Bulbultarang

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Bulbultarang with two melody and four drone strings.

Bulbultarang , also bulbul tarang ( Hindi बुलबुल तरंग , Shahmukhi بلبل ترنگ, "nightingale waves", meaning "song of the nightingale"), bulbultara, bulbultala, Indian banjo, benjo, benju, mandolin, is a plucked box or board zither in India , Pakistan and the Iranian province of Balochistan , whose strings are shortened using a series of keys. The widespread in the 1920s in different variations in the region fingerboard zither with Key Technology goes on in Japan at the beginning of the Taisho period (1912-1926) introduced taishōgoto back. In the Maldives the instrument is called kottafoshi , while the Indian minority in Fiji calls it medolin . In Germany around 1920 a similar keyboard zither was patented under the name Akkordolia .

Origin and Distribution

Two Japanese taishōgoto .

The Japanese model taishōgoto is based on an old tradition of long rectangular vaulted board zithers that are widespread in East Asia. Namely, the taishōgoto is derived from the Japanese vaulted board zither koto , which was introduced from China at the latest at the beginning of the Nara period , i.e. the beginning of the 8th century. In court music, the thirteen- string koto was mainly played to accompany singing. Under the influence of Western music, there have been numerous experiments to improve traditional Japanese musical instruments, including a koto with 17 strings, which is a bass zither called jūshichigen . The inventor of the taishōgoto may have known the creations of the instrument maker Henry Charles Marx (1875–1947), who acquired some patents for unusual box zithers in the United States in the early years of the 20th century. His pianolin (or pianoette ) is a narrow drone zither whose strings can be plucked with the left hand and at the same time bowed with a bow in the right hand. Keys painted under the strings should make bowing easier for the beginner. With the Marxophone , a wide box zither that Marx patented in 1912, the player presses on springy metal lamellas, the ends of which are weighted with lead and rattle on the strings. A number of similar zithers with buttons or buttons that came on the market in the early 20th century include the Deweylin harp and the American mandolin harp. The strings are not shortened on these instruments and each produce only one tone.

On the Indonesian island of Bali , especially in the Tabanan administrative region, there is a keyboard zither called nolin with four to six strings and seven to twelve keys, which is believed to have been brought with them by Chinese immigrants in the 1930s. Initially, the nolin served the villagers as a solo instrument for entertainment, but since 1961 they have played several nolin with instruments of the classic ensemble type gamelan , including the gong circle kelenang , the hand cymbals ceng-ceng and the barrel drum kendang in an instrumentation called gamelan nolin or gamelan mandolin of the joged dance. The nolin can be amplified with a pickup for this purpose .

The taishōgoto received its name after the Taishō period (1912-1926), at the beginning of which it was developed. Its two melody strings are shortened with a key mechanism adopted from the typewriter. The round keys make a chromatic scale of two octaves playable.

Neither the arched plank zithers characteristic of East Asia nor other long rectangular plank or box zithers occur in India. In North Indian classical music , the trapezoidal dulcimer santur from the Persian cultural area is played. Furthermore, classical singers of the khyal style often accompany their singing with the drone tones of a box zither swarmandal . More common in Indian music are the stick zithers known as vina . So for the bulbultarang, not only the innovative keyboard but the entire shape was introduced from Japan.

Akkordolia , patented by Otto Teller, Klingenthal , around 1920.

