SE on Music Theory Print

Sea shanty

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

Etymology#

While the origin of the word “shanty” is uncertain, with several inconclusive theories having been put forward. One of the earliest, most consistently offered and widely believed derivations is from the French , “to sing”. The phenomenon of using songs or chants, in some form, to accompany sea labor preceded the emergence of the term “shanty” in the historical record of the mid-19th century. One of the earliest published uses of this term for such a song came in G. E. Clark’s Seven Years of a Sailor’s Life, 1867. Narrating a voyage in a clipper ship from Bombay to New York City in the early 1860s, Clark wrote, “The anchor came to the bow with the chanty of ‘Oh, Riley, Oh,’ and ‘Carry me Long,’ and the tug walked us toward the wharf at Brooklyn.” While telling of another voyage out of Provincetown, Mass. in 1865, he wrote: Every man sprang to duty. The cheerful chanty was roared out, and heard above the howl of the gale. The cable held very hard, and when it surged over, the windlass sent the men flying about the deck, as if a galvanic battery had been applied to their hands. The vessel’s head was often buried in the solid seas, and the men, soaked and sweating, yelled out hoarsely, “Paddy on the Railway”, and “We’re Homeward Bound”, while they tugged at the brakes, and wound the long, hard cable in, inch by inch. Additionally, Clark referred to a lead singer as a “chanty man”, and he referred to stevedores unloading cargo from the vessels as “chanty men” and a “chanty gang”. This reference to singing stevedores as “chanty men” connects the genre to a still earlier reference to chanty-man as the foreman of a work gang and the lead singer of their songs. Around the late 1840s, Charles Nordhoff observed work gangs engaged in a type of labor called “cotton-screwing” in Mobile Bay. Characterized by Nordhoff as one of the heaviest sorts of labor, cotton-screwing involved the use of large jack-screws to compress and force cotton bales into the holds of outbound ships. Work gangs consisted of four men, who timed their exertions in turning the jack-screw to songs called chants. Singing, or chanting as it is called, is an invariable accompaniment to working in cotton, and many of the screw-gangs have an endless collection of songs, rough and uncouth, both in words and melody, but answering well the purposes of making all pull together, and enlivening the heavy toil. The foreman is the chanty-man, who sings the song, the gang only joining in the chorus, which comes in at the end of every line, and at the end of which again comes the pull at the screw handles … The chants, as may be supposed, have more of rhyme than reason in them. The tunes are generally plaintive and monotonous, as are most of the capstan tunes of sailors, but resounding over the still waters of the Bay, they had a fine effect. According to research published in the journal American Speech, Schreffler argues that chanty may have been a back derivation from chanty-man, which, further, initially carried the connotation of a singing stevedore (as in Nordhoff’s account, above). The historical record shows shanty (and its variant spellings) gaining currency only in the late nineteenth century; the same repertoire was earlier referred to as “song”, “chant”, or “chaunt”.

Sean-nós singing

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

History#

There is almost no mention of sean-nós songs in medieval Irish literature, but experts have speculated that sean-nós singing has existed in a similar form since the thirteenth century. In early Irish history, poets and bards had distinctly separate social roles from musicians. However, the Tudor and Cromwellian conquests of Ireland led to a suppression of traditional Irish culture, and the 1662 Act of Settlement, which banished Irish Catholic landowners to Connacht, meant that the remains of these once complex social and regional styles combined. The once lowly bard became the nonprofessional composer of “street poetry” (sráid éigse), and the strict meters of older, professionally composed, Irish ballads were replaced with the far more accessible amhrán (“song”) meters. The tradition of the sean-nós song was exclusively oral and remains customarily so, however, a few songs were known to have been conveyed to script as early as the 16th century. A songbook for Elizabeth I contained English interpretations of sean-nós songs. Songs started to be more extensively written down in the eighteenth century and distributed in print from then on. The Irish antiquarian Thomas Crofton Croker described an elderly female sean-nós singer he encountered in the early 1800s known for her “skill in keening”: This woman, whose name was Harrington, led a wandering kind of life, travelling from cottage to cottage about the country, and though in fact subsisting on charity, found everywhere not merely a welcome, but had numerous invitations on account of the vast store of Irish verses she had collected and could repeat. Her memory was indeed extraordinary; and the clearness, quickness, and elegance with which she translated from the Irish into English, though unable to read or write, is almost incredible. Before she commenced repeating, she mumbled for a short time, probably the beginning of each stanza, to assure herself of the arrangement, with her eyes closed, rocking her body backwards and forward, as if keeping time to the measure of the verse, She then began in a kind of whining recitation, but as she proceeded, and as the composition required it, her voice assumed a variety of deep and fine tones, and the energy with which many passages were delivered, proved her perfect comprehension and strong feeling of the subject. The first recordings of sean-nós singing were made in 1905 by Richard Henebry (Risteard De Hindeberg) in An Rinn (Ring) and Cill Ghobnait (Kilgobnet), County Waterford, all of which have been digitised and made available online via the Irish Traditional Music Archive website. In 1907, the Austrian ethnologist Rudolf Trebitsch made several recordings in Counties Waterford, Kerry, Donegal as well as Dublin. Later in the twentieth century, particularly during the folk revival, some sean-nós singers gained popularity in international folk music circles. The most notable of these was the Connemara singer Seosamh Ó hÉanaí (Joe Heaney), Others, including Bess Cronin of West Cork, were visited and recorded by song collectors and their recordings inspired future generations of musicians. The term “sean-nós” (“old style”) to describe traditional Irish language singing began in the early 1940s at the Gaelic League Oireachtas

