PERFORMING DESI: MUSIC AND IDENTITY PERFORMANCE IN SOUTH ASIAN A CAPPELLA A thesis submitted to the College of the Arts of Kent State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts by Nicole Christine Muffitt August 2019 Thesis written by Nicole Christine Muffitt B.M., Kent State University, 2016 M.A., Kent State University, 2019 Approved by _______________________________________ Jennifer Johnstone, Ph.D., Advisor _______________________________________ Jane Dressler, D.M.A., Interim Director, School of Music _______________________________________ John R. Crawford-Spinelli, Ed.D., Dean, College of the Arts TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF FIGURES…………………………………...……………………………………….....v LIST OF TABLES……………………………………………………………………………....vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…………………………………………………………………….viii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………………...1 Opening and Background…………………………………………………………………1 Survey of Literature……………………………………………………………………….2 Identity………………………………………………………………………….....2 South Asian Popular Music and Culture in the United States…………………….8 Choirs…………………………………………………………………………….11 FieLdwork Methods and Music AnaLysis………………………………………...13 Methodology……………………………………………………………………………..15 Proposed Topic…………………………………………………………………………...16 Projected Results of Research……………………………………………………………16 ConcLusion……………………………………………………………………………….16 II. HISTORICAL CONSTRUCTION……………………………………………………………18 Importance of HistoricaL AnaLysis………………………………………………………..18 History of ColLegiate A CappeLLa…………………………………………………………20 History of Indian FiLm Song as a Precursor………………………………………………24 South Asian Immigration to the United States……………………………………………28 History of South Asian Fusion A CappeLLa……………………………………………….32 III. SOCIAL MAINTENANCE………………………………………………………………….34 South Asian A CappeLLa by Directory Data………………………………………………37 Survey AnaLysis………………………………………………………………………….41 Competition………………………………………………………………………………43 IV. INDIVIDUAL CREATION/EXPERIENCE………………………………………………...53 Audition Phase…………………………………………………………………………...54 RehearsaL Phase…………………………………………………………………………..57 Competition Phase……………………………………………………………………….65 Recording Phase………………………………………………………………………….79 iii V. MUSIC: COGNITION, BEHAVIOR, MUSIC SOUND……………………………………...82 Cognition-Behavior-Music Sound; DhamakapeLLa’s Sonic Shifts……………………….83 AnaLysis…………………………………………………………………………………..83 DhamakapeLLa……………………………………………………………………85 Narrative Description…………………………………………………….91 Astha A CappeLLa…………………………………………………………………92 Narrative Description…………………………………………………….97 Tufaan……………………………………………………………………………98 Narrative Description…………………………………………………...102 ConcLusion……………………………………………………………………………...103 VI. CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………………………106 APPENDIX A. Choirs in the Association of South Asian A CappeLLa 2018 Directory……………….110 B. Survey Questions…………………………………………………………………….112 BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………………………115 iv LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Area of excLusion from the 1917 Immigration Act………………………………………29 2. Asian migration from 1980 to 2014……………………………………………………...30 3. Map of Asian migrant distribution across the United States…………………………….31 4. Association of South Asian A CappeLLa Graphic………………………………………...35 5. South Asian A CappeLLa choirs founded from 1999-2018……………………………….39 6. Growth of ColLegiate A CappeLLa, 2909-2005…………………………………………...39 7. South Asian A CappeLLa Choirs by State………………………………………………...40 8. Map of Asian migrant distribution across the United States…………………………….41 9. 2018-2019 South Asian A CappeLLa competitions……………………………………….44 10. Gathe Raho advertisement……………………………………………………………….44 11. Gathe Raho judges’ application………………………………………………………….45 12. South Asian A CappeLLa judging rubric……………………………………….…………47 13. The A3 bid system……………………………………………………………………….49 14. Tanpura drone screenshot from Youtube.com…………………………………………...66 15. Piercian semiotic triad interpreted by Thomas Turino…………………………………..67 16. DhamakapeLLa at their Gathe Raho performance in Iowa City, Iowa……………………71 17. Stitched Brocade…………………………………………………………………………72 18. BolLywod actor Priyank Chopra wearing a design by Ritu Kumar at Indian Couture Week……………………………………………………………………………………72 v 19. Excerpt from “Madness/Phir Le Aya DiL,”………………………………………………75 20. OfficiaL notice of DhamakapeLLa’s status as an A3 competitior…………………………79 21. Language use distribution of DhamakapeLLa’s 2019 Gathe Raho performance…………91 22. Excerpt from “Chand Sifarish/Open Arms”………………….………………………….92 23. Language use distribution of Astha A CappeLLa’s 2019 Gathe Raho performance……...97 24. Excerpt from “Heathens/God is a Woman/Endaro”……………………………………..98 25. Language use distribution of Tufaan’s 2019 Gathe Raho performance………………102 26. Excerpt from “Heathens/God is a Woman/Endaro”……………………………………103 vi LIST OF TABLES Table Page I. South Asian A CappeLLa choirs founded by year, 1999-2018……………………………38 II. DhamakapeLLa members for the 2018-2019 academic year…………………………...