WEST ASIA: Iran

1. Poem of Saadi - voice and kamantche
Iranian classical music is based on modes called dastgah which are the basis for composition and improvisation. This is a vocal improvisation in the mode Bayote-Isphahan by singer Golpayegani. He is accompanied by Ashgar Bahari who plays the kamantche (bowed lute or fiddle). Note the "shaking" style of vocal ornamentation which is characteristic of Persian singing.

2. Improvisation on the sehtar
An improvisation in the dashti mode on the Iranian sehtar (plucked lute) by Ebrahimi. This lute is the ancestor of the Spanish guitar, giving this piece a flamenco-like sound.

3. Improvisation on the santur
Two brief excerpts of an improvisation in the segah mode on the Iranian santur (struck zither) by Hussein Malek. Note the difference in density of notes in the first excerpt (the opening of a 15-minute improvisation) and the second excerpt (the end of the improvisation).
 

WEST ASIA: Turkey

4. Gazel with keman (violin), kanun (plucked zither) and clarinet.
Turkish music, such as this example, originated in classical music of the Ottoman Court and is based on modes (makam) for both composition and improvisation. A gazel is a non-metric vocal improvisation on a poetic text of the singer’s choice. Note this singer’s high vocal tessitura and melismatic style while the instrumental accompaniment plays a steady ostinato with occasional embellishments between vocal phrases.

5. Gazel with ud (plucked lute)
This singer, Isak el-Gazi, was one of the most well-known Sephardic singers of the early 20th century. He sang liturgical songs as well as Turkish classical songs to great acclaim. His performance on this gazel suggests the religious chanting style of one who recites the Koran (hafiz). The accompaniment by the ud (a short-necked lute without frets) alternates with the voice, leaving the vocalist to sing without the support of an instrument for pitch reference.

6. Sarki with ud, violin, kanun.
A female singer performing a sarki, a light classical piece that is metric and composed rather than improvised. Note how the ud follows the voice with careful precision.
 

WEST ASIA: Sufi music (Syria and Turkey)
 
7. Sufi zikr ritual from Syria
The Sufi religion is a kind of Islamic mysticism practiced throughout the Muslim world. The goal of Sufism is to seek the divine through submission to God and through states of ecstasy. States of ecstasy are achieved in the ritual known as zikr (literally “remembrance”) in which the devotees chant praises to God (Allah) along with drum accompaniment. In these excerpts of a ceremony from Syria, frame-drums are used along with the chanting to drive the devotees into states of ecstatic trance.

8. Music of the whirling dervishes - Taleal Bedru Aleyna
One of the oldest continuing ensembles of Turkish classical music is the world-famous Mevlevi Sufi religious sect founded in the 13th century by Jalal al-Din Rumi who believed that music and dance was the most direct path to spiritual ecstasy.  In the rituals of the “whirling dervishes,” as they are called in the West, dancers spin in circles with the left hand turned downward to earth and the right hand turned upward to heaven while classical Ottoman court music is performed. The central instrument of the utmost spiritual power in this music is the nay, an end-blown flute made of cane. Also featured in this ensemble are drums, zithers and lutes.
 

WEST ASIA: Uzbekistan

9. Maqam Ensemble of Uzbekistan Radio - “Saraxbar-i Segah
This large ensemble represents misguided efforts at preservation of classical modal performance in Uzbekistan.  This group first formed in 1927 with the intention of the Soviet government to organize a national folk music ensemble. This example of a large ensemble singing in a uniform, plain and unornamented style contrasts sharply with the more expressive manner of soloists performing with minimal accompaniment which is heard in more traditional contexts.

10. Munajat Yulchieva - Bayati-Shiraz Talqinchasi
Yulchieva is a girl from rural Uzbekistan who moved to the city to study at the Conservatory but rejected Western music in favor of her own style of traditional Uzbek music inspired by Sufism. The apparent slow-down in the rhythm is referred to as “limping rhythm” (aksak in Turkish).

11.Yulduz Usmanova - “Schoch va Gado”
Like the previous singer, Usmanova also moved from the countryside to attend the music conservatory where she rejected her training in opera and eventually developed her own style of popular music. Her commercially successful style incorporates folk songs she remembers from her youth. This example features a traditional folk instrumental introduction on the tanbur (plucked lute) followed by a simplified folk melody in a European pop style.
 