Seapunk

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

Forerunners#

Precursors to the seapunk aesthetic are evident in the post-apocalyptic Kevin Costner film Waterworld, the background graphics in the Sega Genesis game Ecco the Dolphin, the 2007 video game Aquaria, the surfer gangs in Point Break with their shell jewelry, and the iridescent green and blue dresses worn by the mute mermaid Marina in Stingray.

Origins#

Originally, seapunk started as a trend and an Internet meme on Tumblr in 2011. The term “seapunk” was coined by DJ Lil Internet in 2011, in a humorous tweet: “Seapunk leather jacket with barnacles where the studs used to be.” In December 2011, Cluster Mag reported on the emergence of seapunk in electronic media and quoted Pictureplane, who described seapunk as “a mostly Internet-based phenomenon birthed out of the Tumblr and Twitter universes as a means to describe a lifestyle aesthetic that is all things oceanic and of the sea.” Musician Ultrademon is also credited with originating the short-lived movement. She released an album titled Seapunk in 2012. Images featuring neon flashing colors and rotating geometric shapes floating above oceans of brilliant blue or green water are found on the pages tagged with a #Seapunk hashtag on Tumblr. Seapunk digital imagery draws largely from 1990s 3D net art. The aforementioned imagery has given rise to other internet-based subgenres consisting of similar themes, such as slimepunk and icepunk. Elements of seapunk imagery were claimed to have influenced designers such as Versace and Givenchy.

Sebene

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

Etymology#

According to most Congolese musicologists, the term sebene was adapted from the English numeral seven. Although this attribution ostensibly ensues from folk etymology, it is believed that Congolese musicians assimilated this terminology from the palm-wine guitar tradition prevalent among West African migrants who resettled in Léopoldville (now Kinshasa) during the early 1900s and “whose music was interspersed with seventh chords (“seventh” → “seben”)”. While alternate descriptive designations (e.g., “chauffée”, “saccadée”, “animation”, “partie dansante”, “ambiance”) are used to delineate this musical interlude, sebene stands as the oldest and pervasive terminology extensively preferred by musicians.

Seconda pratica

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

Secular hymn (genre)

