Brittany Tran, Andrew Wang, Xian Lun Zeng Japanese Instruments:
Japanese performance styles are often accompanied by a variety of diverse instruments. A commonly used instrument is the biwa, or plucked string, short-necked lute. Japanese music frequently makes use of the Japanese drum, also known as a wadaiko or taiko. These large, loud drums were formerly used during battle to intimidate opponents and are now used for ensemble drumming performances. Min’yo music is often accompanied by the shamisen and shakuhachi, a three-stringed lute and bamboo flute, respectively, while Okinawan folk music frequently utilizes the sanshin, which is considered the primary instrument in Okinawa. Japanese Musical Styles and Qualities: Japanese music encompasses a wide variety of performance styles accompanied by several traditional instruments. Japan’s first forms of music date back to the Nara (710-784) and Heian (794-1185) periods and consist of two major styles: Shōmyō and Gagaku. Shōmyō is a style of Buddhist chanting, while Gagaku is a form of ancient orchestral court music. Japanese music evolved to include a variety of folk music, including Min’yo and Okinawan folk music. Min’yo is a genre of Japanese folk songs, usually with a singer and accompanying instruments. This folk music consists of fisherman and farmers’ work songs, lullabies, religious songs, songs for gatherings, and children’s songs and nursery rhymes, or warabe uta. Meanwhile, Okinawan folk music is associated with the Okinawa Islands, located southwest of the Japanese mainland. Okinawan folk music comprises of religious songs, dance songs, and kachashi, or lively celebratory folk dance music. It differs from mainland folk music in that it is often accompanied by the sanshin, a snakeskin-covered instrument similar to the banjo, and it utilizes the pentatonic scale (used in mainland Japan) but includes two extra tones that are omitted in the mainland scale. Chinese Instruments: String Instruments: Erhu 二胡: The erhu is one of the most popular and iconic traditional Chinese instruments. It is a two-stringed instrument that is played with a bow, much like a violin. It produces a melancholy, calming sound, and is often used to imitate singing and animal sounds. It originated in the Tang dynasty and is a significant part of Chinese folk music; some contemporary uses include solo performances (often by street musicians), as well as larger orchestras and ensembles. Pipa 琵琶: The pipa is a pear-shaped, four string instrument. It is plucked like a guitar, but its sound is more similar to that of a banjo. It also originated during the Tang dynasty, and is nowadays played in stage performances or at special occasions and festivities. Wind Instruments: Dizi 笛子: The dizi is a flute-like instrument with six finger holes. It is usually made with bamboo and produces a unique “buzzing” sound. While it had existed before then, the dizi became especially popular during the Qing dynasty, when it was commonly used in stage productions and folk music. It is particularly common due to its simplicity and portability. Xun 埙: (Chinese ocarina): The xun, also known as the Chinese ocarina, is one of the oldest Chinese instruments, having been used for over 7000 years. It is egg-shaped, usually made with clay or ceramic, and has multiple finger holes and one for blowing. It was a popular court and palace instrument, and its melancholy sound was associated with solemn events, as well as elegance and harmony. Percussion Instruments: Bianzhong 编钟: Bianzhong are sets of different-sized bronze bells hung on a wooden frame and struck with a mallet. Most bianzhongs range from about 16 to 24 bells, although some bianzhong have been found with up to 65 bells! Originating in the Zhou dynasty, they were seen as symbols of wealth and status and commonly used in ritual and court music. Gong 锣: The gong has perhaps the most well-known sound associated with Chinese culture. It produces the iconic grand, ringing sound when struck with a mallet. It was used to symbolize the arrival of royalty, in major events, or during rituals. In contemporary times, some of its uses include orchestras, communication, and announcements. It is believed to bring good luck, health, and happiness. Chinese Musical Styles and Qualities: While it is difficult to pinpoint when music “began” in China, historical records have shown that the Zhou dynasty was the first to establish a formal musical system for traditional Chinese music. This musical style, known as yayue 雅樂, was primarily played in court and ceremonial proceedings, and was associated with elegance and harmony (think yin and yang). Yayue also established the iconic pentatonic scale that forms the foundation of many traditional Chinese musical styles. Other qualities of yayue, many of which were pioneered by the famous philosopher Confucius, included a tranquil tone and smooth, simple melodies. There was an emphasis on majestic openings, and while the bulk of the piece should be at a consistent tempo, the music should accelerate into a grand, exciting