|  UNESCO Collection of Traditional Music Originally published between 1961 and 2003, the UNESCO Collection of Traditional Music comprises of more than 125 albums from around the world. Out of print since 2005, the entire collection, including many previously unreleased recordings, will be published by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) launched the series in collaboration with ethnomusicologist Alain Daniélou (1907–1994) and the International Music Council (IMC). Collaboration continued more recently with the International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM). The UNESCO Collection of Traditional Music stands as one of the earliest achievements of UNESCO’s program for safeguarding and revitalizing intangible cultural heritage. With recordings from more than 70 nations, the UNESCO Collection of Traditional Music offers a staggering diversity of our shared humanity. Much of the collection was gathered in situ and is presented as field recordings. Extensive annotations and photographs accompany each release. The republishing of this collection marks renewed commitment to making this unique collection of diverse musical expressions accessible to the public. SUBSCRIBE TO THE ENTIRE RE-ISSUED UNESCO SERIES AND GET EACH TITLE FOR 20% OFF. FOR EXAMPLE, EACH $16.99 COMPACT DISC IS $13.59. FOR INSTITUIONAL PURCHASERS -- SEND US A STANDING PURCHASE ORDER SUBSCRIPTION AND AS EACH NEW TITLE IS RELEASED WE WILL SHIP AND INVOICE YOU.
 Anthology of Indian Classical Music: A Tribute to Alain DaniƩlou 3 CD set Various Artists
UNES-08270
$26.99 First released in 1955 by Ducretet-Thomson (EMI), the LP anthology is said to be the "first of this music to become available in the West in which the recorded pieces were not presented as 'folklore' but as 'serious' music." In 1997 it was digitally re-mastered and issued by AUVIDIS-NAÏVE as a 3-CD set in homage to Alain Daniélou (1907-1994), the prime mover of the legendary UNESCO Collection of Traditional Music. The set includes the first recordings published in the Western world of Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan. In addition to a short biography of Daniélou and his influence on Asian music and cultural heritage, liner notes include detailed explanations of the scales, rhythmic ideas, and instrumentation used in each song.
 North India: Dhrupad Singing by Ustad F. Wasifuddin Dagar CD Ustad F. Wasifuddin Dagar
UNES-08283
$16.99 Dhrupad singing is regarded as the most ancient and rigorous form of classical vocal music in India. The term refers to both the musical form as a whole and to one of its three parts, composed of singing with percussion accompaniment. The other two parts are called dhamar, featuring the rhythmic pattern played on the pakhawaj drum,and alap, an unaccompanied vocal style that is free from language and set rhythmic requirements. Ustad F. Wasifuddin Dagar is a member of the esteemed Dagar family and represents the 20th generation of an unbroken chain of dhrupad singers and veena players. Wasif is a renowned teacher and performer and helps carry on the familial tradition by organizing dhrupad festivals founded by his father and uncle in Delhi and Jaipur. He has made several concert tours of North America, including performances at the Smithsonian Institution and Harvard University.
 North India: Vocal music - Dhrupad and Khyal CD Various Artists
UNES-08076
$16.99 The two principal vocal styles found in the classical music of Northern India are dhrupad and khyal. The dhrupad style, said to be the oldest still in use in that musical tradition, first appeared in the late 16th century. The khyal style, a more free and flexible music form, began to replace the dhrupad in popularity in the 18th century. Both music styles are modal in structure with a single melodic line and no harmonic parts. In the 1960s, the French ethnomusicologist Alain Daniélou invited Mohinuddin and Aminuddin Dagar, two masters of dhrupad singing, to come to Europe to perform and record their music. The brothers, who learned the musical style from their father, helped to revitalize this important form of music. The first selection on this recording, an example of an alap (extended prelude) and dhrupad, was recorded by Daniélou before Mohinuddin Dagar’s untimely death in 1966. The second selection is an example of an alap and khyal. The liner notes are written by Daniélou.
