listening (b)log: Sorida

I listened to two renditions of the song/game Sorida, which is a South African Greeting song. The song, in its original version, features male and female voices with a beat played by a drum. In the original version, there are hand movements that accompany the song. The rendition by Rosephayne Powell is arranged for SATB, acappella, with percussion. Her rendition features layered vocal patterns (ri da ri da, da da da) and a solo.

I feel that both of the renditions of the song can be taught to various age groups. The original song/game can be used to teach awareness of beats, cadence points, and eye/hand coordination. The combination of aural, visual, and movement is a powerful way to help students internalize rhythm, become aware of the body, and realize extramusical goals, such as following directions. This would be a good song to teach to children who in the second to fourth grade.

The other rendition of the song is an original work that is loosely based on the song/game. The song was written by an American, who studied the African folk song. She added her own lyrics, melody, and harmonies, but they are based on another African folk song that plays on the syllables of the word "sorida." This song could be used to teach more advanced musical techniques to high schoolers. I think that, if using this piece in a high school, the teacher should teach and expose the authentic song and its hand movements to the students before beginning to teach the modified song, so that some authenticity can be preserved.

listening (b)Log: Waltzing Matilda

I listened to a rendition of Waltzing Matilda which you can find here. The artist is Rolf Harris. This is a top rated rendition of this song. He plays the accordion to accompany himself on the song. In addition, audience members laugh and sing along with him.

Waltzing Matilda is a widely-known country folk song in Australia. I learned a few things about this song in the introduction. I had always thought that Waltzing Matilda was about a man's waltzing partner named Matilda. Come to find out, this song is about a man who wanders through the Australian Outback with his belongings tied in a blanket on his back (who he affectionately calls his Matilda, his only companion) slung over his shoulder. The song contains many context dependent words that are unique to the region.

billabong: large body of water
billy: tin of water to be boiled
tuckerbag: food bag
squatter: big landowner

I might use this song in a general music class to teach listening for context clues that might illuminate what these unfamiliar words mean. Also, this is a fun song that is child-friendly.

listening (b)Log: The Polyphonic Spree: Light and Day

I listened to a song called Light and Day by the band Polyphonic Spree. This song is written for vocals, guitar, flute, harp, keyboard, and flute, and trumpet. This song has been represented in various movies (Breakfast Club) and TV shows (Scrubs).

I chose this song because it is structured in an unusual way for a Western pop song from American artists. Instead of ABA structure with a chorus, the song has a colotomic structure. In colotomic structure, there are specified instruments to mark off established time intervals. In the gamelan percussion ensembles of Java and Bali, for instance, timed intervals may be marked by the entrance of different instruments. In this piece, the entrances are made in progression by guitar, violin, harp, vocal (male then female), flute, then keyboard in time-spaced intervals. To mark the ending of the piece, a trumpet is introduced. Using an example from popular culture, like this piece, can provide an entry point into the colotomic structures of musics from other parts of the world.

listening (b)log: El Condor Pasa (If I Could)

I listened to two rendtions of a Peruvian folk song called El Condor Pasa (If I Could), a compilation of Peruvian folk melodies written by Daniel Robles. The original version is written for the guena (flute) and churango. The second version has been popularized by Simon and Garfunkel on the Sound of Silence album.

The Simon and Garfunkel rendition preserves the essence of the original song in the background instrumentation (churango, a type of flute called a quena). Simon and Garfunkel changed the lyrics of the song (from the original Spanish) but otherwise maintains the overall contour and feel of the piece. Many other versions exist, including a Spanish eurodance version, a Russian pop version, and a Hebrew version of this song.

It would be interesting to do a lesson incorporating the many different styles of this particular song. In a secondary general music class, I might have students create charts to listen for what is the same and what is different in two or more versions of the song. I might ask how the original Peruvian folk melody is preserved in each version (in terms of instrumentation, melody, etc.). I might also ask open ended questions that encourage divergent thinking about why this song might appeal so widely to people around the world.