Re: "Kol (Isha) Afghanistan"

[Sandra Layman <sandralayman...>]

From: "Eliott Kahn" <Elkahn (at) JTSA(dot)EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2004 9:17 AM

>
> >But we spent 20 years fighting a holy war for Islam," said the third
commander, who also refused to give his name. "God and the Prophet said
women should not sing."
>
> And they ain't the only ones....


And the following message was posted recently on a Balkan-music group. Note
the end of the post:

> the singers stand in a circle with each other, and sometimes older married
> women  will stand in the middle of the circle so they can feel the music
and
> enjoy that aspect of it even though they are no longer allowed to sing in
> public.


----- Original Message -----
From: "Stafford, Judy" <staff001 (at) onyx(dot)dcri(dot)duke(dot)edu>
To: <eefc (at) eefc(dot)org>
Sent: Monday, January 12, 2004 3:57 PM
Subject: Re: Cold Mountain filmed in Romania


>
>   Sacred Harp is the closest thing we have to Bulgarian singing in
> this country, in some ways, and a surprising number of EEFC campers sing
> shape note as well.
> >
> > -John Uhlemann
> >
> I've done some shape note singing in the past, so I'll elaborate on what
> John said.
> I believe New Englanders beg to differ, but in the south, the shape note
> tradition calls for "shout" voice very similar to some Balkan village
> styles.  Also, the harmonies create the dissonances not usually heard in
> western music, but so common in Balkan music.  Since the singing is done
in
> an hollow square, the singers are singing at each other, so you physically
> feel the music. In the group I sang with, whoever was directing the song
> would stand in the middle of the square.  Since that's the best spot to
feel
> the music, those not too shy to direct are eager for a turn.   In Minja's
> Bosnian singing classes she explained that for some of the songs she
taught,
> the singers stand in a circle with each other, and sometimes older married
> women  will stand in the middle of the circle so they can feel the music
and
> enjoy that aspect of it even though they are no longer allowed to sing in
> public.
>
> Judy Stafford
>

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