MIDTERM LISTENING TEST REVIEW 2014
1) HIFM CD1Tr1 “Baalam Aaye Baso – My beloved has come to my mind” Devdas 1935. Instrumental intro sarod unison and heterophony in free rhythm. KL Saigal crooning vocal style, duple meter. Crosscaste doomed love affair ends in hero’s alcoholism and death.
2) Sant Tukaram 1936 “Pandurang Dhyani Meditating on Lord Pandurang.” The immoral Brahmin Salomalo plagiarizes Sant Tukaram’s devotional (bhakti) hymn (bhajan). His pinched vocal timbre signifies his ostentation as he mocks Sant Tukaram’s spiritual prayer, set in the temple to Pandurang. In Marathi.
3) HIFM CD1 Tr3 “Main Ban Ki Chidiya – I have become a bird” Acchut Kanya Untouchable Girl. 1936. Bombay Talkies—Producers, A duet between actors Devika Rani and Ashok Kumar set in a tree branch. Same story line as Devdas. Duple
4) HIFM CD1 Tr20: “Afsaana likh rahi hu~ I am writing a story” Dard – Pain. 1947. Singers by Uma Devi (later TunTun) writing letter to beloved, who is shown in cutaways. Jazzy instrumental accompaniment. Duple
5) HIFM CD1 Tr 17: “Aayega – He will come” Mahal – The Mansion. 1949. Lata Mangeshkar. Bombay Talkies—Producer. Ashok Kumar Actor Madhubala Heroine. Gothic and theme of Duplicity. Heterophony.
6) HIFM CD3 Tr 1: “Awaara Hoon Vagabond” Awaara. 1951. I am a vagabond. Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh. Duple. Raj Kapoor roaming around as a vagabond and thief before he goes to court for attempted murder. Raj Kapoor director.
7) HIFM CD2 Tr4: “Jhoole Me On the swing” Baiju Bawra Crazy Baiju 1952. Love song between young Muslim Baiju and young Hindu Gauri while swinging. Lata and Rafi. Duple.
8) “Nagari Nagari Dware Dware Town to Town, Door to Door” Mother India 1957. Duple. Sons pulling Nargis through the field.
9) “Ae Malik tere bande ham – Oh master, we are bound to you” Do Ankhen Baara Haath – Two Eyes, Twelve Hands. 1957. Duple. Warden dies and actress is singing at his funeral. 10) HIFM CD3 Tr 15: “Jaane kya tune – What did you say?” Pyaasa 1957. Triple. Prostitute sings Guru Dutt’s poem. SD Burman music director
11) HIFM CD2 Tr 17: “Aa ja re Pardesi – Come, foreigner” Madhumati 1958. Duple Vyjayanthimala and Dilip Kumar. Dilip Kumar hears Vyjayanthimala singing in the woods.
Dravidian Songs:
12) “Yennudu Ullame – It has entered within me” Meera 1945. Meerabai the bhakti devotee sings at the altar of Lord Krishna, whom she worships in song. She hears his flute which plays with her in heterophony with violin and drum and during interludes, triple more audible after 1:00. In Tamil.
13) “Pennaale, pennaale – Women, Women”. Chemmeen – Prawns. 1965. Song about Goddess of the Sea who takes revenge on unchaste wives while husbands are at sea fishing. Women sing in triple meter, men in duple meter. In Malayalam.
14) “Mari Mari Ninne – I ask you again and again, but mercy does not come to your mind” Sindhubhairavi (name of a Karnatak ragam) 1985. Classical Karnatak piece by 18c SaintSinger Tyagaraja, performed in a concert setting, accompanied on violin, mrdangam, and ghatam. A woman in the audience will request a Tamil song also, since they are in a Tamil cultural area. In Telugu.
MIDTERM FILM TEST REVIEW
Sant Tukaram (1933) – Marathi, Sant Tukaram prays to Pandurang and Brahmin Salomalo wants Sant Tukaram kicked out because he wants people to pray to Krishna (brahmanic gods and not bhakti), Prabhat Films Achut Kanya: Untouchable Girl (1936) – Devika Rani and Ashok Kumar, Bombay Talkies Producers, unhappy love affair between a Brahmin son and the daughter of a crossing Manoos/Admi: Human (1939) Marathi/Hindi, love tragedy with police man and prostitute, when policeman tries to help the prostitute, the prostitute doesn’t accept, Directed by V. Shantaram Meera (1945) – Tamil, MS Subhalakshmi actress in love with Krishna and then married off to another man but still loves Krishna, Directed by Ellis Dungan Mahal: The Mansion (1949)—Kamal Amrohi director, Ashok Kumar buys a house and it is haunted by (gardener’s daughter) Madhubala, theme of duplicity, Lata Mangeshkar’s first playback song “Ayenga Aanewaala”, and Madhubala’s big movie, Awaara: Vagabond (1951) – Raj Kapoor director and hero, Nargis heroine, Raj Kapoor is accused of murder and falls in love with the lawyer, Nargis, singers are Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh Baiju Bawra: Crazy Baiju (1952) – Music Director Naushad, young Muslim man and young Hindu woman fall in love, scene where actor melts rock into water in a poetry competition Mother India (1957) – Nargis actress and Sunil Dutt actor, Mehboob Khan director, Music Director Naushad, Nargis goes through many trials and her husband leaves her so she has to raise her kids by herself and then kills her son at the end, village honor is important Do Ankhen Baara Haath: Two Eyes Twelve Hands (1957) – 1 warden and 6 prisoners (labor workers), V Shantaram Director, Vasant Desai Music Director Pyaasa: Thirst (1957) – Guru Dutt actor and director, Waheeda Rahman actress, SD Burman music director, Sahir Ludhianvi lyricist, poet who hears his own poem being sung by the prostitute Barsaat ki Raat: Rainy Night (1960) –Madhubala actress, Sahir Ludhianvi lyricist, ghazal competition between men and women (Nigah e Naz), strong female characters Chemmeen: Prawn (1965) –Malayalam, women with husbands who go out to sea, one woman falls in love with a muslim fishtrader at home about her inner conflict Thillana Mohanambal (1968) –Tamil, musicians play for foreigners outside mansion Sindhubhairavi (1985) –Tamil, revered musician has problems with his wife, “Mari Mari Ninne” she asks him to sing about things more people can relate to
