Folk Elements Research Articles

Tizian a Josefina. Českost, světovost a modernost Josefa Mánesa

The portrait of a young woman named Josefina is a paraphrase of a famous model in the work of Josef Mánes – Titian’s Toilette of a Young Woman from the collections of the Prague Castle Picture Gallery. In this context, it is possible to consider what models Mánes himself professed and why and how his work was influenced by the constant ideological-theoretical effort to define Czechness, but at the same time the worldliness of domestic painting. In this paper I deal with the development of the idea of such models (medieval and baroque) and the contemporary idea of their Czechness. In Mánes’ case, I focus on the connection between the idea of Czechness and the folk elements defined in 1848 thanks to Ludvík Rittersberg, but also with the valued examples of the anti-academic approach to colour as a key means of painting. Another tendency can be observed in the appreciation of Baroque artists and is also reflected in the selection of works for the very first major public exhibition of domestic art held in Kutná Hora in 1867. The aim of the paper is therefore to reflect on how the idea of defining Czechness and the worldliness of domestic painting changed in the third quarter of the 19th century and what role the work of Josef Mánes played in this. The second level is to ask which of these phenomena stood out as the current painting theme of his time and which of the idea of the Czechness, worldliness and modernity of Mánes’s work is a projection of later interpretations.

Study of the Techniques of Akira Nishimura’s String Quartet No.2 <Pulse of the Lights>

String Quartet No.2 Pulse of the Lights was composed by Akira Nishimura in 1992. This piece is a representative work from the composer’s mature period, fully showcasing his personalized compositional techniques. It holds significant analytical value and influence. This paper explores how Nishimura organically blends Eastern folk elements with Western musical culture by analyzing the pitch organization, core materials, musical structure, and unique compositional techniques in the work. It also examines how he embeds his distinctive compositional methods within the materials and integrates them throughout the structure.

THE USE OF DANCE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCHOOLCHILDREN’S AESTHETIC TASTE IN OUT-OF-SCHOOL EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS: CREATIVE POSSIBILITIES OF CHOREOGRAPHIC ART

Choreographic art is an essential means of the comprehensive development of a child. Choreography classes contribute to the aesthetic education of children, positively affect their physical development, and contribute to the growth of their general culture, so choreographic art has a rich opportunity for the comprehensive implementation of educational tasks. However, the analysis of their own practical experience and observations at choreography lessons in out-of-school educational institutions revealed that students are primarily interested in modern dance styles among various dance types. In this regard, there is a problem of forming the schoolchildren's aesthetic taste by dance. The article examines the creative possibilities of choreographic art for forming aesthetic taste in schoolchildren in out-of-school educational institutions. Dance training will be more productive if children are encouraged to engage in holistic choreographic activities, during which schoolchildren will be more motivated to learn the elements of classical, folk, ballroom, and modern dance. To implement this condition, we propose to organize and hold dance festivals between students of specific age categories. This form of work will increase children's interest in choreography lessons. In addition, this form of work will stimulate children to more productive work, which will contribute to the improvement and aesthetic saturation of their movements, the accumulation of artistic and dance impressions, the comprehension of their choreographic capabilities, and the development of children's creativity.

Girish Karnad’s Hayavadana : A Thematic Analysis

The essence of folk drama and its expressions, particularly within the context of Indian theatre, using Girish Karnad's play "Hayavadana" as a case study. It highlights how folk drama encapsulates the mindset, lifestyle, and societal perspectives of specific regions, transmitted orally or through performances. Karnad's reworking of folktales and myths for contemporary issues is discussed, emphasizing his fusion of classical and folk elements in his plays. The abstract explores the use of various folk theatrical devices such as Sutradhar, masks, dolls, and actor-audience interaction in "Hayavadana" to convey complex themes of identity, completeness, and the human condition. It also touches upon the adaptability and improvisational nature of folk stories and their relevance across time and space. Overall, it presents a comprehensive analysis of theme of folk traditions inform and enrich contemporary theatre practices.

