ZARSANGA, her musicians and the dancers are a reminder of how rich and diverse the MUSICAL CULTURE of Pakistan was a few short decades ago. In the times before Cinema, FOLK MUSIC played an important part in everyday life and rituals in Pakistan. Film Music then began to take Pakistanis away from their FOLK TRADITIONS. However, many remained and huge MUSIC FESTIVALS were commonplace across Pakistan featuring a variety of SECULAR [non-Religious], TRAVELLING THEATRE, SUFI and FOLK DANCE performances. Unfortunately, violent changes of regime, politicians mixing religion with politics, emigration, migrant workers to The Gulf, Globalisation, Industrialisation, Television, rise of religious fundamentalism, cultural pressures of Bombay and Hollywood Cinema have all but destroyed FOLK MUSIC in Pakistan. Now MUSIC FESTIVALS are becoming more rare, bombings and attacks on ART are commonplace and FOLK CULTURE is being slowly destroyed in contemporary Pakistan. The Pakistani Youth seem to want to be 'Western' or Pious, greed and corruption are spoiling the previously kind community spirit of Pakistan, and Pakistani culture is fading away. However, a REVIVAL may occur in the future when people tire of trying to be someone else? Let's hope so and enjoy Pakistani FOLK MUSIC with ZARSANGA and her party in a live concert in Germany promoting PUSHTO TRADITIONAL MUSIC. Zar Sanga was born in 1946 in a village area of Western Pakistan Laki Marwat. She is part of nomadic people who used to settle from Afghanistan. Zar Sanga describes herself as uneducated and unable to read music from paper. She tends to sing TRADITIONAL PUSHTO SONGS about life in the mountains, the tribes and the nomads, but her husband has also written a number of POPULAR PUSHTO SONGS. Zar Sanga has performed internationally and never misses any performances at MUSIC FESTIVALS in the Pathan Region. She also has an archive of performances for Pakistan Television over the years. As a rare FOLK PERFORMER, the singer has been subject of Western Music Academics like a Ms. Kia from French Radio who organised concerts in France. Kia's analysis said, "Zar Sanga's voice is the only Mountainous Voice of Pushto Music". Foreign, Pakistani and Afghani audiences alike are fascinated by Zar Sanga's rare and raw melodic singing and first rate Puktoon Musicians. Zar Sanga, like the Punjabi FOLK DIVA, Reshma, has never sung for actresses in the Pakistani Cinema. Both of the performers are considered masters of FOLK CULTURE but their voices are not considered suitable for the medium of Cinema where a COMMERCIAL HOMOGENEOUS ADAPTABLE type of voice is necessary for a wide variety of songs for the national audience. A side point on LINGUISTICS [the study of languages] and ETHNOMUSICOLGY [the study of musics in their cultures] reveals a fascinating link bewteen PUSTHO and KURDISH languages and music. Pushto and Kurdish appear to both be IRANIC LANGUAGES which is documented and demonstrated in this article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_languages The musics do have some similarities: KURDISH and PUSHTO MUSIC both tend to REPETITION - although KURDS structure more in STROPHES [one block of melody text that is repeated in voices and instruments without verse-chorus being much evident. The PATHANS tend to STROPHES less but do have similar liking for heavy repetition. Another similarity of the two musical cultures is the use of melodies constructed on narrow TESSITURA [range of notes to create a melody]. ORCHESTRATION The MUSICIANSHIP of this ENSEMBLE [group of instruments/vocals] is really highly skilled. There is also a great sense of communication between the musicians which makes for well managed solos and improvisations. TRADITIONAL FOLK MUSIC of all countries, Scotland to India, suffers from the same problem of REPETITION boring the audience. Hence Classical Western Composers saught to understand FORM. The FORM [sections over time] of the song are interesting and there is some sense of WESTERN POP SONG FORM of this song. The FORM: Short Intro [RABAB playing opening strums - not from the melody] + Strophe [VOICE and played in RABAB with TABLA drums] + Bridge 01 [FLUTE (variation on strophe), RABAB and TABLA] + Strope [VOICE, RABAB, TABLA with FLUTE CADENCES [musical full stops at end of phrases] + Bridge 01 [FLUTE, RABAB, TABLA with extended RABAB and TABLA resting FLUTE and adding dance opportunity on rhythm] + Strope [as before] + Bridge 01 [SYNCOPATION [off-beat drumming for variety] + Strope + CODA [ending section] [melody instruments all rest and TABLA improvises added vocal cheers and clapping, RABAB interjects at times, FLUTE begins to play out on STROPH melody to final downscale CADENCE - all this faciliates dance]. A lot of variety is sprinkled over the song to make it refreshing to listen to.

• published: 08 Feb 2015
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