kafrinha” is “faster and more boisterous” and “with a peculiar jerky movement”. The word “kafrinha” itself comes from “kaf” (Kaffirs) and “rinha” which means “local lady”. These communities, mainly consisting of Portuguese traders, and the slaves that they had brought with them from the western coast of Africa, gradually combined with communities of native Sri Lankans. The musical style, now referred to as “Baila”, emerged from this cultural interchange. The violin, viola, acoustic guitar and the tambourine are the accompanying instruments. The viola, mandolin, rabana as well as the harmonium and tabla were used. The trumpet and military drums such as the snare and cymbals form part of the Papare bands popular throughout the coastal districts. In addition the tavil is used when accompanying religious processions such the Kataragama and the Devinuwara temple festival. The popular Baila singer Wally Bastiansz, who introduced the chorus to the traditional baila, is referred to as the “Father of Baila in Sri Lanka”. Nithi Kanagaratnam started Baila’s in Tamil in 1967 and was also the key figures in the development of the genre.

Baithak Gana

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Instruments#

In basic Baithak Gana there are three instruments, harmonium, dholak and the dhantal. The harmonium is a free-standing keyboard instrument similar to a reed organ. The dholak is a double headed drum that originated in Northern India, however, it is still used in the folk songs from Pakistan or Nepal. The last instrument that is used in this style of music is the dhantal which serves as the rhythmic piece of the ensemble, it consists of a long steel rod which is then “struck” by a U-formed piece, the origin of this device is unclear, as it may have been brought by the Indian indentured-laborers. The origin of the dhantal was formed from the use of a long steel rod with an almost-enclosed circle tip at the end used in the yoke of bull-driven carts that were used to transport sugar cane to guide the bulls. The U-shaped handle piece was derived from the use of a horse shoe.

Baka music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Dance#

Every part of the forest has its own dance ritual. Many dances used for different things. They are performed by skilled dancers, who usually have gone through specific initiation. They are done for men initiations, healing, funerals, and keeping the community close together. In a dance, the dancers do structured improvisation. They know when and how to add or change a phrase or a beat.

Vocal music#

The most common voice technique is Jodel. It goes from the chest to the head. Jodel is often performed on syllables or sounds without any meaning.

Bakersfield sound

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

The Bakersfield sound was developed at honky-tonk bars such as The Blackboard, and on local television stations in Bakersfield and throughout California in the 1950s and 1960s. The town, known mainly for agriculture and oil production, was the destination for many Dust Bowl migrants and others from Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, and parts of the Midwest. The mass migration of “Okies” to California also meant their music would follow and thrive, finding an audience in California’s Central Valley. Bakersfield country was a reaction to the slickly produced, string orchestra-laden Nashville sound, which was becoming popular in the late 1950s. One of the first groups to make it big on the West Coast was the Maddox Brothers and Rose, who were the first to wear outlandish costumes and make a “show” out of their performances. Artists such as Wynn Stewart used electric instruments and added a backbeat, as well as other stylistic elements borrowed from rock and roll. Important influences were the Depression-era country music superstar Jimmie Rodgers, the early 1950s honky tonk singer Lefty Frizzell, and the 1940s Western swing musician Bob Wills. Susan Raye was also a major figure in the Bakersfield sound, particularly in the 1970s, with hits such as “L.A. International Airport”. She was also a member of Buck Owens’s road show and recorded several hit duets with him. Other women to emerge from the West Coast country movement include Bonnie Owens, Kay Adams, and Rosie Flores. The Bakersfield sound has such a large influence on the West Coast music scene that many small guitar companies set up shop in Bakersfield in the 1960s. The Mosrite guitar company was located in the Bakersfield area until the mid-1970s. The Bakersfield music scene remained markedly separate from the Nashville Music Row industry at the time, as the major radio station in Nashville, WSM, did not reach California. No Bakersfield natives (or any other Californians until Jon Pardi achieved the feat in 2023) were ever inducted into the cast of WSM’s flagship Grand Ole Opry.

Bal-musette

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Auvergnats settled in large numbers in the 5th, 11th, and 12th districts (arrondissements) of Paris during the 19th century, opening cafés and bars where patrons danced the bourrée to the accompaniment of the cabrette (a bellows-blown bagpipe locally called a “musette”) and often the vielle à roue (hurdy-gurdy). Parisian and immigrant Italian musicians who played the accordion adopted the style and established themselves in Auvergnat bars especially in the 19th arrondissement. When Italians began introducing new rhythms like the waltz and polka into the traditional musical form and began playing it on the recently introduced hybrid accordion, conflicts arose, and the Italian and Auvergnat styles split. By the end of 19th century, there were three kinds of bals-musette establishments: *bal des familles – Auvergnat *bal musette populaires – Italian *guinche or bal de barrière – seedy hangouts frequented by low-lifes and so-called bohemians. These places often were frequented by members of the French upper classes looking for excitement among the poor and downtrodden. Some establishments even staged mock police raids for their patrons’ benefit. Performers of this era include Antoine Bouscatel, Émile Vacher, Martin Cayla, Charles Péguri, and Gus Viseur. Musette dance forms arose from people looking for easier, faster and more sensual dance steps, as well as forms that did not require a large hall. “Musette-forms” that established themselves as variations to popular dances of the day include: * tango-musette * paso-musette * valse-musette, with a special variation called la toupie (“the top”), where dancers are very close and turn around themselves very regularly. An original musette dance also appeared, known as java. Admission to most bals was free, but dancers bought dance tokens at the cash-desk. These tokens were made of metal in various shapes, with the name of the hall stamped on one side. In the middle of the dance, the bal director walked between the couples with a bag and the dancers turned in a token. In the 1930s, gypsy jazz, a rhythmic form of swing music, drew on musette styles. By 1945, the bal-musette became the most popular style of dance in France and its biggest stars were widely known across the country. Its popularity declined drastically beginning around 1960. A revival of bals has begun, especially in larger cities, and a modern form of the musette is establishing itself.

Baladi

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Baladi music and dance#

Baladi means ‘of the country’ and is a style of Egyptian folk dance from the early 20th century which is still very popular. Thus, Egyptian Beledi means ‘of the country of Egypt’. Egyptians have Baladi people, Baladi bread, Baladi rhythms, Baladi music and Baladi dance. Baladi can take the form of traditional songs, often with a verse-chorus structure – some popular examples include “That il Shibbak” and “Hassan ya Koulli”. There is also an improvised musical form in the baladi style.

Balearic beat

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

This style was popularized at Amnesia, an Ibizan nightclub, by DJ Alfredo from Argentina, who had a residency there. DJ Alfredo, whose birth name is Alfredo Fiorito, has been credited as the “Father of the Balearic beat”. Alfredo played an eclectic mix of dance music Trevor Fung, Danny Rampling and Electra’s Paul Oakenfold are commonly credited with having “popularised” Balearic beat, especially in the UK, with Fung said to be the originator of the term. In 1987, after a holiday in Ibiza, Oakenfold, Fung and Ian St. Paul returned to London, where they unsuccessfully tried to establish a nightclub called the Funhouse in the Balearic style. Returning to Ibiza during the summer of 1987, Oakenfold rented a villa where he hosted a number of his DJ friends, including Danny Rampling, Johnny Walker, and Nicky Holloway. Returning to London after the summer, Oakenfold reintroduced the Balearic style at a South London nightclub called the Project Club. The club initially attracted those who had visited Ibiza and who were familiar with the Balearic concept. Fueled by their use of Ecstasy and an emerging fashion style based on baggy clothes and bright colors, these Ibiza veterans were responsible for propagating the Balearic subculture within the evolving UK rave scene. In 1988, Oakenfold established a second outlet for Balearic beat, a Monday night event called Spectrum, which is credited with exposing the Balearic concept to a wider audience. It was 1988 when Balearic beat was first noticed in the U.S., according to Dance Music Report magazine. Jose Padilla was an Ibizan DJ best known for his residency at Café del Mar. Also Jon Sa Trinxa, a British DJ and Producer best known for the longest residency on Salinas Beach at Sa Trinxa defines his style as being Balearic Music. Pitchfork traces back elements of Balearic beat music to the 1982 Indian album Disco Jazz, sung by Rupa Biswas and composed by Aashish Khan. According to Pitchfork, the Bengali language song “Aaj Shanibar” from Disco Jazz contains “touches of what would now be considered Balearic beat music, with its expansive and hypnotic musical interludes.” However, the album was largely unknown until its rediscovery in the late 2010s.

Balkan brass

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Records show that trumpeters were part of the Serbian army of prince Stefan Vojislav, which defeated the Byzantines in the Battle of Bar on the Rumija mountain in 1042. Together with the drummers, they are mentioned being in the armies of prince Lazar Hrebeljanović and his successors, despots Stefan Lazarević and Đurađ Branković in the 14th and 15th century. During that period, the trumpet was only used as a military instrument. The music’s tradition stems from the First Serbian Uprising led by Karageorge in 1804 (Serbian revolution) when Serbs revolted against the occupying Ottoman Empire, eventually liberating Serbia. The trumpet was used as a military instrument to wake and gather soldiers and announce battles, the trumpet took on the role of entertainment during downtime, as soldiers used it to transpose popular folk songs. When the war ended, the soldiers returned to the rural life; the music became common, accompanying births, baptisms, weddings, the slava (family patron saint day), farewell parties for those joining military service, state and church festivals, harvesting, reaping, and during funerals of family members in the community. As Serbia was liberated from the Ottoman Empire after the Second Serbian Uprising in 1815, Serbian prince Miloš Obrenović formed the band at his court in Kragujevac. As the new state was still under heavy Ottoman influence, the band played oriental music. It was headed by violin and zurna player, Mustafa. He was titled oberlautar (chief singer) or in Serbian, bukadžija, which literally means the “noise maker”. To westernize the state, prince Miloš dismissed Mustafa in 1831 and invited Josif Šlezinger (1794-1870), a musician and composer from Sombor, to form the first military orchestra, with the European instruments, so the trumpet was returned to the orchestras. After the World War I it became the most popular folk instrument, suppressing the previously dominant gaida and violin (in folk music called ćemane). The amateur players were originally taught by the former professional military trumpeters, like Momir Miletić, Momir Subotić and Dojčilo Đukić. The village orchestras were mostly disbanded during the World War II, but after 1945 they were renewed. In time, three schools of brass music developed: eastern (Zaječar, Boljevac), southern (Vranje, Surdulica, Vladičin Han) and western (Užice, Čačak, Požega).

Balkan music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Byzantine medieval music#

Byzantine music (Greek: Βυζαντινή Μουσική) is associated with the medieval sacred chant of Christian Churches following the Constantinopolitan rite. Its modal system is based on the ancient Greek models. The development of large scale hymnographic forms begins in the fifth century with the rise of the kontakion, a long and elaborate metrical sermon, which finds its acme in the work of Romanos the Melodist (sixth century). Heirmoi in syllabic style are gathered in the Irmologion, a bulky volume which first appeared in the middle of the tenth century and contains over a thousand model troparia arranged into an octoechos (the eight-mode musical system) and the whole system of Byzantine music which is closely related to the music of ancient Greece.

Ballad

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Origins#

Ballads derive from the medieval French chanson balladée or ballade, which were originally “dancing songs” (L: ballare, to dance), yet becoming “stylized forms of solo song” before being adopted in England. As a narrative song, their theme and function may originate from Scandinavian and Germanic traditions of storytelling that can be seen in poems such as Beowulf. Musically they were influenced by the Minnelieder of the Minnesang tradition. The earliest example of a recognizable ballad in form in England is “Judas” in a 13th-century manuscript.