finale. Chinese Orchestra: The contemporary Chinese orchestra can be considered an evolution of the yayue musical style. Both involve large ensembles of traditional instruments, and are some of the most large-scale, magnificent performance styles in Chinese culture. However, the Chinese orchestra also incorporates elements of Western music, such as being modeled after the Western symphony orchestra and playing more melodically complex music. Chinese orchestras are divided into four sections: winds, bowed strings, plucked strings, and percussion. Examples of wind instruments include the dizi, bowed strings include the erhu, plucked strings include the pipa, and percussion instruments include the gong and bianzhong. The music performed by Chinese orchestras is usually modernized traditional music known as guoyue 國樂, such as folk songs, religious music, palace music, etc. Chinese Opera: Another notable form of traditional Chinese music is Chinese opera. While its popularity has declined in recent years, especially among the younger population, it remains an important part of China’s musical identity and cultural heritage. For most of China’s history, the Chinese opera was the primary form of entertainment, in urban and rural areas alike. The vocal aspect of Chinese opera often involves high-pitched, guttural singing and conveys magnificent stories. The singing is accompanied by traditional Chinese instruments, most often stringed and percussion, such as the erhu, gong, and others. The accompanying ensembles are much smaller than traditional Chinese orchestras, usually averaging 7-10 musicians. On top of providing accompanying music, Chinese opera ensembles also mimic animal noises and provide other sound effects to elevate the actors’ performances. Korean Instruments: Korean instruments are known for their expressive natures, and are used to create the lyricism of traditional Korean music. Some examples shown below include: Gayageum: a 12-stringed zither with movable bridges, made from paulownia wood and silk strings. The instrument is played sitting down, with one hand used to pluck the strings, and the other used to press on strings to create musical effects. Gayageum is considered the national instrument of Korea, and has varieties used in folk, court, and modern music. Janggu: an hourglass-shaped drum made from animal skins for the drum head, and wood for the body. The drum is played with both hands, where the hand on the right side of the drum controls the higher pitches, while the hand on the left side controls the bass and rhythm. However, playing styles can vary, allowing for a diverse range of rhythms and timbres. Taepyeongso: a double-reeded instrument with a metal bell and mouthpiece, and a wooden body. It resembles a small horn. The taepyeongso produces loud and piercing sounds, which relegate it primarily to folk music. This instrument is likely derived from a similar Chinese and Persian instrument. Ajaeng: the ajaeng is a bowed zither. Made with a wooden body and silk strings, the ajaeng is played sitting by moving a bow across the strings, which creates its characteristic rough-edged sound. This instrument is used in folk, court, and modern music, with a different variant used in each genre. Pyeongyeong: the pyeongyeong is a set of 16 L-shaped stone slabs, each of varying size and thickness, that hang from a rack. These stones are struck with mallets to produce different tones. Derived from the bianqing, a Chinese court instrument, the pyeongyeong is also used in court and ritual music. Korean Musical Styles and Qualities: Traditional Korean folk music is known for its authenticity, versatility in both indoor and outdoor venues, and its rhythmic form. One notable example of Korean folk music is the Pansori, a two-person performance conducted for a live audience. The pansori revolves around a singer and a drummer. In any performance, the singer retells and improvises a traditional story through a mixture of song, acting, and story. The singer’s retelling is fueled by audience engagement and encouragement, which makes for a captivating performance. The beauty of the storytelling methods led to pansori becoming a UNESCO intangible treasure. Meanwhile, Korean court music is known for its regality and instrumental orchestras. With roots in Chinese court music, Korean court music contains orchestral pieces that often accompany court rituals and dances. Within court music, there are three genres: hyang-ak, which involves using Korean indigenous instruments in playing orchestral pieces; aak, which is derived from Chinese court music; and tang-ak, which is a fusion of Chinese and Korean court styles.
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Richard Lu, Melody Wu, Michelle Pham, Sophia Yeow The sky grows dark as the sun sets. Out by the pier, you look up to see the night sky dotted with hundreds of candle-lit lanterns. Below you, hundreds of small candle-lit boats illuminate the river as they dance downstream. Are you in a dream? Isn’t this that one scene from Tangled?
