Aboriginal Australian Musical Trip
Enjoy the adventure as we learn about the distinctive Aboriginal Australian Music! I have read a handful of books about the Aboriginal people, which piqued my interest in this musical trip.
As said by Hans Telford, the aboriginal traditional music is an integral part of the aboriginal people and holds a lot of meaning as well. He also states that "music is used throughout an aboriginal's life to teach what must be known about their culture, about their place in it, and about its place in the world of nature and supernature." They are taught at a very age to sing and dance about everyday tasks. The music is passed down from generation to generation verbally and not written down and learned as the way we learn in western culture.
The music composed by the aboriginals is very important to their culture. The songs composed for sacred ceremonies are only to be shared with their tribe and no one is to record these ceremonies. Outsiders are not allowed to attend these ceremonies as well. Non-sacred ceremonies can allow outsiders to observe and record.
The aboriginals use an instrument called the didgeridoo, which is made from the eucalyptus tree. This instrument is one of the oldest instruments and is in the category of aerophone. This wind instrument is played by blowing into the tube, almost like a trumpet.
Dance during Aboriginal Initiation Ceremony, Northern Australia
Recorded April 10, 2010.
Beat
The song starts off with the clapsticks with a slow and steady beat. They start singing in their language and the beat increases to a faster beat for about 30 seconds. Following that, the beat increases, I believe there is more than one song in this video. This reminds me of our own traditional Yup'ik songs, but we a drum instead of clapsticks.Lyrics
The lyrics are sung in their Australian language. Although I don't understand the words, they are welcoming and calming. They start singing slow and increase as they sing along.
Amazing Didgeridoo by Mick Ambyrum
Recorded in 1995, posted Sept. 28, 2013
Timbre
The timber changes throughout the song and doesn't stay the same. He starts off with slow and slightly increases, and flows smoothly as the timbre changes.
Rhythm
This song has a variety of rhythm played throughout the song and that is what makes the music so unique. The rhythm changes from slow to fast, with a smooth change. It continues to change throughout the song and doesn't stay the same.
Australian music is very unique, just like the Alaskan native music. Although they are clear across the globe from here, they enjoy composing and dancing to their native music just as we do. When I came across the ceremonial dance, it reminded me of the ceremonial dances that we have. Their music also holds as much meaning as our music in my native culture. Music is integral to everyone no matter where you come from! This class has been a total eye-opener for me in exploring music. I enjoyed this musical trip and enjoyed learning more about Australian Aboriginal music! Enjoy!
