Following the fall of Sài Gòn (now Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh) on 30 April 1975, the experiences and contributions of South Vietnamese war veterans were largely erased from public memory. In recent years, efforts to address this erasure have included the rediscovery of pre-1975 Vietnamese music, particularly Nhạc vàng (“yellow music”), which refers to popular songs of South Vietnam, many of which were composed before 1975. Capturing the realities of war and the lives of Vietnamese soldiers (người lính), Nhạc vàng offers a valuable historical perspective, shedding light on the struggles and hardships faced by South Vietnamese soldiers. Deeply embedded in the Vietnamese diaspora, its enduring melodies provide a crucial link to their ongoing struggles and memories within today’s geopolitical landscape. Over time, Vietnamese music—ranging from contemporary popular songs to poignant war ballads—has evolved into a powerful tool for preserving the voices of those silenced by history. For many South Vietnamese veterans, music became an emotional refuge, helping them navigate fading nostalgia and the painful memories of the Vietnam War.
Pre-1975 Nhạc vàng album cover art. Courtesy of Saigoneer.com
For many U.S. soldiers, popular music played a crucial role in shaping their experiences of the war. A Kentucky rifleman who spent his tour trekking through the central highlands of Vietnam recalled Nancy Sinatra‘s These boots are made for walkin’ as a defining song. A tunnel rat, who used to blow smoke into Viet Cong tunnels, remembers Jimi Hendrix’s Purple haze. For an African American marine reeling from the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., it was Aretha Franklin’s Chain of fools. And for countless others, songs like Country Joe and the Fish’s I feel like I’m fixin’ to die, Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Who’ll stop the rain, and The Animals’ We gotta get out of this place became anthems of their war experience. Popular music was central to the American experience in Vietnam, bridging the gap between troops and the home front, while providing a soundtrack to the emotional complexity of the war they were thrust into. Music was an often overlooked yet crucial part of the conflict, influencing the experiences and memories of every group of Vietnam veterans.
Music also played a crucial role in shaping public perception of the Vietnam War in the United States, as songs reflected both support and opposition to the conflict. Unlike the professionally produced music of World War II, Vietnam-era songs were embraced by the public and became central to cultural gatherings such as folk festivals, college dorm sing-alongs, and peace rallies. The war exposed deep societal divisions, with music serving as an emotional outlet for discontent, anger, and the desire for peace–contrasting sharply with the patriotic themes of previous conflicts. Both anti-war and pro-war movements used music to express their sentiments, with supporters of the war favoring country music while opponents turned to folk and rock to amplify their voices. The powerful emotions embedded in these songs made the Vietnam War distinct in its musical and cultural impact.
Furthermore, activist musicians like Phil Ochs (pictured above) provided a more nuanced and critical perspective on the war than what was typically found in mainstream media. His songs often addressed controversial aspects of the Vietnam War that were otherwise overlooked or suppressed. Ochs’ music was raw and uncompromising, standing out among his contemporaries. Despite being a key figure in the 1960s anti-war movement and a prolific writer of topical songs, Ochs remained less commercially recognized than other folk icons like Bob Dylan or Joan Baez. His most productive years coincided with the peak of U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia, a time when his popular music served as a powerful critique of the war.
This according to “Échos rescapés: Redocumenter la musique vietnamienne d’avant 1975–Pistes sonores historiques et mémorielles [Rescued echoes: Redocumenting Vietnamese music from before 1975–Historical and memorial soundtracks]” by Kathy Nguyen, Lieux de mémoire sonore: Des sons pour survivre, des sons pour tuer, ed. by Luis Velasco-Pufleau and Laëtitia Atlani-Duault (Paris: Maison des Sciences de l’Homme, 2021, 137–172; RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2021-107659), and We gotta get out of this place: The soundtrack of the Vietnam War by Doug Bradley (Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 2015; RILM Abstracts of Music Literature 2015-18652).
The 50th anniversary of the fall of Sài Gòn, marking the end of the Vietnam War, was celebrated on 30 April 2025.