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

Secular Jewish music

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Israeli music#

Modern Israeli music is heavily influenced by its constituents, which include Jewish immigrants from more than 120 countries around the world, which have brought their own musical traditions, making Israel a global melting pot. The Israeli music is very versatile and combines elements of both western and eastern music. It tends to be very eclectic and contains a wide variety of influences from the Diaspora and more modern cultural importation. Hassidic songs, Asian and Arab pop, especially Yemenite singers, and hip hop or heavy metal (including a generally Israeli subgenre of folk metal called oriental metal). From the earliest days of Zionist settlement, Jewish immigrants wrote popular folk music. At first, songs were based on borrowed melodies from German, Russian, or traditional Jewish folk music with new lyrics written in Hebrew. Starting in the early 1920s, however, Jewish settlers made a conscious effort to create a new Hebrew style of music, a style that would tie them to their earliest Hebrew origins and that would differentiate them from the style of the Jewish diaspora of Eastern Europe, which they viewed as weak. This new style borrowed elements from Arabic and, to a lesser extent, traditional Yemenite and eastern Jewish styles: the songs were often homophonic (that is, without clear harmonic character), modal, and limited in range. “The huge change in our lives demands new modes of expression,” wrote composer and music critic Menashe Ravina in 1943. “… and, just as in our language we returned to our historical past, so has our ear turned to the music of the east … as an expression of our innermost feelings.” The youth, labor and kibbutz movements played a major role in musical development before and after the establishment of Israeli statehood in 1948, and in the popularization of many of these songs. The Zionist establishment saw music as a way of establishing a new national identity, and, on a purely pragmatic level, of teaching Hebrew to new immigrants. The national labor organization, the Histadrut, set up a music publishing house that disseminated songbooks and encouraged public sing-alongs (שירה בציבור). This tradition of public sing-alongs continues to the present day, and is a characteristic of modern Israeli culture.

Secular music

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

Sega (genre)

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

Description#

The music’s traditional form was largely improvised and intensely emotional and expressed the tribulations of a subjugated, initially enslaved, people. It is primarily music to dance to but was also used for dirges and as part of traditional exorcisms.

Instruments#

Traditional instruments include: *the maravanne (rattle) *moutia (hand drum) *the goatskin drum ravanne *triangle *and the bobre (bow). There is also the tantam, which is a stringed instrument consisting of a gourd with a bow attached, played in time to the drum. Nowadays, electric guitars and keyboards are used.

Seguidilla

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

Types#

The earliest and most influential of the types of seguidilla are thought to originate in either La Mancha or Andalusia, having become typical of large parts of central Spain. Variants include the seguidilla manchega (from La Mancha) as well as the murciana from Murcia and the slightly faster sevillana of Seville. One of the most complex styles of seguidilla is the seguidilla flamenca or seguiriya), which is used in flamenco music. Act I of Jacques Offenbach’s opera La Périchole includes a number entitled “Séguedille”.

Seis

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

Instruments#

The seis was made for a solo voice and accompanying instruments. The melodies and harmonies are simple, usually performed on the cuatro, guitar, bongó, and güiro, although other indigenous instruments are used depending on the available musicians. Spanish instrumentation and harmonies, typically from the Andalusian region, are prominent. In the 20th century, Afro-Caribbean aspects were included through the bongó, syncopated bass, and Cuban rhythms. These were especially used in studio recordings. There are different variations of the seis named after towns where they originated (for example, the seis fajardeño or seis de Fajardo), their composers (an example being the seis de Andino), the specific dance style (such as a seis chorreao), harmonic style (for example, the seis mapeyé), and type of text, which is often improvised ( a prime example being the seis con décima). The seis con décima is one of the types that is not danced to and it’s the slowest. The seis mapeyé or le lo lai is always in minor and the lyrics are about nostalgia.

