The Music Thread

[mithrysc]

This is right up my alley.  In fact, I'll probably be putting this on my ipod pretty soon.
Thanks for the recommendation!
EDIT:  This is pretty much as good as Helios.  Like 99.999% as good as freaking Helios.  Thanks a bunch for showing me this; it's awesome.

Glad you liked it! (now I'm off to go listen to some Helios)

Does anyone know any good balalaika music? I'm writing something that revolves around said instrument and I would like some more than the most obvious ones in Youtube.

Would anybody be interested in having a cultural exchange with music? Like everybody would list few of the most famous songs from their country, what's popular right now, what kind of folk music there is, or anthems and so on...  And there could be short explanations and random facts added.

I could make list for Finland, if there is any interest.

Sounds pretty interesting. The downside is that I don't really know what's popular right now in the US, or any famous songs besides the anthem/ traditional patriotic songs. 

[Sunflower]

Does anyone know any good balalaika music? I'm writing something that revolves around said instrument and I would like some more than the most obvious ones in Youtube.

Would anybody be interested in having a cultural exchange with music? Like everybody would list few of the most famous songs from their country, what's popular right now, what kind of folk music there is, or anthems and so on...  And there could be short explanations and random facts added.

I could make list for Finland, if there is any interest.

I'd definitely be interested.  I remember when I first began listening to the group Varttina, I was absolutely *hooked* by the beautiful strangeness (to my ears) of their harmonies and rhythms.
I looked up the lyrics to a lot of their songs.  Then I said to a friend who'd studied in Finland and Sweden, "That's odd -- so many of their songs are about being alone in the forest, outcast from the village, or homesick."  He replied, deadpan:  "Yes. Welcome to Finland."

I'm not much help where American pop music is concerned.  But I do know a fair amount about American folk music and related traditions (African-American spirituals, shape-note hymns, and so forth) -- plus medieval and Renaissance music.  As you may have noticed from my other forum posts, I am a wealth of useless information!   

So maybe you could set an example for us by providing a list of basic info about Finnish music and the kind of detail you'd like to find out about other traditions.  We'll model our replies on yours.

[Hedge14]

Thanks for the encouragement!

Most played Finnish song in radio ever: Paratiisi  (Paradise) by Rauli Badding Somerjoki. Song about young love and a small moment in a beach that is as larger than live. Rough translation and more lyrical one can be found  here.

Radio Rock and Finnish Broadcasting Company tried to find the best rock classic. This one was voted the best. I have to say that I'm not that familiar with Hurriganes. There was more familiar ones in the list such as: Pelle Miljoona Oy: Moottoritie on kuuma (2nd), Yö: Joutsenlaulu (3th), Eppu Normaali: Murheellisten laulujen maa (4th.)

One of the less known music genres outside of Finland is iskelmä/Schlager. Originally German, but much loved by many Finns. Satumaa (Wonderland) is the most known one.  It's also tango, which has been really popular genre here! Satumaa is kind of angsty song about yearning to leave to some better place faraway.

I just noticed that the list is turning quite male oriented... Never fear, there are lovely female artists as well. Such as: Jenni Vartiainen , Katri Helena, PMMP, Maija Vilkkumaa.

This weeks most downloaded Finnish song is this one: Naurava kulkuri. And it is horrible! It is cover of a sketch song. Which in turn was a American western song originally.

Only folk song to make this list. (There was so many to choose from!)  Tuu tuu tupakkarulla This is the most known Finnish lullaby. One I listened to as child. Translation!

Last but not least: Finland does not have official anthem, but de facto one is Maamme (Our Land) Estonians copied this one from us for their anthem and some say that melody is originally from German drinking song. Because of all of that some say Finland should make this one official anthem instead: Finlandia. First one is a lot easier to sing so I like that more.

Pfffff. Now none of you is allowed to think that there is nothing else than metal in Finland. I mean I could have included that too, but metal is not respective what general population listens to. :DD (Also, I was kind of tempted to add Finnish reggae.) I really wish that somebody else will make similar post. It might not be easy as there is just so much music... But I at least used different votes and my own knowledge to make this list.

[Sunflower]

Great post, Hedge14!