Probably reached the bulbultarang first in the 1920 Mumbai because their main distribution area of Mumbai in the Pakistani province of Sindh with the largest city of Karachi to the region of Baluchistan extends. Previously, in the 19th century, some newly developed stringed instruments had been introduced in India, including the sarod, derived from the Afghan plucked rubab , and the esraj, formed by slimming down the stringed lute, mayuri vina . At the end of the 19th century Indian musicians brought banjo and mandolin with them from their stays in Europe . The sarod player Asadullah Khan, called Kaukab Khan (1858–1912), a member of the Bulandshahr / Lucknow-Sarod- Gharana , gave his first concert on a western banjo in Paris in 1902, because - so it is said - on a trip to Europe his sarod had broken. He removed the frets from the neck of the instrument, placed a metal plate on the fingerboard, and played it like a sarod . Kaukab Khan was so successful that he kept this style of playing after returning to India and became more famous with the banjo than with the sarod . Vishnu Digambar Paluskar (1872–1931) was a North Indian classical singer and music teacher who organized concerts in which the students of the music school he founded in Lahore in 1901 played mandolin and banjo. Further program items could be solos by mridangam , harmonium and violin as well as dance interludes and singing, which made Paluskar's concerts extremely unusual.

During this phase of experimentation, the bulbultarang was introduced , which was first presented at a music conference in Mumbai in 1936. The Indian harmonium has had a permanent place in the Muslim devotional Qawwali vocal performance since the 19th century . Instead of the banjo and mandolin, which were introduced into the qawwali in the 19th century, the bulbultarang has now appeared in some ensembles and has adopted their name.

Design

Unusual bulbultarang with a piano-like keyboard.

The bulbultarang consists of a long rectangular wooden board or box, which is strung with two melody strings and, according to the principle of a drone zither, with additional drone strings. The player tears the steel strings with an opening pick in his right hand while pressing the keys with his left hand to lower horizontal metal brackets onto the strings and shorten them. The keys work like the hurdy-gurdy and resemble those on mechanical typewriters. They are arranged in two rows above the melody strings and make a chromatic tone sequence playable over two octaves. The drone strings run on one or both sides next to the melody strings and are not shortened by the key mechanism. The melody strings are usually tuned in unison or sometimes octave apart. There is no fixed tuning rule for the drone strings. The Baluch use a one-meter-long zither called banjo or benjo , in which they tune the four drone strings, arranged symmetrically to the two melody strings, to the tonic (the tone of the melody strings) and the dominant ( fifth ). The banjo has 28 to 32 keys.

There are numerous variants of the key zither, which differ in shape of body, number of strings, pitch and sound. The right end of the body is often a little wider. In Baluchishtan, benjo were developed on the basis of an acoustic guitar body with over 30 playable drone strings. Many bulbultarang have an electromagnetic pickup for a sound similar to an electric guitar.

An electrically amplified and improved version of the bulbultarang is called shahi baaja . Your ten or more drone strings can also be torn empty , as with the swarmandal .

Style of play

Shahi baaja with two melody strings, three
sympathetic strings and ten drone strings.

Bulbultarang are popular light music, especially film music, in northern India and Pakistan, and are among the devotional singing styles of Muslims , Sikhs , Hindus and Jains . The Pakistani musician Bilawal Belgium made the easy-to-learn and inexpensive bulbultarang a classical musical instrument in the 1950s, with which he played in the Radio Karachi radio orchestra . The shahi baaja is also used for modern compositions and in world music, for example the New York musician and composer Pete List accompanied a dance performance with the instrument.

Qawwali

In the popular qawwali, as in other devotional styles, the keyboard zither can replace the harmonium as an accompanying melody instrument. Early vinyl recordings in the 1930s of popular qawwali were intended to appeal to Muslims of all faiths. The songs with texts in simple Urdu were - in contrast to the classical qawwali performed in Persian or in sophisticated Urdu - widely understandable and - in contrast to the semi-classical songs of the courtesans accompanied by the sarangi - were considered morally impeccable. Since then, the bulbultarang has been popular in popular Qawwali. The introduction of the bulbultarang in the Qawwali is related to the spread of western instruments and other innovations by the record and film industry, which was in the hands of European producers. The aim was to address all audiences as possible and the largest musical category among the productions of the Gramophone Company Of India was aimed at Urdu-speaking Muslims. Qawwali also belonged to "Urdu Islamic music". At the same time as the introduction of the bulbultarang , a new kind of musician emerged from the Qawwali recordings who belonged to the urban community of traditional singers and dancers ( mirasi ) and had not received any classical singing training. As a result, a popular Qawwali style split off from the Qawwali, which was musically based on North Indian classical music.