Ballad (disambiguation)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Genres and forms#

Ballade (classical music), a musical setting of a literary ballad, or a romantic instrumental piece, especially for piano
Ballade (forme fixe), a French poetic and musical form common in the 14th and 15th centuries
Ballata, a similar Italian poetic and musical form
Sentimental ballad, a style of popular music, in many genres, that often deals with romantic relationships
Korean ballad, a genre popular since the 1980s
Latin ballad, a genre that originated in the 1960s in Spain and Latin America

Classical compositions#

Ballad (John Ireland), a 1929 composition for piano by John Ireland
Ballad, a composition by Stravinsky
Ballad, a composition by Arnold Bax
Ballad, a composition by Paul Ben-Haim
Ballad, a composition by Eric Coates
Ballad, a composition by Sibelius
Ballade (Balanchine), a ballet by George Balanchine
Ballade (Robbins), a ballet by Jerome Robbins
Ballades, Op. 10 (Brahms)
Ballades (Chopin), 1831–1842
Ballade (Dvořák), 1884

Performers#

The Ballads (group), a 1960s American R&B vocal group

Albums#

Ballads (Derek Bailey album), 2002
Ballads (Mary J. Blige album), 2000
Ballads (Liane Carroll album), 2013
Ballads (John Coltrane album), 1962
Ballads (David Murray album), 1988
Ballads (Richard Marx album)
Ballads (Despina Vandi album)
Ballads (Earl Klugh album), 1993
Ballads (Harem Scarem album), 1999
Ballads (Paul Bley album), 1971
Ballads (Ken Stubbs album), 2000
Ballads, an album by Burl Ives
Ballads - The Love Song Collection, a 2003 album by Boyzone
The Ballads (Mariah Carey album), 2009
The Ballads (REO Speedwagon album), 1999
The Ballads (Doro album)
Ballads 1, a 2018 album by Joji

Songs#

“Ballad” (Ayumi Hamasaki song), 2009
“Ballad (Namonaki Koi no Uta)”, by Alan, 2009
“Ballad”, by Vangelis from Spiral
“The Ballad”, by Bang Camaro from Bang Camaro
“The Ballad”, by Blur from The Ballad of Darren
“The Ballad”, by Testament from Practice What You Preach

Other uses#

“Ballad” (Glee), a television episode
Ballad, a 2009 movie starring Tsuyoshi Kusanagi
Ballade, a typeface designed in 1938 by Paul Renner
Honda Ballade, a compact car
Ballade, a character from Mega Man IV and Mega Man V

Ballad opera

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Earliest ballad operas#

Ballad opera has been called an “eighteenth-century protest against the Italian conquest of the London operatic scene.” It consists of racy and often satirical spoken (English) dialogue, interspersed with songs that are deliberately kept very short (mostly a single short stanza and refrain) to minimize disruptions to the flow of the story, which involves lower class, often criminal, characters, and typically shows a suspension (or inversion) of the high moral values of the Italian opera of the period. It is generally accepted that the first ballad opera, and the one that was to prove the most successful, was The Beggar’s Opera of 1728. It had a libretto by John Gay and music arranged by Johann Christoph Pepusch, both of whom probably experienced vaudeville theatre in Paris, and may have been motivated to reproduce it in an English form. They were also probably influenced by the burlesques and musical plays of Thomas D’Urfey (1653–1723) who had a reputation for fitting new words to existing songs; a popular anthology of these settings was published in 1700 and frequently re-issued. A number of the tunes from this anthology were recycled in The Beggar’s Opera. After the success of The Beggar’s Opera, many similar pieces were staged. The actor Thomas Walker, who played Macheath in the original production, wrote several ballad operas, Although they featured the lower reaches of society, the audiences for these works were typically the London bourgeois. As a reaction to opera seria (at this time almost invariably sung in Italian), the music, for these audiences, was as satirical in its way as the words of the play. The plays themselves contained references to contemporary politics—in The Beggar’s Opera the character Peachum was a lampoon of Sir Robert Walpole. This satirical element meant that many of them risked censorship and banning—as was the case with Gay’s successor to The Beggar’s Opera, Polly. The tunes of the original ballad operas were almost all pre-existing (somewhat in the manner of a modern “jukebox musical”): however they were taken from a wide variety of contemporary sources, including folk melodies, popular airs by classical composers (such as Purcell) and even children’s nursery rhymes. A significant source from which the music was drawn was the fund of popular airs to which 18th century London broadside ballads are set. It is from this connection that the term “ballad opera” is drawn. This ragbag of familiar music is a good test for distinguishing between the original type of ballad opera and its later forms. Many ballad operas used the same tunes, such as “Lillibullero”, and by about 1750 it had become clear that there was a need for new tunes to be written. In 1762, Thomas Arne’s Love in a Village presented a new form of ballad opera, with mainly new music and much less reliance on traditional tunes. It was followed in similar style by Charles Dibdin’s Lionel and Clarissa in 1768. The Disappointment (1762) represents an early American attempt at such a ballad opera.

Ballade (classical music)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Origin#

The musical ballade originates in the literary tradition of medieval and early Renaissance poetry. In poetry, the ballade featured a highly structured form, typically composed of three main stanzas with a repeated refrain. This structure allowed poets to weave tales of romance, heroism, and folklore, with Guillaume de Machaut being a key figure in popularizing this poetic style. Additionally, the ballade existed as a courtly dance, marked by its elegance and association with nobility, reinforcing its connection to grand and noble themes. As the literary ballade evolved, its narrative and lyrical qualities inspired composers to translate these elements into instrumental music. By the Romantic era, composers like Chopin began adapting the narrative essence of the ballade, creating expressive piano works that conveyed dramatic arcs and emotional depth without adhering to a strict poetic structure. These musical ballades embraced the storytelling spirit of their literary predecessors, allowing composers to explore narrative through melody and thematic development.

Ballade (forme fixe)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Musical form#

The musical form of a ballade stanza is a bar form ( \mathrm AAB ), with a first, repeated musical section (stollen) setting the two initial pairs of verses (rhyme scheme \mathrm ab ,, ab ), and the second section (abgesang) setting the remaining lines including the refrain verse ( \mathrm bcbC ). The two statements of the " \mathrm A " section often have different endings, known as “ouvert” and “clos” respectively, with the harmony of the “ouvert” ending leading back to the beginning and that of the “clos” ending leading forward into the " \mathrm B " section. In many ballades, the final part of the " \mathrm B " section may reintroduce melodic material referring back to the end of the \mathrm A part, a feature known as “musical rhyme” (or, in German, Rücklaufballade). An alternative form employed by Machaut, known as ballade duplex or balladelle, has the \mathrm B part also divided into two repetitions, with the refrain line sung as part of the repetition. A famous exception to the normal form is “Se la face ay pale” by Guillaume Dufay, where the entire stanza is through-composed, i.e. without a repetition between the two " \mathrm A " sections.

Ballata

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Lauda and Ballata#

The vernacular sacred genre called lauda were often written in ballata form both before and after the height of the Trecento polyphonic ballata. It is through newly composed laude and laude-contrafacta that the ballata has its chronologically widest influence.

Editions#

Modern editions of the majority of the surviving ballata repertory were prepared by Nino Pirrotta in The Music of Fourteenth-Century Italy (esp. volume 8) and in Polyphonic Music of the Fourteenth Century vol. 4 (Leo Schrade, ed., the music of Francesco Landini), vol. 24 (Margaret Bent and Anne Hallmark, ed., the music of Johannes Ciconia), and throughout vols. 6-11 (W. Thomas Marrocco, ed.).

Ballet (music)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Until about the second half of the 19th century, the role of music in ballet was secondary, with the main emphasis on dance, while music was simply a compilation of danceable tunes. Writing “ballet music” used to be a job for musical craftsmen, rather than for masters. For example, critics of the Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893) mentioned his writing of ballet music as something demeaning. From the earliest ballets up to the time of Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632–1687), ballet music was indistinguishable from ballroom dance music. Lully created a style that was separate, wherein the music told a story. The first ballet d’action was staged in 1717. The Loves of Mars and Venus was a story told without words. The pioneer was John Weaver (1673–1760). Both Lully and Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683–1764) wrote opéra-ballets, where the story was partly danced and partly sung, but ballet music became gradually less important. The French danseuse Marie Sallé gained popularity during the early 18th century due to her usage of looser costuming that went against the more modestly-designed attire of dancers during this era. This initially scandalized audiences, but fascination from the court brought her to London where, in 1717, she danced in a production of Handel’s Rinaldo, which subsequently caught the attention of the composer. The two crossed paths later, in 1725 and 1733 respectively, and after appearing in a widely acclaimed staging of Rameau’s Pygmalion, gained far more appreciation in the English capital compared to her considerably critical Parisian audience. After being contracted at Covent Garden, Sallé began a long partnership with Handel which resulted in the composer writing ballet music for her in a handful of his operas, such as Il pastor fido, Ariodante and Alcina. After appearing onstage in man’s attire, Sallé was aggressively hissed off stage and after her popularity in Britain waned, she returned to France. The next big step occurred in the early years of the nineteenth century, when principal dancers changed from using hard shoes to ballet pumps. This enabled a more free-flowing style of music to be used. Marie Taglioni (1804–1884) is credited with being the first ballerina to dance en pointe in La Sylphide in 1832. It was now possible to have music that was more expressive. Gradually, dancing became more daring, with men lifting the ballerinas into the air. Until the time of Tchaikovsky, the composer of ballets was considered to be separate from the composer of symphonies. Ballet music was an accompaniment for the solo and ensemble dances. Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake was the first ballet score to be created by a symphonic composer. Following the initiative of Tchaikovsky, ballet composers were no longer writing simple, easily danceable pieces. The focus of a ballet was no longer solely the dance; the music behind the dances began to take an equal prevalence. In the late 19th century, Marius Petipa, French ballet choreographer and dancer, worked with composers such as Cesare Pugni to create ballet masterpieces that boasted both complex dance and complex music. Petipa worked with Tchaikovsky as well, whether through collaboration with Tchaikovsky on his work The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker, or indirectly through revision of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake after the composer’s death. In many cases ballets were still short scenes within operas, to enable scenery or costume changes. Perhaps the best-known example of ballet music that is part of an opera is the Dance of the Hours from Amilcare Ponchielli’s opera La Gioconda (1876). There was a violent change in mood when Igor Stravinsky’s ballet The Rite of Spring was first performed in 1913, at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris. The music was modernist and dissonant, and the movements were highly stylized. In 1924 George Antheil wrote Ballet Mécanique, which was actually for a film of moving objects, not for dancers, but it was pioneering in the use of jazz music. From this point dance music split into two directions: modern and jazz dance. George Gershwin attempted to bridge this gap with his ambitious score to the film Shall We Dance (1937), composing over one hour of music that spanned from the cerebral and technical to foot-stomping jazz and rumba. One scene, Hoctor’s Ballet, was composed specifically for the ballerina Harriet Hoctor. Another strand in the history of ballet music is the trend towards creative adaptations of old music. Ottorino Respighi took works by Gioachino Rossini (1792–1868) and strung them together into a ballet titled La Boutique fantasque, premiered in 1919. The audience for ballet generally prefers romantic music, hence new ballets are created from old works with new choreography. A well-known example is The Dream to the music of Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847) arranged by John Lanchbery.

