asianmusicproject
Collection of Information and Instructional Materials in Asian Music
As an agricultural country, the Burmese were traditional farmers and the music was created to accompany their agricultural activities.
Some Burmese worshiped nats (spirits) before Buddha Sasana arrived and the music was part of the ritual to propitiate the nats. These rituals led to festivals and delegations to their religions.
People used music to celebrate different rituals and occasions relevant to their land and personal life events. Singing and dancing at festivals is evidenced on clay tablets.
Myanmar music is an end result of a merging of the different cultures from numerous ethnic tribes and eras. The cultural mix of the Mon and Pyu musical instruments, music and dance plus Myanmar customs and habits, gave birth to the Bagan period of musical culture emergence.
Music of Myanmar
Characteristics
Traditional music from Myanmar is melodious, generally without harmony, and usually in 4/4 time (na-yi-se) or 2/4 (wa-let-se) or 8/16 (wa-let-a-myan). There are "the segments combined into patterns, combined into verses, combined into songs [that] make Burmese music a multileveled hierarchical system.
Myanmar traditional music are based from the sounds made from instruments grouped in the following five categories.
1) Kyee - Kyee or Bronze made instruments such as gongs.
2) Kyoo - Kyoo or String instruments such as Harp.
3) Tha Yey - Tha Yey or Hide instruments like drums.
4) Lei - Lei or Wind instruments such as Flute.
5) Let Khok - Let Khok or Clappers. such as the Bamboo clappers.
The Maha Gita is a large collection of traditional songs in Myanmar. It is also called the Great Songs or the Royal Songs. Its repertoire is pervasive in the performance of their music. Its basis is through the transition of cultures between the shared chamber ensembles of its surrounding countries.
Forms, Techniques, Styles and others