Folk Elements Compilation in Chinese Textbooks for Thai Elementary Schools

Background and Aim: Folk customs are an important part of culture, studying Chinese folk culture not only enhances Chinese learners’ language proficiency but also promotes their cultural exchange and fosters cross-cultural understanding. This research focuses on the folk elements in Chinese textbooks for Thai elementary schools, aiming to analyze the compilation of folk elements in terms of quantity, proportion, content, and difficulty level. Materials and Methods: A combination of literature review, comparative analysis, and interview methods is employed in this article to analyze the folk elements in six representative sets of Chinese teaching materials used in Thai elementary schools. Results: It was found that 1) The six representative sets of Chinese textbooks for Thai primary schools have rich and diverse folk elements, totaling over 4500. 2) Material folk elements are the most prominent, accounting for about 40.1%. They are followed by linguistic folk elements, comprising about 33.1%. Social folk elements comprise approximately 20.8%, while spiritual folk elements are the least represented, making up about 6.0%. 3) The folk elements are related to various social life topics and the associated Chinese vocabularies and expressions. 4) The difficulty levels of folk elements can be divided into elementary, intermediate, and advanced. Among them, elementary-level elements constitute the majority, comprising about 82.8%. Conclusion: Most of the representative Chinese textbooks in Thai primary schools have various types of folk elements. These folk elements may help Thai children grasp elementary Chinese vocabulary, social rules, and customs, and cultivate their awareness and ability for cross-cultural communication.

Хранительница нематериального культурного наследия: о роли бабушки в передаче этнического языка и культуры (на материале социолингвистических обследований в чувашской и марийской диаспорах Московского региона)

An essential mechanism for transmitting ethnic language within families involves the transfer from older to younger generations, with grandmothers playing a prominent role in this process. The paper presents the findings of the field research conducted within the Chuvash and Mari internal diasporas of the Moscow region. The study subjects were the first-generation natives of the diaspora urban environment and the second-generation representatives. The findings indicate that intergenerational language transmission is notably weak, mainly because Russian is omnipresent in urban environments and minority languages are marginalized due to prevailing linguistic ideologies. Although being recognized as state languages along with Russian in the relevant administrative-territorial entities, Chuvash and Mari languages do not have this status in the internal diaspora, becoming minority languages. Nevertheless, according to the research results, ethnic language is one of the key markers of ethnic identity necessary for preserving ethnic group boundaries. In the majority of cases, the task of preserving the ethnic language is assigned to grandmothers, the eldest women in the family, who reside in the rural area of their small native land. This model follows the long-existing practice of city dwellers sending their children to the countryside in summer for the latter to learn an ethnic language in the natural environment by communicating with their grandmother. Besides teaching the ethnic language, the grandmother also imparts knowledge about ethnic customs and traditions, such as ethnic cuisine, songs, and elements of folk and religious culture, making her a valuable keeper of intangible cultural heritage.

Humour, Subversion and Voice of a Subaltern: Reading “Truth Vow” as LeitMotif in Habib Tanvir’s Play Charandas Chor

In the cultural and sociological context, “Truth” and “Vow” appear as crucial motifs in Indian myths, Vedas, and epics. Truth is believed to be a virtue and a vow is a solemn promise that we make in different social, cultural, political, and religious contexts, and a truth vow combidly becomes a virtuous promise. The most prominent example of a truth vow is used in court cases, where the witness proclaims that “solemnly I vow to speak only and only truth” in Indian law proceedings (no one can assure that it really happens but the court believes it so). Other examples of vowing include marriage communion, religious occasions, and constitutional and self-motivation. One such leitmotif of “Truth Vow” extrapolates the dramatic narrative of the play “Charandas Chor”(1975) written by playwright Habib Tanvir. The truth, as a leitmotif, ferments subversive humour for the spectator and reader of the play. Playwright Tanvir presented truth not only as a virtue but binds it with a vow, thus enlarging it as a characteristic trait of the Protagonist. This leitmotif becomes a subjugating tool and with this, the marginalised character locates his own voice in the end. Therefore, this paper discusses the role of “Truth Vow” as leitmotifs in the play “Charandas Chor” (1975) along with its humour and utterance. The play has previously been read as a social critic, for its folk elements, and its subaltern representation, but here, the aim is to read truth as a voice, which even when suppressed by the hegemonic powers, resists in its disappearance. Here, the method of textual analysis is used to evaluate the play. The text is read to locate instances of the truth and its positioning and to negotiate with masses subverting aspects.