Ballet d'action

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Influencers#

In the early 18th century, the grotesque dance was influential in that it inspired two very different outcomes: Gennaro Magri’s style of rigid, mechanized dancing and body position, and John Weaver’s idea of passion and expression in dance. In his “Essay Towards a History of Modern Dancing”, Weaver writes that “modern dancing” (or the grotesque character) should include the mimetic qualities in harmony with choreography and movement. He encourages the idea that an audience should be able to recognize the emotions of a character and the story-line of a dance simply through the expression and movements of the dancer.
Marie Salle was not only a major influence on the development of ballet d’action, but an exemplary dancer, choreographer, and teacher in her own right. Her background as a carnival performer most likely contributed to her fame as a skilled mime. An evolution from the grotesque dance into the pantomime ballet created the stories by action that so inspired Noverre. As her student, he was exposed to her modern, expressive dancing and the conveyance of passions onstage. She danced with costume innovations that are clearly the parent of the ballet d’action; instead of heavy, cumbersome costumes and masks, she performed in simple outfits with her hair and face free to the audience. Her dance partners, too, were affected by her expressive dances, as written by none other than Noverre. Her free and passionate mimetic theatrical dances clearly inspired, at least in part, Noverre’s treatise. One could say that they were the first instances of the ‘classic’ ballet d’action.
Jean-Georges Noverre’s name has nothing to do with the idea of “Ballet d’action”. He wrote his fictional Lettres sur la danse, et sur les ballets (Letters about the dance, and about ballets) already 1760 in Lyon/France in French, which was a widely published and highly popular dance manual then in France, Germany and Austria. Dissatisfied with the outdated ideals of ballet, Noverre called for severe reforms to the art form. These reforms presented the concept of a ballet en action (ballet in motion), which has a double-sense regarding his reform ideas for the ballet. Unfortunately the first English translator of Noverre in 1782 used the term “ballet d’action” in the English edition of Noverre’s Lettres, and named it as the untranslated French term of Noverre, what is not correct, and still leads to some misunderstanding. Noverre’s manifesto explored the following:
Logical plots: No more illogical or insane plots. Ballets should be rationally constructed. Stage action should be coherent, with each scene consistent in tone. Variety and contrast can be displayed throughout the ballet as a whole.
Truth over nature: Noverre did away with the symbolism and abstractions present in the court ballet. Mythological figures could only be used in ballets if motivated by human emotions.
No to the use of masks: Noverre did away with the use of masks. The dancer’s face should be seen. It is expressive and reinforces the emotion they are trying to communicate with their audience.
Costume Reform: Dancers should be dressed in light fabrics that show off their figures and allow for mobility. No more cumbersome costumes such as panniers or tonnelets. Costumes should be timely and represent the character the dancer is portraying.
Artistic Collaboration: Noverre called for better communication between artistic collaborators. It had been common practice (until this point) for the choreographer, composer, the designers, and the machinists to work independently until late in the production process. Noverre felt that a more cohesive creative process was integral to the success of a ballet.
Noverre was also a proponent of education. He recommended that choreographers educate themselves in additional subjects to better assist in their ability to create truthful ballets. For example, a choreographer should study painting so he can compose stage pictures (formations) as a painter would. He should also observe people in all walks of life, so he can apply realistic and appropriate gestures to the characters created in ballets.
Other contributors include the choreographers Jean-Baptiste de Hesse (1705–1779) and Franz Anton Hilverding (1710–1768), as well as critic Gasparo Angiolini (1731–1803) and Louis de Cahusac (1700–1759), a French librettist and dance historian.

Ballroom rumba

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Music#

Although the term rhumba began to be used by American record companies to label all kinds of Latin music between 1913 and 1915, the history of rhumba as a specific form of ballroom music can be traced back to May 1930, when Don Azpiazú and his Havana Casino Orchestra recorded their song “El manisero” (The Peanut Vendor) in New York City. This single, released four months later by Victor, became a hit, becoming the first Latin song to sell 1 million copies in the United States. The song, composed by Moisés Simons, is a son-pregón arranged, in this case, for Azpiazú’s big band featuring three saxophones, two cornets, banjo, guitar, piano, violin, bass, and trap drums. With vocals by Antonio Machín and a trumpet solo (the first one in the recorded history of Cuban music) by Remberto Lara, the recording, arranged by saxophonist Alfredo Brito, attempted to adapt the Cuban son to the style of ballroom music prevalent at the time in the East Coast. Among their numerous hits were boleros and canciones such as “Amapola” and “Siboney”. This music movement, which also included many American big bands that covered Latin standards, was dubbed the rhumba craze. Notable bandleaders of the rhumba craze include Xavier Cugat, Jimmy Dorsey, Nathaniel Shilkret, Leo Reisman and Enric Madriguera. Rhumba was also incorporated into classical music, as exemplified by symphonic pieces by composers such as George Gershwin, Harl McDonald and Morton Gould. The kind of rhumba introduced into dance salons in America and Europe in the 1930s was characterized by variable tempo, sometimes nearly twice as fast as the modern ballroom rumba, which was developed as a dance in the 1940s and 1950s, when the original music movement had died down. Nonetheless, the rhumba craze would be the first of three Latin music crazes in the first half of the 20th century, together with the mambo craze and the cha-cha-cha craze.

Balochi music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Music instruments#

Instruments in traditional Balochi music include suroz, donali, ghaychak, dohol, sorna, rubab, kemenche, tamburag and benju. Baloch musicians would learn to play this instrument from their families because the art of instrumental music was considered a hereditary profession. Traditional Balochi dances like Chaap, perform with suroz, Sorna, Dohol and tamburag.

History#

Balochi music, as a valuable art, has been passed from one generation to another and mostly composed by people who remained anonymous. This music reflects their history, struggles, love, and connection to nature. It features a mix of traditional instruments, poetic lyrics, Balochi literature and distinct rhythms that evoke a sense of both longing and celebration. The Balochi zahirok dates back to the 15th century, and some Baloch think it is the original form of Balochi music. They were originally sung by pahlawan, or mintrels, Baloch songs are strongly melancholic, expressing deep emotions that culturally distinct from other regions. and to online music platforms like YouTube and Bandcamp.

Baltimore club

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Origins#

Early promoters of Baltimore club included Scottie B and his colleagues at Unruly Records. The Ensoniq ASR-10 keyboard sampler, released in 1992, was used to produce many tracks in the genre.

2000s#

In the mid-2000s, the genre gained crossover popularity in Baltimore’s rock underground due to dance nights at venues such as the Talking Head Club. Baltimore club was featured in Spin Magazine in December 2005. DJ K-Swift was known as a prominent personality in the genre. In addition to DJing at “Hammerjacks” and The Paradox, she hosted a radio show on WERQ-FM from 1998 until her death in 2008.

Balwo

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Origins#

The Balwo genre was founded by Abdi Sinimo, a Somali of the Reer Nuur subclan of the Gadabuursi. The first Heelo (Which is considered a sub genre of Balwo) was brought fourth by Abdi Sinimo as well. In 1945, while working as a lorry driver for the Djiboutian Port Authority, Abdi Sinimo was driving his truck and had experienced misfortune when around the Zeila area, thus the first Balwo was created. He called it “Balwo” (meaning misfortune in Somali), because of the remoteness of where his truck had experienced difficulty. The Balwo is a simple love lyric that has revolutionized modern Somali music. Another artist who made significant contributions to the genre was Abdullahi Qarshe, who is credited with the introduction of the kaban (oud) as an accompaniment to Somali music. In an interview with Abdullahi Qarshe, he affirmed that “modern music was in the air at the time of Abdi Sinimo, who is widely regarded as the genius who formulated and organized it into the belwo and thus took well deserved credit and honor for it.”

Bambera

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Definition#

The bambera or bamba derives from the cante de columpio, meaning “song of the swing”, which is one of the traditional Andalusian song forms associated with flamenco. These songs were known as bambas or mecederos (from a Spanish word meaning ’to sway’), because they were sung to the rhythm of a swing. Jose de Bisso in his Chronicle of the Province of Seville (1868) describes it thus: The Vampas or Bambas is a double swing that is suspended from a heavy tree, the walnut tree, and crossed with a quite resistant plank; the pair that are rocked are placed in it while the group sings and pushes the swing. Each song sung by one of those in the group, is answered by one of those on the swing; but the unique thing about these occasions is that lovers get a chance to hear each other’s complaints, jealousies, disdain, tenderness, gallantries, resentments, snubs etc. expressed through an improvised song with lively imagination and perspective and the release of contained passion.

Banamba (dance)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Description#

The dance can be performed either solo or as a group. The Banamba genre originated during the slavery era, drawing from the Saramaccans’ African heritage. At the beginning of the 21st century, Banamba is performed both as a form of entertainment and to mark official occasions, such as when a child receives a pangi or when the village welcomes guests. Special banamba celebrations include the 2016 Banamba Riddim Party in Paranam, the 2022 Banamba Neti in Pokigron and recurring Banamba competitions in Paramaribo.

Banda music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Traditional ensembles#

Brass instruments in the state of Oaxaca of European origin that date back to the 1850s have been found. The repertoire of the bands of Morelos, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Chiapas and Michoacán covered gustos, sones, vinuetes, funeral pieces, marches, danzones, valses, corridos, paso dobles, polkas, rancheras, alabanzas, and foxes. Traditional bands that play Yucatecan Jarana are instrumented with clarinet, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, trumpet, trombone, timbales, snare drum, bass drum, cymbals, and güiro. Traditional Oaxacan bands use a mix of tuba, saxophones and clarinets, fewer trumpets and more tenor trombones, and the bass drum and cymbals are played separately. One of the oldest bands recorded in history is the Banda de Tlayacapan of the state of Morelos, founded approximately in 1870 and being one of the first to play la danza del Chinelo. Traditional Zacatecan tamborazo bands do not use tuba, the tambora taking the bass voice instead.

Bandari music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Music#

It is a rhythmic type of dance music played in fast and slow tempos. The music includes instruments and vocals, and it is played during celebrations such as weddings. The word “bandari” means “of the port” and is a derivation of the Persian word bandar, meaning port. It is commonly known as “Chamak” or “Chamaki” music in the GCC region.

Instruments#

The major musical instruments used in the Bandari style include the Ney Anban (a bagpipe instrument made of goat’s skin), the tombak (a percussion instrument made of animal skin and the wood of the walnut tree), the daf (a percussion instrument made of animal skin and a wooden frame like the head of a drum, with jingles on the rim, similar to the tambourine), and the darbuka (a percussion instrument made of fish skin and clay). Modern Persian Bandari bands use rhythmic instruments such as the frame drum, darbuka, djembe, talking drum, quinto, conga, and acoustic and electric drums specialized in 6/8 rhythms.

Bandish

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Etymology#

The word bandish is derived from the Hindustani language, and literally means “binding together”.

Sections#

Sthāyī or Asthāyī: The initial, Rondo phrase or line of a fixed, melodic composition. Antarā: The second body phrase or line of a fixed, melodic composition. Sanchāri: The third body phrase or line of a fixed, melodic composition, seen more typically in Dhrupad bandishes. Aabhog: The fourth and concluding body phrase or line of a fixed, melodic composition, seen more typically in Dhrupad bandishes.

