BS: Elephonic Rhapsodies

Subject: BS: Elephonic Rhapsodies
From: GUEST,daylia
Date: 08 Aug 05 - 08:48 PM

Here's a unique example of 'folk music' -Elephonic Rhapsodies - one of the most bizarre examples of musical creativity I've ever come across! Turn your speakers on and treat yourself to some real 'soul music', improvised on specially modified instruments by a herd of 12 elephants dubbed "The Thai Elephant Orchestra"!

Here's a bit more info about the Elephant Orchestra, some reviews and more soundbites. I swear those beasts rival most of the 'new-age' artists out there - enjoy!

Subject: RE: BS: Elephonic Rhapsodies
From: CarolC
Date: 08 Aug 05 - 09:28 PM

Here's a cool thing to try. Watch the slide shows in this link with the sound that goes with them turned all the way down, and listen to the elephant music while looking at the gorilla art.

http://ali.apple.com/ali_sites/ali/exhibits/1000790/Gorilla_Art.html

Subject: RE: BS: Elephonic Rhapsodies
From: *daylia*
Date: 09 Aug 05 - 07:29 AM

That was just lovely, Carol! Thanks! And not to be outdone by Koko, lookie here - apparently the musical elephants at the Lampang Conservation Centre are commercial artists too Will wonders ever cease!

Subject: RE: BS: Elephonic Rhapsodies
From: Amos
Date: 09 Aug 05 - 09:48 AM

I gotta say that in my exposure to the elephants of Thailand, it was impossible not to feel them as conscious and sentient and understanding; perhaps not in the same cognitive-map method as we, but present and aware and in communication nevertheless.

A

Subject: RE: BS: Elephonic Rhapsodies
From: Amos
Date: 09 Aug 05 - 09:49 AM

I alsohave to give Kudos to Daylia for the most interesting thread title in years!!

A

Subject: RE: BS: Elephonic Rhapsodies
From: *daylia*
Date: 09 Aug 05 - 09:57 AM

not today it seems ... apparently elephants can play polo too!

I wonder how much they pay the poor guy who has to clean up the field afterwards? Considering elephants take in about 80 kilos of food per day ....

Subject: RE: BS: Elephonic Rhapsodies
From: *daylia*
Date: 09 Aug 05 - 10:14 AM

Oops we crossposted there Amos! Thanks but I can't take the credit for the thread title. "Elephonic Rhapsodies" is the name of the latest CD released by the Thai Elephant Orchestra. The soundclip I posted first is from that CD.

I've been most pleasantly elephantized this morning, investigating this stuff! Click here for more insights into the innate musical genius of elephants ...

Elephants are natural candidates for music-making. Their hearing is much keener than their sight, and they employ a vast range of vocalizations, many of which are heard on their CD, to be released by the New York-based Mulatta Records....

Ancient Romans and Asian mahouts, or elephant handlers, have noted elephants' ability to distinguish melodies, and today's circus elephants follow musical cues.

In 1957, a German scientist, Bernard Rensch, reported in Scientific American that his test elephant could distinguish 12 musical tones and could remember simple melodies even when played on different instruments, at different pitches, timbres and meters. She still recognized the tones a year and a half later ...

The players improvise distinct meters and melodic lines, and vary and repeat them. The results, at once meditative and deliberate, delicate and insistently thrumming, strike some Western listeners as haunting, others as monotonous.

Mr. Sulzer wondered whether Prathida, a 7-year- old orchestra member whom he called "the Fritz Kreisler of elephants," would recognize dissonance. "I put one bad note in the middle of her xylophone. She avoided playing that note - until one day she started playing it and wouldn't stop. Had she discovered dissonance, and discovered that she liked it? She outsmarted the researchers."

Y'know, I have this sudden urge to go tickle some ivories ... ttyl!

Subject: RE: BS: Elephonic Rhapsodies
From: katlaughing
Date: 09 Aug 05 - 06:41 PM

I can't get the files to open. I try with RealPlayer as my default, then tried MusicMatch, nada. I don't think it's my player as I just put on Hober Radio using RealPlayer and heard our own dear Rick Fielding's "Rag, eh?"

It sounds really interesting!

kat

Subject: RE: BS: Elephonic Rhapsodies
From: CarolC
Date: 09 Aug 05 - 06:49 PM

The elephant music opens for me in an mp3 thingie (audio/mpeg Object), and the gorilla art opens for me in Quicktime.

Subject: RE: BS: Elephonic Rhapsodies
From: *daylia*
Date: 09 Aug 05 - 06:50 PM

Click here kat, (just tested that link) then scroll down to the music downloads and click on any of the MP3 files. Might take a minute to download, but it's worth it. Hope this helps!

Subject: RE: BS: Elephonic Rhapsodies
From: wysiwyg
Date: 10 Aug 05 - 06:40 PM

Music thread!

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Elephonic Rhapsodies
From: GUEST,daylia
Date: 11 Aug 05 - 11:54 AM

I wondered about that ...didn't want to offend any human musicians on this site though, and I wasn't sure the whole thing wasn't a hoax at first. Well, I'm convinced now that it isn't! So please go ahead move this 'upstairs' if u like. Might get more attention there .... hey, I think THIS thread should win the award for the slowest ... thread ... ever!    :-)

(and considering the subject matter, that's no surprise)