The track below exemplifies the sound of pre-1975 Nhạc vàng.
Below is a link to Phil Ochs performing on Canadian television on 27 September 1965.
The library of the Institut du Monde Arabe (Arab World Institute) in Paris is home to an extensive collection of writings on music from the Arab world, a region stretching from the Atlas Mountains to the Indian Ocean. This series of blog posts highlights selections from this collection, along with abstracts written by RILM staff members contained inRILM Abstracts of Music Literature, the comprehensive bibliography of writings about music and music-related subjects. In 2026, the Institut du Monde Arabe will host an exhibition on wedding cultures in the Arab world, and the institute’s library will hold an on-site exhibition of its book collection covering this topic.
In the Arab world, weddings unfold through a series of ceremonies where daily preparations and references to the sacred intertwine to initiate and bless the union of two families. From the first promises of the engagement ceremony to the morning after the wedding night, each step is guided by social norms and enveloped in society’s ideals of generosity, community, and gender roles. Whether it takes place in a single day or over the traditional seven days, each step of the wedding is intentionally marked by specific melodies, rhythms, and sounds. Prior to the actual wedding ceremony, during the night of ḥinnaẗ,natural dye is applied to the bride’s hands and feet as women praise the her beauty and recount love’s woes in song. Then, joyous zaġārīd (trills) through the air to declare the news to all, near and far, as the cantillation of the Qur’an or other sacred prayers proclaims the couple’s union in front of God. As upbeat drums of the zaffaẗ announce and accompanythe procession of the newlyweds, a subtler percussion chimes from the ẖilẖāl, the bride’s anklet, gifted from the groom to the bride to honor her femininity. These sounds intertwine with the most refined cultural expressions–skillfully crafted jewelry, intricately embroidered adornments, fragrances, and the finest cuisine, all blended together in celebration.
Even as the rush of modern life permeates every aspect of society in the Arab world, weddings continue to preserve many of the age-old customs. The related ceremonies create a momentary pause in the relentless flow of life to mark new social bonds and a transformation from singularity to family. The writings and research related to this lifecycle event covered in the annotated bibliography below explore the enduring customs across various regions of the Arab world: from the Tuareg tribes of the Sahara Desert and the Nubian tribes of the Nile Valley to urban dwellers in Cairo and Mosul. They document lyrics, transcribe melodies, describe instruments, and detail the roles of men and women in musical performances–all in an ongoing effort to understand and preserve this rich heritage of wedding customs and music.
Annotated bibliography
ʿAlī, Muḥammad Šiḥātaẗ. أغاني النساء في صعيد مصر: الأعراس، البكائيات، التحنين [Women’s songs in Upper Egypt: Wedding, lament, and pilgrimage songs] (al-Qāhiraẗ: al-Hayʾaẗ al-Miṣriyyaẗ al-ʿĀmmaẗ li-l-Kitāb, 2015). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2015-92222; IMA catalogue reference].
Transcribing orally transmitted songs in Upper Egypt is crucial, especially as many of them are at risk of being forgotten due to the passing of older women who have memorized them. Song texts were collected as the result of ethnographic research in villages in the al-Badārī province of the Asyut governorate. The three main categories of the transcribed repertoire are songs related to rites of passage, such as weddings and their associated ceremonies, funeral and lament songs known as bukāʾiyyāt, and songs known as taḥnīn, performed in preparation for the pilgrimage. An appendix with photos capturing women’s activities in various aspects of life, including domestic chores, agricultural work, food preparation, and market activities is included.
