Post #6 - May 17, 2007

An interesting aspect of Latcho Drom is that all the regions contain common instruments whether it be a chordophone in the shape of a rebaba or some sort of percussion provided by a tabla. As we transitioned from Turkey to Romania, we saw that the rebaba-type instruments that were common to the Middle East and India was replaced by a violin. What I found interesting however, was that the manner in which Romanians played the violin. It was somewhat unusual to say the least. For example, the Romanian man played the violin to accompany a song about a corrupt and tyrannical politician. At times, his playing of the violin was conventional. However, in some parts of his song he used a single "hair" to create a grating sound that fit in well with theme of the song.

Though the film did not discuss Persia, I found it interesting that a very common instrument used in Eastern Europe was similar to the Iranian santur. The "santurs" used in Romania were quite large and produced a variety of pitches, thus giving it a rich and variable flavor. I noticed that the "santur" also doubled as percussion. For example, in one case a musician turned his "santur" upside down and started knocking his hands on the wooden frame in order to ornament the song further.

Though it is evident that the instruments used from region to region are fairly similar, the one aspect of music that remains constant in each culture is an emphasis on oral tradition. In every region, we have seen either children or adults singing (sometimes unaccompanied with music as seen in the touching example of Roma gypsies discussing their experiences at Auschwitz). In each case, songs are sung at special occasions whether it be a religious observance or anniversary of a significant event. Furthermore, we have seen that this oral tradition isn't necessarily restricted to a specific group of individuals but rather, children as well as men and women of all ages may sing (of course this depends on the region).

Lastly, one unique thing I noticed this week was how many of the children in Eastern Europe appeared to observe the music rather than actively take part in it. For example, in India we saw a young boy singing, in the Middle East we observed the youth and even teenagers attempting to play a rebaba and in Turkey, another young boy began to imitate his father on the tabla. In stark contrast, the children of Romania and Slovakia were casual observers and that it was their fathers and other men in the village were responsible for producing music. I thought it would have been interesting if the filmmaker had focused (to a certain extent) on the musical training given to Eastern European children.