 Norway: Fiddle and Hardanger Fiddle Music from Agder CD Various Artists
UNES-08063
$16.99 The hardingfele (fiddle from Hardanger) has been the principal stringed instrument of the fiddle tradition in the region of Agder in southernmost Norway since the 20th century. Similar in design to a violin, the hardingfele has four strings that are bowed and four or five understrings, or sympathetic strings, creating an echo-like sound. This recording provides examples of the history and variation of violin music in Norway. Of interest are the distinct differences in sound between the fiddle, the hardingfele, and the lesser known setedalsfele (a cross between a hardingfele and violin, named after the Setesdal district). Vidar Lande performs traditional Norwegian dance pieces such as gangar, sprigar, and halling and the newer gammeldans songs (old-time dance) such as waltz and polkas. Lande grew up in Agdar and Bygland and learned to play the hardingfele from his uncle. His interest in native Norwegian fiddle music has resulted in his transcription and preservation of songs of this unique style of music. The liner notes give historical and technical information about each song.
 Japan: Shomyo Buddhist Ritual - Dai Hannya Ceremony CD Various Artists
UNES-08036
$16.99 Buddhism was formally introduced into Japan in the 6th century. One of the earliest forms of Japanese Buddhist music is shomyo, derived from a Chinese adaptation of Indian Vedic chants and thought to have been elaborated in Japan in the 8th century by monks returning from China, according to the liner notes. Consisting of a chorus and rhythm instruments, the ritual music is truly multicultural: Sanskrit text from India, bells and gongs from China, and wooden percussion from Japan. Eventually the ancient style grew to include lyrics in Sanskrit, Chinese, and Japanese. The album presents the Dai Hannya Ceremony, interpreted by the Buzan Division of the Shingon Sect. Toshiro Kido, former director of the National Theatre in Tokyo and gagaku (Japanese classical court music) record producer, contributed to the liner notes, which expand on the history of Buddhism and ritual music in Japan.
 India: Vicitra Vina - The Music of Pandit Lalmani Misra CD Pandit Lalmani Misra
UNES-08267
$16.99 Musician and educator Dr. Lalmani Misra (1924–1979) was recognized as a master of the vicitra vÄ«nÄ (also known as vichitra veena). Perhaps the oldest stringed instrument in classical Hindustani music, the vicitra vÄ«nÄ has a fretless body and as many as 22 metal strings strung along a rose or teakwood bridge resting on two gourds that support the instrument. According to the extensive liner notes, its popularity waned long ago, likely due to the difficult playing technique. Misra, however, loved, learned, and performed the instrument—often with the Uday Shankar Dance Troupe—on extensive international tours beginning in the early 1950s. Misra’s live performance of “KausÄ« KanhadÄ,” an evening raga, was recorded in 1976 at Sonoma State University in California by Dr. Laxmi Tewari. Dr. Tewari also wrote the liner notes.
 China: Chuida Wind and Percussive Instrumental Ensembles CD Various Artists
UNES-08209
$16.99 The music of China is as varied as its enormous population, but chuida is one of several styles of traditional folk music that is widespread. Chuida literally means “breathing-striking” and refers to wind and percussion ensembles rooted in rural communities, often played outdoors and sometimes as a procession. Flutes, oboes, gongs, and drums produce a harmonic mix of percussive and melodic sounds. Songs are tied to daily activities and special occasions, such as weddings, funerals, and birthdays. This album documents the chuida traditions of three provinces on China’s east coast: Shanghai, Zheijiang, and Fujian provinces. François Picard, who recorded the tracks and wrote the liner notes, is France’s first full-time ethnomusicology professor, and he continues to teach at the Sorbonne in Paris.
 Indonesia: Music from West Java CD Various Artists
UNES-08041
$16.99 The Sundanese are indigenous people in the western part of Java. Until the 15th century, the Sunda region of Java was home to a powerful kingdom which remained independent of numerous Javanese empires. As a result, the musical forms of Sunda were profoundly different from those of other areas of the island. Eventually Sundanese music would incorporate Javanese cultural and musical influence, but without losing its own creative spirit. The music in this recording, originally released in 1976, reflects the cultivation of the Sunda musical idiom with selections performed by traditional gamelan ensembles composed of metallophones, xylophones, drums, bamboo flutes, and bowed and plucked stringed instruments. The liner notes trace the evolution of Sundanese music and provide background on the tracks.
 World Regional DVD Collections ON SALE JVC/SMITHSONIAN FOLKWAYS VIDEO ANTHOLOGY OF MUSIC & DANCE OF EUROPE -- $100 down from $150 |
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