KO on Music Theory Print

Koliadka

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

In Ukraine#

Koliadky have been sung since pre-Christian times in Kievan Rus’. Those songs were used for ritual purposes. In early times, koliadky expressed ancient people’s ideas about creation, natural phenomena, and the structure of the world. With the advent of Christianity, the content of koliadky began to acquire the relevant religious meaning and features. Now koliadky are mostly Christmas carols, which tell of the birth of Jesus Christ and biblical stories that happened in connection with the event. Heathen roots are still there. In Ukraine under the Soviet rule, organized public singing of koliadky (vertep) on Christmas Eve was persecuted by authorities, so it frequently took place on the night before the New Year instead. In some cases people taking part in such events would be arrested by the KGB for “hooliganism”. Especially notable were the mass arrests which took place on 1 January 1972 and targeted participants of a festive procession accompanied by koliadka singing, which took place in central Lviv and was led by Ihor and Iryna Kalynets. Despite repression, the traditions of koliadka and vertep survived both among the rural and urban population in Western Ukraine, and in 1986 reached the local theatre scene. Koliadka performances even spread to Soviet prison camps, where many Ukrainian dissidents were held at the time. Among others, Myroslav Marynovych organized the singing of koliadky with fellow inmates after his imprisonment in 1978. Starting from 1988, koliadka singing and vertep performances in Lviv were officially permitted by authorities through the efforts of Lion’s Society, although some elements of the processions, such as figures of angels, were still banned by the Communist regime. Starting from the 1990s the tradition of koliadka and vertep theatre has also seen a revival in other regions of Ukraine, including Kyiv.

Kolomyika

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

History of study#

The specificity of kolomyika was once determined by the folklorist F. Kolessa: Kolomyika is originally a dance song, which is still sung before dancing, and has become a favorite form of lyric song in Western Ukraine, especially in Pokutia, where it has gradually supplanted other song forms. It has a dance character and a free combination of stanzas of common or related content, sometimes based only on a closer or further association of thoughts and poetic images." Its name indicates the place of fixation: the city of Kolomyia, Stanisławów, now Ivano-Frankivsk region in the vicinity of Hutsul-populated areas of the Carpathians. Kolomyia has been historically popular among Poles, Ukrainians and is also known (dance) in northeastern Slovenia (as kalamajka). The size of the kolomyika (only two lines in which the words should be placed so that each line had fourteen syllables) contributed to the development of conciseness, stable poetic formulas, economic and accurate use of tropes. Kolomyikas have a two-dimensional structure: the image of nature of the first line by analogy or contrast enhances the semantic and emotional meaning of the thought expressed in the second line. Sometimes the first line acts as a traditional spice, the content of which is not always related to the next line. Most often it is the beginning “Oh, the cuckoo flew (peacock, swallow)”, “On a high wormwood”, “Oh, green oak” and others.

Komagaku

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

History#

Komagaku emerged during the early Heian period as part of reforms to the Japanese court music system. These reforms reorganized earlier imported musical styles, incorporating musical elements from the Korean peninsula and neighboring regions into a formalized court repertoire. Komagaku was distinguished from other gagaku categories by its geographic origins and instrumentation, and it became closely associated with specific ceremonial and dance traditions at the imperial court.

Musical characteristics#

Komagaku is characterized by its exclusive use of wind and percussion instruments. Typical instruments include the komabue (a transverse bamboo flute), taiko, kakko, and shōko. The absence of string instruments gives Komagaku a distinctive timbre compared to togaku, another major gagaku style. Rhythmically, Komagaku pieces often feature lively tempos and strong percussive patterns, reflecting their historical use in dance accompaniment.

Konkani liturgical music

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

History#

Prior to Vatican II, most of the liturgy was in Latin. When liturgy in vernacular languages was introduced in Vatican II, Fr. Vasco do Rego SJ led the effort to compose the needed Konkani liturgical music. Goan composers developed a rich and unique form of motets for the Lenten season, which were accompanied by violins, clarinets and double bass. Goan church authorities had obtained special permission from the Holy See to use these instruments during the Holy Week services. Unfortunately, most of these Konkani motets were not preserved and have been lost. There were similar efforts made independently in Mangalore in the field of Konkani liturgical music.