ʿArnīṭaẗ, Yusrá Ǧawhariyyaẗ. الفنون الشعبية في فلسطين [Popular arts in Palestine] (Rāmallāh: Dār al-Šurūq li-l-Našr wa-al-Tawzīʿ, 2013). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2013-54151; IMA catalogue reference]
The tangible and intangible forms of folklore–encompassing popular musical expressions, embroidery customs, and ceremonial practices associated with marriage and celebrations–serve as testimony to the enduring heritage and cultural continuity of the Palestinian people. The present effort to document select aspects of Palestinian folklore servesseveral purposes: first, to safeguard these manifestations of popular culture and ensure their continuity; second, to forge a robust connection between the present and history; third, to uncover the creative dimensions inherent in Palestinian folklore; and ultimately, to inspire fellow researchers in music and the arts to undertake similar endeavors in documenting Palestinian folklore. Folk songs should be approached with the same urgency to study and preserve such as other Palestinian traditions. Popular songs’ characteristics are detailed, including the characteristics of colloquial dialects, the melodic content, maqam structure, ornaments, and more. Transcriptions of the melodies of 66 songs, along with their transcribed lyrics, are included and are chosen as hailing from different cities. The songs are grouped by topic or occasion, as follows: children’s songs and lullabies, songs of religious holidays and celebrations; love and wedding songs; songs of war and encouragement; work songs; drinking, satirical, and political songs; dance songs; funeral chants and laments; songs of stories and tales. Popular song is a reflection of the Palestinian peoples’ ways of life and social customs and is a spontaneous expression of collective feelings and aspirations.
al-ʿĀṣimī, Ğamīlaẗ. أغاني نساء مراكش: اللعابات، الطقيطقات، الهواري، التهضيرة [Women’s songs in Marrākuš: The laʿābāt, the ṭaqīṭaqāt, the hawārī, and the tahḍīraẗ] (Marrākuš: Muʾassassaẗ Āfāq li-l-Dirāsāt wa-al-Našr wa-al-Ittiṣāl, 2012). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2012-50441; IMA catalogue reference].
Women’s songs in Marrākuš are transmitted orally from one woman to another, they are unauthored and composed collectively. Based on fieldwork with professional women performers, song forms and texts are transcribed alongside documentation on the accompanying percussion instruments and the names of the women’s groups performing each piece. Twenty-four song texts from the laʿābāt, a women’s ensemble that performs during weddings and related ceremonies, are included. Additionally, 20 song texts of the ṭaqīṭaqāt, a song form that is also performed by the laʿābāt groups on festive occasions and features articulate lyrics and steady rhythms, are transcribed. Twenty-nine song texts from two types of the hawārī song form are included, and 11 song texts of the tahḍīraẗ form, performed by groups of women during weddings, promenades, or private gatherings, are presented. An appendix contains 12 transcriptions of short excerpts from songs and the notation for each percussion section of the two hawārī song forms.
al-Asyūṭī, Darwīš.أفراح الصعيد الشعبية: من طقوس ونصوص احتفاليات الزواج والحمل والولادة والختان [The weddings of Upper Egypt: Rituals, texts, and ceremonies of marriage, pregnancy, and circumcision] (al-Qāhiraẗ: al-Hayʾaẗ al-Miṣriyyaẗ al-ʿĀmmaẗ li-l-Kitāb, 2012). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2012-52032; IMA catalogue reference].
Describes the rituals and customs associated with engagement and marriage preparation in Asyut, Upper Egypt. It covers various traditions, including the dowry presentation, the shopping process for establishing a new bridal household, the ḥinnaẗ night for the bride, and the ritual shower for the groom, among other related ceremonies. It also includes transcriptions of song lyrics collected from narrators in Asyut, as well as others memorized by the author.
Bayrūk, ʿAzzaẗ. الغناء الحساني بين التنظيم والتلقائية [Hassanian singing between structure and spontaneity] (al-Rabāṭ: Markaz al-Dirāsāt al-Ṣaḥrāwiyyaẗ/Centre des Études Sahariennes, 2015). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2015-92229; IMA catalogue reference].
The singing of the Ḥassānī tribes can be categorized into two branches: structured singing, also known as the hūl, which has been shaped by the influences of Arab, African, and Berber traditions and developed during the Ḥassānī rule in the Western Sahara during the 15th and 16th centuries; and a second branch that is unstructured and spontaneous, encompassing prophetic praise, wedding songs, rain songs, work songs, and lullabies, among others. The analysis includes a selection of song texts and their social contexts.
al-Daywahǧī, Saʿīd. تقاليد الزواج في الموصل [Marriage traditions in Mosul] (al-Mawṣil: Muʾassasaẗ Dār al-Kutub, 1975). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 1975-28979; IMA catalogue reference].
