Week 10/11: Popular Music of India
Basic features of Bollywood films
-3 hour melodramas (very exaggerated) -mix of romance, comedy, and action where there are many elaborate song and dance sequences -play back singers
What does Bollywood refer to?
-Bombay (now Mumbai) film industry -all Hindi-language cinema
How Bollywood films have impacted people of south Asian descent
-find new cultural connects to India -distinct from cultural ideas in India
A.R. Rahman
-top Indian film composer and music director -very important and influential -known for " International music with an Indian feel"
How and why Bhangra travels to the UK
50s/60s: many Punjabs from India and East Africa migrate to the UK and perform Bhangra at weddings — doesn't appeal to second generation of the Asian immigrants in the UK until changes were made
What happened to Bhangra beginning in the 80s?
80s: mixed with reggae, soul, and wrap 90s: post-Bhangra Today: -South Asian diaspora: Bollywood, college finger dance clubs -General population: fitness and dance trend, music hybrid/exchange/appropriation —w/Jay-z
Post-Bhangra
Catchall term for hybrid styles (like rock-bhangra); many drawn on electronic dance music
Bhangra: -dhol -tumbli
Dhol: Two headed barrel drum with two pitches high and low that you hit with sticks Tumbi: Single string Punjabi instrument
Bhangra
Highly rhythmic men's dance and music tradition from Punjab; associated with harvest time
Evidence of international music within Indian feel in the song "Barso Re" composed by A.R. Rahman
Indian feel: -Bhangra -vocal ornamentation related to Indian classical music -vocal melody/versus unfold and grow like raga development International music -verse - chorus form -electronic instruments
What is the importance of Bollywood film music in general Indian pop music scene
Indian film songs dominate pop music scene -example of a major pop artist who is also play back singer is Shreya Ghoshal
Shreya Ghoshal
Major pop artist who is the play back singer of the movie Guru
Play back singer
Men and women who record songs for Indian films -The songs are played back over loud speakers during filming -allows for actors without great voices
Cultural/musical history of Bhangra: -Geographic origin -original purpose -main percussion instrument
Origin: Punjabi (North India/Pakistan) Original Purpose: important to cultural identity for the Punjabi who left India so they would perform it to remember their home Main percussion instrument: dhol
Musical elements of "Aao Nachive" -traditional elements -elements that qualify the piece as "post-bhangra"
Traditional: -Punjabi cultural references (like "legendary Heer") -use of dhol and other Punjabi instruments Post-bhangra: -electronic keyboard string instrument sounds
When, how, why, and where did Bollywood gain popularity among second and third generation south Asian migrants
When: 20th century—1990s How: globalization makes films circulation easier Why: Indian economy liberalized; International markets opened Where: top diaspora sites— UK, Middle East, US, Australia, Canada
Sangeet Group of California
bhangra group based in Northern California -"Aao Nachiye"
How did diaspora markets impact Bollywood content -what is diaspora
pre-1990s: -nonresident Indians shown as corrupted by West and culturally disconnected from India Since 1990s -nonresident Indian characters as heroic -some plots emphasize transnational ties connecting Indian homeland to diaspora/specific diasporic experiences Diaspora: migrants from India