American folk & popular music is far too large a field for me to do it justice in one post.  So while I'm waiting for Minna to post the next page, I'll provide some background on patriotic songs, including our National Anthem (as sung at a recent World Series game, 'cuz baseball = America).

The tune comes from an 18th-century British drinking song, "To Anacreon in Heav'n."  The idea is that a bunch of upper-class Englishmen are asking the ancient Greek poet Anacreon to inspire them and provide a veneer of sophistication to, basically, drinking and skirt-chasing. 

The words to "The Star-Spangled Banner" were written in 1814 by a young lawyer, Francis Scott Key, who had seen the British bombing Fort McHenry (near Washington, DC) the night before and was relieved to see that the American flag was still flying.  Details here: http://amhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/the-lyrics.aspx

The song is notoriously hard to sing, and over the years many people have suggested an alternative.
"My Country, 'Tis of Thee" would be nice, but it uses the tune of Britain's national anthem, "God Save the Queen." 

"America the Beautiful" is a popular 2nd choice.  The lyrics come from a poem written in 1893 by a schoolteacher visiting Pike's Peak in Colorado for the first time.  In 1910 they were paired with an existing hymn tune, "Materna."
Ray Charles' blues/gospel version is famous.

"The Battle Hymn of the Republic" is another patriotic song with crude origins.  The tune may derive from a black spiritual or revival-meeting hymn.  The first set of lyrics evolved during the Civil War as a half-joking memorial to the violent abolitionist John Brown; they start "John Brown's body lies a-moldering in the grave/But his soul goes marching on." 
In 1862, poet and activist Julia Ward Howe heard some soldiers singing "John Brown's Body" and thought such a stirring tune should have more uplifting words.  John Steinbeck got the title of "The Grapes of Wrath," his epic novel about migrant workers in the Depression, from this song.  The Rev. Martin Luther King quoted it often.
The tune was later used for the labor anthem "Solidarity Forever" ("...for the union makes us strong.")

"God Bless America" was written by Tin Pan Alley tunesmith Irving Berlin and became popular during World War II.  Nowadays it is often sung at hockey games and in the 7th-inning intermission at baseball games.   

The left-wing troubador Woody Guthrie disliked "God Bless America," which he thought was overly complacent.  So he wrote "This Land is Your Land." 
Pete Seeger, Bruce Springsteen, and friends sing it in 2009 in front of the Lincoln Memorial.
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings do an extremely funky blues version.

As I was walking that ribbon of highway
I saw above me that endless skyway
I saw below me that golden valley
This land was made for you and me.

[Hedge14]

Hi Sunflower! Great work.

Apparently drinking songs make great anthems. Is American National Anthem usually sung without background music? In Finland we usually have background music even in small events such as school events. And do people sing together it even if it's hard or is there one artist or choir in events where the anthem is sung? I find linked version of the America the Beautiful and This Land is Your Land kind of odd.  In Finland patriotic songs would pretty much never be in any other genre than hymn or march. Definitely not blues. That said, I think it's nice that such version is popular in America. There is no need to be so "conservative" with patriotic music.

All in all, American patriotic song are lot more upbeat than Finnish ones. For example, the most known march song,  Jääkärimarssi, has this line in it:
"Deep is our blow, our wrath invincible, we have no mercy, no homeland. "

I chose to list a few Finnish patriotic songs that I happen to like. I noticed that most are about Finnish history. Only one had diffrent theme, (Nälkämaan laulu).

Narvan marssi (The March of Narva): Popular legend says that this one was written so slow, because soldiers had to march in deep snow in battle of Narva in 1700. The truth is that song probably is originally Irish, but it's possible that song was used during the battle of Narva. Nowadays it's used at military funerals or at the funerals of veterans or Lotta
Version 1 Sung
Version 2 instrumental

Only Finnish March used outside of Finland is Hakkapeliittain Marssi. It has been used in German army. Hakkapeliittain MarssiThe song is about Finnish Hakkapeliitta

Nuijamiesten marssi is just beautiful. Here are two versions instrumental and sung version. The song is about a peasant rebellion against Sweden.