Balochistan

The six-string banjo is played in Balochistan together with several drums ( tabla and double-headed barrel drums dholak ) that produce a propelling rhythm to accompany the qawwali singing. In addition to the Qawwali there is the religious music of here in Balochistan qalandari mentioned dervishes and others going back to black African influences ritual music, the fiddle with drums sorud , the plucked lute damburag and the double flute doneli is played. One of the most famous benjo players in Balochistan was Bilawal Bilijam († 1980).

Professional musicians in the coastal region of Makran cultivate the music style zahirig (also zahirok ), which is based on the modes mentioned as well , which functionally correspond to the Iranian maqams and the Indian ragas in the music of Balochistan . The melody instruments of the vocal and instrumental style zahirig are soruz, doneli and banjo .

At weddings and circumcisions, low-caste professional singers ( soti ) sing short songs ( sot ) with a fixed refrain about love, separation and praise for entertainment . In a song sung by Sharuk (also Sharratun), one of the most famous singers in the Makran region, a banjo is accompanied by the double-headed cylinder drum dukkur and finger cymbals chinchir .

Gujarat

Further east, in the Kachchh district of the Indian state of Gujarat , the Siddi are descendants of black African slaves and traders who play drums of African origin and a double-reed instrument called surna , which is different in shape and style from the shehnai . Another ethnic group is the Langa, who use a small variant of the shehnai . The string instruments sarangi, sarinda , chikara (spiked violin) and ravanahattha (long-necked spit lute) that used to exist in the Kachchh district have disappeared. The bulbultarang has taken its place .

An ensemble occurring in Gujarat, which accompanies singers from amateur street theaters, for example, consists in the simplest case of a tabla and a bulbultarang, which intersperses short melodic units between the continuous singing voice.

Punjab

In Punjab Dhadis are the Sikhism sing belonging ballad singer, the deeds of heroes and martyrs of the faith. The Dhadis song genre known today goes back to the sixth guru of the Sikhs, Har Gobind (1595–1644). To fuel the fighting spirit of his army, he had singers recite heroic songs at his court. The names of some of the then famous dhadis have been handed down. In addition to the religious Dhadi tradition, there are folk songs of the Dhadi genre that deal with the deeds and love stories of mythical heroes. A religious Dhadi group usually consists of four members standing in front of its audience. In addition to the three singers, one or two of whom beat the little hourglass drum dhadd and one plays the string sarangi , a narrator who explains the origin and meaning of the song has an essential function. In contrast to the dhadis, the musicians and singers of the devotional song genre kirtan , which is cultivated by Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims, always sit on the floor and usually accompany each other on a harmonium. Both religious styles of music also differ in terms of content: Dhad is intended to stimulate and arouse , while kirtan strives for an atmosphere of peace and harmony. Dhadi groups perform at religious festivals and travel to city festivals, markets, and other public events. The unusual line-up of a Dhadi ensemble uses harmonium, bulbultarang , mandolin, flute and tabla for song accompaniment .

Other ensembles of religious and secular folk music in Punjab use harmonium, bulbultarang , the double flute alghoza , the barrel drum dhol , the frame drum daf , the clay pot gharra (in South India ghatam ) and the forked cymbal chimta . Ensembles with harmonium, tabla and hand cymbals ( manjira or jhanj ) are also typical, supplemented by bulbultarang , wooden clappers ( kartal ) and flute ( bansuri ).

Jains

The religious cult of the Jains inside and outside the temple always includes a hymn-like choir. According to religious values, Jain music is reserved, calm and focused. Nevertheless, there are few clear distinguishing features for an independent Jain music, which is mainly based on the other regional traditions and on the classical ragas. Traditional religious practice includes a sitting dance in which the singers sit opposite each other in two rows and mark the rhythm with short sticks ( dandiya ).