The Compositional and Dramaturgical Logic and Musical Expressive Means in the Performance Interpretation of Marian Stârcea’s Variations in G Major for Piano

The aim of the article is to reveal the compositional and dramaturgical logic, as well as the features of the expressive musical means used in the Variations for Piano by Moldovan composer Marian Stârcea in relation to their performance interpretation. The research results are based on the presentation of Stârcea's Variations as a composition that exemplifies the Moldovan compositional tradition, created at the beginning of the author’s creative work and reflecting the characteristic features of his individual style. M. Stârcea turned to the genre of piano variations along with other young composers of the Republic of Moldova, such as T. Chiriac, V. Cholac, V. Beliaev, and many others. Each composer demonstrated a desire to find an individual interpretation of this genre form. M. Stârcea's Variations are characterised by an organic synthesis of the compositional logic of the classical and romantic variation cycle, jazz stylistics, and folklore elements of the musical language. The scientific novelty of the article lies in its comprehensive examination of M. Stârcea's Variations for Piano, which is done for the first time. The practical significance of the work is determined by the possibility of using its materials by performing pianists and teachers of musical educational institutions in their work on the piece. The conclusions summarise the main ideas arising from the compositional and dramaturgical features of M. Stârcea's Variations, as well as their interpretation by students and performing pianists. Understanding the logic of the continuous development of the variation form, enriched with jazz techniques and folk elements, is the optimal way to an adequate comprehension and individual performance vision of this piece. The subsequent comparison of M. Stârcea's Variations for Piano with other works by this author, as well as with examples of variations by other composers, will allow us to develop and enrich the results obtained, which will contribute to the further development of a research approach to the issues of performing interpretation.

Regional Cultural Characteristics and Heritage in Chinese EthnicMusic Composition

This paper explores the regional cultural characteristics and heritage in Chinese ethnic music composition. Themanifestation of regional cultural characteristics in music composition is revealed by analyzing the integration ofregional folk elements, the influence of regional history and folklore, and case studies. Further discussions on the roleof cultural heritage in music composition and challenges and strategies for preserving and promoting regional culturalcharacteristics are presented. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of Chinese ethnic music and promotes itsheritage and development.

Audience and the transformation of performance in African theatre through Iredi War and Ekuechi festival

African theatre encompasses theatrical practices that predate European colonization. Using Sam Ukala's play, Iredi War, a modern Nigerian drama infused with folk elements, and the Ekuechi festival of Nigeria's Ebira people, this qualitative study examined audience participation and the transformation of performance in African theatre, with insights from Segun Adefila, a renowned Nigerian theatre practitioner. It employed Sam Ukala’s (1996). Folkism: towards a national aesthetic principle for Nigerian dramaturgy. New Theatre Quarterly, 12 (47), 279–287) theory of ‘Folkism’ as its theoretical framework, and observed that the distinction between the spectator and actor can be clear or fluid, depending on the flow of the performance, with participants exchanging roles and playing space. In this context, audience members may act as spectators, actors, or both, reflecting the communal nature of African theatre. Other elements of African theatre include the festival theatre technique, in which the audience encircles the performance area in traditional performances, and the processional staging technique that involves moving with performers between venues. This immersive experience further engages the participant-audience, emphasizing their active involvement in the theatrical event. Moreover, African theatre serves dual purposes as both ritual and entertainment, and as Adefila argues, the position of the audience in relation to the central playing space, or nucleus, influences the nature of the performance. As spectators move away from the nucleus, the emphasis shifts towards entertainment, whereas proximity to the nucleus transforms the performance into a more ritualistic or worshipful event. While Adefila's audience model serves as a base, it oversimplifies audience experience, overlooks distant audience agency, and focuses on religious performances. Hence, the need for a more nuanced framework for African traditional theatre.