Nälkämaan laulu is a song of Kainuu region. Literaly A Song of Hunger Land. Link to Wikipedia. The song is about determination, hard work and nature.

Kauan on kärsitty is about Finnish Guard in Russo-Turkish War. :

,: Long we have suffered hunger and cold
Fighting in the Balkan mountains. :,:

:,: Boys lie buried in the sands of the Balkan :,:
On the other side of the Danube :,:

,: If our bodies die, then our souls remain
a heritage for our beloved fatherland :,:
:,: Oh precious fatherland, Finland sweet North,
There is no land more dear to us :,:

[Sunflower]

Re: Patriotic Songs.

"Patriotic" is an extremely sensitive term in the U.S., weighted with a LOT of political and cultural baggage.  We're a young country and an ethnic/religious patchwork with a lot of rivalries, so there isn't as much of a culturally hallowed common history we can draw on.  And although we were founded on noble principles, admired and imitated around the world, we also have the ugly legacy of slavery and how we treated the Native Americans.  And we have a long tradition of dissent, free speech, and social criticism.

So there's some cognitive dissonance going on.  On the one hand, you have country music singer Lee Greenwood's absolutely sincere "I'm Proud to Be an American" (which makes me gag, although many people love it).  On the other hand, Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA."  (Stephen Sondheim's musical "Assassins" is a full-length examination of the dark side of the American Dream -- it's about the people who killed, or tried to kill, a President.  "Another National Anthem" is their complaint about being left out of the good deal they think is their right as Americans:  "Where's my prize?"  The show is extremely creepy, but wonderful.)

On top of all that, we take pride in a sassy, irreverent sense of humor.  Bugs Bunny is a typical American!  So no wonder one of our first patriotic songs, "Yankee Doodle," originated as a British mockery of the unsophisticated colonial rubes, who thought sticking a feather in their caps would make them elegant like the fops of the Macaroni Club in England.  The Yanks cheerfully pleaded guilty as charged.

And now Q&As:

Is American National Anthem usually sung without background music? In Finland we usually have background music even in small events such as school events. And do people sing together it even if it's hard or there one artist or choir in events where the anthem is sung?

Usually there's music for "The Star-Spangled Banner."  But sometimes it's omitted if you want people to either hear the singer clearly or sing along, since the tune is so familiar.  And generally, when it's played, citizens ARE supposed to sing along -- unless it's clearly presented as a concert piece.

All in all American patriotic songs are lot more upbeat than Finnish ones. For example, the most known march song,  Jääkärimarssi, has this line in it:
"Deep is our blow, our wrath invincible, we have no mercy, no homeland. "

Haha, I stumbled across the Jaegermarch earlier, when I was looking for other Finnish music for this Forum!  My comment at the time:  "That is certainly rated M for Manly!"

We have a lot of military songs too, like the Marines' Hymn, but those are a whole other topic. 

[JoB]

All in all American patriotic song are lot more upbeat than Finnish ones. For example, the most known march song,  Jääkärimarssi, has this line in it:
"Deep is our blow, our wrath invincible, we have no mercy, no homeland. "

National anthems that haven't seen any recent makeovers include, unsurprisingly, wording and customs of the times they were created in - which often means that finding yourself at war or in a similarly violent situation was a very real possibility. Case in point, note the specific fertilizer eternalized in the refrain of la Marseillaise ...

[Hedge14]

Hi Sunflower and thanks for telling me a bit more!

 I don't think there is any country in the world that wouldn't have "political and cultural baggage" as you said. However, different countries react in different ways. In Europe (in general) patriotic stuff is often frowned at. Which is kind of sad, people should be allowed to take pride at their country, at least when it does not hurt others. Europeans have a bad habit of mocking American about patriotism, such as singing national anthem at sport events. But singing does not hurt anybody.

So, in my opinion patriotic songs should not be ignored. But protest songs and songs with political message and criticism should have place in society too. In Finland that has mainly been communist songs and genres that are known for political themes, such as punk or rock.
Here are some Finnish songs with political message:

Kuolemaantuomitun hyvästijättö.
(Goodbye of a person is sentenced to death) There is no translation, but it's basically about young woman shot to death during Finnish civil war and how she is buried in unmarked grave.