Bangladeshi heavy metal

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Antecedents: 1960s (Blues rock)#

Although there were no Bangladeshi metal bands formed in the 1960s and 1970s, some blues-based rock bands helped to emerge heavy rock in Bangladesh. Such a band was Windy Side of Care, formed in 1964, Dhaka, who became one of the earliest rock bands to form in Bangladesh. Mainly inspired by rock n’ roll artists like Elvis Presley, Cliff Richard and The Shadows, they mixed psychedelic rock, hard rock, blues rock with Bengali Classical music. Initially they did not intend to record their output but to play gigs. They used to jam at Shahbag Hotel. They jammed at high volume, so loud that they were told to turn down their volume by their grandfather. Their long instrumental jamming through high amps, powerful distortion and frequent whammy bar sets an early example of heavy rock in the Bangladeshi music scene. They did not become commercially successful but their early works and experiments indicate the major movement of heavy rock in Bangladesh. Although they are not as well known to modern fans, some of their records were recovered. They made a deal with EMI record labels to record an album in 1968.

Bangladeshi hip-hop

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Early Years (1993–2005)#

As the pioneers of rap music in the Bengali-language music industry, Ashraf Babu and Charu released Tri-Rotner Khepa in early 1993, which was the first Bengali rap music album. In 2004, Stoic Bliss, formed as a hip-hop crew with eight members. The group introduced Banglish, a rap fusion in Bangla rap. Stoic Bliss ventured into the music industry in Bangladesh with a goal of introducing a new genre of music. They released their first album in 2006. In 2005, a US-based Bangladeshi rapper named Shaon Ahmed (known by Fokir Lal Miah) released an album named Quest for Glory. His second album, Ekla Eksho, was more successful. A week after the album was released, it recorded 30,000 units sold in the UK.

Bangladeshi rock

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Origins#

The foundations of Bangladeshi rock started in the 1950s as a fusion of American rock and roll and Bengali classical music. In the 1960s, the Gramophone Company of Pakistan imported many LPs and singles from rock and roll artists like Cliff Richard and the Shadows, Elvis Presley, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys and the Hollies, which sold very well in Bangladesh. These artists were favored mostly by high school and college students. Drawing influences from 1950s and 1960s rock and roll artists, Bangladeshi rock bands formed. Hence, mid-1960s Bangladeshi rock music was influenced by and developed a sound that was very similar in beat to the British Invasion and, in the late 1960s, to that of psychedelic rock. There is much debate as to who was the first rock band in the country. Zinga, formed in 1963 in Chittagong, is an early contender, but their music resembled Adhunik more than rock and roll. The band introduced guitar, drums and piano, which made their music quite popular. It was also the first band to perform Tagore songs with guitar and piano on East Pakistan TV (now BTV). It has been argued by singer and journalist Elita Karim that Windy Side of Care was the first rock band of the country. Formed in 1964 in Dhaka, they started performing songs by Elvis and Cliff Richard in clubs and hotels. They were also the first band to advertise themselves as performing psychedelic rock. Their self-titled debut album also featured the raga rock song “Raag Bageshri”. In 1968, Zinga released their first song “Tomari Jiboney” which became very popular as it was aired on Shadhin Bangla Betar and East Pakistan TV. Before becoming a successful Dhallywood actor, Zafar Iqbal was a singer in the band The Rambling Stones, formed in 1966. Other popular rock bands of the 1960s included Ugly Phases, Fire in Ice and Time Ago Motion. None of these bands released any albums.

Bango (music)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Origin of Bango#

Bango originated from the spread of Christianity along the Kenyan coast. It developed in mission stations such as Rabai (1844), Ribe (1862), Freretown (1873), and Mazeras (1893). Freretown, located on the coastal mainland east of Mombasa, was established as a settlement for freed slaves from Tanzania, Malawi, and Zambia (Morton, 2018). The early residents were therefore not from the Mijikenda community. Over time, the mission stations also received people fleeing hunger and civil unrest in Mombasa, including early pioneers of bango music such as Joseph Katana Ngala. Traditional African drums (ngoma) were prohibited in these mission stations, as missionaries viewed them as inappropriate. Instead, they formed the Freed Slave Force and provided brass drums, trumpets, and military-style uniforms. These instruments accompanied church hymns and helped musicians develop their skills. The brass band tradition, known as beni, was initially performed only on religious and public holidays but later became a popular entertainment genre. Beni was eventually replaced by dansi, a more sophisticated dance style. Both beni and dansi played important roles in uniting coastal communities, particularly through weddings—much like bango does today. In the early 1960s, Muslim beni artists from Kaloleni and Mariakani transformed the genre into Brasso. Initially performed for government functions, Brasso later became a popular entertainment style. Brasso bands performed at festivals in Mwembe Tayari and were eventually invited to mission stations where jazz and rhumba were also played. Coastal genres at the time had strong religious associations: Swahili communities embraced beni, while Christians embraced dansi, which later incorporated jazz and rhumba. Mijikenda artists transformed Beni → Dansi → Brasso → Bango by the 1980s. Five Brasso bands were formed in Ribe: the Mijikenda Band, Mtito Band, Batito Band, Utamaduni Band, and Utajiju Band. These bands performed instrumental music, composed original songs, and recorded their own work. They performed not only at weddings but also at parties and funerals, attracting diverse audiences. Bango received its name in 1987 when Ngala performed at his cousin’s wedding in Freretown. After exhausting their “golden rhumba oldies,” Ngala and his band performed a simple song he had composed, “Naitaka Bango.” The audience enthusiastically embraced it, singing along to the chorus: “Naitaka bango, bango, bango. Naitaka bango tena naitaka kamili” (“I want my money, and I want it in full”). The song narrates a man demanding repayment of one shilling—then colloquially called bango—from a friend named Kazungu. Despite Ngala’s initial hesitation, the song became extremely popular. The release of the Naitaka Bango album in 1990 brought widespread recognition to Ngala’s group. The song’s rhythm, slightly different from rhumba, became popular at weddings across Mombasa, Freretown, Rabai, Mazeras, Ribe, Kaloleni, and Mariakani. Fans began referring to Ngala as “Mzee Bango.”

Bangsawan

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Etymology#

In the Malay language, bangsawan means “nobleman”. Bangsa means “nation”, “race”, from the Sanskrit word vamsa, which means “family”, “dynasty”. The suffix -wan comes from the Sanskrit suffix -vant. A person is called bangsawan if he is descended from royal family (kings, princes, etc.). The theatre is called bangsawan because it is most often depicting the legends and stories of Malay nobles that took place in istana (Malay palaces and courts). There was another category of noblemen in Indonesia, precisely in Java, called priyayi, who were not members of royal or princely families but formed a sort of nobles of the Robe, exerting administrative functions, including that of adipati (governor).

Banjo music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Banjo music originated informally as a form of African folk music over a hundred years ago probably in the sub-Saharan region. When the Americans forced African slaves to work on the plantations, banjo music followed them, and stayed primarily a form of African folk music, up to the 1800s. It was during this time that the banjo in all probability was first introduced to Ireland, when the Virginia Minstrels toured in England, Ireland and France in 1843, 1844 and 1845. With his minstrel shows, Joel Walker Sweeney is credited with extending the popularity of the banjo as well as its music to an enormous audience all over the United States and Europe. With the spread of popularity of the banjo, it influenced different kinds of music - it gave rise to mountain string bands, and even helped give a foundation for blues music. The occurrences of hootenannies gave a house to banjo music, where it made its place in American folk music and bluegrass. American television shows such as Hee Haw have made banjo music all the more popular, and more a part of American culture.

Baqashot

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

The custom of singing baqashot originated in Spain towards the time of the expulsion, but took on increased momentum in the Kabbalistic circle in Safed in the 16th century. Baqashot probably evolved out of the tradition of saying petitionary prayers before dawn and was spread from Safed by the followers of Isaac Luria (16th century). With the spread of Safed Kabbalistic doctrine, and coffee consumption—which allowed devotees to stay awake through the night —the singing of baqashot reached countries all round the Mediterranean and became customary in the communities of Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Rhodes, Greece, Yugoslavia, Egypt, Turkey and Syria. It also influenced the Kabbalistically oriented confraternities in 18th-century Italy, and even became customary for a time in Sephardic communities in western Europe, such as Amsterdam and London. (In Amsterdam the Shabbat service still begins with a small number of baqashot. In London the tunes for one or two of them have been preserved in the literature but the practice no longer exists.) By the turn of the 20th century baqashot had become a widespread religious practice in several communities in Jerusalem as a communal form of prayer. In communities such as those of Aleppo, Turkey and Morocco, the singing of baqashot expanded to vast proportions. In those countries special books were compiled naming the tunes and maqamat together with the text of the hymns, in order to facilitate the singing of baqashot by the congregation. In these communities it was customary to rise from bed in the night on Shabbat in the winter months, when the nights are longer, and assemble in synagogue to sing baqashot for four hours until the time for the morning service. Each country had its own collection of baqashot, and there is often little or no overlap between the collections of different countries. The Moroccan collection is known as “Shir Yedidot” (Marrakesh 1921): unlike in the Aleppo tradition, where the baqashot service is the same every shabbat, the Moroccan tradition has a different set of baqashot for each week. The Amsterdam collection is set out in the first part of Joseph Gallego’s Imre No’am: the contents of this were probably derived from the Salonica tradition.

Barbershop music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Ringing chords#

The defining characteristic of the barbershop style is the ringing chord, one in which certain overtones of the four voices reinforce each other, sometimes so strongly that the overtone is perceived by the listener as a distinct tone, even though none of the voices are perceived as singing that tone. This effect occurs when the chord, as voiced, contains intervals which have strongly reinforcing overtones (fifths and octaves, for example) that fall in the audible range; and when the chord is sung in perfect just tuning without excessive vibrato. Both of these characteristics are important in many styles of singing, but in barbershop there is an extreme emphasis on them that tends to override other musical values. For example, favored chords in the jazz style are characterized by intervals which do not audibly ring, such as diminished or augmented fifths. For another example, barbershop music is always a cappella, because the presence of fixed-pitch instruments (tuned to equal-temperament rather than just temperament), which is so highly prized in other choral styles, makes perfect just tuning of chords impossible. The physics and psychophysics of the effect are fairly well understood; it occurs when the upper harmonics in the individual voice notes, and the sum and difference frequencies resulting from nonlinear combinations within the ear, reinforce each other at a particular frequency, strengthening it so that it stands out separately above the blended sound. The effect is audible only on certain kinds of chords, and only when all voices are equally rich in harmonics and justly tuned and balanced. It is not heard in chords sounded on modern keyboard instruments, due to the slight tuning imperfection of the equal-tempered scale. Gage Averill writes that “Barbershoppers have become partisans of this acoustic phenomenon” and that “the more experienced singers of the barbershop revival (at least after 1938) have self-consciously tuned their dominant seventh and tonic chords in just intonation to maximize the overlap of common overtones.” However, “In practice, it seems that most leads rely on an approximation of an equal-tempered scale for the melody, to which the other voices adjust vertically in just intonation.” What is prized is not so much the “overtone” itself, but a unique sound whose achievement is most easily recognized by the presence of the “overtone”. The precise synchrony of the waveforms of the four voices simultaneously creates the perception of a “fifth voice” while at the same time melding the four voices into a unified sound. The ringing chord is qualitatively different in sound from an ordinary musical chord e.g. as sounded on a tempered-scale keyboard instrument. Most elements of the “revivalist” style are related to the desire to produce these ringing chords. Performance is a cappella to prevent the distracting introduction of equal-tempered intonation, and because listening to anything but the other three voices interferes with a performer’s ability to tune with the precision required. Barbershop arrangements stress chords and chord progressions that favor “ringing”, at the expense of suspended and diminished chords and other harmonic vocabulary of the ragtime and jazz forms. The dominant seventh-type chord is so important to barbershop harmony that it is called the “barbershop seventh”. BHS arrangers believe that a song should contain dominant seventh chords anywhere from 35 to 60 percent of the time (measured as a percentage of the duration of the song rather than a percentage of the chords present) to sound “barbershop”. Historically barbershoppers may have used the word “minor chord” in a way that is confusing to those with musical training. Averill suggests that it was “a shorthand for chord types other than major triads”, and says that the use of the word for “dominant seventh-type chords and diminished chords” was common in the late nineteenth century. A 1910 song called “Play That Barber Shop Chord” (often cited as an early example of “barbershop” in reference to music) contains the lines: ‘Cause Mister when you start that minor part I feel your fingers slipping and a grasping at my heart, Oh Lord play that Barber shop chord! Averill notes the hints of rapture, “quasi-religion” and erotic passion in the language used by barbershoppers to describe the emotional effect. He quotes Jim Ewin as reporting “a tingling of the spine, the raising of the hairs on the back of the neck, the spontaneous arrival of goose flesh on the forearm … the fifth note has almost mysterious propensities. It’s the consummation devoutly wished by those of us who love Barbershop harmony. If you ask us to explain why we love it so, we are hard put to answer; that’s where our faith takes over.” Averill notes too the use of the language of addiction, “there’s this great big chord that gets people hooked.” An early manual was entitled “A Handbook for Adeline Addicts”. He notes too that “barbershoppers almost never speak of ‘singing’ a chord, but almost always draw on a discourse of physical work and exertion; thus, they ‘hit’, ‘chop’, ‘ring’, ‘crack’, ‘swipe’, and ‘bust.’ Vocal harmony is interpreted as an embodied musicking. Barbershoppers never lose sight (or sound) of its physicality.”

