Above is the song “Carpuela Lindo,” as recorded by Bocapelo, an all vocal group out of Ecuador. Though this is more of a contemporary arrangement, with more vocal jazz elements, it comes from a long tradition of bomba arrangements where voices imitate instrumental music. An arrangement of this song in a more traditional setting can be found at earthsongschoralmusic.com.
Below is their introduction to the song:
“Carpuela Lindo is a traditional bomba written by Milton Tadeo Carcelen, a farmer from the city
of Ibarra in the Valle del Chota region of Northern Ecuador. It was
arranged for mixed chorus in 1999 by Eugenio Auz Sanchez (b. 1958) from Quito,
Ecuador. The Franz Liszt Conservatory of Quito, Ecuador, awarded it first
prize as the best arrangement of an Ecuadorian folk song.
The bomba groups are small groups of musicians who primarily use
the voice to imitate percussive instruments. Additional instruments used
by the bomba groups can include guitars, drums, hollow tree trunks, guiro,
maracas, and the orange leaf. The text of the songs reflect themes of
everyday life.
The man singing the song is
leaving his beloved Carpuela region to find work in the Amazon jungle located
on the easter side of Ecuador. The intensity of his feelings is reflected
in the word Jass! - an explosive, expressive word with no real meaning.”
Both of these examples give good ideas of how to
incorporate ethnic music into the classroom. Neither is 100% authentic but both
pay homage and respect to original style and cultural idiosyncrasies.
Within the classroom setting there are many options when it comes to challenging
our students to go beyond music that they know. The first option is to
re-create music from original cultures. This works well if you have the correct
instrumentation, access to the original music or transcriptions, or a recording and have
plenty of seat time with which to listen and learn the music by wrote. Another option is
extend a snippet of music by repeating sections and/or improvising on the
themes presented. This allows for the utilization of shorter pieces of music
found in research recordings. It also gives some creative leeway to students
who can interpret within the context of the original piece. Additionally, this lends itself to the possibility to translate the original instrumentation
into what is available in any given group.
One final option is to have students study a certain style of music and then create their own piece based on their study. There are many benefits to this kind of study including the personal investment that students will have when writing their own music. This takes a savvy and well-educated student with musical understanding that includes listening skills, understanding of musical form and how best to interpret both culture and music. The beauty of most music is that there are typically allowances for interpretation and improvisation. The video above shows that even within a culture there is musical freedom, i.e. the voice to sound like an instrument. Both of these examples serve as models by which to guide the incorporation of cultural music into music classrooms.
One final option is to have students study a certain style of music and then create their own piece based on their study. There are many benefits to this kind of study including the personal investment that students will have when writing their own music. This takes a savvy and well-educated student with musical understanding that includes listening skills, understanding of musical form and how best to interpret both culture and music. The beauty of most music is that there are typically allowances for interpretation and improvisation. The video above shows that even within a culture there is musical freedom, i.e. the voice to sound like an instrument. Both of these examples serve as models by which to guide the incorporation of cultural music into music classrooms.
Hello Stephen, first off what a neat and interesting style of music that I had absolutely no idea existed. And you're right, I can see a lot of really neat ways to use this style in the classroom while keeping true to the spirit of the style. All kinds of things from music creation using the voice to imitate instruments (students in small groups have to compose a piece using only their voice and no words) to accompaniment of sung lyrics or a performance song, all kids of activities for choirs, it really just is a really great style to bring into the classroom and if I'm teaching general music next year definitely something I would like to bring into my classroom. And the idea that the style itself allows and encourages variation and exploration essentially take the question of authenticity out of the equation. Great Stuff!!
ReplyDeleteHi Stephen
ReplyDeleteYou bring up good points about incorporating world music into the classroom. A cappella music is something that has gained popularity in the US in the last few years because of shows such as "The Sing-Off". Gaining the attention of our students is essential to keep them engaged to learn something new. Thanks for sharing!
What a great example, Stephen! Children always need parameters when starting to compose - having them use a particular musical style as a parameter or inspirational component would work well.
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