Hi all, here is a re-run of the guest blog I wrote for last Saturday's Choralnet. I am posting that full content here PLUS way more background info (scroll way down) on the music that Aida Swenson's group sang. Thanks to Aida for sharing this!
You can still sign up to attend the 2013 ACDA National Conference in Dallas- get off that fence and join the fun and excitement of world class music and the amazing fellowship which choral music brings to us all.
You can still sign up to attend the 2013 ACDA National Conference in Dallas- get off that fence and join the fun and excitement of world class music and the amazing fellowship which choral music brings to us all.
Today I am going to relate personally
memorable experiences I had at the great conference in Miami in 2007 (to read last week's guest blog about ACDA LA/2005 click here).
Believe it or not, this was my first time visiting the state of
Florida. New adventures awaited me, and that was obvious in the first
hour after getting off the plane from Chicago. I got in a mini-van
taxi full of fellow Midwesterners heading from the airport out to
Miami Beach. Everyone seemed tired and silent- it was quite eery that
no one had anything to say to each other. I sort of settled into this
silence, but as we wound our way through the streets of South Beach
and started dropping folks off to their hotels I saw an Adonis of a
young man with blonde dreadlocks, wearing the tiniest of shorts and
nothing else, and with a LARGE albino boa constrictor wrapped around
his body. This fellow was just strolling down the street doing his
thing, he seemingly wasn't trying to be a Times Square street
performer. I finally broke the silence and said deadpan, “Well
there's something you don't see in Iowa”, and the whole van erupted
into laughter and soon everyone was talking. I felt proud of myself
for breaking down the barriers of these folks and I think we all
realized that we were in for some fun out South Beach way.
My fellow composer friend Reg
Unterseher and I took a chance on a very affordable, vintage South
Beach hotel with, however, terrible reviews but a great location-
about two blocks from the main conference performing venue and a
block from the beach. The hotel was really just fine and everyone was
ultra-jealous of our location. Reg and I often have fun rolling the
dice in these situations. We'd rather have some adventure and embrace
the unknown than wind up at a Sheraton or Hilton.
Reg and I knew we had already hit the
jackpot when within the first hours of the conference, we heard The Swingle Singers live for the first
time. As they finished their early morning set we looked at each
other and said- “Yeah, this is why we are here”. Their beatbox version of Dido's Lament by Purcell was on the program (see the clip below from a different concert). Yes, I said they beatboxed Purcell.
Other listening experiences awaited us;
Mike Scheibe's University of Miami choir was the best university
choir I have ever heard (though Kent Hatteberg's choir at the
University of Louisville ranks right up there with them, as I have
heard them now a few times in recent years- AND, you can hear them
in Dallas!). To read my blog from Fall 2011 about the University of Louisville Cardinal Choir, go here.
A truly mind-blowing experience was
hearing the intentional choirs, especially the young singers of
Cordana, the Indonesian Children and Youth Choir directed by the
absolutely brilliant Aida Swenson (and if I recall correctly,
accompanied by adult percussionists). They sang the most wonderful
folk music from their country and the electric moment that seared joy
into my mind was when they sat on the front edge of the stage and
sang a tune called “Rampai Aceh” (see clip below) with the most mesmerizing singing/body
motion/hand motion/clapping/tapping on the stage floor acrobatics you
will ever see in your lifetime. These amazing body and hand motions
were at lightning speed and daredevil in execution, and of course all
perfectly synched from performer to performer. Cordana completely
brought down the house- everyone there in the audience was delirious
with joy. Aida Swenson has graciously given me background material on the singing and dancing- here is the background info on the latter part of the piece:
Next Wednesday I will re-run this blog post on my own personal blog at http://paulcarey440.blogspot.com and I will include far more of the background on this piece, for those who are interested in knowing more.
The Seudati dance is a name of a dance originating from the province of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam. The dance developed in Aceh over hundreds of years and, originally, did not have any connection to Islam. When the Islamic religion came to Aceh, the Seudati dance became a way of popularizing the teaching of Islam.
