World Music Day: Exploring 5 music styles across the globe
What's the story
People across continents and ages enjoy the distinctive kind of music that each culture has to offer. Despite cultural differences, music serves as a unifying force, bridging gaps between races and fostering harmony. Throughout history, music has played a pivotal role in various realms, from joyous celebrations to leisurely pursuits. Let us explore some of the most unique musical genres worldwide.
Opera
Opera
The opera was first performed in Italy. Opera, a theatrical drama entirely set to music, typically featuring orchestral overtures and interludes, consists of vocal pieces with musical accompaniment. Dafne, first performed in 1597, is the first "play" regarded as a contemporary opera. Operatic music is well-known all over the world today, thanks to performers like Pavarotti and Andrea Bocelli.
Gamelan
Gamelan
Gamelan ensembles, unique to Java, Bali, and Lombok in Indonesia, primarily feature tuned percussion instruments like gongs, metallophones, and drums. Singers, bamboo flutes, and spike fiddles are sometimes added. The earliest known records date back to the 8th century. Gamelan encompasses diverse genres including ceremonial court music and lively village traditions, and has been featured in movies like Avatar and Star Trek.
Fado
Fado
Fado is frequently characterized as "the blues of Portugal," having emerged in the multicultural working-class neighborhoods of Lisbon due to cultural exchange between Portugal, Africa, and Brazil. Fado music originated in the 1820s. The dramatic performance of the singer (fadista) is at the heart of the music, accompanied by the dulcet sound of the Portuguese guitar (guitarra).
Funk
Funk
Funk was first heard in African-American neighborhoods in the mid-1960s. Funk emphasizes the electric bass and drum players' solid rhythmic foundation, sometimes at slower tempos than in most popular music. Swung 16th notes are used, and all bass lines, percussion rhythms, and guitar riffs are syncopated. In funk music, the first beat of every measure receives a lot of emphases.
Hip Hop
Hip Hop
It is a popular music style developed in the 1970s by urban Latinos and African-Americans in New York City's Bronx neighborhood. It was first developed as a part of the hip-hop subculture, which is distinguished by incorporating four essential stylistic elements—MCing/rapping, DJing/scratching using turntables, breakdancing, and graffiti. The key here is to capture the beat and rhythm of the music.