No! You aren’t dreaming! In fact, what you’re seeing is Thailand’s annual Lantern Festival—a combination event of Yi Peng and Loy Krathong celebrated in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai. But what exactly are Yi Peng and Loy Krathong? First, you’ll need to know how the Thai lunar calendars work. Thailand officially has two lunar calendars: the central Thai calendar and the Lanna calendar. The central Thai calendar follows the traditional lunar calendar observed in many other countries, such as China, Cambodia, and Vietnam. The Lanna calendar, however, is symbolically specific to Northern Thailand and is two months later than the Thai Lunar Calendar (that is, the second month of the Lanna calendar corresponds to the twelfth month of the central Thai calendar). Importantly, both Yi Peng and Loy Krathong are celebrated according to the Lanna calendar, regularly falling within its second month. Other major Thai holidays such as Songkran—the Thai New Year—follow the more traditional Thai Lunar Calendar (yet another lunisolar calendar too nuanced to be simplified here). Celebrated on the full moon at the end of the rainy season in the second Lanna month (this coincides to approximately mid-November in the Gregorian calendar), Yi Peng and Loy Krathong are tandem festivals held in commemoration of the transition to a new, more-prosperous period of the year. Yi Peng, which roughly translates to “two full moon day,” celebrates leaving behind the misfortunes of the year so far, bringing in new fortune, and focusing on building individual merit—an idea deeply tied to Buddhist values. Along a similar vein, Loy Krathong, which roughly translates to “to float lotus-shaped boats,” is held to thank the river goddess of water for the rainy season and to wish for good fortune. Interestingly, while Loy Krathong is generally celebrated throughout all of Thailand, Yi Peng is mostly exclusive to only Northern Thailand—especially within Chiang Mai! Given that they both share similar reasons for celebration, it comes as no surprise that they also share similar methods of celebration. Once nightfall hits in the bustling tourist city of Chiang Mai, participants pour onto the streets to the sound of music and the booms of fireworks that fill the air. In addition, a diverse night market opens up as dozens and dozens of vendors set up shop to sell things such as food, souvenirs, and even lanterns! Rounding out the vibrancy of the night, numerous parades roar throughout the various parts of the city as people dance, sing, and party to the end of the rainy season and the incoming of prosperity. So what exactly differentiates Yi Peng and Loy Krathong during the festival? Though they share similar celebrational traditions, Yi Peng and Loy Krathong each have one major functional difference that clearly separates the events during the Lantern Festival: the type of lantern used. As the word “krathong” in Loy Krathong stands for “lotus-shaped boat,” it’s appropriate that this half of the Lantern Festival revolves around the symbolic utilization of these boats. Made typically from banana leaves, each krathong ranges in size—though most are no wider than a few inches—and carries a small candle in the center. Participants in Loy Krathong make a wish as they light the candle and set the boat in the river. Importantly, it’s believed that once the candle on your krathong burns out, your wish will come true. This tradition of candle-lit krathong dates back hundreds of years, though the reason for observance has remained largely unchanged: to thank the water god for the end of the monsoon season. In contrast, Yi Peng’s derivations for celebration have clearly changed over time. Though the idea of Yi Peng’s honorary traditions date back as far as the 16th century, many of the reasons for observance and ways of celebration have shifted considerably within the last few decades. For starters, as modern Thailand officially recognizes its main cultural calendar as the standard Lunar Calendar, Yi Peng now coincides with the twelfth month of the standard Lunar Calendar. As a result, many have begun to associate Yi Peng as a way to commemorate the end of the traditional lunar year—leaving behind the ills of the past year and reigning in new prosperity for the upcoming year. On top of that, the hallmark sights of Yi Peng—a night sky full of floating candle-lit lanterns—traces its roots back to just the early 2000s as a tourist attraction. In fact, the floating lanterns are often only truly used in Chiang Mai, while the rest of Northern Thailand celebrates Yi Peng less ornately. Put together, the combined Lantern Festival celebrations of Yi Peng and Loy Krathong boast an unparalleled display of luminous extravagance, deep-rooted traditional symbolism, and a hard nod to modernity. Held in observance of the major transition between Thailand’s monsoon season and cool season, Yi Peng and Loy Krathong commemorate just one of Thai culture’s many symbolic periods of change. Keeping the topic of celebratory transitions, in the latter part of this article, we’ll be exploring the festivities of Songkran—the Thai New Year. Songkran is a famous water festival celebrated in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar from April 13th to April 15th that marks the beginning of the traditional Thai New Year. The word “Songkran” is derived from the Sanskrit word “astrological passage,” which means transformation and change. To symbolize this idea of transformation, many rituals believed to wash away bad luck from the previous year are performed throughout the festival. The festival consists of a three day celebration separated by Songkran Day, Wan Nao, and Thai New Years day. Songkran Day, which is celebrated on April 13th, is usually when people clean their house and perform water throwing to not bring back luck into the next year. On the second day, Wan Nao, also known as Thailand’s New Years Eve, locals visit Buddhist temples and build sand chedis, which is a sand castle resembling a Buddhist temple. On the last day of Songkran, Thai New Years Day, offerings are left at the temple to welcome the New Year. Water throwing is the most well known and most popular practice during Songkran. Crowds of locals bring out their water guns, buckets and water balloons, so prepare to be soaked! Events such as parades, dancing, and folk entertainment occur all throughout the three days of Songkran. The