Konnakol

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

Usage#

Musicians from a variety of traditions have found konnakol useful in their practice. Prominent among these is John McLaughlin, who led the Mahavishnu Orchestra and has long used konnakol as a compositional aid. V. Selvaganesh, who plays alongside McLaughlin in the group Remember Shakti, and Ranjit Barot, who plays with McLaughlin in the group 4th Dimension, are other noted konnakol virtuosos. A few of the prominent names performing konnakol are B K Chandramouli, Dr T K Murthy, B C Manjunath, Somashekhar Jois, and Mattias ‘IA’ Eklundh of Freak Kitchen. Danish musician Henrik Andersen wrote the book Shortcut To Nirvana (2005) and the DVD Learn Konnakol (2014). Andersen was a student of Trilok Gurtu (India) and Pete Lockett (UK). Trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader Don Ellis also utilized the technique extensively in his own compositions and arrangements for his own big band. Ellis would use konnakol in live performance having the members of his entire orchestra actually do the vocalizations of rhythms most notably on a piece entitled “Open Wide”, that he performed at the 1977 Montreux Jazz Festival. Subash Chandran’s disciple Dr Joel, who teaches konnakol in the UK, is noted for incorporating it into rock and Western classical music, notably in a concerto commissioned in 2007 by the viola soloist Rivka Golani. The trio J G Laya (Chandran, Sri Thetakudi Harihara Vinayakram, and Dr Joel) showcased the konnakol of Chandran and helped the previously fading art form return to prominence in the 1980s. Chandran released an instructional DVD on konnakol in 2007. McLaughlin and Selvaganesh also released an instructional DVD on konnakol in 2007. Jazz saxophonist, konnakol artist, and composer Arun Luthra incorporates konnakol and Carnatic music rhythms (as well as Hindustani classical music rhythms) in his work. More recently, drummer Steve Smith has also incorporated konnakol in his performances with vital information and his clinics. In 2022 Taladiddle written by Claudio Fischer and Claus Hessler was published a book comparing and contrasting konnakol to rudiments. Konnakol should not be confused with the practice in Hindustani music (the classical music of northern India) of speaking tabla “bols”, which indicate the finger placement to be used by a percussionist. By contrast, konnakol syllables are aimed at optimising vocal performance, and vastly outnumber any commonly used finger placements on mridangam or any other hand percussion instrument. Further, all the differences between Carnatic and north Indian rhythms apply equally to konnakol and tabla bols. The artist improvises within a structure that interrelates with the raga being played and within the talam preferred in the compositions. In mridangam, kanjira, or ghatam, the percussion is limited to physical characteristics of their structure and construction: the resonance of skin over jackfruit wood, clay shells, or clay pots. The human voice has a direct and dramatic way of expressing the percussive aspects in music directly. Trichy Shri R Thayumanavar gave a rebirth to konnakol. His disciple Andankoil AVS Sundararajan, a vocal and miruthangam Vidwan, is a konnakol expert, as is Mridangam Vidwan Shri T. S. Nandakumar.

Könsrock

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

Characteristics#

Könsrock is commonly produced using the same line-up as punk rock, often including post-punk influences with drum machines, keyboards, and other electronic devices. Some bands use heavily distorted instrument similar to extreme punk, and some use a more experimental sound deliberately made to sound unpleasant. The lyrics are usually offensive and deal with topics such as handicapped people, homosexuality, pedophilia, bodily functions, Nazism, drugs, and violence. Könsrock has been popular in schools in Sweden and has on some occasions caused public outrage.

Kontakion

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

Etymology#

The word kontakion derives from the Greek κόνταξ (kóntax), which means “rod” or “stick” and refers specifically to the rod around which a scroll is wound. While the genre dates to at least the 6th century, the word itself is attested only in the 9th century. The name is likely a reference to the fact that kontakions tend to be lengthy and have a large number of stanzas, thus metaphorically or literally requiring a great deal of “scrolling”. A hymn book containing kontakia is called a kontakarion (; loaned into Slavonic as kondakar, ), but a kontakarion is not just a collection of kontakia: in the tradition of the Cathedral Rite (like that practiced at the Hagia Sophia of Constantinople) this became the name of the book of the prechanter or lampadarios, also known as psaltikon, which contained all the soloistic parts of hymns sung during the morning service and the Divine Liturgy. Because the kontakia were usually sung by protopsaltes during the morning services, the first part for the morning service with its prokeimena and kontakia was the most voluminous part, and acquired the name kontakarion.

Kontradans

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

History#

The “contredanse,” the French-renamed country dance as indicated in a 1710 dance book called Recuil de Contredance, began in the English courts and was imported to Haiti via France (Brittany) through colonial rule and had been incorporated with African influences in Saint-Domingue. Contredanse flourished as it took on this creolized form establishing strong traditions in Haiti that would later influence variant forms throughout the Caribbean.