Explores the social customs associated with marriage in Mosul, from the etiquette of selecting a bride or groom to the week-long wedding celebrations and the social norms governing interactions between the families of the bride and groom. Transcriptions of the lyrics of 32 wedding songs are included. Thematically, these songs celebrate the bride and groom, describe their virtues and beauty, express the families’ emotions as they bid farewell to their daughters and sons, and highlight societal expectations of marriage, among other topics.
El Mallah, Issam. The role of women in Omani musical life/Die Rolle der Frau im Musikleben Omans (Tutzing: Hans Schneider, 1997). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 1997-11646; IMA catalogue reference].
The role of women in the transmission and preservation of Omani traditional music is significant, as is their influence. Women take on roles as singers, drummers, dancers, instrumentalists, and leaders in organizing dance and singing groups. The participation of women in musical arts can be grouped into two categories: arts exclusively practiced by women and those practiced alongside men. The ones involving men and women include collective dance, collective drumming, and work songs. The art forms exclusively practiced by women include women’s drumming circles, women’s work songs, Bedouin dances, wedding songs and dances, traditional healing ceremonies, and arts involving young girls. A description of the setting and context of each art form is included.
Ibn Ḥarbān, Ǧāsim Muḥammad. الزواج في المجتمع البحريني عاداته، تقاليده، فنونه [Marriage in Bahraini society: Customs, traditions, and arts] (Bayrūt: al-Muʾassasaẗ al-ʿArabiyyaẗ li-l-Dirāsāt wa-al-Našr, 2000). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2000-84970; IMA catalogue reference].
Weddings in Bahrain involve a wealth of cultural expressions. The process of marriage includes various customs such as dowry arrangements and the elaborate preparation of both the groom and the bride. There are specific dress codes for men and women, along with jewelry, embellishments, and perfumes designated for each. The food prepared for weddings is also central to the ceremony. Women musician ensembles known as the ʿiddaẗ typically perform at these events. The song forms and accompanying dances, including the dizzaẗ and the zaffaẗ, are described, along with the rhythms and percussion instruments used. Related arts and customs are also discussed, such as the practice of naḍir–a ritual where individuals offer physical or symbolic gifts in hopes of fulfilling a wish or prayer; the ʿāšūrī which involves women performing drums and dance ceremonies; the ẖammārī, a women’s dance where participants are covered with a body cloth; and the naǧdī mawwāl, a song form sung by women, among other events. Transcriptions of some song texts and rhythms are included.
Mahfoufi, Mehenna. Chants de femmes en Kabylie: Fêtes et rites au village–Étude d’ethnomusicologie [Women’s songs in Minṭaqaẗ al-Qabāʾil: Celebrations and rites in the village–An ethnomusicological study]. (Paris: Ibis Press, 2005). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2005-16247; IMA catalogue reference].
A study of village song in Minṭaqaẗ al-Qabāʾil, focusing on the songs of women that accompany various festivals and the rhythm of daily life: birth, marriage, the expression of love, lullabies, bouncing (a game that consists of bouncing babies on one’s lap), death, and religious song. The songs are transcribed and translated, and their musical form is described and analyzed. The accompanying CD features wedding songs in tracks 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13.
Mécheri-Saada, Nadia. Musique touarègue de l’Ahaggar (sud algérien) [Tuareg music of the Ahaggar in southern Algeria] (Paris: Awal; Paris: L’Harmattan, 1994). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 1995-9971; IMA catalogue reference].
The Ahaggar in southern Algeria is the homeland of Tuareg culture. Tuareg music is linked to the context of its performance, notably village festivals. Principal Tuareg instruments include the imzad (one-string fiddle), the tazamar (end-blown flute), and drums. Five musical genres are differentiated, including women’s marriage songs (āléwen) and the chanted poetry accompanied by drums, the tindé. The music’s texts, their themes, their social significance, and their poetics are analyzed.
