Criticism of the Modern Chinese Orchestra

After watching a performance by the modern Chinese orchestra, Western scholars accused them of not being “authentic” enough. The scholars stated that they were very disappointed because they expected to hear “traditional” Chinese music and what they heard was something that was westernized. They complained because the instruments were factory-made and even included Western instruments such as the cello, bass, and even a keyboard. To their further disappointment, the orchestra played mixtures of arrangements of older pieces and modern compositions. According to one foreigner, it all sounded “‘like lightweight nineteenth-century [Western] music.’” An American professor was afraid that “‘By adding a bit today and a bit tomorrow, [they] will end up completely westernized.’” In the eyes of the critics, Chinese music should stick to the “traditional” music that has been played since earlier times instead of trying to move toward a western music style.

I think that western scholars are being a little too harsh on the modern Chinese orchestra. What does it really mean to be authentic or traditional? Furthermore, who are these scholars to decide what is and what is not authentic? The orchestra is Chinese and they are producing music in China; it’s Chinese music. I think the critics need to understand that times change, and other things change with them. If the technology is available now, why not let musicians take advantage of it? Westerners certainly have, why can’t the Chinese?

Naxi Music

In her article “‘Authenticity’ and the Foreign Audience for Traditional Music in Southwest China,” Professor Helen Rees describes foreigners’ fascination with “ancient Naxi music.” However, she argues that this music is not as “ancient” as it is marketed to the audience. Her argument is based on the fact that the music presented in the famous concerts is not the same as the one performed in ancient times. The Naxi music that was played in the early1900s was mostly religious and it would take “three or more days to perform an entire scripture.” Due to political reasons, the Naxi had to stop playing this music for some time, and when it revived it was all secular. Thus, the music that is presented today is not the ancient religious Naxi music that was played at the beginning of the 20th century, but a secular type of music where no religious rituals take place.

"Ratna Ayu" vs. "Gamelan Bali Nyepi"

Although "Ratna Ayu" and "Gamelan Bali Nyepi" are both Balinese musical performances, they are far more different than they are similar.

While "Ratna Ayu" is a stage performance, "Gamelan Bali Nyepi" is a community (social) performance. "Ratna Ayu" is an indoors stage performance in which the ensemble is the center of attention. The only noise is the noise created by the performers themselves. There's an audience that is sitting very quietly watching and listening very carefully in order to appreciate the Balinesian music and dancing. This performance by the California Institute of the Arts' Balinese gamelan ensemble is most likely part of concert. This implies that the audience (most of which is probably non-Bali) had to pay an entrance fee. "Ratna Ayu" is a performance for an audience. On the other hand, "Gamelan Bali Nyepi" is a performance for the Bali community; it is part of their cultural socialization. In this performance there is nothing that separates the performers from the the audience; there's no stage. The Bali people that are playing the music are doing it for fun. They are performing for no one but themselves. Rather than following a strict code of conduct like the performers in "Ratna Ayu", the performers in "Gamelan Bali Neypi" talk amongst themselves as they play and enjoy their music. As far as the audience goes, some people stand around watching, but others simply take a glance as they pass by the beach and continue walking.

Appart from the context, there are some other small differences between the two performances. The most noticeable is that while female dancers are a major part of "Ratna Ayu," there are no dancers involved in "Gamelan Bali Neypi." Also the music from "Ratna Ayu" starts off very slow, then speeds up, and fianlly slows down again. On the other hand, the music from "Gamelan Bali Neypi" is upbeat throughout the entire piece. Finally, while "Ratna Ayu" combines music and singing, "Gamelan Bali Neypi" consists of music only.

It's amazing how Balinese performances can so different!