Barcarolle

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Description#

A barcarolle is characterized by a rhythm reminiscent of the gondolier’s stroke, almost invariably in metre at a moderate tempo. While the most-famous barcarolles are from the Romantic period, the genre was known well enough in the 18th century for Burney to mention, in The Present State of Music in France and Italy (1771), that it was a celebrated form cherished by “collectors of good taste”.

Notable examples#

The barcarolle was a popular form in opera, where the apparently artless sentimental style of the folklike song could be put to good use. In addition to the Offenbach example: Paisiello, Weber, and Rossini wrote arias that were barcarolles; Donizetti set the Venetian scene at the opening of Marino Faliero (1835) with a barcarolle for a gondolier and chorus; and Verdi included a barcarolle in Un ballo in maschera (i.e., Richard’s atmospheric “Di’ tu se fidele il flutto m’aspetta” in Act I). Arthur Sullivan set the entry of Sir Joseph Porter’s barge (also bearing his sisters, cousins and aunts) in H.M.S. Pinafore to a barcarolle, as well as the Trio “My well-loved lord and guardian dear” among Phyllis, Earl Tolloller and the Earl of Mountararat in Act I of Iolanthe. Schubert, while not using the name specifically, used a style reminiscent of the barcarolle in some of his most famous songs, including especially his haunting “Auf dem Wasser zu singen” (“To be sung on the water”), D.774. Stephen Sondheim uses a barcarolle for the two princes’ song “Agony” from his 1986 musical Into the Woods. Bob Dylan’s song “I’ve Made Up My Mind to Give Myself to You” from his 2020 album Rough and Rowdy Ways uses Offenbach’s “Barcarolle” as a riff.

Bard (Soviet Union)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Tourist song#

During the Soviet Era of Stagnation, camping, and especially its intense forms such as alpinism, kayaking/canoeing, and canyoning, became a form of escapism for young people, who felt that these activities were the only ways of life in which such values as courage, friendship, risk, trust, cooperation, and mutual support still mattered. It is these types of situations and virtues that tourist songs use for their subject. Many of the best tourist songs were composed by Yuri Vizbor who participated and sang about all the sports described above, and Alexander Gorodnitsky who spent a great deal of time sailing around the world on ships and on scientific expeditions to the far North. A notable subgenre of the Tourist song was the Sea song. As with other tourist songs, the goal was to sing about people in hard conditions where true physical and emotional conflicts appear. Vladimir Vysotsky had several songs of this sort, since his style suited them perfectly. Many of Alexander Gorodnitsky’s songs are about the sea, since he actually had the opportunity to experience life at sea. While some songs were simply about sailors, others were about pirates. With the romanticism of songs like Brigantine by Pavel Kogan, pirate songs are still popular at author song concerts today. Almost every bard has at least one song of this type. Tourist song was generally tolerated by the government, and it existed under the moniker author song (avtorskaya pesnya), i.e., songs sung primarily by the authors themselves, as opposed to those sung by professional singers (although professionals often “borrowed” successful author songs for their repertoires). Another name for this genre was “amateur song” (samodeyatelnaya pesnya, literally translated as “do-it-yourself song” or “self-made song”). This term reflects the cultural phenomenon of the Soviet Union called “amateur performing arts,” or khudozhestvennaya samodeyatelnost. It was a widespread, often heavily subsidized, occupation of Soviet people in their spare time. Every major industrial enterprise and every kolkhoz had a Palace of Culture, or at least a House of Culture, for amateur performers to practice and perform. Many of them, as well as many universities, had Clubs of Amateur Song (“Klub samodeyatelnoy pesni, or KSP), which, in fact, were clubs of bard song and which stood quite apart from the mainstream Soviet “samodeyatelnost”. Grushinsky festival traces its origins to tourist song fan meetings, but now includes songs from all genres. :Compare: Tramping song, a similar tradition in the Czech Republic.

Bardcore

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

In December 2017, before the term bardcore was widely known, a medieval version of “Toxicity” by System of a Down was published on YouTube by Algal the Bard. By 2020, it had achieved a few million views. The Guardian dates the origin of bardcore as a distinct trend to 20 April 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown, when German YouTuber Cornelius Link released “Astronomia (Medieval Style)”. The track is a remake of Tony Igy’s 2010 electronic dance track “Astronomia”, which had gained widespread attention as the soundtrack to the coffin dance meme. Hildegard von Blingin’ (a play on the name of the medieval composer Hildegard von Bingen) then re-released with an added vocal track using a medieval-style adaptation of the original lyrics. By the end of June, both versions had reached 4 million views. The trend was joined by other YouTubers, including Latvian band Auļi, Graywyck, Constantine Bard and Samus Ordicus. The artwork accompanying bardcore songs in YouTube are frequently medieval-style representations of the song being covered, often in the style of the Bayeux Tapestry or illuminated manuscripts. In October 2020, tracks by prominent Bardcore artists Beedle The Bardcore, Hildegard Von Blingin’, and Stantough were featured on a prime-time BBC Radio 1 show.

Baroque music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Definition#

The French word baroque is derived from the Portuguese barroco, meaning an irregularly-shaped pearl. Although it was long thought that the word as a critical term was first applied to architecture, in fact it appears earlier in reference to music, in an anonymous, satirical review of the première in October 1733 of Rameau’s Hippolyte et Aricie, printed in the Mercure de France in May 1734. The critic implied that the novelty in this opera was “du barocque”, complaining that the music lacked coherent melody, was filled with unremitting dissonances, constantly changed key and meter, and speedily ran through every compositional device. Other authors in the 18th and 19th centuries used the term as a pejorative, to describe works which were extravagant, or in some way strange or dissonant. Noel Antoine Pluche wrote of a concert directed by Jean-Baptiste Anet that Anet would “wrest laboriously from the bottom of the sea some baroque pearls, when diamonds can be found on the surface of the earth”. Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote in 1768 in the Encyclopédie: “Baroque music is that in which the harmony is confused, and loaded with modulations and dissonances. The singing is harsh and unnatural, the intonation difficult, and the movement limited.”

Baroque music of the British Isles

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Charles II#

With the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, Charles II made the court once more the centre of musical patronage in Britain, the theatres were reopened and, after the introduction of a new Book of Common Prayer in 1662, choral music began to be developed again. The king’s time on the continent, his (hidden) preference for Catholicism and explicit desire for entertainment led to the embracing of the Baroque and continental forms of music. As well as encouraging many French musicians to join his court, the king dispatched the young Pelham Humfrey (1647–74) to study in Paris, probably in 1665. When he returned he became the Master of the Children of the Chapel Royal and composer to the Court. Although he died aged only 27 he was highly influential on other English composers like William Turner (1651–1740), John Blow (1649–1708) and Henry Purcell (1659–95). Early in his career Purcell wrote secular music, including for the theatre. Later, as organist of Westminster Abbey and the Chapel Royal, he devoted himself to sacred music. In both fields he emerged as the most influential British composer of the era.

Baroque pop

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Characteristics#

In classical music, the term “Baroque” is used to describe the art music of Europe approximately between the years 1600 and 1750, with some of its most prominent composers including J. S. Bach and Antonio Vivaldi. Much of the instrumentation of baroque pop is akin to that of the late Baroque period or the early Classical period, chronologically defined as the period of European music from 1690 to 1760 and stylistically defined by balanced phrases, clarity and beauty. Baroque pop, stylistically, fuses elements of rock with classical music, often incorporating layered harmonies, strings, and horns to achieve a majestic, orchestral sound. Journalist Bob Stanley uses the term “English baroque” to describe a subset that existed between 1968 and 1973, after the genre’s more widespread presence in rock and pop. “Baroque rock” may be invoked as a synonym of “baroque pop” or as its own distinct term.

Basque music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Traditional music#

Basque traditional music is a product of the region’s historic development and strategic geographical position on the Atlantic arch at a crossroads between mountains (Cantabrian mountain range, Pyrenees) and plains (Ebro basin), ocean and inland, European continent and Iberian Peninsula. Its culture and music has thus been exposed to a wide number of influences throughout history, ranging from British and northern European to Mediterranean to Arabic. For example, traditional overseas commerce with England, or international pilgrimage on the Way of St James added greatly to leave an imprint in both instruments and tunes.

Basque Radical Rock

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

The birth of the movement#

Before the invention of the label Basque Radical Rock, there were some minor radical bands in the Basque Country, but these had limited influence. In 1977 the first Basque punk-rock bands were created, mainly influenced by the rhythms coming from England. These bands spread across the Basque region and had limited resources. Linked to the punk philosophy that someone does not necessarily need to know an instrument to play it, more bands were quickly created. Odio (Hate), Basura (Trash), Vulpess, Optalidon, Cirrosis and RIP were some of the early bands, most of them hailing from industrial areas (Bilbao, Mondragon…). In the mid-1980s, as the movement grew stronger, some bands began to stand out and pull together a keen following determined to boost the movement ahead. These bands included Hertzainak, La Polla Records, Zarama, MCD, Eskorbuto, Barricada, RIP, Kortatu, Vómito and BAP!! However, Basque Radical Rock hardly left an imprint in the Northern Basque Country, where the punk outlook didn’t take hold and rock bands developed along the lines of a concern for Basque culture and cleaner sounds (Minxoriak, Niko Etxart, Errobi,…). Approx. in 1987 the movement reached its peak when the compilation album Bat, bi, hiru… hamar was released by daily newspaper Egin, providing the springboard for many bands, who secured a wide audience. However, it was heralding by then the decline of the movement, gradually losing initial cohesion provided by rage and a common social outlook, diversifying and taking more individual paths. Softer tunes started to find a slot in the Basque society’s taste and some BRR flagship bands were hard hit by drugs and AIDS, such as Cicatriz, RIP or Eskorbuto, while others decided to put an end to their course (Kortatu, last live album Azken guda dantza in 1988).

Bass music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Bassline (music genre)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Characteristics#

Bassline generally places a strong emphasis on bass, with intricate basslines (often multiple and interweaving) characteristic of the genre. Bassline tracks typically use a four-to-the-floor beat.