Impact of Sanskritization on The Folk Rituals in Ancient Tamil Nadu

Sanskritization is a particular form of social change found in India. It denotes the process by which castes placed lower in the caste hierarchy seek upward mobility by emulating the rituals and practices of the upper or dominant castes. It is a process similar to passing in anthropological terms. This term was made popular by Indian sociologist M. N. Srinivas in the 1950s.The cultural elements of the Aryans slowly penetrated into the society of Dravidians. This cultural assimilation and integration were known as Aryanization or Sanskritization. It had a strong impact on Tamil Language, Tamil Religion and radical changes in the society. Tamil people worshipped food grain, since it is their source of living. They wereall deified in different forms such as foodgrains, human and metalimages. In ancient Tamilagam, the Kalabhras adopted Anti- Brahmanical attitude and suppressed the domination of Sanskrit. During the Pallava period, the earlier folk-worship disappeared and the new form of Brahmanical worship gradually started. Throughout the history of Tamil Nādu Sanskritic Hinduism had absorbed local and folk elements. The patronisation of the rulers of Pallavas, Cholas, and Pandyas and the construction of grand structural temples made the Sanskritization of worship to be very strong. It was not helped to the subalterns to move up in the social hierarchy. Further it degraded the position of subalterns. Hence, itreceives various types of opposition in later period. But the Hindu revivalism was possible in ancient Tamil Nadu during the period of Pallavas and Imperial Cholas because of adapting Sanskritization form of worship.

Парадоксы иронического в творчестве шведской рок-группы Samla Mammas Manna

The article is dedicated to manifestations of irony and humour in rock music as illustrated by the example of the Swedish progressive/avant-rock band Samla Mammas Manna (1969–2008). These manifestations often have a paradoxical (surprising, confusing) effect. What is paradoxical, for instance, is the combinations of artistic and stylistic elements which create a bright sound canvas. Samla Mammas Manna boldly and humorously combined twisted symphonic and rock structures with simple melodic and rhythmic fragments, avant-garde rock with folk elements and free-jazz improvisations. In relation to folklore, there is also a certain irony: it is not homage to ancient art, but its mocking rethinking. There is also a certain paradoxicality in the performing techniques, sometimes very unconventional (but always a brilliant display of technical mastery), and in stage appearance and live acts, inviting the audience to be a part of performance. The article provides a detailed analysis of Samla Mammas Manna’s artistic techniques, style evolution, musical and stage dramaturgy, and ways of interacting with the audience. It also discusses the influence of carnival and circus aesthetics on rock music.

Parallel Interplay between Tradition and Folk Theatre: A Study of select works of Vijay Tendulkar

Folk theatre is the root of modern Indian drama, and with the advancement of modernity, folk theatre keeps balancing the dynamic aspect of modernity. Most of India's well-known playwrights overcame the limitations of regional language throughout the 1970s and produced a number of excellent plays on a national scale. The majority of their experimental productions were focused on incorporating Indian folk theatre components or performance traditions into mainstream theatre. As a result, we see Utpal Dutt using Jatra in Surya Sikar and Girish Karnad adopting Yakshagna, a traditional type of theatre, in his play Hayavadana (1972). In order to create a new type of theatre that he called the "Third Theatre" or "Street Theatre", Badal Sircar experimented with incorporating folk elements into proscenium theatres. Similar to his contemporaries, Vijay Tendulkar also experimented with many types of folk drama in Ghasiram Kotwal (1972) and other plays. The current study is an integrated effort to concentrate on how tradition and modernity are portrayed in Vijay Tendulkar's plays. Another way to put it is that modernity has economic, social, cultural, and political ramifications. A cultural driving force with social, economic, and political ramifications is tradition. Vijay Tendulkar explores both conventional and contemporary tendencies in his plays through folk theatre. In his plays, he combines elements of heritage and modernism. They are entangled with both modernity and tradition. One may easily notice Tendulkar's keen observation of life in his plays . He strikes a delicate balance between tradition and contemporary in expressing the social realities . The purpose of this article is try to understand how Tendulkar employed various folk theatre styles to express power dynamics and the outcome of oppression, a very modern and postcolonial subject, on stage.

