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GAGAKU
Gagaku is a type of Japanese classical music that has been performed at the Imperial Court in Kyoto for several centuries since the 7th century. It is today performed by the Board of Ceremonies in the Tokyo Imperial Palace
BEIJING OP
Costumes are an integral part of the Beijing Opera performance. That are called Xingtou or Xifu in Chinese. In the early days, opera costumes were mainly made of wool or coarse cloth; later, satin, crepe and silk were used, decorated with various meticulously embroidered patterns.
Peking opera, or Beijing opera, is the most dominant form of Chinese opera which combines music, vocal performance, mime, dance and acrobatics. It arose in Beijing in the mid-Qing dynasty and became fully developed and recognized by the mid-19th century.
GUQIN
Guqin is a representative instrument of traditional Chinese musical culture. Because it embodied the traditional cultural values of clarity, fineness, simplicity and far-sightedness, Guqin, along with chess, calligraphy and painting, headed the list of four subjects scholars trained themselves in.
BALINESE GAMELAN
In Indonesian and Balinese culture, gamelan is very important in societal life as it brings people together and allows them to express their feelings in a culture which is not always possible for them to do so publicly. “Ensembles become a social space in which the expert, or teacher, uses primarily kinetic and aural modes to transmit musical knowledge to the learners
Each performance within the community is designed to serve a specific purpose or ideal. The music is often performed in ceremonies, religious events, in a concert context, in dance, or in a wayang theatre performance. Wayang theatres are the generic term for traditional Indonesian theatre, now seen as the long tradition of shadow puppetry (Varadpande, 1987). Typically, players in the gamelan orchestra will be familiar with the dance moves and poetry, to ensure they can fulfil both roles of entertainment. Additionally, this concept works vise versa, as members of dance will be able to perform in the orchestra at a cultural level. Some gamelans have also been associated with the royal courts and played by special lineages of gamelan musicians. The royal courts were believed to gain their authority from spiritual powers, and gamelans in turn became associated with this idea in creating spiritual authority for themselves. They are always treated with respect and sometimes with reverence or temple connections (Howard, 2015).
Offerings of flowers, food and incense are made to important gamelans on sacred days or before ceremonies and performances. The large gong (idiophone) in particular is regarded as having inherent power and always receives a special offering of its own (Howard, 2015). Howard states, “Here in Australia, we always have flowers and a small bowl of flowers in particular at the gong, at every performance. This is significant in honouring the old Balinese tradition” (Howard, 2015). The music of Indonesia demonstrates its local creativity, subsequent foreign musical influences that shape contemporary music scenes as well as cultural diversity. In relation to this, thousands of islands have their own artistic and cultural character which results in thousands of different forms Indonesian of music being created today.
Offerings of flowers, food and incense are made to important gamelans on sacred days or before ceremonies and performances. The large gong (idiophone) in particular is regarded as having inherent power and always receives a special offering of its own (Howard, 2015). Howard states, “Here in Australia, we always have flowers and a small bowl of flowers in particular at the gong, at every performance. This is significant in honouring the old Balinese tradition” (Howard, 2015). The music of Indonesia demonstrates its local creativity, subsequent foreign musical influences that shape contemporary music scenes as well as cultural diversity. In relation to this, thousands of islands have their own artistic and cultural character which results in thousands of different forms Indonesian of music being created today.
QAWWALI
Qawwali music, bound to a complex network of customary performance, is a technology embedded with its own politics. From the lyrics, rhythm, and structure involved in such a performance, Qawwali music emerged as a core practice to propel Sufi seekers further into discovery of Divine knowledge.
Qawwali is a musical form associated with the sama’, spiritual concert, of the Chishti Sufi Order. In its religious context it functions as a way to bring members of the order into a trance-like state that makes them more aware of their relationship with God.
BHAJAN
Bhajan refers to any devotional song with religious theme or spiritual ideas, in any of the languages from the Indian subcontinent. The term bhajanam (sanskrit भजनम्) means ‘reverence’ and originates from the root word bhaj (sanskrit भजति), means to ‘revere’, as in “bhaja govindam”.
HINDUSTANI RAGA
Each rāga traditionally has an emotional significance and symbolic associations such as with season, time and mood. The rāga is considered a means in Indian musical tradition to evoke certain feelings in an audience. … Rāga are also found in Sikh traditions such as in Guru Granth Sahib, the primary scripture of Sikhism.