Selichot

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

Selichot of the High Holidays#

In the Sephardic tradition, recital of Selichot in preparation for the High Holidays begins on the second day of the Hebrew month of Elul. In the Ashkenazi tradition, in years where the first day of Rosh Hashanah begins on a Thursday or Saturday, selichot are recited from the Saturday night before Rosh Hashanah. If, however, the first day of Rosh Hashanah falls on a Monday or Tuesday, selichot are recited from the Saturday night more than a week before Rosh Hashanah to ensure that it is recited at least four times. This may be because originally the pious would fast for ten days during the season of repentance, and four days before Rosh Hashanah were added to compensate for the four of the Ten Days of Repentance on which fasting is forbidden – the two days of Rosh Hashanah, Shabbat Shuvah, and the day preceding Yom Kippur—and, while the fasts are observed by very few today, the Selichot that accompanied them have been retained. Alternatively, the Rosh Hashanah liturgy includes the Biblical phrase “you shall observe a burnt offering”, and like an offering which needs to be scrutinised for defects for four days, so too four days of self-searching are needed before the day of judgment. In the Italian rite, selichot always begin on a Monday or Thursday shortly before Rosh Hashanah. If Rosh Hashanah falls on Monday, they begin the previous Monday. If Rosh Hashanah falls on a Tuesday, they begin on the Monday eight days before. If Rosh Hashana falls on Thursday, they begin the previous Thursday. If Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat, they begin the Monday of that week. Selichot refers to both the piyyutim that compose the service as well as to the service itself. In most Sephardic communities, selichot services are identical each day. However, some North African communities recited different selichot on Mondays, Thursdays and Shabbat, following the order in Siftei Renanot, while keeping the “standard” order on days without Torah Reading. In the Eastern Ashkenazic tradition, although the text and length of specific prayers varies from day to day, the overall format remains the same and is prefaced by Ashrei () and the Half-Kaddish. In the Western Ashkenazic tradition, there is similarly an overall format, but it begins with Adon Olam or Lecha Hashem Ha’Tzedaka, and the Half-Kaddish follows the first set of the thirteen attributes. Selichot are usually recited between midnight and dawn. Some recite it at night after the Maariv prayer, or in the morning before Shacharit, due to the convenience of synagogue attendance when a prayer is already taking place there. The most popular night of Selichot in the Ashkenazi tradition is the first night, when many women and girls as well as men and boys attend the late-night service on Saturday night. In some communities, the hazzan wears a kittel and sings elaborate melodies. In some congregations, it is not unusual for a choir to participate in this first night’s service. In the Eastern Ashkenazic tradition, this night also has more Selichot than any other night prior to Rosh Hashanah eve. The other nights are sometimes more sparsely attended and those services are often led by a layperson, rather than a trained musician, and with melodies that are less elaborate than the first night. In addition to the Selichot of the High Holiday period, the recitation of Selichot on Yom Kippur itself is the centerpiece and most important part of the liturgy, recited in all of the prayers of the day. Beginning in the late 19th Century, many communities in Eastern Europe stopped reciting Selichot except at Maariv and Neilah. Western Ashkenazic communities, as well as a small number of Eastern Ashkenazic communities, maintain the recitation of Selichot in all of the prayers of Yom Kippur. Italian rite communities recite Selichot on Yom Kippur in all of the prayers except Musaf. Sephardic communities also recite Selichot at all of the prayers of Yom Kippur, although they recite them after the Chazzan’s repetition rather than as a part of it.

Semi-classical music

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

Historical background#

After the Indian Rebellion of 1857 or sometimes also called the First war of independence from the British rule, most Mughal court musicians moved from Delhi to the relative peace and safety of smaller towns after the failure of the 1857 rebellion.

Thumri and Dadra#

In those smaller towns, a new musical movement gained momentum which sought relaxation from the structural limitations of the khayal form of music to allow singers to express themselves with lighter music. This new trend resulted in the development of two closely related music genres, the thumri and the dadra. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, this musical heritage and many of the musicians shifted to Pakistan. Thumri and dadra have been and still are popular among contemporary classical vocalists in Pakistan.