Early bassline house#

Bassline grew from the sound popular in nightclubs in Sheffield during the late 1990s, in particular Sheffield’s Niche nightclub, which played speed garage mixed with melodic vocal house. According to Steve Baxendale, owner of Niche, the club’s DJs began to take the vocals out of speed garage and house music, and then pumped up the bass, from around 1997. The changes in the style of music at Niche led to a change from a predominantly white crowd to a predominantly Black British crowd. There are local variations in bassline music, with a “darker” style more popular in Sheffield and Manchester, It being mixed with organ house popular in West Yorkshire, while local scenes in cities such as Birmingham and Nottingham favoured a more upbeat style. Often, different “organ” and “bass” mixes of a track appeared on the same record, drawing on the genre’s different musical influences. The bass or “B-Line” mix would be more influenced by speed garage, featuring a synthesised, low-frequency oscillation bassline, known as a “warp” or “reese”. The organ track would instead feature sampled Korg M1-style organ leads, influenced by the house music of the 1990s.

Bassoon concerto

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Baroque#

Antonio Vivaldi, 39 Bassoon Concerti, RV 466-504 (RV 468 and 482 incomplete)
Johann Friedrich Fasch, Concerto in C Major
Caspar Förster, Concerto
Johann Gottlieb Graun, Concerto in C Major
Christoph Graupner, Four Bassoon Concerti in C Major, GWV 301, C Minor, GWV 307, G Major, GWV 328, and B-flat Major, GWV 340
Johann Melchior Molter, Four Bassoon Concerti (including Concerto in B-flat Major, MWV 6.35 )
Antonín Reichenauer, Three Bassoon Concerti in C Major, F Major, and G Minor
Michel Corrette, Concerto in D Major Le Phénix for four bassoons and continuo

Classical#

Johann Christian Bach, Two Bassoon Concerti in E flat Major (W C82) and B flat Major (W C83)
Capel Bond, Bassoon Concerto No. 6 in B flat Major (1766)
Bernhard Henrik Crusell, Bassoon Concertino in B flat Major
Franz Danzi, Four Bassoon Concerti in F Major (2), C Major and G Minor
François Devienne, Five Bassoon Concerti (1785)
Luigi Gatti, Bassoon Concerto in F Major, L7:e4
Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Bassoon Concerto in F Major, S. 63/WoO 23
Leopold Kozeluch, Two Bassoon Concerti in B flat Major, P V:B1 and C Major, P V:C1
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Bassoon Concerto (1774)
Johann Baptist Georg Neruda, Concerto in C Major
Ignaz Joseph Pleyel, Concerto in B-flat Major B.107
Johann Heinrich Christian Rinck, Concerto
Antonio Rosetti, Bassoon Concerti (C69, C73-C75)
Theodor von Schacht, Concerto
Carl Stamitz, Bassoon Concerto in F Major
Johann Baptist Wanhal, Bassoon Concerto in C Major, Concerto for Two Bassoons and Orchestra
Anselm Viola i Valentí, Concerto in F Major (1791)
Johann Christoph Vogel, Concerto in C Major

Romantic#

Ferdinand David, Concertino, Op. 12 (1838)
Édouard Du Puy, Concerto in C Minor (also, Bassoon Quintet in A Minor, often performed as a concerto)
Johann Nepomuk Fuchs, Concerto in B flat Major
Peter Josef von Lindpaintner, Bassoon Concerto in F major, Op. 44
Ludwig Milde, Concerto in A Minor
Gioachino Rossini, Bassoon Concerto (attributed to Rossini, authenticity questionable)
Giuseppe Venturini, Concerto in D Minor (ca. 1898)
Carl Maria von Weber, Bassoon Concerto in F Major, Op. 75 (1811)
Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, Suite-concertino in F Major, Op. 16 (1932)

20th century#

Dieter Acker, Concerto (1979, rev. 1980)
Murray Adaskin, Concerto (1960)
, Concerto, Op. 69 (1995)
, Concerto, Op. 75 (1956)
David Amram, Concerto (1970)
Jurriaan Andriessen, Concertino for Bassoon and Double Woodwind Quintet (1962)
Tony Aubin, Concerto della Brughiera (1965)
Conrad Baden, Concerto, Op. 126 (1980)
Henk Badings, Concerto for Bassoon, Contrabassoon and Wind Orchestra (1964)
Andrei Balanchivadze, Concertino (1954)
Richard Rodney Bennett, Concerto (1994)
Alain Bernaud, Concertino da Camera (1962; completed 2012)
, Concerto for Bassoon and Wind Ensemble
Judith Bingham, Concerto (1998)
Marcel Bitsch, Concertino for Bassoon and Orchestra (1948)
Daniel Börtz, Concerto for Bassoon and Band (1978–79)
Eugène Bozza, Concertino for Bassoon and Chamber Orchestra, Op. 49 (1946)
Colin Brumby, Concerto
Victor Bruns, Four Bassoon Concerti, Op. 5 (1933), Op. 15 (1946), Op. 41 (1966) and Op. 83 (1986), and Contrabassoon Concerto, Op. 98 (1992)
Glenn Buhr, Concerto (1996)
, Concertino, Op. 38 for bassoon, violin, viola and cello (1992)
, Goëlette de jade Concerto for Bassoon and Strings (1999-2000)
Dinos Constantinides, Concerto, LRC 154a
Andrzej Dobrowolski, Concerto (1953)
Franco Donatoni, Concerto (1952)
Pierre Max Dubois, Concerto Ironico (1968)
Sophie Carmen Eckhardt-Gramatté, Triple-Concerto for Trumpet, Clarinet, Bassoon, Strings and Timpani, E. 123 (1949); Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra, E. 124/125 (1950)
Helmut Eder, Concerto, Op. 49
Anders Eliasson, Concerto (1982)
Jindřich Feld, Concerto (1953)
John Fernström, Concerto, Op. 80 (1945)
Eric Fogg, Concerto (1931)
Bjørn Fongaard, Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra, Op. 120, No. 12; Concerto for Bassoon and Tape, Op. 131, No. 10
Jean Françaix, Concerto for Bassoon and 11 String Instruments (1979)
Anis Fuleihan, Concertino (1965)
, Concerto No. 1 (1979), Concerto No. 2 (1997)
René Gerber, Concerto (1935–39)
, Concerto (1979)
Suzanne Giraud, Concerto Crier vers l’horizon (1991)
, Concerto (1952); Concertino (1959)
Launy Grøndahl, Concerto (1942)
Sofia Gubaidulina, Concerto for Bassoon and Low Strings (1975)
Bernhard Heiden, Concerto (1990)
Kurt Hessenberg, Concertino, Op. 106 (1979)
Jacques Hétu, Concerto (1979)
Frigyes Hidas, Concerto for Bassoon and Wind Ensemble (1999)
Paul Hindemith, Concerto for Bassoon and Trumpet (1949)
Peter Hope, Concertino
Bertold Hummel, Concerto, Op. 27b (1964/92)
Gordon Jacob, Concerto (1947)
André Jolivet, Concerto for Bassoon, String Orchestra, Harp and Piano (1951)
John Joubert, Concerto, Op. 77 (1973)
Raimo Kangro, Concerto, op. 27 (1981)
Yuri Kasparov, Concerto (1996)
Manfred Kelkel, Concerto, Op. 13 (1965)
Lev Knipper, Double Concerto for Trumpet and Bassoon (1968), Concerto for Bassoon and Strings (1970)
Rudolf Komorous, Chamber Concerto (1995)
Nikolai Korndorf, Concerto Pastorale (1971)
Uroš Krek, Concerto
Shin’ichirō Ikebe, Concerto “The License of Blaze” (1999 / rev. 2004)
, Concerto (1997)
Ezra Laderman, Concerto (1954)
Marcel Landowski, Concerto for Bassoon and Strings (1957)
Lars-Erik Larsson, Concertino, Op. 45, No. 4 (1955)
Ernst Mahle, Concertino (1980)
Peter Maxwell Davies, Strathclyde Concerto No. 8 (1993)
Chiel Meijering, “Neo-Geo” Concerto
Francisco Mignone, Concertino (1957)
, Concerto (1981)
Vytautas Montvila, Concerto (1963)
Oskar Morawetz, Concerto (1994)
Saburō Moroi, Concerto, Op. 14 (1937) - lost
, Concerto for Bassoon and Wind Band
Akira Nishimura, Concerto for Bassoon, String and Percussion “Tapas” (1990)
Carmelo Pace, Concertino (1987)
Andrzej Panufnik, Concerto (1985) (in memory of Jerzy Popiełuszko)
Boris Papandopulo, Concerto
Jiří Pauer, Concerto (1949)
Johnterryl Plumeri, Concerto
, Concerto (1977)
Stanojlo Rajičić, Concerto (1969)
Primož Ramovš, Concerto piccolo
Alan Ridout, Concertino
Jean Rivier, Concerto (1964)
Nino Rota, Concerto (1974–77)
Marcel Rubin, Concerto (1978)
Harald Sæverud, Concerto, Op. 44 (1964)
, Svensk (ångermanländsk) Concertino, Op. 114e (1982)
Friedrich Schenker, Concerto (1970)
Gunther Schuller, Concerto “Eine Kleine Fagottmusik” (1985)
Antonio Scontrino, Concerto (1920)
Lucijan Marija Škerjanc, Concerto (1952)
Thomas Sleeper, Concerto (1993)
, Concerto (1944)
, Concerto (1985)
Stjepan Šulek, Concerto (1958)
Henri Tomasi, Concerto (1961)
Yuzo Toyama, Concerto for Bassoon, Strings and Percussion (1982)
Marc Vaubourgoin, Concerto (1968)
Enn Vetemaa, Concertino (1993)
Arthur Weisberg, Concerto (1998)
Alec Wilder, Air for Bassoon and Strings (1945)
John Williams, The Five Sacred Trees (1995)
Guy Woolfenden, Concerto (1999)
Takashi Yoshimatsu, Concerto “Unicorn Circuit” (1988)
León Zuckert, Concerto (1976)
Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Concerto (1992)

21st century#

Kalevi Aho, Concerto (2004)
Mark Alburger, Concerto, Op. 120 (2004); Triple Concerto, Op. 201 (bn, cbn, hp, 2012)
Tzvi Avni, Concerto (2002)
Ioseb Bardanashvili, Artiton (2010)
Judith Bingham, Concerto Leonardo for Bassoon and Thirteen Strings (2012)
Howard Blake, Concerto, op. 607 (2009)
Howard J. Buss, Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra (2022)
David Chesky, Concerto (2006)
Jack Curtis Dubowsky, Concerto (2005)
Eric Ewazen, Concerto for Bassoon and Wind Ensemble (2002)
, Concertino for Bassoon and Wind Ensemble (2002)
Sean Friar, Concerto for Bassoon and Wind Ensemble (2023)
Dai Fujikura, Concerto (2012)
Michael Gandolfi, Concerto (2009)
Gregor Huebner, African Visions, Op. 23 for Bassoon and String Orchestra (2004)
Jouni Kaipainen, Concerto, Op. 74 (2005)
Tõnu Kõrvits, Teispool Päikesevälju (Beyond the Solar Fields) (2004); Concerto Vihma laulud vikerkaarele (Rain’s Songs to the Rainbow) (2016)
Ülo Krigul, Concerto Goin (2014)
Marjan Mozetich, Concerto for Bassoon and Strings with Marimba (2003)
Nico Muhly, Reliable Sources, Concerto for Bassoon and Wind Ensemble / Orchestral Winds (2018)
Marc Neikrug, Concerto (2013)
Jean-Louis Petit, Les Paradis Se Rencontrent, Ils Ne Se Fabriquent Pas Concertino for Bassoon and Mandolin Orchestra with Contrabass (2002), Concertino for Bassoon and Orchestra
Gene Pritsker, Concerto No. 1 Essentially Tragic for Amplified Bassoon and Chamber Orchestra (2001), Concerto No. 2 Breath of Rhetoric (2013)
Wolfgang Rihm, Psalmus for bassoon and orchestra (2007)
Christopher Rouse, Concerto (2018)
Eino Tamberg, Concerto, Op. 108 (2000)
Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate, Ghost of the White Deer: Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra (2020)
Christopher Theofanidis, Concerto (1997-2002)
Augusta Read Thomas, Concertino (2013)
Joan Tower, Red Maple for Bassoon and Strings (2013)
Erkki-Sven Tüür, Concerto (2003)
Gwyneth Walker, Concerto (2000) Other notable pieces for bassoon and orchestra include Berwald’s Konzertstück, Elgar’s Romance, Villa-Lobos’s Ciranda Das Sete Notas, and Weber’s Andante e Rondo Ongarese.