Music as Part of an Event

Music has been and continues to be everywhere. Places where we find music today include night clubs and churches.
Perhaps there's more to a night club than just music. It can be argued that some people go there just to drink or to find a boyfriend or girlfriend. However, a night club wouldn't be a night club without music. People go to night clubs to dance, and what would they dance to if there was no music? This music must be up-beat in order to attract people to the dance floor.
We also find music at church (perhaps at the opposite side of the spectrum). Church music serves the purspose of worshiping a supernatural being. For the most part, this music is calm and brings peace to the workshipers. Sometimes church music is more up-beat and energizes the worshipers.
Music is part of a wide range of events. As illustrated by the two examples above, the purpose of the event determines the kind of music that is played.

Identities

Different contexts accentuate different parts of my identity. For example, when I am at church I accentuate my religious identity. At church, I pray, sing Christian hymns and other religious songs, and refer to people around me as brother or sister. Outside church, I rarely do any of this, and if I do, it is to a much lesser extent. Music is an important part of my accentuated religious identity, particularly the singing part, because music at church is live. My mom has various Christian CDs at home, but I don't sing along with those. Live music at church allows me to really feel the songs and makes me want to sing. Since this only happens at church, this part of my religious identity is mainly accentuated in this context.

Another example would be that my home environment accentuates my cultural identity. This is especially true at family parties, where we loudly play and dance to Mexican music. When I'm at other places, like school for instance, I do listen to that kind of music but it's not the same. I feel that being at home surrounded by people of my same culture playing and dancing to our music brings out more of the Mexican in me.

Insider/Outsider

Although today I feel like an insider in the Mexican culture, there was point in my life when I also felt like an outsider. This was during my early teenage years. I felt like an insider because I was born into the culture and identified myself as Mexican. However, when my mom started taking me to Mexican parties I felt I didn't belong there; I felt like an outsider. When the music started playing, I would see the people around me get up and head to the dancefloor. They really seeemed to enjoy themselves, and all I could think was: "How can these people seem so happy, if that music sucks; It's so annoying!" So I would just sit there with a frown and pray that my mom would get as bored as me and decide to leave. However, after repeated exposure to the music and the dancing, I slowly but surely began to embrace the musical aspect of my Mexican culture. Now I love it!

A more current example of me feeling like an insider and and outsider simultaneously would be when I go home and gather with my cousins on my dad's side of the family. I feel like an insider because I am part of the family, I feel accepted, I belong to their age group, and I feel comfortable around them. However, at the same time I feel like an outsider because they're not going to college (so they are unable to relate to me in that sense); and they like to drink a lot (I just like a single drink, if any). Despite these differences, the insider part allows me to enjoy my family and have a good time with them.

Experience Abroad

I’ve only set foot on two countries: the United States and Mexico. I was born in the States, but I moved to Mexico when I was two years old and I stayed there for 10 years. Interestingly, while I lived in Mexico, I practically hated traditional Mexican music. I found it very annoying and would actually cover my ears when the music came on. It wasn’t until I returned to the United States (8 years ago) that I began to listen to traditional Mexican music. I was kind of forced to, given that my neighbor would listen to it all day every day full blast. But now I not only appreciate but actually enjoy the music.

Class Interest

As I looked through the General Education Course List, the title of this course is what caught my attention: Music Around the World. I thought it would be interesting to learn a little about different musical traditions from different parts of the world. Since I am not the most musically learned person in the world, I thought this course would make me a little more literate in the musical world.

Musical Experience

Music has always been in my family in one way or another. In their youth, my grandpa and his brothers used to gather around to play the guitar and sing songs (and they still do some times). Today, when I think of my grandpa I think of a man happily singing and whistling as he performs his daily chores. My mother is currently part of our church's choir and my fourteen-year-old cousin has been playing the drums since he was three. I once tried to play his drums, but it was a futile effort. My experience with musical instruments is limited to having played the recorder in 4th and 5th grade (I think). However, although I'm not a talented musician, I do enjoy listening to, and espceially dancing to, music (and sometimes singing in the shower, too). For the most part I listen to music in Spanish (almost everything - pop, merengue, norteña, duranguense, cumbias, balads, and more). As for the dancing part, I like to dance at parties and clubs; I was also on the dance team in high school.