Also called gong-chime,Gamelan is an Indonesian musical ensemble dating back many centuries. Â The ensembles are composed primarily of percussion instruments, including gongs, xylophones, strings and drums, each instrument having its own unique function in the performance. Some ensembles include vocalists, as well.

Gamelan musicians play short, repeating melodies in an interlocking style. Musical phrases are repeated in various tempos and melodies until the musicians are signaled to stop, a task usually delegated to the drummer.

Three types of Gamelan are performed in Indonesia: Balinese, Javanese and Sundanese. Each style embraces slightly different sounds and tempos and is affiliated with the Indonesian "bangsa" (ethnic groups) of Bali, Central Java and Sunda (West Java) , respectfully.

Gamelan is said to have been the idea of the Hindu God, Sang Hyan Guru, who created a gong tuned to a specific pitch as a means of communicating with other Gods. As communication between the Gods became more complex, more "pitches"were needed, creating the Gamelan model of a variety of instruments with a variety of pitches, functions and tempos. To this day, Gamelan is considered an offering to the Hindu Gods. Ensembles perform during religious rituals, ceremonies, royal events and community celebrations. Gamelan is often employed as accompaniment to theater art performances, but is rarely performed simply as entertainment.

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Indian classical music consists of both North Indian (Hindustani) and South Indian (Carnatic) music. It is based on melody and rhythm and does not follow musical conventions that predominate in Western music. Musicians use combinations of melody and rhythm known as ragas; musicians will also improvise around these ragas. Hindustani and Carnatic classical music may be completely instrumental or include a singer. Purists feel that vocalists represent the music in its greatest glory, but instrumental music is just as popular as compositions with vocals.

Indian music is based on religious practices. The origin of the Indian music system known as Raga Sangeet can be traced back about two thousand years to the Vedic Hymns chanted in Hindu temples. In the oldest scriptures of Hinduism called the "Vedas" there are allusions to various stringed and wind instruments. The first written reference to ragas, on which Indian Classical Music is based, is found in the Brhaddesi which was written in the 10th century. In the 13th century, 264 ragas were listed in the book Sangitaratnakara. During the 13th century, Indian classical music was flourishing in the courts of Muslim rulers. Though songs had originally been composed in Sanskrit, songs were then being written in various dialects of Hindi.

During the 16th century, differences between Hindustani and Carnatic music became more obvious. Hindustani music was influenced by Muslim and Persian elements since Muslims conquered the northern part of the subcontinent and established the Mughal empire in the 16th century. Carnatic music was influenced by traditional music played in Hindu temples. Each type was influenced by outside sources but Carnatic music has shown more skill for adding foreign instruments to its arrangements. In the 1960s the Beatles brought Indian Classical music popularity in the West and collaborations between Western and Indian musicians have continued to this day.

Because Indian classical music is based on Hindu religion, many believe that Indian classical music can elevate people to higher consciousness and bring them in contact with the divine universal force. The elements of Indian classical music that cause such effects are the ragas, which create the basis for all songs. Ragas can be generally described as melodic structures that dictate notes in a scale, their relationship to each other, their order from ascending to descending, characteristic movements, and other elements. In order for these ragas to have effect, they must be played at specific times of the day. Both Carnatic and Hindustani music were performed in temples, courts, houses of nobles, and small gatherings called "baithaks". Today concerts are mostly held outside temples, in concert halls, and recordings of Indian classical music performers are very easy to come by.

Popular Hindustani Instruments:

Tabla - A pair of small drums.

Sitar - A long necked lute with movable frets, two gourd resonators, seven playing strings and 13 sympathetic strings.

Sarod - A plucked or bowed fiddle with four to eight strings and sympathetic strings.

Tambura - A four-stringed drone lute.

Popular Carnatic instruments:

Mridangam - A two-headed barrel drum.

Violin - The European instrument but tuned to the tonic and fifth, which is in tune with a Tambura.

Tambura - The same as the Hindustani instrument.

Vina - A four-stringed lute with two gourd resonators.

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George Svboda, Fred Benedetti, & Gloria Lanuza

Flamenco is the music of Spain. It is characterized by passionate singing, dancing, and percussion. A Flamenco ensemble typically includes a singer or a dancer performing with guitars, and people providing the percussion with rhythmic hand clapping and foot stomping, as well as other hand percussion instruments.