Bassoon sonata

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Baroque#

Giovanni Antonio Bertoli, nine sonatas (1645)
Philipp Friedrich Böddecker, Sonata sopra “La Monica” (1651)
Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, various sonatas (1730s)
Johann Friedrich Fasch, Sonata in C (authorship uncertain)
Johann Ernst Galliard, six sonatas for bassoon or cello (1733)
Luigi Merci, six sonatas for bassoon or cello, Op. 3 ()
Georg Philipp Telemann, Two Sonatas (F minor (1728) and E minor)

Classical#

Johann Andreas Amon, Sonata Concertante in F Major, Op. 88
François Devienne, six sonatas (1788?)
Miguel de Lope, Sonata for bassoon and continuo (1791)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata for Bassoon and Cello in B flat major, K. 292 (1775)
Etienne Ozi, various sonatas
Anton Reicha, Sonata in B flat, Op. Posth.

Romantic#

Johannes Meinardus Coenen, Sonata in C Minor (c. 1864)
William Hurlstone, Sonata in F Major (1904)
Anton Liste, Sonata, Op. 3 (c. 1822)
Josef Matern Marx, Sonata (c. 1830)
Julius Röntgen, Sonata in A Flat minor (1929)
Camille Saint-Saëns, Sonata in G major, Op. 168 (1921)
Gustav Schreck, Sonata in E flat, Op. 9 (1887)

20th century#

, Sonata (1981)
Eduardo Alemann, Sonatina, Op. 72, No. 2 (1957)
Jurriaan Andriessen, Sonata (1989)
Susana Antón, Sonatina
Hans Erich Apostel, Sonata, Op. 19, No. 3 for solo bassoon (1951)
Violet Archer, Sonatina (1978), Sonata (1980)
Edward Arteaga, Sonata (1993)
Vyacheslav Artyomov, Sunday Sonata (1977)
Boaz Avni, Sonata (1996)
Robert Baksa, Sonata (1991, rev. 2005)
Teimuraz Bakuradze, Sonata (1965)
, Sonatina (1948)
Richard Rodney Bennett, Sonata (1999)
Niels Viggo Bentzon, Sonata, Op. 316 (1972)
Olav Berg, Sonatine (1995)
Antonio Bibalo, Sonata (1991)
Willem Frederik Bon, Sonata for bassoon solo, Op. 32 (1970)
, Sonatina (1966)
Algimantas Bražinskas, Sonatina (1958)
Victor Bruns, Three Sonatas, Op. 20 (1952), 45 (1969) and 86 (1988)
David DeBoor Canfield, Sonata (1987)
Romeo Cascarino, Sonata (1950)
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Sonatina, Op. 130 (1946)
Barney Childs, Sonata (1964)
Arnold Cooke, Sonata (1988)
Jean Coulthard, Lyric Sonatina (1970)
Michael Cunningham, Parisian Sonata, Op. 72 (1981)
, Sonata (1979)
William D. Davis, Sonata (1969)
Edison Denisov, Sonata for solo bassoon (1982)
Pierre Max Dubois, Sonatine Tango (1984)
Horst Ebenhöh, Sonatine, Op. 47/4 for bassoon solo (1987)
Helmut Eder, Sonatina, Op. 34/3 (1963)
, Sonata (1969)
Willard Somers Elliot, Sonata (1998)
Iván Erőd, Sonata Milanese, Op. 47 (1985)
Alvin Etler, Sonata (1951)
Eberhard Eyser, Sonata for bassoon solo (1973)
Ferenc Farkas, Sonatina Based on Hungarian Folk Songs for double bass, cello or bassoon and piano (1955); Sonate Romantique (1985)
Heinrich Feischner, Sonatina (c1936)
Jindřich Feld, Sonatine (1969)
Bjørn Fongaard, Three Sonatas, Op. 109, No. 1 (1971) and Op. 125, Nos. 14 and 15 (1973); Sonatina, Op. 126, No. 17
Cláudio de Freitas, Sonata (1998)
Merab Gagnidze, Sonata for bassoon solo; Sonata for bassoon and timpani
, Sonatina (1974)
Odette Gartenlaub, Sonatine (1959)
Serge de Gastyne, Sonatina, Op. 58 (1972)
Harald Genzmer, Sonata for bassoon solo (1974)
Glenn Gould, Sonata (1950)
Eduardo Grau, Sonata (1969)
Czesław Grudziński, Sonata No. 2 (1984)
Sofia Gubaidulina, Duo Sonata for two bassoons (1977)
Truman Harris, Sonata Breve, Sonata for two bassoons and piano
Anthony Hedges, Fantasy Sonata, Op. 104 (1986)
Lennart Hedwall, Sonata for bassoon solo (1977)
Paul Hindemith, Sonata (1938)
Alan Hovhaness, Sonata for two bassoons (1977); Sonata for oboe and bassoon, Op. 302 (1979)
Bertold Hummel, Sonatina (1976)
Yuri Kasparov, Sonata-Infernale for solo bassoon (1989)
Kjell Mørk Karlsen, Choral Sonata No. 2, Op. 13, No. 2 (1971)
Ulysses Kay, Sonata (1941)
Homer Keller, Sonata (1955)
Brian Kershner, Sonata (1989)
Valeri Kikta, Sonata No. 1 (1977); Sonata No. 2 (1979)
Ron Klimko, Sonata (1997)
Charles Koechlin, Sonata, Op. 71 (1918)
Ellis Kohs, Sonata (1953)
Serge Lancen, Sonatine (1983)
Terje Bjørn Lerstad, Sonata, Op. 192 (1989)
David Loeb, Two Sonatas for solo bassoon (1975, 1990)
Otto Luening, Sonata (1970)
Juliusz Łuciuk, Sonata (1954)
, Sonata, Op. 78 (1982)
Mathieu Lussier, “White Rock” Sonata, Op. 28
Trygve Madsen, Sonata, Op. 25
Ernst Mahle, Sonata (1969), Sonatina (1974)
Pierrette Mari, Sonatine (1964)
Władysława Markiewiczówna, Sonatina (1954)
Henri Martelli, Sonata, Op. 50 (1960)
Arnold Matz, Sonatine (1987)
Brady McElligot, Sonata (1982)
Georges Migot, Sonate en quatre mouvements pour basson seul (1953)
Marcel Mihalovici, Sonata (1958)
Isaac Mikhnovsky, Sonata (1978)
John Mitchell, Sonata, Op. 36 (1979)
Oskar Morawetz, Sonata (1981)
Herman Mulder, Sonata No. 5 (1944)
Nicolas Nabokov, Sonata (1941)
Ray Næssén, Sonata Divina
Vaclav Nelhybel, Sonata da Chiesa No. 3 “Variations on ‘Our God Almighty’” for trombone, bassoon or oboe and organ (1977)
Lazar Nikolov, Sonata (1976)
Aleksandar Obradović, Mikrosonata II for bassoon solo (1971)
Ivo Petrić, Sonata (1954)
Wolfgang Plagge, Three Sonatas, Op. 43 (1989/90), Op. 74 (1993) and Op. 123 (2007)
Francis Poulenc, Sonata for clarinet and bassoon (1922)
Graham Powning, Sonata for two bassoons
Gerhard Präsent, Erödiana (Capriccio Erödico) for bassoon (or cello) and piano (1996), for Iván Erőd
André Previn, Sonata (1999)
Salvador Ranieri, Sonatina (c. 1990)
Einojuhani Rautavaara, Sonata, Op. 26 (1970)
Verne Reynolds, Sonata
Alan Ridout, Sonata (1972)
Peter Schickele, Sonata Abassoonata, S.888 (1996) Schickele’s program notes state that “the bassoonist plays both the bassoon and piano parts simultaneously…the pianist…runs on only in time to play the last two measures”
Robert Schollum, Two Sonatinas, Op. 55/3 and Op. 57/3
Nikos Skalkottas, Sonata Concertante, A/K 67 (1943)
Gunnar Sønstevold, Sonatina (1990)
Luboš Sluka, Sonata (1956/71)
Nicholas Van Slyck, Fantasia Numerica: Sonata for bassoon alone (1960)
Dmitri Smirnov, Sonata, Op. 22
Michael Smolanoff, Sonata, Op. 3 (1972)
Gunnar Sønstevold, Sonatina (1990)
Leon Stein, Sonata (1970)
John Steinmetz, Sonata (1981)
Halsey Stevens, Sonata (1949)
Alexandre Tansman, Sonatine (1952)
Alexander Tcherepnin, Sonatine Sportive for bassoon or saxophone and piano, Op. 63 (1939)
, Sonata (1965–66)
Yuzo Toyama, Sonata (1987)
Robert E. Tyndall, Sonata (1947)
Lloyd Ultan, Sonatine for unaccompanied bassoon (1961), Sonata for bassoon and piano (1975)
Mieczysław Weinberg, Sonata for bassoon solo, Op. 133
Jaromír Weinberger, Sonatina for bassoon and piano (1940)
Stanley Weiner, Sonata, Op. 32 (1971)
Elliot Weisgarber, Sonata (1973)
Alec Wilder, Three Sonatas, No. 1 (1968), No. 2 (1969) and No. 3 (1982)
Adrian Williams, Sonata (1996)
Luigi Zaninelli, Sonatina

21st century#

Teddy Abrams, Sonata (2007)
Yves Bouillot, Sonata (2013)
Robert J. Bradshaw, Sonata No. 7 “Ad Hoc” for bassoon and strings or piano (2008)
Leo Eylar, Sonata (2008)
Abraham Fabella, Sonata for Bassoon and Piano (2002–2003)
Michael Finnissy, Sonata (2007)
Nancy Galbraith, Sonata (2004)
Sebastian Huydts, Sonata Breve (2006)
Ivan Jevtić, Sonata (2005)
David Maslanka, Sonata for Bassoon and Piano (2003)
Robert Paterson, Sonata for Bassoon and Piano (2001)
Nikola Resanovic, Sonata (2004)
Simon Sargon, Sonata in A (2005) (also arranged for oboe and piano)
Daniel Schnyder, Sonata for Bassoon and Piano
Randall Snyder, Spring Sonata (2005)
Helga Warner-Buhlman, Sonatine (c2003)
Graham Waterhouse, Phoenix Arising in memoriam William Waterhouse for bassoon and piano (2008)