Origins#

The usage of the drums, poetic song, antiphonal song form, and imitations of the colonial elite dance were the elements that had already begun to transform the contredanse.

Koothu

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

Description#

Koothu is an ancient Tamil art form, which is a form of drama, where artists enacted scenes from epics and folklore with dance and music. It involves play performance along with narration and singing. Sangam literature such as Silappatikaram provide detailed description of the art form. The stories are drawn from Hindu epics such as Ramayana and Mahabharata, mythology and folklore. Apart from entertainment, koothu also serves as a medium of education to the rural people about religion and history.

Koplo

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

Characteristics#

The drum is the most important element of koplo. According to Cak Met, a popular koplo drummer, the regular dangdut is played in 3/4 bar while koplo is played in a faster 4/4 bar, thus requiring a more complex drumming technique. The standard drum pattern of dangdut is called chalte which consists of five types of sound, including three that are played by the large drum that is placed on the left side of the drummer and two that are produced by the small drum on the right. According to Andrew N. Weintraub of the University of Pittsburgh, the koplo drum pattern multiplies all of these sound elements and contains twice the sound of the large drum than the chalte of the standard dangdut. Weintraub traces the origin of these complex drum patterns to Sundanese drum players in West Java who played the traditional jaipongan music. The jaipongan drum pattern was reinterpreted by dangdut musicians in Surabaya and Banyuwangi, thus the making of koplo drum patterns went through a cross-cultural process between different ethnic groups. Because of the vital position of the drums in the koplo live performances, drum players often become icons. Among the well-known koplo drummers are Cak Met (also known as Ki Ageng), Waryo from OM Armega, and Cak Juri from OM Montana. Each region in East Java has its own style of koplo drums. Unique koplo drums can be seen in Sidoarjo, Gresik, Nganjuk, Madiun, Ponorogo, and Sragen. Dangdut, which employs these regional drums, is also called jaranan dangdut or jandhut. While drum patterns and rhythm are no different from the regular koplo, jandhut style uses additional drums called sabet and bem. Well known jandhut drummer includes Mas Malik from OM Lagista, hailed from Nganjuk.

Korean ballad

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

Background#

Stemming from the international sentimental ballad, the Korean popular ballad has become a nationally recognized and supremely popular music style in Korea. Power ballads from the West, including songs from Barbra Streisand and Lionel Richie, nurtured the growth and popularity of ballads as a genre in Korea. However, it was not until the 1980s that the ballad song style became popularized in mainstream Korean culture. From its popularity throughout Korean media, the Korean ballad has influenced and evolved into many different music styles. According to an analysis of ballad songs in Made in Korea: Studies in Popular Music, ballads tend to have the following music style: “intro-A (verse)-A-B-chorus-interlude-A (B)-chorus-bridge-chorus-outro….. where …The verse, or section A, was usually composed of eight bars, and its repetition was labeled as A. Section A usually began quietly and transitioned into section B, or the chorus. The bridge before the last chorus helped to escalate the emotions by modulating to a different key or through a grander arrangement. Lastly, in the outro, the accompaniment would come to a full stop or fade out.” Lyrically, ballads often call upon tragic themes of love revolving around topics such as: A breakup, death of a lover, or unrequited love. While still maintaining themes relating to love and loss, songs at the intersections of ballad and other genres can include nontypical instruments or vary in musical style and level of expression. Popular ballad singers in Korean history include Lee Moon-se, Hye Eun-yi, and Lee Sun-hee.

Korean court music

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

History#

Korean court music and its origins have been traced as early as the Unified Silla period (668–935); however, the three categories commonly began their spread across Korea during the Goryeo dynasty (918–1392), mainly due to Chinese influence.

Aak#

The genre of aak refers to Korean court ritual music originating from China. This created the growth in popularity for aak within Korea; however, the genre saw an eventual decline afterwards. The Yi dynasty during 1392–1910 then allowed for a completely finalised version of the aak system to rise across Korea, as the year 1430 saw the revival of the genre through a more modern reconstruction of traditional aak melodies. Instruments used within the genre are all of Chinese origin and are mostly used for the purpose of playing aak music, as opposed to being used for other genres of traditional court music. There are only two current surviving melodies of aak, both of which are played very slowly, and last around four minutes. Each piece contains 32 notes, and each note is played for at least four seconds, with the instruments rising in pitch at the end of every note.

Korean hip-hop

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

Linguistic hybridization#

The interplay between the Korean language and English has been used as a technical and aesthetic device in Korean hip-hop. Many Korean hip-hop songs contain syllabic similarities that could be interpreted in either languages. The bilingual aspect of this music is one distinguishing factor between Korean hip-hop and American hip-hop.