While women's dances and clapping of hands were forbidden in the past, both are now possible in the temples. The religious chants are performed a cappella or accompanied by barrel drums ( dholak ), frame drums ( daf ), bells and hand cymbals . The latest innovations at large festive events include microphone- amplified choirs, accompanied by harmonium, bulbultarang with pickup, synthesizer and tabla .

Beni Israel

Beni Israel ("Sons of Israel") are Indian Jews who have developed their own ethnic culture in Mumbai and beyond in the Konkan coastal region of Maharashtra and Gujarat. Since most of them emigrated to Israel in the years after Indian independence in 1948, their number in India has dropped to a few thousand. Today, the majority of the Beni Israel live together as communities in some settlements in Israel, which is why they have retained much of their independent culture. As an externally visible sign of their origin, women in Israel wear an Indian sari at least on public holidays .

The Beni Israel maintain ceremonial chants performed in Hebrew with a repertoire for weddings, circumcisions and other transitional celebrations. In addition, there is secular vocal music sung in Marathi and instrumental music, which mainly includes the Indian harmonium and the bulbultarang . One of the most famous bulbultarang players in Israel was the Yemen-born singer Ahura Ozeri (1948-2016). She learned the bulbultarang , which became a trademark of her music, from an Indian musician in the 1960s.

literature

  • Alastair Dick, Jean During: Bulbultarang . In: Laurence Libin (Ed.): The Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments . Vol. 1, Oxford University Press, Oxford / New York 2014, p. 430
  • Bulbul Tarang. In: Late Pandit Nikhil Ghosh (Ed.): The Oxford Encyclopaedia of the Music of India. Saṅgīt Mahābhāratī. Vol. 1, Oxford University Press, New Delhi 2011, p. 204

