Week 4 Posting

Question 1:
Professor Rees contends that the Naxi music enjoyed by tourists is not as "ancient" as it is actually marketed. For one thing, the music performed by the Lijiang Naxi has a great deal of Han Chinese influence. The religious scripture on which much of the music is based, Dadong Xiangjing, is of Han Chinese origin, as well as the style of singing and melodies. In order to produce a marketable "authentic" performance for tourists, Naxi ensembles incorporated disparate aspects of different pre-1949 Dongjing ensembles, both those which emphasized religious ritual as well as those which were completely secularized. Rees writes that these performances for tourists highlighted "unchanging tradition, formality, and reverence" (p. 6), among other aspects. Some elements of performance which are not actually "authentic" include the following: not all of the performers are ethnically Naxi, some are actually Han Chinese; some instruments used are based on Han Chinese instruments, though with a Naxi flair. Rees describes "authenticity" as something which is "credible and convincing" to tourists. Of course, if a tourist has no prior knowledge of a culture or the manner of performance, anything foreign can seem authentic. The mere fact that many of these performances are purposely put on for the entertainment of foreigners, and not for the Naxi people themselves, can possibly make them unauthentic, because the original purpose of the musical performances was to please the Naxi themselves, not tourists who probably understand far less about the music than the Naxi people do.

Question 2:
On the other hand, Western scholars accused Chinese orchestras of being inauthentic, although they performed traditional Chinese music. Rees described such ensembles as consisting of mass-produced Chinese instruments accompanied by Western instruments, creating a mixture of East and West, both in terms of sound and in performed pieces. These performances were labeled as inauthentic and not "traditional." Westerners see this as being nontraditional because they expect to hear and see foreign, homespun music and instruments in their native settings, as opposed to factory-produced instruments and mass ensembles. I believe that there is merit to both arguments. On the side of the Western scholars, this kind of music is not authentic in the sense that these performances are not like those of the past, before the rapid development of technology and the influx of Western traditions. On the other hand, Rees writes that many Chinese musicians have no qualms about calling this music traditional. The Chinese have a different point of view, because they see it as being just another expression of traditional Chinese music under the influence of Western styles. These Chinese musicians understand that Chinese music is not static, but dynamic, with the ability to evolve over time, particularly in today's global culture. Another important supporting argument is that even Chinese musicians who have professionally trained at national Chinese conservatories can agree that this emerging type of Chinese musical performance is, indeed, traditional.

Presentation video

Here is the video for Wang Leehom's song "Zai Mei Bian" (王力宏 - 在梅邊):

Week 3 Posting

"Ratna Ayu"
This gamelan performance is set up in such a way that facilitates an audience being able to watch. The female dancers take center stage, while the instruments and their players are seated on the sides, surrounding the dancers. In general, the dancers perform facing the audience. From the angle of the camera, the viewer can see that there are a number of different instruments in this gamelan ensemble: kendhang, bonang, gender, gong, siyem, slenthem, rebab, kempyang,The performance is set indoors under low light, evoking a somber mood. This mood is perpetuated by the slow movements of the dancers and the low pitch and steady, slow rhythm of the instruments. From the angle of the video, one can see that the audience is sitting quietly and paying close attention to the music and dancing. Eventually, the music and the dancing become more lively, but only moderately so. The dancers' delicate movements mimic the changes in pitch in the melody. The dance appears to be a sort of court dance, known as a bedhaya. I came to this conclusion because of a scene near the end of the video, during which one dancer was elevated above the others using umbrellas, conjuring images of a ruler being lifted up.

"Gamelan Bali Nyepi"
This performance took place outdoors in a far more casual, relaxed environment. There seemed to be far more many instrumentalists, all of whom dressed alike in white clothing and headbands. For the most part, the players faced each other in a large square with multiple layers within, sitting in compact rows. The entire ensemble appeared to follow the lead of one man standing at the head. The individual instruments were not as clear from the point of view of the camera. The rhythm and melody of this piece was different; the beat was clearly faster. I could see many kempyang being played, and large gongs were also present. From the audio, I could also hear that there may have been a gender instrument present as well, in addition to some sort of idiophone, perhaps a kendhang. In this performance, it was not clear who the audience was, and where they were seated. In contrast to the previous performance, there were no dancers, only instrumentalists in this performance.