The origin of Flamenco music is controversial but it is generally agreed that the music originated in Andalusia, Spain. In 1492, the Andalusian city known as Granada was the last Islamic city to fall to Christian Reconquest. The Islamic refugees who populated Granada: Arabic, Jewish, Christian, and Gitano (or Gypsy), mixed their traditional music to form the beginnings of Flamenco. Although Flamenco was created by all these different musical traditions, over the next few centuries Flamenco became exclusively part of the Gitano/Gypsy culture. Because of this, many people viewed Flamenco as the music of criminals and the underclass and it wasn't until the middle of the 19th century that Flamenco began developing popularity outside of Gypsy culture. From about 1869 to the beginning of the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s, Flamenco music gained popularity through the many cafes cantantes, or cafe singers. During this time, the Palos, or styles of Flamenco music were established and cemented. Since then, over 50 types of Flamenco Palos have been created, and they each have their own mood, rhythmic pattern, and performing traditions. Flamenco guitar also became the most popular instrument of Flamenco music during this time. After the Spanish Civil War until the 1970s, Flamenco continued to gain popularity due to the government leader Francisco Franco's promotion of Flamenco music as the national music used to unify the people of Spain. In the 1980s Flamenco music experienced another golden age; elements of jazz, blues, rock, and even reggae were incorporated into Flamenco's sound, which people called Nuevo Flamenco . This new Flamenco sound, rather than being played through traditional radio broadcasts, was distributed directly to bars, discos, and nightclubs to catch the attention of younger fans. Ironically, it was the Gypsy Kings, a band from Arles, France that played a form of music parallel to Flamenco known as Rumba Catalana, that made the new sound of Flamenco popular around the world. Today Flamenco continues to evolve and is very popular all around the world.

Every part of a Flamenco performance contributes to the Flamenco sound; even Flamenco dancers add rhythms to Flamenco music. But the most prominent instrument in Flamenco music is the guitar.
The Flamenco guitar is a slightly smaller version of the classical acoustic guitar. The traditional Flamenco guitar is made of several types of wood: Cypress for the back and sides, cedar for the fingerboard, pine or spruce for the top, rosewood for the bridge, and ebony for the fret board.

Although the guitar is now the most prominent instrument, Flamenco began as nothing more than vocal music and hand claps. The singer's role is still very important to the music because it sets the mood and is used to connect with the audience on an emotional level. There are two basic forms of Flamenco song; jondo or "deep", slow, sad songs about death or lost love, and chico or "small", faster, happier dance-like songs.

Handclaps called palmas are designed to add rhythms to the music, as well as encourage the performers. There are two types of palmas: sordas"deaf"-palmas, which are muffled hand claps created when clapping the cupped palms of hands together, and secas"dry"-palmas, which are loud hand claps created when hitting the cupped palm of the left hand with the middle fingers of the right hand.

Castañuelasalso known as "Castanets"are spoon shaped pieces of wood also used to add percussion to a Flamenco performance. They are traditionally tied together with a piece of string and played by fastening the string around the thumb and index finger, and clapping the two pieces together with the fingers.

Zapatos or Botos are shoes and boots that are more like a tap dancer's shoes; nails are driven into the soles to produce loud clicks when struck. Traditionally, male Flamenco dancer's movements consist of complicated toe and heel-clicking steps known as Taconeo, which add the rhythm, and which these Zapatos or Botos help to emphasize.

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Choros das 3

Choro, an instrumental music of Brazil, has been described in American terms as the "Brazilian ragtime" or the "New Orleans jazz of Brazil." With roots dating back to the late 1800's, choro developed out of melodies coming from Europe and rhythms coming from Africa. It became one of the first authentically Brazilian instrumental musical styles. Flutist Paula Robison said, "the choro tradition in Brazil is very much like the blues in America. It Brazil, choro was the combination of the African tradition mixed with the Portuguese; the beautiful singing lines of the Portuguese melody combined with the life-giving heartbeat of Africa." Choro was most popular during the 1920's in Rio de Janeiro although it can still be seen thriving in all of Brazil today. The word choro in Portuguese means "cry" and refers to the emotive nature of the soloing instruments. But choro is anything but sad with its fast-moving melodies, syncopated samba rhythms, and virtuosic improvisation. It is often played in all-night jams called rodas which take place in public bars or squares. The instrumentation of choro can include a variety of acoustic instruments. The traditional 7-string guitar which has an extra low string plays contrapuntal bass lines. The cavaquinho, a type of Brazilian ukulele, plays chords in a quick syncopated rhythm that helps to set the samba. The percussion section features primarily the pandeiro which looks like an American tambourine and is played by hand. Finally the melody may be played by a variety instruments, most commonly including flute, clarinet, bandolim (Brazilian mandolin), and more. The most important and well known composer of choro was Pixinguinha. He is considered to be one of the godfathers of choro and his birthday is celebrated as National Choro Day in Brazil. Pixinguinha has been called "the Bach of choro" by musicologists because of his perfect harmonic structure and virtuosity. In the 1920's he traveled to Paris with his group which was the first Brazilian group to perform outside of Brazil.

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