Some Super Cool Stuff

 Good morning, afternoon, and evening! I think this may be my favorite blog yet because I get to talk about things that don't typically come up in conversation. The history of my four most favorite music genres around the world! Chinese (Beijing/Peking) Opera, Brazilian Samba, Japanese pop, and BAD BUNNY. 

To start: Beijing/ Peking Opera! I'm sure a lot of people are going to cover some sort of Chinese performance, but I didn't take that as an excuse to skip over it, ITS SO COOL! And if you did touch on Peking opera in your blog, I hope you learn something new! :) The history of opera in China is long and everchanging over the course of many wars and economies. The earliest emergence of this kind of performance begins in the 6th century BCE. Wu priests who were in charge of seances conducted elaborate ceremonies to worship the gods and ask for things like fertility and victory through strife. The performances were so thrilling that they were recruited to be performed for the court. These performances were still largely religious at this time but that begins to change when the performers take on tightrope walking and sword swallowing. But like I mentioned, Opera in China was not a one-way street. The Mongols fired palace scribes upon their invasion during the Yuan Dynasty which gave them more time to write poetry. Poetry led to novels, which was revolutionary in theatre. Public novel recitation led to play writing and play writing led to Zaju (pronounced Jah-shoo) and Chuan-qi (pronounced Shuan-chee). So instead of emerging from religious ceremonies, these performances blossomed from literature. Which gave them a deeper moral meaning that communicated to all audiences, educated or not. Zaju dramas are from the north, four acts long, and are still performed. (Check out the Peone Pavilion opera and try to sing along lol). Chuan-qi are not performed quite as often anymore because theyre so long and elaborate and the language is so formal that modern performers find it harder to recreate. But from these two styles, emerges Beijing/ Peking opera when people all over the country came celebrate the emperor's birthday. They liked the kingdom, so they stayed and added different aspects to Zaju and Chuan-qi that evolved into the most important drama style in China. Peking opera props consist of two chairs and a table...that's it. But dozens of stage runners and live instruments help the audience differentiate which set the table and chairs are supposed to symbolize (and more modern performers have added more props but that's not traditional). There are four different categories of characters: Sheng (men) Dan (women, though men originally played women until women were allowed to be in plays), Jing (painted face characters), and Chou (clowns). 

Now for the music!!! Skip to 0:50 if you just wanna hear the music, but if you wanna learn more about this famous performance watch the introduction about the painting (it is in Chinese so make sure you have you captions on.)

Now for SAMBA. If you're like me; Rio was one of your favorite movies as a kid. (Can you believe that movie is 11 years old?) The reason that movie is one of the greatest family movies of all time is because of the music. Jamie Foxx and Will.i.am did such a great job of capturing the y2k trends of 2011 and Samba to make a movie for children AND adults to enjoy. I wanted to talk about Samba because I had no prior knowledge of Brazil's history and wanted to explore! So, here's what I found: Samba is like the Blues of Brazil. It emerged from the syncretism of Portuguese language, African drums and rhythm brought from slavery, and the indigenous emotions left over from being colonized. Samba is an African word that can be translated to "fun" and Africans brought "fun" with them on their migration to Rio De Janeiro after the abolition of slavery. They would go to secret meetings called Terreiros and dance, sing, and worship. Because even though slavery was abolished, African tradition was still a taboo. But (this is a big but), indigenous Brazilian tradition was a taboo as well. So, when Africans and Indigenous people met in Terreiros something new was created and could be enjoyed between the two cultures in secret. UNTIL 1917 when a black and indigenous duo made the song "Pelo Telefone". Oh man the white people ate it up. After the whites accepted samba as a new trend, schools were opened to teach samba, singers and dancers emerged all over the country, and an identity movement began in 1930, Carnival! This HAS to sound familiar, Slavery, the great migration, syncretism, speakeasys, white exploitation, and identity movement in the 30's? Samba is a different font of the blues. Anyway, here's a 1970 remaster of Pelo Telefone! 

Japanese Pop is one of those genres that has an impact on everyone who has ever heard it. If you want to travel and have heard Japanese pop, the first place on your bucket list is Japan. If you're an anime fan, at least one of the intro songs has made it into your playlist. If you're into fashion, Japanese singers have a distinct style that is collaborative with their music, and it has traveled to clothing companies in America. It is a sound that is so unique and bold that the youth of America are drawn to it. I'm going to link two songs for you to listen to. One is a song from the 80's (which is technically considered "city pop" but it didn't feel right to leave it out) and the other is an anime intro (you've probably heard both of these songs if you were born any time after 2000). I don't have a super long history spill about this genre but it's just fun and I wanted to listen to these songs again! 

BONUS: here's some Japanese street fashion to look at :3 

                                              

                       

My second choice for modern music genres around the world is a narrower topic than the others. It's pretty specific to one artist and the music he makes. Bad Bunny has tested the waters of lots of different Latin music. Reggaeton, Rock, Punk, Soul, Rap, etc. His portfolio is so diverse that people just refer to him as a Latin Trap artist. But recently he has been waving the Puerto Rican flag by sampling organic Puerto Rican sounds and including them in his soulful music. Its joyful, its real, and its unapologetic. I'm sure many of us have heard this song but it's because it's so GOOD! Again, I don't have a super long history rant for this one, though music in Puerto Rico definitely qualifies for one. I just wanted you to enjoy this radio favorite; your eyes are probably tired from reading the first paragraph on Chinese opera lol. (if you haven't heard this song, I encourage you to listen to it all the way through. You'll learn a lot about the culture of Puerto Rico just by listening.) 

    Alrighty :) I hope I didn't bore you to death. See you in class.