ТИПОЛОГИЯ ИТАЛЬЯНСКИХ ПРАЗДНИКОВ И ИХ РОЛЬ В СОХРАНЕНИИ ИДЕНТИЧНОСТИ НАРОДА

The purpose of this article is to characterize two models of Italian holidays. The obvious division of holidays into secular and religious does not quite allow us to see in the festive and festival tradition of Italy the conditions for the formation of a national character. The second model is a three – part festive structure: religious, sports-urban (palio, gare) and folk-gastronomic (sagra) holidays. This also does not fully reveal the relationship of events, because all three groups are based on a religious component. A holiday for Italy is a day of communion with God, which is present in the etymology of the concept. The Catholic tradition has adopted folk elements, as evidenced by the processione (solemn procession) and the folk holidays themselves retain a sacred component in the form of veneration of the Patron Saint of the area on the day of sporting and gastronomic events. Research objectives: to actualize the word festival in a broader historical and cultural context; to form the holiday model itself with the core and constituent components; to compare the designated types of holidays. The main methods were the observation of the functioning of the holiday and festival units in the works of Italian researchers, the description and comparison of three types of holidays, as well as the theoretical method of formalization in the construction of a holiday model. The subject of the study is a three – part composition of Italian holidays with a special sacred element in each inherent in this category. I would like to emphasize that the holidays reflect one of the key categories of the Italians’ worldview – the balance of elements, in this case sacro e profano (sacred and simple). The formation of a holiday model as a phenomenon allows you to see the element of happiness that is hidden in the word festival, although in Italian this term is used mostly in relation to artificially created events. The variety of regional holidays and the preservation of festive traditions in their conduct demonstrates how carefully Italians follow the ceremonial and ceremonial canons. In a broader sense, the work on the description of festivities reveals national features, contributes to the understanding and preservation of such a phenomenon as national genius, and also forms a structure for the development and preservation of the cultural constant holiday. Understanding the holiday as a phenomenon that preserves traditional values is becoming important in a changing world that seeks to unify all cultures with the dominance of artificial meanings.

Folk Elements in the Marutha Thinai Songs

In order to know the oral literary characteristics in Marutha thinai songs one must know the main characteristic features in oral. Plowing industry, planting industry, buffalo herding, ray cutting, fishing and other games such as paddy war, vallai song, silt removal, flower picking are the various kind of arts performed during the sangam period. The poets have recorded countless rituals, beliefs and customs in Marutha thinai songs. Through these songs one can know the culture, tradition and civilization of the ancient Tamil people. The article brings out the hidden folk elements in the Marutha thinai songs.

Folklore Elements in Vallikannan Novels

Folk literature is created by the common people and preserved by them. Vallikannan is a renowned writer, journalist and author of all kinds of literature, his novels Iruttu Raja, Ninaivu charam and Oruveetin Kathi describe the life of Saiva Velalar in Nellai district in a rustic form. Among these games children's games are swinging, playing Tayakkatam, playing by singing and dancing, playing pandi, and playing Kannambuchi. Other common games are folk songs, titling, calling women by their village names, proverbs, folk performances related to religion, celebrating festivals, paying tribute to the village temple during festivals, performing arts, naming, marriage, processions, performing arts programs at weddings. They use figure of speech in their speech. The folk songs, proverbs and local idioms used by the Nellai district people reveals the author's general knowledge and approach to the people. It can be seen that the folk elements found in lullabies, folk tales, songs, stories, fables, myths, proverbs etc are mixed with the character and sentiment of the Tamil people. The article is about the folklore elements found in Vallikannan novels.

Fusion and Application of Chinese Ethnic Elements in Electroacoustic Music in Mist on a Hill

The development of computers and technology has made electroacoustic music an important part of modern music. In an effort to broaden the musical dimension and to offer more possibilities for timbral combinations, composers have used various techniques to combine electroacoustic music with acoustic instruments, giving traditional instrumental music a richer timbre, a wider range of pitches and greater sonic expressiveness. The pipa, a typical representative of Chinese music culture, has a long history and its unique timbre is widely loved by electroacoustic music composers. This article uses Marc Battier’s mixed music Mist on a Hill (for pipa and electroacoustic sounds) as an example to explore the integration and practical use of Chinese folk elements in electroacoustic music.