Semi-opera

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

List of English semi-operas#

Macbeth (1673) libretto by William Davenant after Shakespeare’s Macbeth; music by Matthew Locke
The Tempest, or The Enchanted Island (1674) libretto by Thomas Shadwell after John Dryden and William Davenant’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest; music by Matthew Locke, Giovanni Battista Draghi and Pelham Humfrey
Calisto, or The Chaste Nymph (1675) libretto by John Crowne; music by Nathaniel Staggins
Psyche (1675) libretto by Thomas Shadwell; music by Matthew Locke
Circe (1677) libretto by Charles Davenant; music by John Banister
The Lancashire Witches and Tegue O’Divelly the Irish Priest (1681) libretto by Thomas Shadwell; music by John Eccles
Albion and Albanius (1685) libretto by John Dryden; music by Louis Grabu
Dioclesian (1690) libretto by Thomas Betterton after the play The Prophetess, by John Fletcher and Philip Massinger; music by Henry Purcell
King Arthur (1691) libretto by John Dryden; music by Henry Purcell
The Fairy Queen (1692) libretto by an anonymous author after Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream; music by Henry Purcell
Timon of Athens (1694), music by Henry Purcell
Macbeth (1695) libretto by William Davenant after Shakespeare’s Macbeth; music by John Eccles and Godfrey Finger
The Indian Queen (1695) libretto adapted version of the play by Sir Robert Howard and John Dryden; music by Henry Purcell, Act V completed by Daniel Purcell
Brutus of Alba (1696) libretto by George Powell; music by Daniel Purcell
Cinthia and Endimion, or The Loves of the Deities (1696) libretto by Thomas Durfey; music by Daniel Purcell, Richard Leveridge, Jeremiah Clarke, Henry Purcell and David Underwood
The World in the Moon (1697) libretto by Elkanah Settle; music by Daniel Purcell, Jeremiah Clarke and Henry Purcell
Rinaldo and Armida (1698) libretto by John Dennis; music by John Eccles
The Island Princess (1699) libretto by Peter Motteux, adapted from plays by John Fletcher and Nahum Tate; music by Daniel Purcell, Richard Leveridge and Jeremiah Clarke
The Grove, or Love’s Paradise (1700) libretto by John Oldmixon; music by Daniel Purcell
The Mad Lover (1700) libretto by Peter Motteux after the play by John Fletcher; music by John Eccles and Daniel Purcell
Alexander the Great (1701) anonymous libretto after The Rival Queens by Nathaniel Lee; music by Godfrey Finger and Daniel Purcell
The Virgin Prophetess, or The Fate of Troy (1701) libretto by Elkanah Settle; music by Godfrey Finger
The British Enchanters, or No Magic Like Love (1706) libretto by George Granville, Lord Lansdowne; music by John Eccles, Bartholomew Issack and William Corbett
Wonders in the Sun, or The Kingdom of the Birds (1706) libretto by Thomas Durfey; music by John Smith, Samuel Akeroyde, John Eccles, Giovanni Battista Draghi, Lully and Durfey
The Tempest (1712) libretto adapted by Thomas Shadwell from the Dryden-Davenant version of Shakespeare’s play; music possibly by John Weldon (long attributed to Henry Purcell)

References#

Warrack, John and West, Ewan (1992), The Oxford Dictionary of Opera, 782 pages,
A Companion to Restoration Drama ed. Susan J. Owen (Blackwell, 2008): chapter by Todd S. Gilman

Senegalese hip-hop

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

Colonization of Senegal#

To understand Senegal’s popularity as a mixture of different sounds is understanding Senegal’s history of colonization. Modern Senegal is made up of an ethnically diverse group of people. “The largest of the city include the Wolof (44% of the population), Fulani and Tukulor (24%), Serer (15%), Diola (5%) and, Mandinka (4%).” During the 9th century the Tukulor settled in the Senegal River Valley and resided there until the 14th century. Within their rein, into the mid 11th century they converted to Islam. The Mali Empire expanded during the 14th century, and in the 15th century, the Wolf established the Jolof Empire in Senegal. The Portuguese settlers set up trading spaces for access to resources, but by the 17th century, the city was rid of the Portuguese by the Dutch and the French. The French resided there until 1895 when Senegal was established as a French colony. In the early 1960s Senegal became an autonomous republic within the French community. Hence forward, the estate went through several forms of political oppression and reconstruction until finally Abdoulaye Wade was elected president in March 2000 and the Senegalese Democratic Party had finally won, bringing peace and improvement to the land. “The development of modern music dates back to the musical traditions established by ‘griots’ in the days of the Mali-Songhay empires.” It can be noted that the first form of musical expression made in Senegal date back to the 14th century in the forms of griots.

Senja (genre)

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

Background#

Historically, the term “indie” means independent, referring to musicians or bands that produce and distribute their work independently, without the auspices of a major label. In Indonesia itself, the independent music scene has been around since the 1970s, when rock band God Bless worked without a major label (called underground at the time). In Indonesia, the 1990s marked a shift in terminology as the term “indie” gradually supplanted “underground” to describe independent music movements. During this period, several influential bands emerged and became cornerstones of the Indonesian indie scene. Among them were Mocca, Pas Band, Pure Saturday, NAIF, Efek Rumah Kaca (ERK), Goodnight Electric, and numerous others. These groups contributed to the diversification and popularization of indie music in Indonesia, each bringing distinct sounds and identities that broadened the genre’s appeal. However, the “indie” genre as a musical style with a “non-mainstream” connotation only developed later; especially in the 2000s, many independent bands emerged with a variety of genres (from alternative rock to jazz). The tradition of musicalising poetry in the previous decade also provided the foundation for the birth of Senja music. The senior folk duo AriReda (Ari Malibu & Reda Gaudiamo), who since the 1980s have consistently turned poems by writers into acoustic songs, inspired a new generation of poetic indie musicians. Young musicians such as Payung Teduh, the duo Teman Sebangku, Banda Neira, and soloist Frau recognise that AriReda’s musical approach has influenced their works, paving the way for the development of the senja indie genre in the present era.