Southern Languages: Tamil Telugu Kannada Malyalam
Southern States: Tamil Nadu Andhra Pradesh (Seemandhra, Telangana) Karnataka Kerala
Above Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka is North India
Vocabulary: Tone musically focused pitch Overtone natural harmony (partial) Membranophone drums, an instrument that has a membrane Aerophone flutes, instruments that use air Idiophone xylophone, make sounds by themselves Chordophones violin, make sounds with a string Counterophone stretching a string and rubbing against a drum head Drone a sustained pitch, does not have to be continuous Timbre tone color, texture of sound Melody series of musical tones, have rhythm Rhythm series of accented and unaccented beats (duple or triple) Meter recurring cycles of measure rhythm, composed of many rhythms (kaherwa, dadra) Kaherwa 8 beats, duple rhythm, 3 + 3 + 2 Dadra 6 beats, triple rhythm, 2 + 2 + 2, 3 + 3 Crossrhythm layered duple and triple Syncopation alternating duple and triple Raga melodic mode Dissonant not harmonious, clashing sounds Heterophony interweaving of two different melodies, melodies are similar but not same singing and instrument Monophony one melody, Homophony 2 different octaves of the same sound Polyphony western classical music Bol speak Tal clap
MIDTERM READINGS TEST REVIEW
Week 1 Profile independence day August 15, 1947 7 south asian countries 2 primary religions Hindu and Islam independence unified 562 states Carnatic music from South and Hindustani from North Film Music Northern Area India produces most movies Bombay Bollywood, Lahore Lollywood, Telugu Tollywood, Tamil Kollywood, Karntaka Sandalwood Songs heighten emotional appeal, did not move plot forward Actors actresses former stage artists Song genres: ghazals (2 line couplets, unattainable love, spiritual meanings), qawwalis (Sufi devotional), folk songs, bhajans (devotional, few instruments) Western influence Film Song film ghazals and traditional ghazals became different film(crooning) and traditional(coarse) folk songs syllabic bhajans melasmatic
Week 2 Introduction iconic sights used in films first decade dominated by mythological, historical, and devotional tehzeeb civilized culture interaction Akbar is source of justice Courtesans portrayed unfairly and emperor as a unifying force 3 Islamicate influences 1. Social 2. Historical 3. Courtesan film Film vs. Traditional Qawwali muqabalas = qawwali competitions film song influences popular qawwali
Week 3 Film Music: Southern Area Kalidas first south indian sound film polylingual Kalavarishi first sound film entirely in Tamil 1950s playback singers dominate shift to crooning type 1940s social drama films to appeal to audience after 1940s transition to orchestra Illayaraja music director and brought in folk and electronic music 1990s AR Rahman brings in western music Devotional Films Raja harishchandra first Indian film Mythological and devotional are founding genres of Indian cinema Devotional have historical figures and a devotee (sant) Devotional= relatable mythological=awe Devotional use or question Brahmin religion Strong bhakti tradition Bhakti=path of reaching god through sacrifice, discipline and duty that a common man can relate to
Week 4 Music Without Birth Control Chic Chocolate was a trumpet man, Louis Armstrong of India Bold modernity 1950s/60s jazz, theme of forgetting Indian values Goans had swing band experience from Portuguese Arrangers did all the work, but music directors were really just responsible for talking with financers Anthony Gonsalves composer, jazz concerts were not well received Western influence
Week 5 Musical Style of Hindi Film Songs 1940s hindi film song genre emerged typical music structure has same melody in verses with interludes modern film use of rags has declined vocals central focus of song more orchestra accompaniment in modern songs KL Saigal devdas crooning Film songs o Refrain verse structure o Orchestration o High emphasis on melody o Use of catchy tunes o Minimal harmony o Eclectic use of foreign styles o HindiUrdu text Awaara asserts nurture over nature Nargis enticing female leade Dream sequence express fears and anxieties
Mother India presents the nation as a woman
Pyaasa end of relationship between Sahir and SD Burman Guru Dutt (Vijay) story of young poet dilllusioned by materialistic society, tries to find someone to publish his poem and meets a prositute who likes her poetry SD Burman’s music = success, romantic, Sahir Ludhianvi is lyricist
Lecture Notes Dalit untouchable caste Islamic influence ghazal, masnavi (Urdu poems, rhyming couplets, profound spiritual meaning, more spiritual than ghazals), nazm, khayal, thumri Orientalizes (maintains dichotomy between east and west and exoticizes east) indo muslim culture 5 categories of hindi film 1. mythological drawn from important texts 2. family melodramas 3. costume dramas historical figures and religions 4. spy films 5. social films Before 1931 all silent films Bombay’s first jazz track Taj Mahal Foxtrot