Mykhailo Verikivskyiʼs “Five Pieces For String Quartet on Folk Themes”: Principles of Folklore Processing

Relevance of research. The introduction to the musicological using of the manuscript of M. Verikyvskyi's early work, which was previously only briefly mentioned in the literature, is connected with the current scientific trend of studying little-known pages of the history of Ukrainian music of the era of national liberation struggles of the 20th century. The return of the forgotten artefact of the composer's heritage is intended to contribute to the establishment of more complete and objective picture of the development of genres, stylistic trends, individual authorial style, etc. The purpose of the study. The purpose of the article is to explore the principles of processing folklore in the M. Verikyvskyʼs cycle "Five pieces for a string quartet on folk themes" in the genrestylistic aspect, to find out the extent of the influence of theoretical views and didactic instructions of B. Yavorskyi on the writing of the work, to outline the meaning of the composition in the context of the evolution of the author's creativity and directions development of Ukrainian quartet music of the 20th century. Methods. The article uses source, genre and style studies, structural and intonationalconstructive methods of analysis of musical work. The results and conclusions. The composer's notes in the margins of the manuscript are commented in the context of the artist's creative life (1921), social-political and aesthetic-artistic trends of the era, communication with the teacher of composition. The stylistic features of neofolklorism were revealed in the work: appeal to folk archaic and principles of folklore thinking, combination of folk elements with technical and compositional means of the modernist era, subjugation of the folklore theme to an individual artistic idea. The influence of the theoretical and didactic instructions of B. Yavorskyi, M. Verikyvskyiʼs teacher at the Kyiv Conservatory, can be observed on two levels: 1) general aesthetic views on the use of folklore in the composer's work, 2) specific compositional and stylistic techniques in the plane of lado-harmonic processes (the role of the tritone, constructive and modal continuous exposition), dynamization of the metrorhythm, texture, formation. In the composer's creativity, this work initiates the genre of instrumental folklore composition, prepares the appearance of large-scale neo-folkloric compositions (oratorio, symphonic uite, ballet, opera), tests for the first time the model of the five-part suite cycle, built on the principles of contrast, symmetry and concentricity. In Ukrainian quartet music, this opus is located near the origins of the folklore line of development of the genres of piece (folk miniature) and suite.

Globalisation and Musical Identity: The Reception of Serbian Émigré Composers in the United States

Following the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s and the subsequent international economic sanctions imposed against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia that lasted until the early 2000s, a substantial number of Serbian composers emigrated to the United States. While this mass exodus of composers and academics had a devastating effect on Serbian cultural life, such a shift, enabled by globalisation and commodification of music, created an interest in Serbian music and culture with American audiences. That is, Serbian émigré composers who fled Yugoslavia during the war conflict conveyed their Serbian identity musically by incorporating certain folk elements. This article examines the unique ways in which select Serbian composers––Aleksandra Vrebalov, Milica Paranosic, and Natasha Bogojevich––integrated their Serbian/Yugoslav background within American multicultural society. More specifically, the article examines the effect of the infusion of Serbian motives in the works of these composers from the perspective of globalisation and commodification in the formation of their émigré Serbian musical identity.

Analysis on the application of folk-art elements in the space design of human settlements

With the rapid development of China's social economy, there are waves of Chinese culture and art in all parts of the world. Folk art, as a form of expression of traditional art, often carries the cultural characteristics of a nation, which is carried out in various fields such as clothing, sculpture and decoration design. Nowadays, in interior design, many people gradually began to apply our traditional folk elements to the living space, folk art elements have also been widely adopted. Therefore, this paper discusses the characteristics and values of Chinese folk-art elements and its application analysis of interior design, so as to promote the nationalization of interior design and carry forward the design concept of traditional folk-art features.