Web links

Commons : Bulbultarang  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ W. Adriaansz: Koto. In: Grove Music Online , 2001
  2. ^ David W. Hughes: Japan. II. Instruments and instrumental genres. 1. Introduction. In: Grove Music Online, 2001
  3. Stringed Things: Pianolin (aka “Pianoette”). Youtube video
  4. Laurence Libin: Marxophone. In the S. (Ed.): The Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments . Vol. 3, Oxford University Press, Oxford / New York 2014, pp. 408f
  5. ^ MC Gracin: An Inquiry into Contextualized Christian Expression in North India. (Master's thesis) Liberty University, Lynchburg (Virginia) 2011, p. 209; Illustration of a Marxophone
  6. Gizmo-harps with chords. Fretless Zithers.com
  7. Andrew C. McGraw: Nolin. In: Grove Music Online, May 28, 2015
  8. David W. Hughes: Taishōgoto . In: Laurence Libin (Ed.): The Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments . Vol. 4, Oxford University Press, Oxford / New York 2014, p. 688
  9. ^ Adrian McNeil: Making Modernity Audible: Sarodiyas and the early recording industry. In: Amlan Das Gupta (Ed.): Music and Modernity: North Indian Classical Music in an Age of Mechanical Reproduction. Subject, Kolkata 2007, pp. 61–88, here p. 64
  10. Allyn Miner: Sitar and Sarod in the 18th and 19th Centuries. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, Delhi 2004, p. 154
  11. ^ Aneesh Pradhan: Perspectives on Performance Practice: Hindustani Music in Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Bombay (Mumbai). In: South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies, Vol. 27, No. 3, 2004, pp. 339–358, here pp. 351, 356
  12. Dil hai ke manta nahin Benjo Cover by Nikul Vaiahnav. Youtube video
  13. ^ Balochi New Benjo With 35 Strings. Youtube video (Mohammadali Mohammadhasani from Balochistan plays a benjo with 35 strings.)
  14. Mere Rashke Qamar Qawwali On Bulbul Tarang Banjo . Youtube video
  15. Shumaila Hemani: Representing Pakistan through Folk Music and Dance. (Master thesis) University of Alberta, 2011, p. 82
  16. Pete List and Anasma "Flutterby". Youtube video (Pete List, Shahi Baaja , and French dancer Anasma at the Rakkasah Belly Dance Festival in Concord , CA, 2012.)
  17. ^ Regula Burckhardt Qureshi: "Muslim Devotional": Popular Religious Music and Muslim Identity under British, Indian and Pakistani Hegemony . In: Asian Music, Vol. 24, No. 1, autumn 1992 - winter 1993, pp. 111-121, here pp. 113f
  18. ^ Regula Burckhardt Qureshi: His Master's Voice? Exploring Qawwali and “Gramophone Culture” in South Asia. In: Popular Music, Vol. 18, No. 1, January 1999, pp. 63-98, here p. 73
  19. Mikko Viitamäki: New Wine from Medina: Aesthetics of Popular Qawwali Lyrics. In: Lotta Aunio (Ed.): Studia Orientalia, Vol. 111. Finnish Oriental Society, Helsinki 2011, pp. 393-406, here p. 398
  20. Qawwali Benjo Nagama Mustafa Naza . Youtube video
  21. See Jean During: African Winds and Muslim Djinns. Trance, Healing, and Devotion in Baluchistan. In: Yearbook for Traditional Music , Vol. 29, 1997, pp. 39-56
  22. Great Banjo Player Bilawal Beljiyam. Youtube video (recording probably from the 1970s in poor sound quality)
  23. ^ Jean During: The Baluchi Zahirig music. Introduction to Professional Baluchi Music. In: Tavoos Quarterly, No. 10, 2012, p. 2
  24. Anderson Bakewell (recordings and text booklet): Music of Makran. Traditional Fusion from Coastal Balochistan. (International Collection of the British Library Sound Archive) CD from Topic Records, London 2000, track 9
  25. Stephen Slawek: Review: Musical Instruments of Kacch and Its Neighbors by Nazir Jairazbhoy and Amy Catlin. In: Asian Music, Vol. 34, No. 1, Fall 2002 - Winter 2003, pp. 170-173
  26. Angma Jhala, Jayasinhji Jhala: Genealogy, Archive, Image: Interpreting Dynastic History in Western India, C.1090-2016. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin 2017, p. 226
  27. Adam Nayyar: Punjab. In: Alison Arnold (Ed.): Garland Encyclopedia of World Music. Volume 5: South Asia: The Indian Subcontinent. Routledge, London 1999, p. 772
  28. ^ Joyce Pettigrew: Songs of the Sikh Resistance Movement . In: Asian Music, Vol. 23, No. 1, Fall 1991 - Winter 1992, pp. 85–118, here p. 87
  29. Virinder S. Kalra: Sacred and Secular Musics: A Postcolonial Approach. (= Bloomsbury Studies in Religion and Popular Music ) Bloomsbury, London 2015, p. 153
  30. ^ MC Gracin: An Inquiry into Contextualized Christian Expression in North India. (Master's thesis) Liberty University, Lynchburg (Virginia) 2011, p. 85
  31. ^ M. Whitney Kelting: India, subcontinent of. VI. Religious music. 5. Jain. In: Grove Music Online, July 1, 2014
  32. דוד ג'אקה bulbul tarang master . Youtube video (Yaniv Mazgaoker in Israel plays bulbultarang , temporarily with a bow, accompanied by three barrel drums)
  33. ^ Rina Krut Moskovich: The Role of Music in the Liturgy of Emigrant Jews from Bombay: The Morning Prayer for the Three Festivals . In: Asian Music , Vol. 17, No. 2 (Music in the Ethnic Communities of Israel) Spring – Summer 1986, pp. 88–107, here p. 90
  34. Jessica Steinberg: Pioneering Mizrahi singer Ahuva Ozeri dies at 68. The Times of Israel, December 13, 2016