Week 6: Latcho Drom

It is rare to see a film not driven by dialogue. The film was presented in a different perspective where images and music led the storyline. At first it was difficult to follow the story, but soon the recurring symbols helped explain the links between each of the different scenes. Along with the idea of music being passed down through generations between adults and children, I also noticed a continuous gender pattern in the different musical traditions.

In all the scenes, men played the major instruments and sang the leads of the pieces. In the opening scene, a small boy walks in the desert singing and playing wooden clappers. He also sings and plays while a young girl dances. In later scenes, the same wooden clappers were used by older men in the ceremony. Along with a rebab-like string instrument and a clay jug, the ensemble played with a man leading the group. The women of the group were seen with smaller metal clappers and made dance-movements along with the music.

In the second scene, the atmosphere was more informal and jubilant. Everyone in the audience joined the singing, clapping, and dancing. The instruments were similar to the first scene and again the male took the lead. In the third scene in the restaurant, again the children watched and learned from the adults. In the teahouse, all the musicians and the teahouse patrons were all men. As discussed in Tuesday's lecture, the ensemble was known as the takht ensemble. This included a ud, qanun, riqq, a clarinet, a violin, and a small drum. The incorporation of the Western instruments show how traditional music has adopted instruments of other cultures over time. As the population moves from India towards Europe, though some traditions are kept, their music culture becomes somewhat changed as they encounter each new culture.