…54 III. Guide to Ornament Notation……………………………………………………………..85 IV. Listening guide for DhamakapeLLa’s 2019 Gathe Raho performance……………………85 V. Listening Guide for Astha A CappeLLa’s 2019 Gathe Raho performance……….………93 VI. Listening Guide fro Tufaan’s 2019 Gathe Raho performance…………………………...99 vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Dr. Jennifer Johnstone, often caLLed “the queen” in my home, where do I begin? I am so indebted to you for my success. Your constant support, beLief in me, and encouragement have given me the tools I need to succeed as an academic and an individuaL. Without your recognition of me as an undergraduate, I am not sure I would have gone on to pursue graduate school. Your heLp in my recent application process made me feeL so confident. You aLways give me fantastic advice about school and aLso about life, and I am so blessed and grateful that you have been my advisor and dear friend during this degree. Thank you for your kindness, avaiLabiLity, inteLLigence, and love. The next beer is on me! Dr. McPherson and Dr. Roxburgh, thank you so much for your heLp throughout this process. Your academic prowess makes me glad that you were on my committee, but aLso incredibly nervous! Thank you for your generous heLp and your encouragement for me to aLways question my research! Dr. McPherson, thank you for reminding me to aLways connect the sociaL and culturaL practices to the music sound. Dr. Roxburgh, thank you for constantLy asking “What are you trying to measure?” I find myseLf saying that in my head but to people around me as weLL. To the members of DhamakapeLLa – Gavin, Grace, Naya, ShiLpa, Vasu, Aashna, Kevin, KomaL, Antonio, Divyam, Eric, Kasey, Lewis, Pavani, Savannah, and Swetha – thank you for being so awesome! I could not have asked to work with a better group of people. You are kind, taLented, smart, and funny people. Keep on singing, it suits you so weLL! viii To aLL the faculty that have touched my life at Kent State, especiaLLy David MitcheLL and Andrew Shahriari. Thank you for your letters of recommendation as weLL as your constant support and interest in my work and my future. You have taught me more than I probably reaLize. To Jessica, my wonderful friend, thank you for introducing me to this fantastic genre and for being my friend five years ago in the middle of nowhere Michigan even though I had a kind of spiny personaLity. Even when we have not spoken for a long time, you are aLways there for me with kind words and good vibes. The world would be a better place if everyone had a Jessica in their lives. Niousha, my dear dear friend, thank you so much for teaching me how to be a kinder person in the past year. I reaLLy had no idea that people with as much love as you actuaLLy live on this earth. Thank you for your support, gifts, time, and wonderful conversation. Your inteLLigence, dedication, and personaLity wiLL take you so far in life. I wiLL see you at the top! To Zeke, my roommate and brother I never thought I would have, thank you for taLking to me about my research and generaL phiLosophy towards ethnomusicology. You are aLways down for a good conversation or movie, which I am very grateful for. We are cut from the same cLoth. It is rare to find someone who understands you the way you seem to understand me. To aLL of my cLassmates at Kent who have made an impact on me as a person. To be honest, that incLudes most of you. Thank you especiaLLy to the other members of the BBQ Brass Quintet, you are truly exceptionaL friends and people. ix To everyone who has asked me about my thesis with genuine interest – you are aLL saints and you do not even know it. Momma, thank you for worrying about my life so that I do not have to. Thank you for Listening to me taLk about academic things ad nauseum even though that is definiteLy not appropriate bar taLk. Thank you for answering my late-night caLLs (provided you are not out having a good time) and hearing me taLk about whatever is on my mind. We do not necessariLy have a traditionaL reLationship, but I have learned so much about the world and about being a person from you. You are the reason I am strong, independent, and feisty as heLL. To my dad, who is no longer with us, thank you for everything. You taught me to be kind, to love, and to never give up on my dreams. Life without you is so so hard, but had I never had the priviLege of being your daughter I imagine it would only be harder. Thank you for loving me the way every person deserves to be love, and for encouraging me to kick ass and take names. I hope I am doing you proud. To everyone reading this now – cheers! x 1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Opening and