Music Around the World

 I'm very excited to share some of the things that I learned and love about music from around the world. I decided to pick 2 different countries and compare their traditional and modern music. It was a lot of fun to explore the music of other countries. For my two countries, I chose Vietnam and Argentina.

First up we have Vietnam. It is in Asia and has a population of about 100 million in 2023. Surprisingly enough about 86% of Vietnam has no religious views. The national language is Vietnamese. Vietnam was conquered by China and under its rule for quite some time. They were also under Japanese influence for a good bit. Then Vietnam was split into two, starting in 1954 and being brought together in 1975. Vietnam has been through a lot of economic struggles, war, and power struggles. Through all of this there are 54 ethnic groups. This information is to help provide a background of what you will hear in traditional Vietnamese music. My favorite type of Traditional Vietnamese song is the Nhã Nhạc which translates to Royal Court Music. It is often used in royal court ceremonies and rituals during feudal times. It is still performed to this day, but often as an educational way to learn about the history and not about the ceremonies themselves There are a total of 126 songs full of original  lyrics and translations. They do have a different tuning system to ours and their instruments are very similar to those of India, the Middle East, and China. 

I wanted to do Vietnam because my Godmother is from Vietnam and I wanted to learn more about her culture. While looking at Vietnamese Pop (V-Pop). I noticed it is similar to K-Pop in that it is mostly not in English, typically upbeat, and there's a good amount of dancing. It is quite a bit different from traditional music, but it's good to hear how the music has evolved over the years. The song I chose for the modern section of Vietnam is Vị nhà by Đen. This translates into Home Taste by Black. It combines modern and traditional really well in the music and in the video. It is also very catchy.

For the last country, I chose Argentina. It is located in South America. It has a population of about 47.5 million and the official language is Spanish. There is no official religion. It is also the world's 8th largest county and it has plains, deserts, tundras, mountains, rivers, ocean shoreline, and forests within the country. Argentina was under Spain's rule for around three centuries and declared independence in 1816. Because of this independence, other South American countries started to gain independence. Argentina was under strongman leadership until the 1970s. In the 70s a military dictatorship and repression were established. This regime fell in 1982 when they lost to Britain in a battle. Since then it has been democratic. Traditional music in Argentina is called Folklorico. There are many types, but the most popular is the tango. It is traditionally done with two men instead of a man and a woman because it was almost like a courting ritual for the women. The video I have showcases four of them bombos, escondido, tango, and malambo. Each of them is unique in their own way. 

I decided to do Argentina because its music has always fascinated me. Argentinian music, mostly tangos, has found its way into movies, TV shows, and media. Argentinian tangos can be combined with popular songs to create masterpieces. El Tango De Roxanne is a perfect example of this. It combines the songs Roxanne by the Police and Tanguera by Mariano Mores It is in the Moulin Rouge movie from 2001, so not exactly the most modern, but something that is was the 2024 Dancing with the Stars Argentinian tango that was done. It also combines modern aspects of music with a traditional Argentinian tango. This one is performed by two guys, the traditional way. Argentina also does other music than just tangos. There is actually hip-hop in Argentina. The last song is a rap song called  Vive O Muere by Xxl Irione which translates to Live or Die. It is catchy and when you look at the lyrics they kinda remind me at least of an Eminem song, especially his new stuff.

I hope you all enjoyed the music and the quick little lessons on the countries. I enjoyed writing these blogs and hope you have enjoyed reading them. 

These are the sites that I used to find most of my information:

https://www.dancefacts.net/tango/argentina-music/#google_vignette

https://www.britannica.com/place/Argentina

https://www.govietnam.tours/vietnamese-traditional-music/

https://www.britannica.com/place/Vietnam