Poliisi pamputtaa taas. (A police beats us up again) Rather simple song. Police drives a blue car, has warning signals on the roof of the car and beats people up with plastic baton. Nothing more to it, really.

Helsinki- Shangri La
I think this guy is the most popular political singer right now. Here area few translations. Link! It's hard to translate, because it does have many references to Finnish cultural things.

Irwin Goodman was the most popular protest singer in 1960's. Härmäläinen perusjuntti (A Finnish redneck)
Song that mocks Finnish people.God needs to people to life "behind the wolf border" so he created Finns. "There was enough wilderness, but we still argued. And resorted to using axes or billhooks."

[Fenris]

Well, for Norway the de facto national anthem is a good one to start with. De facto, because de jure Norway does not have a national anthem, but 'Ja vi elsker' is used in pretty much all situations a national anthem is used. It was written during the 19th century by patriotic activist Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson (a name that literally means 'Bear Star Son of Bear'). Until the early 20th century, it was used as a national anthem along with Sons of Norway but the latter fell out of use (despite having been the one used on official situations).

A band that must be mentioned when it comes to modern patriotic music is the band Plumbo, who had a rather patriotic entry into eurovision a few years back (but they sadly did not win). Modern patriotic music isn't overly common in Norway, outside of the folk and viking metal subgenres (such as Glittertind, that song being a cover of an older patriotic song from the 19th century). Plumbo themselves had some controversy a few years back as well, due to a mildly racist joke during a Norwegian awards show.

Norway is often associated with black metal music abroad, and while I personally listen to it regularly, its not as popular in Norway as some foreigners think. The occult is a running theme in much Norwegian black metal, as well as references to the fantasy genre (particularly Lord of the Rings), and it is often associated with far-right politics (primarily due to Varg Vikernes of Burzum and Mayhem). Some notable black metal bands include Enslaved and Dimmu Borgir (for the latter I must warn of some potentially disturbing imagery in the video).

Popular music in Norway tends more often than not to be foreign music, particularly English and American popular music. Of native bands, what is popular varies quite a bit by area (the aforementioned Plumbo being ridiculously popular in my area due to them being from my fylke), age and social class. Folk music isn't particularly popular outside of some particular groups, and most of it dates to the 19th century and to a lesser extent the early 20th century. Folk music often involve the use of traditional instruments (such as the Hardanger Fiddle) and older tunes (such as Fanitullen or 'the devil's tune').

Hip-hop is remarkably one of the genres in Norway where most groups, as a rule, raps in Norwegian (unlike some other popular genres where quite a lot sing in English). Notable rappers & groups include Gatas Parlament, Karpe Diem, Onklp & Jaa9 and Klovner i Kamp.

[Noah O.]

I play the cello fairly adequately. Whaddayou guys play?

[Eich]

I play the cello fairly adequately. Whaddayou guys play?

Classical and acoustic guitar.  Lots of both.
We also have a pianist somewhere around here too, I think.  Maybe the SSSS musical thread?

[OrigamiOwl]

Classical and acoustic guitar.  Lots of both.
We also have a pianist somewhere around here too, I think.  Maybe the SSSS musical thread?

I'm one pianist, and I know SparkyDragon plays the trumpet
Why? What's up?

[Lenny]

I'm also a pianist. And also a singer. Aaaand also a violinist. But I'm a better pianist than singer or violinist.

One day I will buy and play the viola. Cello is a bit awkward to carry around, violin has a really high sound. Viola is the perfect middle ground~

[Noah O.]

I'm one pianist, and I know SparkyDragon plays the trumpet
Why? What's up?

I dunno, maybe we could make the SSSS Symphony Orchestra or something like that

[Noah O.]

I'm also a pianist. And also a singer. Aaaand also a violinist. But I'm a better pianist than singer or violinist.

One day I will buy and play the viola. Cello is a bit awkward to carry around, violin has a really high sound. Viola is the perfect middle ground~

Cello may be awkward to carry around, but I love the sound and pitch, and that stabby thing at the end is useful when you're walking home from auditions and you get cornered in an alley.