Subject matter#

Although Korean hip-hop adopted American hip-hop music, the difference in culture naturally led to the difference in lyrical content. For example, in the early stages of Korean hip-hop music, many Korean rappers referenced Confucian values and idioms. Bill Stax (formerly known as Vasco), a Korean rapper, explains, “While American hip-hop mainly dealt with themes of women, money, and drugs, there are no drugs in Korea. We need to tell stories that our friends can relate to and enjoy.” Themes that are most often dealt with in Korean hip-hop music are everyday life, personal stories and social issues specific to Korean culture in the case of underground hip-hop, and love in the case of mainstream hip-hop.

Korean indie

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

Background#

South Korea’s first modern wave of indie music began after the end of the military regime in 1987, coinciding with the rise of South Korea’s popular culture during the early to mid-1990s. While experienced rock musicians tried to revive their musical careers, the younger generation developed a new punk and rock community in the Hongdae area of Seoul. As a punk rock group, Crying Nut was formed in 1993 and is “Korea’s most successful indie band”, selling over 100,000 copies of their debut album in 1998. After the late 2000s, alongside the Korean wave, came a second wave of Korean indie, with notable bands including Kiha & the Faces, Broccoli, You Too?, and 9 and the Numbers. Kiha & The Faces were able to connect with a new audience thanks to their 2008 hit single, “Ssaguryeo Keopi” (English: Cheap Coffee). An indie rock group influenced by retro sounds, 9 and the Numbers, was also successful with their eponymous debut album in late 2009. By the time the second wave occurred, indie music in South Korea had become more diverse compared to its rock-dominated past. Mellow, acoustic sounds began to gain popularity. Due to globalization, young rock groups started incorporating English lyrics into their music, in contrast with the former nationalistic era, when musicians were accused of copying Western-style music. Although Korean indie is often considered subculture, influence from mass and viral media has made the internet the primary platform for indie music, giving individuals who wish to create music an easy opportunity to do so while also providing them a chance for viral success. Additionally, more financial support is being given to indie musicians in the form of concerts and festivals hosted by large corporations. Korean indie has also spread to other countries; Jambinai, the most successful overseas Korean indie band, and an increasing number of other indie groups have been performing abroad in locations such as Asia, Europe, and North America.

Korean revolutionary opera

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

History#

North Korean revolutionary opera was preceded by the spread of propaganda songs that praised Kim Il Sung and the nation, which itself replaced p’ansori – traditional Korean theatrical song. North Korean revolutionary opera was highly influenced by the original form of revolutionary opera developed as part of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, including such works as Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy and The Legend of the Red Lantern. North Korean studies scholar Alzo David-West writes that “Three of the alleged North Korean innovations in its national socialist realist musical theater are dynamic three-dimensional stage settings, stanzaic songs based on peasant-folk music, and panchang (an off-stage singing chorus), which in anti–Brechtian fashion constructs emotional links between character and spectator and controls the audience’s interpretation of events. These appear in Maoist revolutionary opera”. However, North Korean revolutionary opera differed in several ways, most notably in its use of traditional Korean instruments alongside Western orchestral ones, and its permitting the display of romantic love and supernatural or magical elements, both of which were banned in Cultural Revolution-era China. The first revolutionary opera in North Korea, Sea of Blood, was premiered at the Pyongyang Grand Theatre in July 1971, with Kim Il Sung credited as the author and Kim Jong Il credited as producer. The opera is seen as the primary example of North Korean revolutionary opera, with many North Korean texts referring to revolutionary opera as “Sea of Blood-style” opera. Sea of Blood was adapted from a 1969 film of the same name. Kim Il Sung claimed to have written it with his comrades in a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) guerilla unit while fighting against the Japanese in occupied Manchuria, and performed it on a makeshift stage in a recently liberated village as a form of anti-colonial propaganda. However, the veracity of this claim is disputed due to the difficulty of finding accurate information about Kim Il Sung’s early life and guerilla career. Sea of Blood was followed by the rest of the “Five Great Revolutionary Operas”: The Flower Girl, Tell O’ The Forest!, A True Daughter of the Party, and The Song of Mount Kumgang. The five plays have been performed consistently at the Pyongyang Grand Theatre since their respective debuts, with Sea of Blood and The Flower Girl both having been performed over 1,000 times each. Revolutionary opera flourished in North Korea as Kim Jong Il began to take charge of many aspects of the country, particularly its arts and propaganda programs. In September 1974, Kim Jong Il gave a “Talk to Creative Workers in the Field of Art and Literature” entitled On the Art of Opera, in which he described the most important principles of North Korean opera according to the regime. According to Kim, because opera combines music, dance, poetry, and theatre, it “constitutes a criterion for evaluating the level of a country”. A good revolutionary opera must reflect the time it was produced in, and be guided “strictly by revolutionary principles”. Revolutionary opera must also be emotionally affecting to the audience and be composed of beautifully poetic words and music. New operas modeled after the five great revolutionary operas are continuing to be produced in North Korea. The operas have been performed outside of North Korea, with Sea of Blood and The Flower Girl gaining widespread popularity in China. Sea of Blood was performed on a two-month tour of China in May to July 2010, with many of the performances selling out.

