The Māori are the indigenous people of New Zealand. Their folk music traditions are often integrated with poetry and dance. Here’s a brief overview of Māori music culture past and present:
Taonga pūoro
This picture displays several traditional Maori instruments belonging to master practitioner, Horomona Horo. The instruments are from bone, wood ,shell and gourd. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taonga_p%C5%ABoro
Taonga pūoro are the traditional musical instruments of the Māori and consist of a variety of blown, struck and twirled instruments made from hollowed-out wood, stone, whale ivory, and bone.
The sounds of the instruments were intended to mimic the sounds of the natural environment such as insects, birds, water, trees and wind and were connected with religious practice. According to Wikipedia, the Māori viewed music related to their creation story where “The Gods sang the Universe into Existence.”
Here is a short video on taonga pūoro featuring Māori instrumentalist Richard Nunns:
Today, taonga pūoro are most frequently used at Māori ceremonies and also by New Zealand composers, such as Gillian Whitehead.
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Haka
The Te Aka Māori Dictionary defines haka as a general term for “vigorous dances with actions and rhythmically shouted words” and/or the performance of these dances. Haka are sometimes described as challenges. They are used to make a point, honor someone/something, tell a story or express an emotion. They are performed by both men and women.
Kapa haka is a term for Māori action songs like haka and groups that perform them.
Here is a short video on kapa haka produced by NPR:
And here are a few song styles performed by kapa haka groups: Waiata are songs are sung solo or in unison, usually lullabies, love songs or laments. Waiata is also a Māori verb which means “to sing.”
Poi are (usually) women’s dances involving the swinging of balls, about the size of tennis balls, attached to cords and its accompanying music.
A karanga is a formal, ceremonial call and response at the start of a pōwhiri (welcome ceremony). Karanga are carried out almost exclusively by women and in the Māori language.
*** Contemporary Māori Music
Māori musical heritage continues to have an impact on New Zealand music and culture. Western instruments like guitars are frequently employed with traditional instruments today and indigenous sounds are melded with many different styles of music such as pop, jazz, classical and hip hop. Māori traditional instruments are sometimes used by contemporary composers, musicians and artists.
Here are a couple of fun video examples of Māori music melding with western forms for your enjoyment:
* “Poi E” by Pātea Māori Club was a NZ hit single in 1984 and is still beloved today. (Note that poi as described above are featured in the video!):
* Here is a classical piece featuring taonga pūoro written by contemporary Māori composer Gillian Whitehead:
* And for contrast, here is a thrash metal song released in 2019 by the group Alien Weaponry:
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Here are some items from our collection that will give you more information on Māori music:
Editor’s note:Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.
Known for his phenomenal Broadway show Rent, Jonathan Larson was a musical genius of the 80s and 90s. Recently popularized by Netflix in the film tick, tick… BOOM! starring Andrew Garfield, this musical tells the tale of Jonathan Larson’s trials and tribulations as an almost 30-year-old musical writer in New York City (before the creation of Rent). Although Larson sadly passed away before he could see Rent’s Broadway debut, his impact on the world of music will never be forgotten.
Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist is curated by Music Library student manager Xipeng (class of 2024) and features works for two pianos performed by Argentinian classical concert pianist Martha Argerich and friends.
Music for Two Pianos from Martha Argerich
Martha Argerich has always been one of my favorite pianists, and it’s amazing how two pianos can produce the sound of an entire orchestra. Enjoy this exhilarating complete performance!
Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today we feature a collection of songs with a bit of new perspective on classical singing curated by student assistant Wonyoung (class of 2024).
Classical Singing Crossover
When we think of “Classical Singing” and “Opera”, it may be hard to approach because it may seem dry and far from modern day music. However, it does not always have to be so. Here is a playlist of Classical Singing Crossover into a more modern day style. It is on the upcoming in South Korea so here is a playlist that brings a new perspective.
Editor’s note:Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.
Erik Satie (1866-1925) was a French composer whose spare, unconventional, often witty style influenced 20th-century music greatly, particularly in France. Satie’s music represents the first definite break with 19th-century French Romanticism. Closely allied to the Dadaist and Surrealist movements in art, it refuses to become involved with grandiose sentiment or transcendent significance, disregards traditional forms and tonal structures, and characteristically takes the form of parody, with flippant titles, such as Trois morceaux en forme de poire (1903; Three Pieces in the Shape of a Pear) and Embryons Desséchés (1913; Desiccated Embryos), and directions to the player such as “with much illness” or “light as an egg.” Satie was often dismissed as a charlatan by musicians who misunderstood his irreverence and wit.
