Australian Music

Traditional Australian music include music from the Australian Aborigines and the Torres Strait Islanders. They incorporate a variety of traditional music styles. The music has a strong emphasis on performance and using traditional instruments. Traditional Australian instruments include the didgeridoo, which is one of the oldest instruments and consists of a long wooden tube which the musician blows through. It was traditionally made of eucalyptus. Other traditional instruments include clapsticks, bullroarers and claves. 

 

There are different styles in traditional Australian music. One of the styles would be Bunggul. Bunggul is a style of music which is known for the intense emphasis on the lyrics. The lyrics often portray stories of epic journeys. Another style of music would be clan songs which would be about the family history of that clan and were frequently updated.

German Music

Germany produced some of the most well known and renowned composers in the world. These composers include Bach, Beethoven, Schubert and Mozart, just to name a few. In the beginning of the 16th century chorale music was very poplar. It was very vibrant and energetic. 

Opera music in Germany is usually said to have started by Mozart but other composers include Schutz and Bach. Going to the opera in Germany became very popular during this time. 

By the end of the 16th century Baroque music was becoming more known. The most well known German composer of Baroque music would be J.S.Bach.

German folk music would include a form of singing called yodelling (from the German word jodeln). This form of singing involves repeated changes of pitch during a single note. This form of singing was usually sung in the Alps.   

Spanish Music

The geography of Spain has contributed to the vriaety of music styles. For example the flamenco style originated from Andalusia in the south of spain. While in Galicia music is centered around the bag pipes because of the Celtic history in the north-west of Spain. Traditional Spanish instruments include the castanets which are held in each had and clicked togeather. Other traditional instruments include bells, tambourines and stringed instruments like guitars.

Chinese Music

Traditional Chinese music can be traced back to around 7,000-8,000 years ago. This is due to the discovery of a bone flute made in the Neolithic age. Traditional Chinese instruments include the Horse-Headed Fiddle ( bowed stringed intrument with a carved horses head), the Lute (pipa), the Ertu and the flute, just to name a few. All traditional Chinese music is melodic rather than harmonic. Traditional Chinese music is normally sung solo rather than in a group. The singer would normally sing in a thin voice and would sing poems to music.

                                       

African Music

There is wide variety of traditional African music due to all the different regions and nations. It has a long history and songs have been passed down generation to generation. Because of this there is very little written sources about African music. Traditional African music is usually linked in with dance and story-telling. Traditional African instruments would include the talking drums, bougarabou (set of drums usually conical shaped with a cowskin head), rattles, shakers and rain sticks, just to name a few! African music has been influenced by lots of different things eg. the environment, language and politics.  

  

Irish Music

There are many different types of songs in Irish traditional music, these include lamets (sad songs), ballads, drinking songs, working songs and many more. An example of a traditional Irish working song would be 'Amhrán na cuiginne'. Traditionally Irish singers would sing in the style of sean-nós. This style of singing is ornamented (kind of like decorating the music). In Irish dancing there are three main types of tunes, there are reels (4/4), jigs (6/8) and hornpipes (4/4). Of course there are many other traditional dancing tunes eg. slip jig but they would be the main ones. Irish traditional instruments would include the harp, bodhrán, fiddle, tin whistle and the uilleann pipes. 

     

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Z_TheGgFWI

Hello, my name is Isabelle. I am starting a blog about music from differnet places around the world.

I'll start of with telling you about Irish music.