Battle rap

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Battle rap is believed to have started in the East Coast hip-hop scene in the late 1970s. One of the earliest battles occurred in December 1981, when Kool Moe Dee challenged Busy Bee Starski – Busy Bee Starski’s defeat meant that “no longer was an MC just a crowd-pleasing comedian with a slick tongue; he was a commentator and a storyteller” thus, rendering Busy’s archaic format of rap obsolete, in favor of a newer style In the 1980s, battle raps were a popular form of rapping – Big Daddy Kane in the book How to Rap says, “as an MC from the ’80s, really your mentality is battle format… your focus was to have a hot rhyme in case you gotta battle someone… not really making a rhyme for a song”. The New Music Seminar (NMS) is a Music Conference and Festival held annually each June in New York City. The New Music Seminar originally ran from 1980 to 1995. It quickly spawned the MC and DJ Battles for World Supremacy – a fertile showcase for rappers and DJs to make a name for themselves. Participants include a wide variety of very influential rappers such as Busy Bee, Melle Mel, MF Grimm, and Kool G Rap with judges such as Afrika Bambaataa, P Diddy, and many other influential rappers. Some of the most prominent battles that took place on record are listed in the book, Ego Trip’s Book of Rap Lists, and include such battles as the Roxanne Wars (1984–1985), Juice Crew vs. Boogie Down Productions (1986–1988), Kool Moe Dee vs. LL Cool J (1987–1991), MC Serch vs. MC Hammer (1989–1994), Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg vs. Luke (1992–1993), Common vs. Ice Cube (1994–1996), MC Pervis & Brand New Habits and LL Cool J vs. Canibus (1997–1998) – all of which include memorable battle rap verses. As hip-hop asserted its presence across the country, MC battles were growing in popularity. One of the early predecessors of the contemporary, more confrontational variation of battle rap was the 1994 face-off between Craig G and Supernatural. The battle happened organically, by virtue of Supernatural calling out Craig G while he was performing. As it so happened, Craig G was in the crowd, and the host invited him to the stage. Craig G won the battle that evening. The two would go on to meet on two other occasions during the 1990s, thereby establishing a place in battle rap as one of the earliest and most exciting sagas in the subculture. From the late 1990s to the end of the 2000s, freestyle rapping became very popular, with many artists getting attention for new styles, charisma, and witty punchlines in battles such as Scribble Jam and Rocksteady. Following the resurgence of freestyle battling in the 21st century, competitions began to move to TV shows shown on HBO, BET, and MTV. In addition, Eminem’s 2002 movie 8 Mile introduced battle rap to mainstream audiences, generating a renewed interest and popularity in battling. Starting in the early 2000s, Freestyle Friday is a watered-down battle segment on BET’s popular show 106 & Park. Two rappers compete in a freestyle battle before the studio audience and three celebrity judges (the DJ sometimes acts as the 3rd judge). Each competitor alternates freestyling for 30 seconds in each of the two rounds (originally only 1 round when the segment first began). The rappers are not allowed to use profanities or sexually suggestive lyrics, punishable by disqualification. After the battle, the judges decide the winner, per majority vote. Eventually, battle rap moved to a format which is now the predominant form of battle rap, where two emcees battle against each other without a beat, trading prewritten verses in three-round battles. The impromptu aspect of battling still exists in the form of rebuttals, which are short rhymes (usually at the beginning of a verse) where an emcee either comments on something about their opponent that was thought up on the spot (for instance, making fun of the shirt they’re wearing), or responds to something their opponent said during their previous round. While not as prominent as it once was, the art of rebutting is still respected by many as difficult to do correctly, and a sign of a well-rounded emcee. While many creative minds were battling and organizing battles in the early 2000s, Troy “Smack” Mitchell of Queens New York gathered battle rappers of hood renown including Serius Jones of New Jersey and Loaded Lux, Murda Mook and Jae Millz of Harlem, Smack began recording battles, printing and hand-selling the DVDs—a cutting edge technological and artistic hustle at the time. Fight Klub is one of the earliest battle rap leagues and was the only league that aired on TV. It aired on MTV2 sometime in 2006. It is hosted by international P. A lot of the original rappers on there are now legendary in the battle rap game such as Arsonal, Jin and Hollow da don. Jump Off TV’s World Rap Championships premiered in London 2006, featuring American and British rappers. In Cuba, freestyle battles often follow organized concerts and juxtapose composed songs with ‘flowing’ lyrics that are relevant to the present situation. Freestyling can allow audience members to integrate into the performance stage. This provides a forum for up-and-coming underground artists to engage in a musical discussion with already prominent underground Cuban rappers. Freestyle battles often turn political when artists incorporate perspectives on social disparities and issues plaguing the Cuban population.

Batucada

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Overview/Instruments#

The variety of instruments used in a batucada include: *Repinique, a high-pitched tom-tom like drum played with a single stick (or two long sticks) and the hand. Traditionally the leader of the ensemble uses the repinique (also referred to as ‘repique’) to direct and solo. *Surdo, a large drum with an average size of 50 cm in diameter. It provides the downbeat, the bass downbeat of the rhythm. When only one surdo is playing, it accentuates the 2nd and 4th beat of every measure. When a second surdo is playing, it is tuned slightly higher and is played accentuating the first and third beats of the measure. A third surdo de terceira or Surdo-mor syncopates in between the beats. *Tamborim, a small drum usually played with a stick or a multi-pronged plastic beater. *Bells (agogô). *Chocalho (Ganzá, Rocar, and shakers of various types and materials). *Caixa de guerra, a deeper snare drum w/ wires on batter head and , a thinner snare drum. *Cuica, a single headed drum with a stick mounted inside the drum body, perpendicular to the head. The instrument is played by rubbing a damp cloth along the length of this stick, while pressing the head of the drum with a finger or thumb. The harder to the stick the finger is pressed, the higher the pitch of the sound is produced. The cuica creates a unique sound, which can sometimes sound like a human voice. *Timbal, a long cone-like drum that is used to produce both high & low tones in the ensemble. It is usually played with hands and creates a similar timbre as the West African Djembé. *Pandeiro, similar to a tambourine and played sometimes elaborately with the hand. Unlike the tambourine, the pandeiro can be tuned. *Reco-reco (known in Spanish as the güiro), a usually hollow wooden instrument with a ridged exterior surface that is scraped with a stick. *Apito, a small plastic, metal or wooden whistle.

Batuque (Cape Verde)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

As a music genre#

As a music genre, the batuque is characterized by having an andante tempo, a 6/8 or 3/4 measure and traditionally it is just melodic, i.e., it is just sung, it has no polyphonic accompaniment. When compared with the other musical genres from Cape Verde, the batuque has a call and response structure, and it is the only genre that is polyrhythmic. In fact, analyzing the rhythm, one finds out that it is a 3-beat rhythm over a 2-beat rhythm. In its traditional form, the batuque is organized as if it were an orchestral crescendo. It possesses two movements (if we may call them so): In older times the music began with an introduction on the cimboa that provided the base musical line. Nowadays the usage of that instrument is extinct. The first movement is called, in Creole, galion . In this movement one of the performers (called batukaderas ) executes a polyrhythmic hit, while the others execute a 2-beat hit, clapping hands or slapping a cloth.

Baul

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Etymology#

The origin of the word Baul is debated. A common view is that it may be derived either from the Sanskrit word vātula, which means “mad, crazy”, or from vyākula, which means “impatiently eager, upset”. A recent scholarly research suggests that the Bauls may be descendants of a specific branch of Sufism referred to as ba’al. Another theory is that it comes from the Persian word Aul.

History#

The origin of Bauls is not known exactly, but the word “Baul” has appeared in Bengali texts as old as the 15th century. The word is found in the Chaitanya Bhagavata of Vrindavana Dasa Thakura as well as in the Chaitanya Charitamrita of Krishnadasa Kaviraja. Some scholars maintain that it is not clear when the word took its sectarian significance, as opposed to being a synonym for the word madcap, agitated. Bauls are a part of the culture of rural Bengal. Many attempts have been made to ascertain the origin of Bauls but there is wide disagreement among scholars. But they agree that no founders have been acknowledged either by Bauls themselves or others. Bauls are divided into several named groups, each following a named Hindu or Muslim guru. Besides, there are other communities who later identified or affiliated themselves with Bauls, like Darbesi, Nera and two sub-sects of Kartabhajas — Aul and Sai. The Bauls themselves attribute their lack of historical records to their reluctance to leave traces behind. Dr. Jeanne Openshaw writes that the music of the Bauls appears to have been passed down entirely in oral form until the end of the 19th century, when it was first transcribed by outside observers. There are two classes of Bauls: ascetic Bauls who reject family life and Bauls who live with their families. The bauls from India dress colourfully in orange and red and have a somewhat different way of getting together. In Bangladesh, Bauls mostly dress in white which symbolises purity. There is a big yearly gathering called Jaydeb Mela, taking place in Januari in Kenduli, near Bolpur, which attract bauls and followers in large numbers.

Bay Area thrash metal

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Exodus and Metallica#

The earliest documented roots of the Bay Area thrash scene date back to the formation of Exodus in 1979. By the time the group recorded their full-length album four years later, five different guitarists or bassists had already passed through the lineup, with some going on to join or form bands that were equally relevant to the area’s burgeoning metal scene. In November 1982, Exodus opened a show at San Francisco’s Old Waldorf venue for Metallica, a then-relatively unknown (and unsigned) band from Southern California who were recently discovered by Brian Slagel and had appeared on the first volume of his Metal Massacre compilation. Exodus (who were also unsigned at this time) had distributed an untitled demo the same year with a lineup that included guitarist Kirk Hammett. Although Metallica had initially formed in Los Angeles, it was not until their February 1983 relocation to the East Bay area that Cliff Burton formerly from Trauma joined as bassist, sealing the band’s first, formative lineup. The group (which then consisted of Burton, James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, and Dave Mustaine) had moved into a Carlson Blvd. house in El Cerrito, near Albany Hill, which had been rented by Mark Whitaker, then-manager of Exodus. After Mustaine was removed from the lineup that same year, then-Exodus guitarist Hammett would replace him following Whitaker’s recommendation; in turn, Mustaine would move back to Los Angeles to form Megadeth. Metallica’s signing to Megaforce Records, the release of their first album and the songwriting process and rehearsals for Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets had all taken place while the group resided at Whitaker’s El Cerrito home.

BA on Music Theory Print

Bacchanale

Bachata (music)

Instrumentations#

Bachatón

Background#

Bachata#

Background music

Incidental music#

Bagad

Premier Category 2008#

Baganda music

Musical instruments#

Bagatelle (music)

Earliest known bagatelle#

Best-known bagatelles#

Baggy

History#

Baião (music)

Description#

Baila music

History#

Baithak Gana

Instruments#

Baka music

Dance#

Vocal music#

Bakersfield sound

History#

Bal-musette

History#

Baladi

Baladi music and dance#

Balearic beat

History#

Balkan brass

History#

Balkan music

Byzantine medieval music#

Ballad

Origins#

Ballad (disambiguation)

Genres and forms#

Classical compositions#

Performers#

Albums#

Songs#

Other uses#

See also#

Ballad opera

Earliest ballad operas#

Ballade (classical music)

Origin#

Ballade (forme fixe)

Musical form#

Ballata

Lauda and Ballata#

Editions#

Ballet (music)

History#

Ballet d'action

Influencers#

Ballroom rumba

Music#

Balochi music

Music instruments#

History#

Baltimore club

Origins#

2000s#

Balwo

Origins#

Bambera

Definition#

Banamba (dance)

Description#

Banda music

Traditional ensembles#

Bandari music

Music#