SOUTH ASIA: India

12. Demonstration of North Indian classical music by Ravi Shankar.
World-famous master of sitar (long-necked plucked lute) Pandit Ravi Shankar explains the basic elements of North Indian classical music: rag or raga (melodic form, somewhat similar to the concept of mode) and tal or tala (meter or time cycle).

13. Bhimpalasi -  rag by Ravi Shankar
Two excerpts of a rag played on sitar by Ravi Shankar: the opening free rhythm alap section that leads into the gat (the portion of the rag based on a rhythmic cycle), and the end of the gat section in a faster tempo with dense improvisation. This is an afternoon rag which is meant to convey the mood of a lover who, although suppressing desire, maintains serenity and dignity along with deep emotion.  Before he begins, Ravi Shankar introduces the tal, a 14 beat rhythm (2 + 4 + 4 + 4), and demonstrates both the ascending and descending scales of the rag.

14. Karnatak vocal alapana in raga sankarabharana
A free meter vocal improvisation in South Indian classical style by Srimati Brindamma, with accompaniment on tambura (drone lute). She begins her alapana on the fifth scale degree of the raga (PA) and descends to explore the lower notes of the raga.

15. Vedic chant – Rgvedic recitation by Nambudiri Brahmins
Two Brahmins recite the Rgveda text (1.20.1), beginning with the words “janmane stomah,” according to the Nambudiri jatamatra.

16. Double fipple flute piece, “Sarang ka Srath” (Springtime in Surat), Gujarat.
Yakub Hasam Jat plays both melody and drone through the two pipes of the jodiya pawa flute, using circular breathing to maintain a constant sound.

17. Spirit possession chant by bhopa priest mediums of the Mina, Rajasthan.
A trance ceremony by three Mina priest mediums on vocals, hourglass-shaped drums and brass percussion plate.  The music is a lengthy origin-myth narrative consisting of formulaic verses set to two- and three-pitch chant melodies, over a rhythmic cycle of 32 beats. Note the lead singer's high-pitched, ecstatic vocal style, indicating the onset of spirit possession, when other priest mediums will become possessed by the goddess Devi Amba.

18. Funeral song of the South Indian Kota, Tamil Nadu.
The Kota people perform this song at their annual "dry funeral," held in December in memory of all who have died during the preceding year. The instrumental ensemble consists of three trumpets, two high-pitched hand drums, a frame drum played with a stick, and two double-reed instruments (oboe).

19. Paraja antiphonal courtship song, Orissa.
Five young men and nine young women of the Paraja tribe sing during the harvest festival. To the men's phrases, "You should not go now while I am singing/Please girl, don't go now and leave me," the women respond, "We are already so much in love that even if we don't meet here we will meet in the other world." The men reply, "No, no, we will be reborn in this world and meet here." Each man plays a single-string spike lute with gourd resonator as the women dance.

20. Baul song of Bangladesh, “Human Soul—a mysterious bird”
This representative song of the Baul people is sung by Chandana Majumdar, granddaughter of a well-known Baul singer from Bengal, accompanied by a two-stringed lute (dotara), a single-stringed lute (ektara), a plucked string drone (gopiyantra), bamboo flute, violin, double-headed drum (khol), and tabla.

21. Indian film music – Prema Rudaayade (“Loving Hearts")
The most common form of pop music in India is film soundtrack music. The Indian film industry releases around 700 films per year, mostly musical fantasy movies offering escape for the huge population of urban and rural poor in India. Indian movies are made in a "factory" style similar to Hollywood musicals of the 1940s and 50s. As on-screen actors and actresses never actually sing, this song is an example of two "playback singers," vocalists whose voices take the place of the stars during musical numbers in the film. Unlike more subdued forms of Indian music, movie songs such as this one typically mix a wide variety of musical instruments and styles.
 

SOUTH ASIA: Qawwali Sufi music of Pakistan

22. Tori surat ke balhari
An example of qawwali music from a Sufi ritual performance in Pakistan. As is typical of mystic Sufi poetry, God is spoken of as an object of love in a metaphoric love poem. In this particular song, the male devotee sings as if he is a bride to the beloved.

23. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and party - Shamas-ud-doha, Badar-ud-doja
A traditional qawwali singer who gained the greatest recognition in the West, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan popularized this once exclusive spiritual genre of music. This song features the harmonium (small pump organ) an instrument adopted from the West into South Asia and used widely by Indian and Pakistani singers.
 

SOUTH ASIA: Buddhist ritual music of Tibet

24. Chant asking for the blessing of the Guru Drakmar
Ritual music of the oldest Tibetan Buddhist order, the Nyingmapa sect in Sikkim. Founded in 1062, this group has a greater mixture of shamanism in its practices than other Buddhist sects. The excerpt heard here is the instrumental music before the chanting begins. The instruments heard here are common in Tibetan ritual music and include: two oboes, two long-trumpets, two conch shell-trumpets, two short horns, two pairs of cymbals, frame drum, hand bell and hand drum.

25. Monks of the Gyuto Tantric College - Sangwa Dupa
An example of Tibetan chanting which features a technique found in parts of Central Asia sometimes called “one-voice chording” or “throat singing,” in which a single singer is able to produce several vocal pitches. In this selection a group of monks chant using an extremely low tone of voice while simultaneously producing much higher tones.
 

EAST ASIA: Throat singing of Tuva

26. Medley with khoomei, sigit and kargiraa
Throat singing in Tuva and Mongolia (khoomei) features a technique similar to Tibet in which a low-pitched drone is produced simultaneously with higher harmonic pitches above it. The actual melody of tunes can be heard in the harmonics in the upper register. In this medley, three types of throat singing are demonstrated: kargiraa ("to wheeze") is characterized by an extremely low fundamental drone pitch sung with much chest resonance, long breaths and open vowel sounds; sigit ("to whistle") features a higher pitched fundamental drone and yields high, piercing harmonies; khoomei is sung in the same register as sigit, but with less throat tension and more nasal resonance.

27. Ondar - Tuva Groove
Ondar is the most famous khoomei throat singer from Tuva, a small province of Russia on the Mongolian border. He has popularized throat singing with his CD titled “Back Tuva Future” which features a collaboration with country artist Willie Nelson and this rock-inspired piece.
 

EAST ASIA: China

28. Qin solo - Liushui (“Flowing Waters”)
The Qin (long zither, pronounced "chin") is the most revered string instrument in China and has ancient origins dating back to the age of Confucius. This composition is an example of programmatic music (music meant to convey images or stories) typically played on this instrument. This solo features techniques commonly used on Chinese string instruments such as dense, flowing arpeggios, string-rubbing, wide glissando, and subtle harmonics to help “paint” the image of the title.

29. Pipa solo - "Ambuscade from Ten Sides”
The pipa is a four-stringed plucked lute, also typically used for programmatic music. This piece is the most well-known work for the pipa, depicting the many stages of a battle. The rapid playing and sound effects in the opening represent the sounds of an ancient battlefield--powerful martial drums, charging horses and cannon fire.

30. Suona ensemble piece “Mountain Village Peddler”
The suona (oboe) is found throughout China in both urban and rural settings. This programmatic piece by an urban ensemble depicts the rural scene of a mountain village peddler. The peddler is heard climbing mountain paths with a springy step in 2/4 time, his goods swinging from his bamboo shoulder pole as he bounces along. When he arrives at a village to sell his wares, the suona represents the voices of the peddler and his customers bantering and bargaining.

31. The Guo Brothers – “Evening Song”
The Guo Brothers are a modern music duo who mix traditional Chinese instruments with modern instruments. Chinese flute and synthesizers are used here to depict the serenity of a sunset.
 

EAST ASIA: Korea

32. A’ak - Su-je chon
A’ak, the term used for Korean court music, comes from the Chinese words for “elegant music,” which is also the same term used in Japanese gagaku (elegant music). Although quite different from gagaku, there is a similar prevalence for slow and extended durations of pitch and elastic rhythm. Instruments used include: taegum (flute), p’iri (oboe), haegum (spiked fiddle), agaeng (bowed zither), and changgo (hourglass-shaped drum). The start, end and punctuation between movements is articulated by the pak (clappers). This piece is believed to date from the Silla period (ca. 600 A.D.).