Kamāl, Ṣafwat. “أفراح النوبة” [The weddings of the Nubia], al-Funūn al-šaʿbiyyaẗ 100 (yanāyir-dīsambir, 2015) 51–75. [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2015-92886;IMA catalog reference].
In Nubia, marriage involves customs and rituals ranging from the engagement period to the ḥinnaẗ night in preparation for the wedding, the offering of a dowry, a feast on the wedding day, and the exchange of gifts, among others. The celebrations typically last for seven days. Transcriptions of selected songs that accompany these rituals were collected before the displacement of the Nubian peoples following the building of the Aswan Dam in the 1960s and thus highlight traditional Nubian social values and religious beliefs.
Puig, Nicolas. Farah: Musiciens de noces et scènes urbaines au Caire (Arles: Actes Sud, 2010). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2010-54197; IMA catalogue reference].
Faraḥ, which literally means joy or happiness, refers to the wedding ceremonies and street festivities in Egypt. Vibrant wedding nights, featuring musical ensembles, dancers, and many forms of socialization reflect social class and status. Musicians’ and singers’ negotiation of social norms and perceptions is approached as social performance. A proper understanding of marriage festivities in urban spaces is situated within the evolving attitudes towards public urban areas in Cairo, and in relation to other local festivities such as festivals and the celebration of saints’ mawlid. Since the mid-19th century, the modernizing reforms of public urban spaces have significantly influenced the venues for public music-making in Cairo, leading to changes in musical forms, the introduction of new instruments, and the adoption of new technologies. These changes have, in turn, affected the form and delivery of music during street weddings. A closer examination of the lives and work of four wedding musicians illustrates the numerous economic and social factors that shape their careers, their aspirations, and the challenges they encounter as wedding musicians in Cairo.
Written and compiled by Farah Zahra, Associate Editor, RILM
When the congregation of the Catholic Heilig-Geist-Kirche in the historic Hanseatic town of Lemgo, North Rhine-Westphalia, embarked on a renovation project from 2021 to 2023, they sought to replace their aging electronic organ with a proper pipe organ but were constrained by budget limitations. An opportunity arose to acquire a nearly century-old Wurlitzer Style D theater organ, built by the Wurlitzer factory in North Tonawanda, New York (near Niagara Falls), in 1924. The organ was first acquired in the late 1940s by Dr. Howard C. Stocker for his personal use in Los Angeles. By 1955, Stocker had moved the organ to San Bernardino (just east of Los Angeles), installing it in a custom-built home specially adapted to accommodate the instrument’s size and requirements. The house soon became a popular venue for concerts. In 1987, tragedy struck when a fire destroyed the entire house–but remarkably, the organ survived. Despite the unfortunate event, Stocker was quite relieved because he believed a house could be rebuilt, but the Style D organ was irreplaceable.
After Stocker’s death in 1993, the organ was temporarily stored in Kansas before being transported to Celle, Lower Saxony, Germany. There, cinema organ enthusiast Friedhelm Fleiter–who had long sought a Wurlitzer Style D–discovered it. For many years, Fleiter preserved and maintained the instrument as a personal passion project. To ensure its functionality, several components were carefully restored and modified for use in the church; however, preserving the original organ’s design and architectural integrity remained the top priority.
When the organ was relocated to the church, preserving the original Wurlitzer Style D façade proved impossible. Instead, a new organ case was designed to complement the church’s architectural style. The organ’s structure consists of two vertically stacked, roughly cube-shaped sections, along with a freestanding console. The upper section houses the pipework and features swell doors on two sides, which remain closed when the organ is not in use to ensure the enclosed pipes stay in tune. Although the new organ cannot fully replicate the musical fidelity of the original, it serves its purpose well in worship settings, particularly for accompanying congregational singing.
This according to “100 Jahre und kein bisschen leise: Eine Wurlitzer-Orgel (1924) für Lemgo” [100 years old and not a bit quiet: A Wurlitzer organ (1924) for Lemgo] by Ralf-Thomas Lindner (Organ: Journal für die Orgel 27/4 [2024] 26–30; RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2024-20513).