Sentimental ballad

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

Early history#

Sentimental ballads have their roots from medieval French chanson balladée or ballade, which were originally “danced songs”. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of the British Isles from the later medieval period until the 19th century. They were widely used across Europe, and later in the Americas, Australia and North Africa. As a narrative song, their theme and function may originate from Scandinavian and Germanic traditions of storytelling. Musically they were influenced by the Minnesinger. The earliest example of a recognizable ballad in form in England is “Judas” in a 13th-century manuscript. A reference in William Langland’s Piers Plowman indicates that ballads about Robin Hood were being sung from at least the late 14th century and the oldest detailed material is Wynkyn de Worde’s collection of Robin Hood ballads printed about 1495.

Sephardic music

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

History#

Sephardic music has its roots in the musical traditions of the Jewish communities in medieval Spain and medieval Portugal. Since then, it has picked up influences from Morocco, Greece, Bulgaria, and the other places that Spanish and Portuguese Jews settled after their expulsion from Spain in 1492 and from Portugal in 1496. Lyrics were preserved by communities formed by the Jews expelled from the Iberian Peninsula. These Sephardic communities share many of the same lyrics and poems, but the melodies vary considerably. Because so many centuries have passed since the expulsion, a lot of the original melodies have been lost. Instead, Sephardic music has adopted the melodies and rhythms of the various countries where the Sephardim settled in. The Greek and Turkish traditions are fairly close. The Moroccan or “western” Sephardic traditions are not that close to the eastern/Greek/Turkish traditions. These song traditions spread from Spain to Morocco (the Western Tradition) and several parts of the Ottoman Empire (the Eastern Tradition) including Greece, Jerusalem, Armenia, the Balkans and Egypt. Sephardic music adapted to each of these locales, assimilating North African high-pitched, extended ululations; Balkan rhythms, (for instance in time); and the Arabic maqam mode. The song traditions were studied and transcribed in the early twentieth century by a number of ethnomusicologists and scholars of medieval Hispanic literature. From around 1957 until quite recently, Samuel Armistead (UC Davis) with colleagues Joseph Silverman and Israel Katz collected Judeo-Spanish songs from informants in North America, Turkey, the Balkans, Greece, North Africa, and Israel. The digitized recordings, with transcriptions and information about song type, are available on the website Folk Literature of the Sephardic Jews, now permanently hosted by the University of Illinois Library. The early 20th century saw some popular commercial recordings of Sephardic music come out of Greece and Turkey, followed by recordings from Jerusalem and other parts of the Eastern Tradition. The first performers were mostly men, including the “Turks” Jack Mayesh, Haim Efendi and Yitzhak Algazi. Later, a new generation of singers arose, many of whom were not themselves Sephardic. Gloria Levy, Pasharos Sefardíes, Flory Jagoda the Parvarim, and Janet & Jak Esim Ensemble are popular Eastern Tradition performers of this period. Gerard Edery, Savina Yannatou, Stefani Valadez, Françoise Atlan, Marlene Samoun Yasmin Levy and Mara Aranda are among the new generation of singers bringing a new interpretation to the Ladino/Judeo-Spanish heritage and, in the large case of Levy and Edery, mixing it with Andalusian Flamenco. Opera singer and actor David Serero sings Ladino and Sephardic songs which he often includes in theater classics such as Merchant of Venice and Othello. The Jewish Community of Thessaloniki Choir was founded in 1995 by members of the community. The choir was founded in the hope that the musical tradition that their ancestors took with them when they were expelled from the Iberian Peninsula 500 years ago would be preserved and revived. The research of its conductor Kostis Papazoglou on Sepharadic music from the medieval tradition (songs like “Tres Ermanikas”) and later as the music evolved resulted to a CD, produced by Minos EMI, with the participation of the Codex Ensemble, under the title " En la mar ay una torre." Today, this choir has 25-30 members of different ages. Its conductor Kostis Papazoglou, is an experienced and distinguished music teacher, soloist, and orchestras conductor, who has given concerts all over Greece as well as in Israel (Tel Aviv), Skopia, Vienna, Salzburg, Bulgaria (Sofia), Russia (St. Petersburg), Egypt (Cairo at the inauguration of the rebuilt Ben Ezra Synagogue),Turkey (Istanbul in the Ashkenaz Synagogue on the occasion of Jewish Culture Week), and Hungary (in the Great Budapest Synagogue).