33. Chongsun Arirang
The most famous folk song of Korea, performed here in the style of court music. The song describes the sorrow of a girl as her lover leaves for a distant land: "Oh Woman, instead of praying for a child who will never be born, you should rather look after the man who is alone and unhappy in a foreign land."

34. Kayagum Sanjo
Part of a solo for the Kayageum (twelve-stringed long zither) played by Sung Keum Ryun.
 

EAST ASIA: Japan

35. Gagaku - Etenraku
Gagaku is the court music of the Emperor of Japan and is distinguished as being the oldest continuing orchestra tradition in the world dating back to its establishment in the 8th century after its importation from China and Korea. Although the melodies of gagaku have changed over 1,000 years, the basic ensemble of winds, strings and percussion is still intact today as is the lineage of the royal musicians. The ancient composition Etenraku is the most famous gagaku composition and is sometimes used at modern Japanese weddings.

36. Buddhist "Shichi no bongo" chant
Buddhist chanting was imported from the Asian mainland in the same era as gagaku. Vocal chant and instrumental gagaku represent the foundation of subsequent Japanese musical styles.

37. Music from Noh drama - dance music and vocal style
Noh is a form of theater dating from the 14th century that is a combination of drama, music and dance. As a ritualistic, theatrical expression of Buddhist philosophy, Noh singing style is heavily influenced by chant-like melodies. This excerpt begins with the dance of a God (Kami Mai), followed by the Buddhist-like chanting of the chorus. Finally the muffled voice of the masked actor portraying the God is heard singing through his closed mask.

38. Music from Noh drama - Shishimai (Lion dance)
This excerpt from a dance section features all the instruments of the noh ensemble: ko-tsuzumi (an hourglass-shaped pressure drum played at the shoulder), otsuzumi (an hourglass-shaped drum played at the hip), taiko (a small drum played with sticks) and nokan (a bamboo flute). This excerpt demonstrates the Japanese aesthetic of silence (ma) and the flexibility of rhythm that is controlled in part by the vocal calls of the drummers (kakegoe).

39. Shakuhachi flute - Tsuru no Sugomori (Cranes in their Nests)
The shakuhachi (end-blown bamboo flute) was originally used by Buddhist priests as an instrument for a style of meditation known as suizen (blowing Zen). It has since developed into the most commonly used flute in Japanese traditional music and its popularity has spawned an international society of players. This piece is programmatic in its depiction of nesting cranes with fluttering wings.

40. Koto - Haru no Umi (“Spring Sea”)
The main instrument of Japanese chamber music is the koto (13-string long zither) and is typically accompanied by the shakuhachi flute and the shamisen (3-stringed plucked lute). This composition by the 20th century koto player, composer and inventor Miyagi Michio displays a more modern approach to the traditional chamber ensemble in the way the koto supports the main melody played on the shakuhachi.

41. Nagauta shamisen - excerpt from kabuki play Musume Dojoji
The shamisen (3-stringed plucked lute) is the main instrument used in kabuki, a form of theater dating from the 18th century which absorbed all previous forms of Japanese theater such as noh drama. Similarly, the kabuki music called nagauta (long song) absorbed previous forms of theater music accompaniment. This shamisen passage is an example of an instrumental interlude in nagauta. This interlude may be used during an actor or dancer’s costume change that might take place on- or off-stage.

42. Folk song - Hanagasa Ondo (“Flower hat song”)
An example of minyo (Japanese folk song). Virtually every region of Japan is represented by at least one minyo song, typically singing about local agriculture and ancient customs. This song from Yamagata prefecture is typically played during the Obon Festival dance for the souls of the dead held throughout Japan every summer.

43. Taiko drumming group: Kodo - Chonlima (“One thousand league horse”)
The playing of drums (taiko) as a part of sacred rituals and community festivals is an ancient practice in Japan. This modern style of taiko performance however, developed out of performances for tourists in the 1960s and led to a renaissance in Japanese drumming. The group Kodo has became internationally famous for this style of drumming which is now practiced in many Japanese communities both inside and outside Japan.