KE on Music Theory Print

Kecak

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

History#

Kecak was originally a trance ritual accompanied by a male chorus. In the 1930s, Walter Spies, a German painter and musician, became deeply interested in the ritual while living in Bali. He adapted it as a drama based on the Hindu Ramayana and including dance, intended for performance before Western tourist audiences. Walter Spies worked with Indonesian dancer Wayan Limbak, who popularized the dance by arranging internationally touring performances by Balinese groups. These tours helped make the kecak internationally known. This is an example of what James Clifford describes as part of the “modern art-culture system” in which “the West or the central power adopts, transforms, and consumes non-Western or peripheral cultural elements, while making ‘art,’ which was once embedded in the culture as a whole, into a separate entity”. I Wayan Dibia, a performer, choreographer and scholar, suggests, by contrast, that the Balinese were already developing this form when Spies arrived on the island. For example, during the 1920s, Limbak had incorporated baris movements into the cak leader role. “Spies liked this innovation,” and he suggested that Limbak “devise a spectacle based on the Ramayana,” accompanied by cak chorus rather than gamelan, as would have been usual.

Keening

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

Etymology#

“Keen” as a noun or verb comes from the Irish and Scottish Gaelic term (“to cry, to weep”), and references to it from the 7th, 8th, and 12th centuries are extensive. Probably at the origin of “couiner” in French.

Melody and text#

The tune and lyrics rely on the repetition of a couple of basic motifs which can be variably extended or shortened. It seems that there was never an established keening ‘text’; the singer is expected to improvise as feeling dictates. Despite the keen varying between performances, keeners worked within the same body of motifs and diction. Words of lament were interspersed with non-lexical vocables, that is sounds that are without meaning. The keen can be formed of three motifs: The salutation (introduction), the dirge (verse), and the gol (cry).

Kenyan hip-hop

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

Development#

As hip hop gained recognition in the global music scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it became increasingly common in Kenyan media. As most American rappers were of African descent, Kenyan youths felt represented and inspired, and started emulating them by wearing African American urban fashion; exchanging albums, mix tapes, hip hop magazines such as Word Up and The Source; and reciting song lyrics and rapping in English. The movement spread further when matatus painted with graffiti started playing rap music, and some Kenyan artists started releasing rap-influenced songs. According to Alicia Rebensdorf, initially there was a strong correlation between rap music and wealth in Nairobi in the 1990s. The extremely high cost of rap CDs, magazines, merchandise, and music equipment led the genre to be initially exclusive to middle- and upper-class youths. the beginnings of Kenyan hip hop was like a “new breed of colonialism,” transplanting the original styles from the Westernized world to Africa. However, Kenya has not only embraced but also appropriated the genre, creating its own distinct version. Since its explosion in the mid-1990s, Kenyan hip hop is now generally written and performed in English, Swahili, and Sheng, a slang combination of the two.

Kertok

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

Origins#

Kertok is believed to originate from the Kelantan region of Malaysia, where it evolved from simple bird-scaring instruments used during the rice-harvest season into more musical forms. It gradually transitioned into an entertainment medium, featuring rhythmic contests and festive gatherings across rural Malay communities.

Construction and sound#

The xylophone keys (belira) are crafted from woods like nangka, pulai, merbau, or cengal; the resonator (body or ibu kertok) resembles a rice mortar in shape.The malleable rubber-tipped mallets produce two basic tones: a higher-pitched “cak” and a lower “kung”. A typical ensemble includes six xylophones, each played by a pair of musicians (12 players total).