lively setting is definitely one of a kind! Appreciation of family is another important aspect of the festivities. Many go back to their hometowns to spend more time with their older Water throwing is the most well known and most popular practice during Songkran. Crowds of locals bring out their water guns, buckets and water balloons, so prepare to be soaked! Events such as parades, dancing, and folk entertainment occur all throughout the three days of Songkran. The lively setting is definitely one of a kind! Appreciation of family is another important aspect of the festivities. Many go back to their hometowns to spend more time with their older relatives. As a sign of respect and gratitude, young people pour down scented water on their hands and also give the elderly new clothes. This ritual is also seen in the Buddhist temples where water is poured on Buddha images and on the hands of Buddhist monks as a mark of respect. Songkran serves as an extremely positive and crucial festival in Thailand, as it celebrates the Thai New Year and provides for a period of national reflection on the waning year. Later down the line, the commemoration of Yi Peng and Loy Krathong round out Thailand’s observance of their Buddhist roots and cultural influence. If you ever find yourself in Thailand, the festivities displayed by Songkran, Yi Peng, and Loy Krathong are sure to dazzle even the hardest to impress spectators! Caitlyn TranWith my head leaned against the window, I looked out into the vast expanse of desert. The static scenery made the four hour drive from Las Vegas to Los Angeles a drag, but I perked up as two golden arches, marking a fast food oasis, emerged in the distance. With the onset of globalization, fast food restaurants can be found around the world. This is no surprise since according to the history of McDonald’s on their corporate website, the company has implemented more than 36,000 restaurants in over 100 nations. Blogger Stephen Von Worley set out to find the “McFarthest Spot,” or the location farthest from any McDonald’s in the United States, and discovered that the longest distance is approximately 120 miles. These statistics are mind-boggling already, but they merely account for one fast food chain. This puts into perspective how widespread fast food has become. There is no question that fast food restaurants currently dominate the food scene, especially in Westernized places, but what factors made these quick service menus so popular? According to a research study conducted among mainly Hispanic/Latino or Asian/Pacific Islander first-year college students by Jaapna Dhillon and her colleagues, the popularity of fast food relates to “the perceived food environment,” which incorporates factors like “adequacy (i.e., variety and quality), acceptability (i.e., familiarity and preferences), affordability, and accessibility (i.e., convenience and accommodation).” The accessibility of fast food chains is clear from how widespread they are. It does not take long to reach any of these restaurants nor does it take long to receive a requested meal. Fast food is also reputable for its dollar menus, such as the $1 deal for 10 chicken nuggets at Burger King or the occasional $1 deal for sandwiches at McDonald’s. However, another attractive factor for fast food involves its ability to provide both familiarity and variety not only through the diversity of fast food chains, but also the diversity in menus focused on local preferences that some fast food chains have implemented. McDonald’s is one food chain famous for the different menus they implement in various countries. For instance, Journalist Gillian Osswald looked into some menu items found around the world, such as the Ebi Filet-O Shrimp Burger in Japan, McCurry Pan in India, Prosperity Burger in Malaysia, and Taro Pie in China. By introducing diversity into their menu, McDonald’s encourages consumers to visit even when they are traveling to other countries to try items they cannot find in their own countries while also introducing familiarity to nearby customers by using foods that are enjoyed locally. People still have a choice in determining what they eat, so the topic may seem irrelevant to some. However, the significance of this topic lies in the general population shift toward fast food consumption and what it means for public health. A study conducted with data from 43,000 Chinese adults in Singapore for 5 years by researcher An Pan and her colleagues reveals that the consumption of Western-style fast foods over twice a week led to a 27% and 56% increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes and dying from coronary heart disease, respectively. This clearly illustrates the deadly effect of fast food consumption, especially in the Asian Pacific Islander (API) community. Knowing how fast food consumption impacts health, especially that of API’s, we can look for alternatives to fast food. According to journalist Zee Krstic, the affordability aspect of fast food is becoming less relevant as time progresses since data from Datassential, a food industry marketing firm, indicates that there is less than an 8% difference between the costs of meals at casual dining restaurants like Shake Shack compared to traditional fast food restaurants. Although health effects vary depending on the restaurant, casual restaurants are usually a healthier alternative since food is cooked rather than stored and reheated for speed like at traditional fast food restaurants. However, an even healthier and cheaper alternative would be cooking at home. The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that the cost of eating out has increased more than the cost of cooking at home. This once again removes the affordability factor that makes fast food attractive, and the potential for health benefits is higher since cooking at home allows people to include fresher and healthier ingredients in their meals. As the red sands and sparse vegetation blur past the car window, I clearly glimpse golden arches in the distance once again. However, with my new knowledge of fast food consumption health consequences, I remind myself that the food oasis is merely an illusion. Although I may not completely avoid Big Macs and fries, further moderation of my diet by turning to alternatives can save me and many other API’s from the dark path the golden arches lead to. |
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