Two Guitars
Title of piece: Two Guitars (Folk Song)
Performer(s): Members of "Via Romen" Nuevo Russian-Romany (Gypsy) Music and Dance ensemble
Culture of Origin: Russia; Gypsy culture
Instrumentation: two guitars and violin
This folk tune exemplifies how classification systems in music are helpful in a variety of ways. All of the instruments being played in this performance could be classified as string instruments in the Western music tradition. One could further expand that classification by considering plucked and bowed string instruments or orchestral and non-orchestral instruments. On a broader scale, these instruments could all be considered chordophones. Concerning the organization of the music, the meter is a simple duple meter. There are no changes from this prescription of meter in the performance. However, the tempo of the music does vary greatly throughout the performance because of the long, slowly growing accelerando which takes place. This adds excitement to the music, which is a welcome addition since the meter does not change. In terms of timbre, the violin is added after the guitars have been playing for a while. Not only is the sound of the violin a new addition, but the violinist plays both pizzicato and arco, providing yet another layer or timbral variety.
Hi Matt,
ReplyDeleteThis is a great example to demonstrate that Western instruments are used to perform non-Western genres. One of my first impressions of this performance is the similarity with Flamenco. Some of these similarities is the instrumentation (classical guitar), meter (simple duple), and dancing (tap). Regarding the accelerando part, it invites the audience to clap on the beat, thus becoming part of the performance as well. This is a good piece to let our students clap or tap the beat and continue speeding up throughout the piece without rushing.
Great analysis!
Great analysis of the musical performance. The range of musicality and instrumentation adds to its appeal and intrigue. It invites audience engagement and reaction to the musical style. The influence of Flamenco and dance-like stylings are represented in the melodic material from the guitar.
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