Korean rock

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

1950s#

Rock music was brought to South Korea in 1950 by U.S. soldiers fighting in the Korean War. After the war ended in 1953, many U.S. soldiers remained in South Korea, stationed on military bases, where local musicians and singers performed. One girl group called The Kim Sisters debuted on the U.S. military base stage, practiced their talents and skills, and then started their musical career in the United States.

Kōshiki

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

Origins#

The exact beginnings of kōshiki are unclear. The earliest known work in the genre is “Nijügo zanmai shiki”, written by Genshin in 986. This work became a model for future works in the style. By the 12th and 13th centuries, kōshiki became popular among many Japanese Buddhists.

Form#

Kōshiki is a liturgical ritual performance, which talks about an object of devotion. The object’s history, virtues, and importance are described, and the ritual connects object with those present for the performance. The general structure of kōshiki begins with an intention statement, followed by prose sections. The prose sections discuss the intention statement, and are sometimes in Chinese. Each section finishes by transferring merit. A work of kōshiki ends with a chant or verse about the theme.

Kosmische Musik

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

Characteristics#

Kosmische Musik was often instrumental and characterized by “spacy”, ambient soundscapes. Artists used synthesizers such as the EMS VCS 3 and Moog Modular, as well as sound processing effects and tape-based approaches. They often rejected rock music conventions, and instead drew on “serious” electronic compositions.

Etymology#

The term “kosmische Musik” was coined in 1971 by Edgar Froese and later used by record producer Rolf-Ulrich Kaiser as a marketing term for bands such as Ash Ra Tempel, Tangerine Dream, and Klaus Schulze. The following year, Rolf-Ulrich Kaiser’s Ohr Records used the term when he released the compilation Kosmische Musik (1972) featuring tracks by Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Ash Ra Tempel, and Popol Vuh. The style would later lead to the development of new-age music, with which it shared several characteristics. It would also exert lasting influence on subsequent electronic music and avant-garde rock.

Kosovan folk music

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

Genesis#

In the past, epic poetry in Kosovo and northern Albania was sung on a lahuta (a one-string fiddle) and then a more tuneful çiftelia was used which has two strings – one for the melody and one for drone. Kosovar music is influenced by Turkish music since the entire region spent 500 years as part of the Ottoman Empire but the Kosovar folklore preserved originality. Archaeolog ical researches tells about how old this tradition is and how it was developed in a parallel way with other traditional music in Balkan. Many roots were found in the 5th century BC like paintings in stones showing singers with instruments (In the famous the portrait “Pani” was shown holding an instrument similar to a flute).

Kouta (music)

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

History#

The Japanese term has been used for a number of inconsistent musical styles throughout Japanese history, though the term is used in the modern day exclusively to refer to the style of short, informal songs first developed in the late Edo period (1603–1867) and popularised in the early Meiji period (1868–1912). During the Heian period, the term was broadly applied to court songs performed by women such as () and . This term was used in contrast to the () performed by male court musicians. In later centuries, compilations of short, lyrical songs known as were published; the first of these, entitled , was published in 1518. The first modern piece is said to have been composed in 1855 by puppet theatre singer Kiyomoto Oyō (1840–1901), and was titled (). Performing a piece in the style at a faster tempo, Oyō would go on to compose a number of early , typically through borrowing lyrics from (), () and – a style of music characterised as “classy” and “graceful”, itself having resulted from governmental reforms aimed at suppressing the excessive erotic expression of late 17th century . The conflation of genres in became a key feature of the style, with a number of early having separate versions in both and . In the early Meiji period, were often creatively composed by a number of performers, who, having inserted pieces into their performances, later extracted these sections to be performed alone, composing new pieces in this style with the use of imagery taken from the pleasure quarters. , needing few performers and taking under three minutes to perform, eventually grew into a popular musical tradition of its own right in the Meiji period, forming an independent genre.