Week 2 Posting

un.
I believe that the experience of simultaneously being an insider as well as an outsider is actually a common experience for many Americans of non-white descent. For myself, being a second-generation Chinese American of Vietnam-born Chinese descent, I often find myself having both an insider/outsider perspective. Growing up in San Francisco, I experienced a great deal of Chinese American, as well as authentic Chinese culture. I felt a gap between my non-Chinese peers and myself when I had to tell them that I was busy on Saturday mornings because I had to attend Chinese school. In the past, I was ashamed of telling them about this because I didn't want to be seen as different, or that the fact that I had a Chinese heritage drew an invisible line between them and me. However, even in the environment of other Chinese people, I could feel either like an outsider or an insider. With overseas-born Chinese, particularly those of an older generation, I often felt like an outsider. Although I had a Chinese face (though unmistakably American-born), I was not at the same level of "Chinese-ness" as they were. I felt the same way when I recently went to Hong Kong for a brief vacation. I speak the Cantonese dialect of Chinese very well for an American-born Chinese, but I am not fluent like a native speaker. Also, there are certain intangibles about myself that would inform a native-born Hong Konger that I am not quite one of them, although I enjoy the same food, listen to the same music, watch the same movies, shop at the same malls, visit the same hotspots. There are definitely certain situations in which I accentuate different parts of my identity. With Americans of all different ethnic heritages, I generally choose to highlight the things we have in common, that are part of a culture that spans ethnic lines. Some examples are popular American music, my religious identity as a Christian, which crosses all ethnic/socio-economic lines, and school affiliation, as a UCLA student. It is interesting to share this insider/outsider duality with other American-born Chinese, who also often have the same perspective. Often, other people with a similar background as I can identify with my feelings of being an outsider and an insider to Chinese culture at the same time. I think that it is with these people that I feel most like an insider. Music, with these people, is a great bond. We can enjoy both American popular music (including Christian music) as well as Chinese music (and we all have approximately the same level of understanding of this kind of music). In addition, listening to Chinese music is a way in which I can identify with overseas-born Chinese, both those in Asia as well as those here in the United States. It gives us something to talk about and something that lets us build a bond despite two vastly different upbringings.

deux.
There are times when music is not the main event, but rather, it is a supporting facet of a bigger event. A Christian church service is a good example of music playing a supporting role in an event. At the church I attend, the service usually begins with the organist playing a prelude. The point of this music is to welcome the attendee into the church service environment, marking a transition between the outside world and the world inside the church on Sunday. The organ music orients the listener toward assuming an attitude of piety and reflection. Afterward, our minister of music directs the choir to sing a song to focus the hearts of the attendees. This is usually followed by the music minister leading the congregation in singing a number of hymns or more contemporary songs of worship. These songs contain meaningful lyrics and tunes that are often easy to learn. The point of all this music is to give praise to God. On occasion, there will also either be an instrumental performance by the church orchestra or a quartet, or a vocal performance by a soloist or a group of singers. Music brings together a number of aspects about the church service - there are meaningful words that often tie in with the sermon's message or with the passage of the Bible that has been read. Also, music is simply enjoyable to the general audience. It's a part of the church service which many people anticipate hearing.

Week 1 Posting

1. My name is Rebecca Ho. The picture above is a very recent picture; I'm on the left.

2. When I was younger I played the piano. I took lessons for about 4 years, but I stopped during high school because of my busy schedule. I do not currently participate in any musical ensembles nor do I participate in any cultural groups that put on performances. However, I would characterize myself as someone who is an avid consumer of music. I have attended many cultural shows: NSU Culture Night, Chinese American Culture Night, Taiwanese Culture Night, Vietnamese Culture Night, etc. I have also seen some Indian dance and music performances. I sing pretty regularly. At my Bible study we sing songs at the beginning of the evening, and I also sing a lot of songs at church every Sunday.

3. I'm interested in this class because I listen to a lot of music quite often. My taste in music is not restricted to American music or whatever is playing on the radio. I still listen to classical music as well as a good deal of Asian music, particularly of the Cantonese, Mandarin, and Korean varieties. From my personal experience with Chinese music, it's popular for Chinese pop stars to incorporate traditional styles of music in new songs. An example of this is a Taiwanese American singer named Wang Leehom. He calls his style "Chinked Out" - he uses elements of traditional Chinese opera, as well as instruments like the erhu and the guzheng, in his pop/r&b/hip-hop songs. I like listening to this kind of music in particular because it helps me stay in touch with the Chinese aspect of my culture, and I can also practice my Chinese comprehension by listening to Chinese music. I gained a much greater appreciation for Asian music styles when I traveled to Hong Kong and China in recent years past. I also had the opportunity to attend a Chinese opera, "The Peony Pavilion," when it was performed here on campus, at Royce Hall.