Indian music: a living legend

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Native American music is the heritage of the indigenous peoples of North America and Canada, music created and performed by them. In addition to ancient traditional motifs, there are also intertribal genres. There are also a variety of adapted popular styles (rock, blues, hip-hop, classical, reggae), and some unique styles.

Traditional Indian music plays an important role in the life of the indigenous population. It is performed for ceremonial purposes, historical, cultural, educational aspects. It is believed that it was bestowed by deities and spirits of respected people. In addition, there is a belief that people who have musical talents have special powers. All rituals were formed under her influence. Each song and dance illustrates messages about deities, symbols that are very important for the nation as a whole and, in particular, for the tribe, clan, family, individual. Epic tales, stories of cultural heroes are part of the tribal musical tradition. Although Indian music varies in style among different Indianpeoples, its common ideas is the strong connection of music with the spiritual beginning.

There are many different instruments for its implementation, primarily drums and flutes, but perhaps its most important feature, or rather, the basis, is singing. Vocalization is known in various forms: solo, in unison, in chorus, in layers. Unusual, irregular rhythms are used, a somewhat "off-key" style of singing. There is no harmony, although often many people sing together at once. Passionate frantic vocals, as a rule, pursue sacred goals - to call on spirits, ask the gods to send rain to the earth, heal someone's soul. In most cases, traditional Native American music is characterized by a gender identity. This means that men and women have their own separate songs and dances.

Percussion (drum beats, grinding) is a common accompaniment that keeps a steady rhythm for singers (dancers) who perform in their native language (for each nation) and use non-lexical vocables. Many researchers believe that Native American ethnic music as a whole is difficult to perform because of the tense vocals combined with variable drum rhythms. The simplest direction of all styles is the Eskimo performing tradition. The Hopi, Pueblo, Zuni peoples are the creators of complex sounding compositions.

Emotional unrest, the emotions that it causes, had a great influence on modern trends in folk art. ExceptIn addition, she is very popular in the modern world, CDs with her recordings are always in demand among music lovers. Thus, the popular compositions "Passion Fire &Grace", "Primavera" performed by the famous guitarist Gabriel Ayala (Indian from the Yaqui people) are the brightest novelties of 2011.

Indigenous music from America and Canada embraces both secular and sacred traditions. In the first case, these are songs performed during communal celebrations dedicated to people. The second is connected with ideological concepts, such as the life of the spirit, the origin of the elements on Earth. However, the Indians perceive both directions as one and do not distinguish between them.