One of Satie’s most known works are the Trois Gymnopédies (1888). Gymnopédie No.1 (You can listen to it here), for example, is a work of music not too complicated. Regardless, I have always found it to influence me like no other piece. Sometimes, it sets the mood to be quite melancholic while also, in my opinion, sprinkling a vast amount of joy by the end. Other times it could lay a feeling of calmness on the listener, like a break from a hard day at work or a breeze on a hot summer afternoon.
You can check out this book (among others) in the Parsons Music Library if you’d like to learn more about Erik Satie and his work.
Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist is curated by Music Library student manager Chris (class of 2023) and features some tunes by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Editor’s note:Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.
The question that typically comes up every time and again – a question that I find disrespectful to everyone but one, and yet worthy of the highest praise for that one in question – is one that is hotly debated. I have seen friendships one word away from disaster over the lunch table regarding this one question. I have witnessed other’s whole argument lose its pull as soon as someone had a worthy counterargument. I have seen people argue over the topic on Twitter and Instagram as if their opinion was slated in fact. I have seen people get so emotionally invested in this question that their face begins to get red, their eyes stand on the verge of tears, and every single vein in their body is one more second away from exploding. That question – the one I hate – is who is the best musical group ever?
Where does this question even get its basis from? Are we saying some genres are better than others?
Are we saying we can compare every single artist together despite no two artists being the same – with different vocals, different instruments, different cultures, different pacing, different everything? I get humans have the natural inclination to tier and rank – competition drives the world. But honestly, to me, this is an unanswerable and impossible question. Yea, we may be able to rank albums off charting positions and sales numbers. And then logically, we can say the artist that has the most cumulative sales across their whole discography is the best. That is a LOGICAL WAY to determine it. It still blows for literally every other artist other than number one – BUT – that one artist lives enshrined as the best for forever. And yet, despite me not liking that way to derive who is the “best”, it is logical. But, also, on top of the fact that humans have the natural inclination to tier and rank, humans are not the most intelligent. And instead of deciding who is the best logically, we let emotions, opinions, and our own experiences decide for us! As if it is not obvious enough, that is a one-way ticket to disaster. It brings up some pretty interesting debate, however but humans are also stubborn, and we can only imagine that nothing will ever be accomplished.
For those reasons, and just the idea that music should be appreciated for the piece of art it is and its individuality, not ranked against others because Jeff likes drums more than strings, I think that question is pretty lame.
However, I am going to explain a little bit about one album from one group that typically scores high on America’s meaningless “tier list.” Even better, I so happen to love this band, although they are not one of my everyday listens. But, since they have some of the most gripping and innovative music of the 1960s, I thought it would be a worthy choice to write about. And, even funnier, it leads into an interesting contradiction to say that I agree with the world in this case. I do not know if that now pigeonholes me into the broader term of being “basic,” but in this case, I will put aside that argument and agree with the world.
This leads me to this point: If I were to rank all bands, and put my differences aside with that impossible question, I would put the Beatles up at the very top – maybe not one, but top twenty. More specifically, if we were to rank albums, Abbey Road would be even higher.
To begin, Abbey Road is the 11th studio album of the Beatles, their second to last studio album and 11th in just over six years. The group itself is composed of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, although Ringo was not one of the original members of the band (he replaced Pete Best in 1962). Together, the Beatles shot to worldwide prominence outside of their home country of the UK and more specifically their hometown of Liverpool. Their rise to American prominence began in the early 60s as many British bands were beginning to come to America in what was known as the “British Invasion.” If were to use the LOGICAL approach, the Beatles would be the most popular band of all time, selling 183,000,000 albums throughout their history. The album itself was a bit of a distance from some of the previous albums – they almost reverted back to their beginnings. The album did not contain many psychedelic hits as the majority of their later albums did. However, despite this, the band recorded the album at their breaking point; this was the last album that was released when they were all together, as John Lennon had made his exit from the brand prior to commercial release.