Serbian hip-hop

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

Early roots#

Serbian hip-hop first started in the early 1980s with the birth of b-boy crews. The first Serbian hip-hop record release was the Degout EP by The Master Scratch Band, which was released by Jugoton in 1984. The hip-hop scene in Serbia was not popularized until the demo band of teenagers Badvajzer (Budweiser) appeared in 1987, and became extremely popular. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, bands such as CYA, Green Kool Posse (Sunshine crew), Who Is The Best, Robin Hood, Double 1, Bez Kaucije, Crno-Bela Veza, and Jedva Smo Se Skupili came into being, all together starting the first hip-hop scene in Serbia and the former Yugoslavia.

Serbian pop

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

Beginning of the pop music in Serbia#

Pop music in Serbia existed before Second World War. It is known that in late 1920s guest of Serbian capital Belgrade was a famous singer and actress Josephine Baker which suggests that in Serbia there were many gramophone records of this style of music and similar music styles such as jazz. It also confirms the statement of the actress Ognjenka Het in the radio show of Radio Belgrade called Two white pigeons in 1986 and is also confirmed by other direct and indirect sources. While the first singer-songwriters appear in other parts of Yugoslavia in that time in Serbia were performed romances, starogradska muzika, and folk music by the singers Edo Ljubić, Fulgencije Vucemilović, Milan Timotić, Olga Jančevecka and others. Mijat Mijatović, Sofka Nikolić, Bora Janjić – Šapčanin mostly performed folk songs, sevdalinka, starogradska muzika, but sometimes they also performed pop music. Bora Janjić – Šapčanin recorded the cover of Hungarian schlager Sad Sunday.

Serenade

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

Early serenade music#

In the oldest usage, which survives in informal form to the present day, a serenade is a musical greeting performed for a lover, friend, person of rank or other person to be honored. The classic usage would be from a lover to his lady love through a window. It was considered an evening piece, one to be performed on a quiet and pleasant evening, as opposed to an aubade, which would be performed in the morning. The custom of serenading in this manner began in the Medieval era, and the word “serenade” as commonly used in current English is related to this custom. Music performed followed no one particular form, except that it was typically sung by one person accompanying himself on a portable instrument, most likely a guitar, lute or other plucked instrument. Works of this type also appeared in later eras, but usually in a context that referred specifically to a past time, such as arias in an opera (there is a famous example in Mozart’s Don Giovanni). Carl Maria von Weber composed his serenade for voice and guitar, “Horch’! Leise horch’, Geliebte!” (1809).

Serialism

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

Basic definitions#

Serialism is a method, “highly specialized technique”, or “way” of composition. It may also be considered “a philosophy of life (Weltanschauung), a way of relating the human mind to the world and creating a completeness when dealing with a subject”. Serialism is not by itself a system of composition or a style. Neither is pitch serialism necessarily incompatible with tonality, though it is most often used as a means of composing atonal music. “Serial music” is a problematic term because it is used differently in different languages and especially because, shortly after its coinage in French, it underwent essential alterations during its transmission to German. The term’s use in connection with music was first introduced in French by René Leibowitz in 1947, and immediately afterward by Humphrey Searle in English, as an alternative translation of the German (twelve-tone technique) or (row music); it was independently introduced by Stockhausen and Herbert Eimert into German in 1955 as , with a different meaning, but also translated as “serial music”.

Sertanejo music

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

Background#

“Sertanejo” is derived from sertão, a general term for rural backlands away from coastal metropolitan regions, although sertão itself is also often used in a narrow sense referring to the interior away from the Brazilian Northeast. The Sertanejo people, from the Northeast of Brazil, are different in several aspects when compared to the Caipira people, who originate from São Paulo, being two distinct Brazilian cultures.

