Friday 25 January 2013

Cool Stuff #3


My first cool thing is Tibetan overtone singing. There are some Tibetan monks who can sing more than one tone at a time, and I have absolutely no idea how, but the result is haunting and very beautiful. This clip also includes singing bowls, which are very relaxing.
Okay, time for a round of True Confessions: I was kind of (read "super duper") bummed when Dr. Vaneman showed the Twelve Girls Band in class because I was planning on using them myself. BUT...she only showed "Glory" in class, leaving my favorite selection free to share with the class. I love this piece even more than their other work because it is a juxtaposition of my two main heritages: Asian and Irish. I love how the use of the traditional Chinese instruments enhances the music in a totally unexpected way.

So this isn't technically Bollywood, but it might as well be! "Mirror, Mirror" is an American film but it was directed by Indian American director Tarsem Singh, who apparently is not a fan of the Bollywood style, but wanted to end this film with a huge, lush musical number. Anyways, all I know is that "I Believe in Love" is a fabulous song, and the costumes and choreography of this final scene are incredible. 


And now an extra bonus, because I'm a super nerd!!!




Again, "Slumdog Millionaire" is not technically a Bollywood movie, but it is based in India and deals with Indian culture. (If you've never seen it, I cannot recommend it enough!) This is the song that is performed in the final credits, but I couldn't find the original, so enjoy these very talented kids from Chicago! This song, "Jai Ho," always gives me chills because jai ho means "be victorious" in Urdu, which considering the movie's plot, is a fitting and very moving conclusion to the movie.
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4 comments:

  1. Anonymous27 January 2013 at 10:19

    Well, this is a fun collection of Cool Stuff to comment on!
    1. You WILL get to see (and hear) the Tibetan Monks live next fall--we're sponsoring a joint residency with Wofford, so and the Monks are spending several days at the Chapman Center singing, dancing, meditating, and doing mandalas. I've been planning on showing you folks the video they sent us in tomorrow's class.
    2. I'm sorry to burst your bubble by doing the 12 Girls Band, but that way got to see them. You know, your particular video reminds me in a weird way of "Firefly," an old TV sci-fi series in which the future of space-faring earthlings had a culture that was a combination of Chinese and the Old American West.
    3. And I haven't seen either of those movies (I know, I know..), but I would never have guessed that Mirror Mirror ends in a Bollywood style song/dance. Wow.

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  2. Margaret Walser28 January 2013 at 19:27

    I remember when we watched mirror mirror and were so thrown off by the ending song. But it's really cool. And of course your throat singing reminds me of high scool... inuit throat singng...

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  3. WorldMusicAdmirer28 January 2013 at 19:42

    The Tibetan throat singing is so interesting! I have heard about it before but never listened to it before. I may do some more research on this. I would like to know how they sing two tones at the same time. I love the twelve girls’ band! I never heard of them before this class. I have been exposed to many different artists that I have never heard of before I this class. I enjoy syncretized music because there are endless possibilities. It is interesting to see how the composers mixes together the different genres and cultures of music.

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  4. Hannah28 January 2013 at 20:01

    Throat singing has always fascinated me. Sometimes its just creepy to me, but I found this to be beautiful. Still makes me shiver though. Jai ho has been in my Youtube favorites for a long time, I love that song!

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