Devotional Music // Folk

[ddmurph]

another good place to start http://www.discogs.com/label/Ocora

ocora put out a great 7cd box set a few years back containing their "world of traditional music" series cd's packaged in a flimsy cardboard box. only three of the individual cd's seem to be listed on discogs ...

southeast asia: http://www.discogs.com/Various-Asie-Du-Sud-Est-Southeast-Asia/release/1485606
africa: http://www.discogs.com/Various-Afrique-Africa/release/1384411
europe: http://www.discogs.com/Various-Europe/release/1450194

... the other four cd's are north/west africa, south asia, east asia and latin america. the europe and latin america discs are a bit slight but, on the whole, the box set is amazing and was pretty cheap when it was first released. the ocora catalogue is amazing (and pretty overwhelming) so the box set serves as a pretty good overview.

another obsession of mine

sufi chanting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tT8_H6TUw54&feature=related

that sufi chant video is amazing, thanks for the link!

[ddmurph]

american sacred harp/shape note ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0EJb8BIw_s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHUfHNEZDPc


gaelic psalms from the hebrides ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMqKxpq6QAE
http://www.musicscotland.com/cd/mp3-Scottish-Tradition-Series-Vol-6-Gaelic-Psalms-From-Lewis-Cd.html


maybe off-topic:

... there's some more great stuff in that scottish tradition series also. the "waulking songs from barra" in particular although it probably falls outside the range of this thread (social rather than devotional).

while i'm on an off-topic tangent, since throat-singing is mentioned in the original post, inuit throat singing is pretty amazing ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8QuNdfb-Yw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiaNUhqnPbU

... again, social activity, not in any way devotional ... two women stand face to face, sometimes lips almost touching, making rhythmic sounds through inhalation/exhilation and the first one to run out of breath/lose rhythm loses.

and one last off-topic but wanted to mention martin hayes here also, very popular and highly respected irish fiddle player ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96bKIE37gwQ

... the relevance to this thread might be pretty tenuous (i wouldn't regard any irish traditional music as devotional) and, of course, this is played in a concert setting which further removes it from the topic of this thread but his playing sends shivers down my spine

[HONOR_IS_KING!]

Oum Kalthoum doing some vocal improvisation that has yet to be imitated by anyone ever:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eavlX3fkHco

Easily one of my favorite singers of all time. The depth and beauty of her songs as well as her voice are unbelievable. Not only that but I have to give credit to these traditional singers because they usually performed for 3-5 hours per performance.

[online prowler]

Thanx Honor is KIng.

Excellent post. Will check her material further.

Oum Kalthoum doing some vocal improvisation that has yet to be imitated by anyone ever:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eavlX3fkHco

Easily one of my favorite singers of all time. The depth and beauty of her songs as well as her voice are unbelievable. Not only that but I have to give credit to these traditional singers because they usually performed for 3-5 hours per performance.

[Bloated Slutbag]

Great topic. I'd been meaning to start a topic on choral music, principally what would probably qualify as devotional. But I've really liked everything posted so far. In my own trawlings, I often go for choral music with the word "orthodox" attached to it. A lot of orthodox hymns/chants often strike me as bordering on "dark", at least in their affectation of a certain sense of pathos.

Today He Is Hung, various renderings:

Byzantine Choir of Athens
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2QNbTDjvJ0&feature=related

Nikolaos Sarlaki
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yvDNNMzmfM&feature=related

Petros Gaitanos & Ganolis Chatzimarkos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_8sP7XOxBs&feature=related

Karbanos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-sKksAhVcY&feature=plcp


More ("darkened") voices of Byzantium:

Cherubic Hymn – Arabic Byzantine Choir
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgsF9ILn74I&feature=plcp

Mount Lebanon Choir – Arab Greek Orthodox Divine Liturgy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyVllSkX7_s&feature=related

Iasi Orthdox Choir, Anghelos Axion
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TV9ixN9vwM8&list=UUb47hrNG6ZjA6N3eMaitLlA&index=1&feature=plcp

Corul Anghelos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndkmCU6AV_Q&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL407F71EB731C66D1

Christ is Risen from the Dead,  Arabic Hymn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epM8SBuDJFk&feature=related

It's all greek to me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZVt-uUePS4&feature=related

Greek Orthodox
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnS7aGUmVzo&feature=related

The Lord's Lamentations (Russion Orthodox Church)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6s5Jo3Je5Q&feature=related


A bit more classically beautiful, you could say:

Russian Orthodox
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bH1s8PcDBEM&feature=related


I'm a sucker for it all, really. Goes nice when mixed with a side order of harsh psychedelia. But you knew that.

[online prowler]

Norwegian Folk music.

Kristen Bråten Berg - "Heiemo og nykkjen"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKnKpd_kVis&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL9DB0FD04259169EA

Found on compilation album Nordisk Sang.



Arve Moen Bergset - "Eg var liten"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cJk5Jm-vZs

Site online for Norwegian folk music (only Norwegianlanguage): http://www.folkemusikk.no/

[online prowler]

Just to mention ..

if anyone have any literature or related texts to recommend, please point out.

[Black_Angkar]

would this count? It is remarkable imo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovbh4accBWg

[online prowler]

Maybe not to the pinhead, but surely beautiful and founded in folk tradition. I imagine this is music to drink vodka to. Thanx for the share Black Angkar!

[tiny_tove]

fantastic!

[Black_Angkar]

I first stumbled over this by mistake and it just hit me over the head. Exceptional. I think there are some religious and protest motifs in the music, the link under the video had more info I seem to recall. The guy was appearantly pinned as a deviant and put in jail by the soviets.

[tiny_tove]

some tracks are absolutely perfect.
damn... I got shivers...

[Black_Angkar]

It is just out there. Sublime intensity at some points. Thankfully the record proved easily found for download. I am also an incredible sucker for accordion and similiar instruments, all the way from swedish folk music to Tom Waits to Novy Svet so this just gets me on every level.

[online prowler]

Pandit Pran Nath - 21 VIII 76 NYC Raga Malkauns.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-x9qyKHvnj0&feature=related

Runtime: 1:01:53

[xdementia]

I'm sure most people here already know of Dave Bixby, but just in case:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0HzNePL-XM

P.S. It sounds Christian but he was actually part of a fucked up cult and these were cult songs.

Also, newer, but Sabbath Assembly remake hymns from the Process Church and they just released a new album:

http://youtu.be/9hnI0c6a568

I've also enjoyed Ostad Ahmad Ebadi for some time now:

http://youtu.be/G7tkrZBcsho

The Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus:

http://youtu.be/Ha0s4VbskGE