The album, in my opinion, demonstrates complete duality. Although the music is praised for being one of their best, with hit after hit, the band’s health, and the health of each of the members were deteriorating behind the scenes. The members were all annoyed with each other and George Martin played saving grace, trying to get the project to the world and to completion, whilst attempting to reduce the trouble brewing between the members. The wear and tear of fame, constant studio work, and trying to deal with it all took a toll on the Beatles by 1969, which caused a lot of the issues. They had faced adversity, as the band would experiment with cocaine, LSD, and marijuana in the mid to late 60s, followed by a crippling heroin addiction by three of the members. Behind the scenes, the Beatles were at their lowest and were struggling in their personal lives. It is still amazing that despite all the negatives, they somehow put their troubles, their conflicts, and their egos aside and created one of the most iconic songs of all time.
Some of my personal favorites off the album, are “Something,” “Here Comes the Sun,” “Oh Darling”, and “Because.” A large portion of the songs that I like most (in this case “Something” and “Here Comes the Sun”) were written by George Harrison. You could almost immediately tell when Harrison was the writer, with a distinct sound. In the case of Abbey Road, his songs were more melodic and slower, a slight diversion from the rock-infused roots that rose the band to prominence. They make for some of the most beautiful songs in their entire discography, but slightly behind my all-time favorite song from them – “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” In my opinion, that song, with Eric Clapton playing the guitar in the background is the greatest Beatles song. The slower and melodic piece, with the guitar sounding almost as if it really was crying is nothing short of a masterpiece. And so, I consider myself biased in response to my favorites – George’s style and influence was something that resonates with me. That is yet another reason why I dislike ranking. Because in this case, my opinions, and biases seep through heavily.
Finally, as for the most influential and iconic portion of the piece, the Abbey Road album cover has become one the most definitive images of the band. Although an album cover that was very simplistic in nature, the image holds a variety of meaning and captures the Beatles’ spirit and careers all in one image. The image itself features all four Beatles walking along a crosswalk on Abbey Road, which is a street in London where EMI studios, the recording studio of the Beatles was housed. From left to right, there is George Harrison, in a jean shirt, jeans, white boots, long hair and a beard. This encompasses their later years, in which most of the members began to grow their hair out amidst the war years and counter-culture movement. To his right is Paul McCartney in a blueish-grey suit, a cigarette in hand, and a shorter hairstyle that is reminiscent from their pre-fame days. Afterward is Ringo Starr, dressed in a black suit. Finally, John Lennon finishes the image, with his long hair and all white appearance. Although not traditionally associated with the image, John being last in line wearing all white to me symbolizes heaven and the idea that the band is nearing their end. They are looking to the light and waiting for their come to end. The final piece of the album cover that many do not know is that the photographer only took six images of them. The Beatles walked down back and forth along the street three times. This cover image was the fifth image taken, and they were walking away from the studio. If we were to blow up the image, EMI would be on the left. This also foreshadows their immediate exit, as them walking away from EMI hints at their careers together ending.
Image 3 (of 6) from the Abbey Road album cover shoot. Photo: Iain MacMillan
The everlasting impact of the band and this album is one that will live on forever in the minds and hearts of all music lovers. It is so popular to this date, that in 2019, 246,000 vinyl copies were sold. This comes over fifty years after its initial release. And so, to close, despite saying in the beginning of this piece that I hate rankings and considering a band to be the “best,” if I ever had the chance to make my opinion fact and that that becomes the standard everyone will have to adhere by – I would place Abbey Road in the top 15 albums of all time.
If you are so inclined to relisten to this masterpiece, or grace your ears for the first time, you can check out a copy of Abbey Road at Parsons Music Library today.
Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist is curated by Music Library student assistant Nikoloz (class of 2026) and features phonk, a subgenre of hip hop and trap music which is popular in Russia.
Phonk
Phonk songs, especially Drift phonk, usually use distorted/sampled sounds that most of us are familiar with. Regardless, these phonk songs sound quite different from those melodies you might know and love, to the point where you wouldn’t guess in a thousand years that music pieces that you listen to on a regular basis are used for their creation.
This phonk comes from Russia, however more recent works that become popular are in English (That is, of course, if they have any lyrics at all.)
Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist is curated by Music Library student manager Kiran (class of 2024) and features songs inspired by Taylor Swift’s newest album Midnights.
Inspired by Taylor Swift’s Midnights
This playlist is inspired by Taylor Swift’s latest album. If you liked Midnights, check out these ten songs similar to her latest tracks!
