Music of Southeast Asia

World Music
Countries of Southeast Asia
 Bangladesh
 China
 Japan
 Cambodia
 Indonesia
 Malaysia
 Nepal
 Pakistan
 The Phillippines
 Singapore
 Sri Lanka
 Taiwan
 Thailand
 Vietnam
Role of music in Asian culture
 Music in these cultures differ from country to country

 Role of music is similar in many areas

 Court music
 Social music

 Music a highly respected art form

 Folk music  communication
 Court music  status; worship
 Music for entertainment
 Theatre
 Pop
Influences on Music
 Geographic location and surroundings
 Vegetation
 Natural beauty of the
continent
 Respect for and worship
of nature
 Naturally occurring resources
 Iron, bronze
 Wood, bamboo
 Religion
 Sacred music
 Music for worship considered the highest form of art
Court Music
 Music that would have been played (and in some regions, still
is) in the courts of noble families
 Formal but with some elements of folk music
 Denotes status
 Of those who are being performed for
 Of the musicians invited to perform
 Varies from country to country based on language and
instrumentation
 Many different versions of one instrument in a variety of
countries
Orchestral Court Music in China
Folk Music
 Indigenous to each country
 Influences of neighbouring countries
 Depends on location in comparison to border of country
 Depends on type of terrain – folk music will be less permeated by
other cultures if it is located in a mountaneous region
 Instrumental
 Some vocal
 Instrumental ensembles
 Gamelan orchestras
 Kulintang orchestras
 Can be politically-oriented, but not in the same way that North
American music is
Theatre/Opera
 Many countries have their own versions of
opera and musical theatre
 Music, dance, acrobatics, acting
 Style of singing radically different from
Western opera/musical theatre
 Symbolic movement, staging, sound and
sets used in favour over realistic staging
and movement
 Traditional storylines include fables, folklore or historical tales
 This repertoire has expanded over time in some countries to include
modern, real-life events.
Instruments in Southeast Asian music
 String instruments
 Zither (17 strings)
 Harp
 Lute
 Fiddle
 Metal instruments struck by mallets
 Gong
 Gangsa/Saron
 Pat waing/Godang
 Instruments with keys
 Bagpipes
 Khene
 Flutes
 Bamboo
 Metal
China
 One of the world’s oldest and most
powerful civilizations
 PRC – ROC (2 entities in China)
 Music and the arts a long-standing tradition
in China
 Traditional and popular music make
up the bulk of China’s musical output
 Genres of music:
 Classical
 Folk
 Varies from region to region in terms of instrumentation and style
 Size of China makes differences in folk music more noticeable than in small European
countries
 Sacred (Tibetan Buddhist monks use chant)
 Popular
Malaysia
 Separated in two by the sea

 Official language: Bahasa Malaysia

 English a commonly-spoken second
language
 Over 100 other languages and
dialects spoken

 Chinese and Indian influence  trading

 Multicultural and multi-ethnicity

 Effects heard in music and seen in visual art
 Effects also heard in language and politics
Indonesia
 Hugely populated country (240 million people!)
 Bordered by Malaysia, East Timor and Papa New Guinea
 Highly protective of their language, religion and culture
 Indonesia is an important trade area – more susceptible to
“cultural pollution”
 Political disputes with Malaysia concerning language and
national anthems
 Sports: badminton, soccer.
 Lively traditional and popular music scene
 Notable instruments: gamelan orchestras
Gamelan Orchestra
Thailand
 Centrally located Southeastern country
 Bordered by Burma, Laos, Cambodia and
water
 Languages spoken are primarily Thai with
some Chinese and Malaysian
 Country of periodic political unsettlement,
most recently this spring
 Well-known for its Thai food
 Though never colonialized, there is much European influence on
Thai pop music
 Chinese, Indian , Burmese and Cambodian influence on music
 Small pockets of ethnic minorities retain their traditional music
Bangkok, Thailand at Night