The Saman dance is often referred to as the dance with a Thousand Hands. The Saman is, by far, the most well-known Acehness dance. The number of dancers can vary between eight and twenty. The dance is performed by kneeling in a row and then making various kinds of movements, accompanied by songs and the clapping of hands, slapping of chests ,different part of the body and the slapping of hands on the floor.The songs used with the dance are praises or prayers to Allah. The tempo of the songs and dances begin relatively slowly but gradually increases in speed until they come to a sudden stop.
Next Wednesday I will re-run this blog post on my own personal blog at http://paulcarey440.blogspot.com and I will include far more of the background on this piece, for those who are interested in knowing more.
I was also blessed to be invited to the Walton Music 50th anniversary reception hosted by the ever-gracious owner Gunilla Luboff. Even though I have pieces published by Walton, including a best seller, I still felt a bit out of place. Everywhere I looked in the room was a famous conductor or composer from one generation or another. I wound up having a very long conversation with Paul Salamunovich there and also got to meet and begin a friendship with Elena Sharkova that night. I was also fortunate to be invited to the University of Miami reception hosted by Mike Scheibe, held aways away at the Coral Gables campus. There was great food and drink and a jazz trio and the reception didn’t shut down until 2 or 3 AM, at which point Mike had a bus take all of us back to our individual hotels- we weren’t expecting that nice touch.
Everyone at this conference enjoyed
the mild Miami spring weather and did their best to find an outdoor
cafe to enjoy either big meals or quick bites to eat, and we were all
trying out Cuban dishes and other local food and beverages.
I think you can tell that I had a great
time in Miami, both professionally and personally. Professional and
personal development and creating great memories and choral kinship are what our
conferences are about- please join us in Dallas so that years from
now you can say you were there!
Paul Carey
P.S. The following news from last from incoming president
Karen Fulmer: "
The military choruses are rehearsing in Washington DC with
Craig Jessop on the Steven Stucky Brock Commission and JFK Remembrance
production. Program Chair Stan McGill is there and reports that the
joint choirs and music are absolutely amazing. Don't miss this once in a
lifetime national conference!"
Rampai Aceh
RAMPAI ACEH
|
Traditional Aceh
|
A. Seudati
|
The
Seudati dance is a dance originating
from the Indonesian province of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam. The dance developed in Aceh over hundreds of years and, originally, did not have any connection to Islam. When the Islamic religion came to Aceh, the Seudati dance became a way of popularizing the teaching of Islam. |
1. YaNabi Salam Alaika
|
This is a song praising the Prophet
Muhammad as a messenger of Allah. |
2. YaRosulallah
YaNabi
|
Allah's Apostles intercede for Muslims.
|
3. Hai Wa Laet
|
Poetic music symbolizing the bringing
of people together as through the teachings of Islam. |
4. Lawet Bagura
|
Symbolizes a sense of excitement or
gratitude after returning from the battlefield safely. |
5. Hanafi
|
The expression of human sincerity
to Allah SWT and Muhammad SAW, the prophet. |
3. Yahu walah
|
A story like somebody who is
repeatedly chanting the Moslem confession of faith. |
B. Ratoh/Saman
|
The
Saman dance is often referred
to as the dance with a Thousand Hands. The Saman is, by far, the most well-known Acehnese dance. The number of dancers can vary between eight and twenty. The dance is performed by kneeling in a row and then making various kinds of movements, accompanied by songs and the clapping of hands, slapping of chests, different parts of the body and the slapping of hands on the floor. Originally, the dance included only males, but now it is most often performed by females.
The
songs used with the dance
are praises or prayers to Allah. In this program, the presentation begins with a Muslim prayer to Allah. This is followed by songs and dances begin relatively slowly but gradually increase in speed and complexity until they come to a sudden stop. |
1. Millen
|
The music and dance are used
to give Islamic advice and counsel |
2. Di Laot
|
Imagining the minds of people
are like the sea, the movements of the dancers are people rowing through the sea. |
3. Kutiding
|
The movements in this dance are
similar to people performing Muslim prayers, chanting the Muslim confession of faith. |
4. Haila Hotsa
|
Movements are like the rolling
waves of the sea while crossing to the other side of the ocean. |
5. Hasan Suma Husein
|
The grandson of the Prophet
Muhammad, gives the spirit of unity and progress for the people of Aceh |
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