History#

Sertanejo music is a subgenre of Caipira music, recorded for the first time, based on recordings made by the journalist and writer Cornélio Pires, in 1929. The introduction of the electric guitar and pop music influences by duo Leo Canhoto e Robertinho in the late 1960s marked the start of Sertanejo music, separating it from Caipira music. One member of the Jovem Guarda musical movement, singer Sergio Reis switched from pop to sertanejo in the 1970, which contributed to a wider acceptance of the genre. At that time, sertanejo music was usually performed in circuses, rodeos, and AM radio stations. Early as the 1980s, this penetration extended to FM radio and also on television – either in weekly programs on Sunday morning or even making it into soap operas soundtracks or special one-off TV programs. During the 1980s, there was a mass commercial exploitation of sertanejo, coupled in some cases, to a rereading of international hits and even the Jovem Guarda’s. In this new romantic trend of country music countless artists emerged, almost always in pairs, among which, Trio Parada Dura, Chitãozinho & Xororó, Leandro e Leonardo, Zeze Di Camargo e Luciano, Chrystian & Ralf, João Paulo & Daniel, Chico Rey & Parana, João Mineiro and Marciano, Gian and Giovani, Rick & Renner, Gilberto e Gilmar, Alan e Aladim, along with some female singers, such as Roberta Miranda, Aula Miranda and Nalva Aguiar. Some of the successes of this phase are “Fio de Cabelo”, by Marciano and Darci Rossi, “Apartmento 37 “, Leo Canhoto, “Pense em Mim, " Douglas in May, “Entre Tapas e Beijos”, Nilton Lamas and Antonio Bueno and “Evidências”, by Jose Augusto and Paulo Sérgio Valle.

Sevdalinka

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

Etymology#

The word “sevdalinka” comes from the Turkish “sevda” which, in turn, derives from the Ottoman Turkish “sevda” and refers to the state of being in love, and more specifically to the intense and forlorn longing associated with love-sickness and unfulfilled and unrequited love. It was these associations that arrived with the word when it was brought to Bosnia through the activities of the Ottoman Empire. Today, it is a richly evocative Bosnian word, denoting “to pine” or “to long”, whether for a loved one, a place or a time, with a sense of joy and pain, both being at the emotional core of sevdalinka lyrics. Munib Maglajlić defines sevdalinka within Bosniak oral lyric poetry as a love song and glosses sevdah as (“love, amorous longing, amorous rapture”). He also places the genre’s formation in urban milieus shaped under Ottoman rule, emphasizing a synthesis of eastern elements and an inherited Slavic tradition. The people of Bosnia employ the words “sevdalinka” and “sevdah” interchangeably as a name for this sort of music, although the shared Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin and Serbian loanword “sevdah” can also be used in other contexts. Saudade, a central term in Portuguese Fado, is of the same origin, emerging from Arabic medical discourses and used for centuries in both Al-Andalus and the Ottoman empire.

Sevillanas

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

Dance#

Sevillanas are danced by couples of all ages and sexes during celebrations (fiestas or ferias), often by whole families and towns. Sevillana choreography is characterized by stability and functionality, since it is a festival dance. This is why those intending to dance flamenco usually start by learning sevillanas; they are easier to master and there are more occasions for practice and training. The rhythm of Sevillanas can be interpreted as 3/4, although it is generally 6/8. Each sevillana is composed of four or sometimes seven parts, with each part divided into three coplas and with each copla made up of six movements. During festivals and shows, it is often the Sevillana dancing visitors to Andalusia mistakenly take as Flamenco, as it is a vivid style, full of turns.

SE on Music Theory Print

Sea shanty

Etymology#

Sean-nós singing

History#

Seapunk

Forerunners#

Origins#

Sebene

Etymology#

Seconda pratica

Further reading#

Secular hymn (genre)

Secular Jewish music

Israeli music#

Secular music

Sega (genre)

Description#

Instruments#

Seguidilla

Types#

Seis

Instruments#

Selichot

Selichot of the High Holidays#

Semi-classical music

Historical background#

Thumri and Dadra#

Semi-opera

List of English semi-operas#

References#

Senegalese hip-hop

Colonization of Senegal#

Senja (genre)

Background#

Sentimental ballad

Early history#

Sephardic music

History#

Serbian hip-hop

Early roots#

Serbian pop

Beginning of the pop music in Serbia#

Serenade

Early serenade music#

Serialism

Basic definitions#

Sertanejo music

Background#

History#

Sevdalinka

Etymology#

Sevillanas

Dance#