Listen to Singing in the rain performed on a Wurlitzer Style D organ below. The second video features a different model Wurlitzer organ.
The RILM Archive of Popular Music Magazines (RAPMM) is a continuously expanding digital collection that currently includes over 125 independently published popular music magazines and fanzines from the late 1960s to the present. This internationally scoped archive covers a diverse range of popular music genres, from punk and rock to indie, hip hop, and country, serving as a multilingual and interdisciplinary resource for music research. By preserving rare and historically significant publications, RAPMM safeguards essential elements of cultural heritage.
In line with RILM’s global mission the content of RAPMM spans multiple languages and countries–currently from Australia, Canada, China, Colombia, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The zines in RAPMM cover a wide range of popular music genres, including punk, rock, indie music, post-punk, grunge, hip hop, women’s music, world music, psychedelia, noise, alternative music, jazz, and country music. There are articles on the history of musical movements and their relation to politics, society and social movements, underground and subcultures, stylistic shifts, and feminism; interviews with widely recognized and unknown artists at different stages of their careers; band profiles; and album reviews and history of record labels.
Accessible through RILM’s Egret platform, RAPMM offers advanced browsing, searching, and translation features across desktop, mobile, and tablet devices. Additionally, the platform provides a networked research experience, linking directly to other scholarly resources such as RILM Abstracts of Music Literature and external services like the Virtual International Authority File (VIAF). RAPMM underscores RILM’s broader mission as an NGO accredited to provide advisory service to UNESCO’s Committee of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Speaking on the project’s significance, RILM Executive Director, Dr. Tina Frühauf, states:
“In alignment with UNESCO’s initiatives to protect cultural diversity, RAPMM represents a vital node in an international effort to safeguard and preserve information about the sonic history of our times. It fosters community-centered archiving practices that foreground the lived experiences and material traces of popular music magazines. By bridging the analog and the digital, the local and the global, RAPMM not only preserves endangered media artifacts but also reimagines archives as dynamic spaces of cultural memory, equity, and engagement.”
The launch event, hosted by The Barry S. Brook Center for Music Research and Documentation and RILM, is cosponsored by the American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning. In addition to unveiling RAPMM, the event will also celebrate the release of two groundbreaking publications: Inside the Studio Spaces of Electronic Music Production: Berlin/Cairo by Dr. Matthias Pasdzierny and Gero Cacciatore, and Gear: Cultures of Audio and Music Technologies by Dr. Eliot Bates and Dr. Samantha Bennett.
Held in the William P. Kelly Skylight Room on the 9th floor of the CUNY Graduate Center, the event will feature discussions with key contributors, moderated by Finn Cohen (The Sun). A reception will follow.
Admission is free. Please RSVP to cmrd@gc.cuny.edu. The event will be live-streamed by the CUNY Graduate Center.
Contact: Michael Lupo (he/him/his), Marketing & Media RILM International Center 365 Fifth Avenue, Suite 3108 • New York, NY 10016-4309 Michael Lupo • Phone 1 212 817 8601 • www.rilm.org
Comments Off on Répertoire International de Littérature Musicale (RILM) set to introduce its latest product at the special event Sites + Sounds + Scenes
In the mid-1990s, Indonesia’s authoritarian regime viewed extreme metal as a direct challenge to its enforced ideals of harmony and social stability. Live metal concerts were banned, and the government under President Suharto actively reinforced stereotypes of metalheads as communist-affiliated “folk devils”, a narrative perpetuated via mass media, government institutions, and religious leaders. This systematic marginalization pushed extreme metal to the fringes of the national music scene, forcing musicians and fans to rely on local communities in Yogyakarta, Jakarta, Bandung, and Bali—not only as spaces for musical expression but also as nodes for sustaining social networks. In response, extreme metal subcultures adapted their resistance strategies, embracing verbal and sonic transgressiveness, organizing independent do-it-yourself (DIY) gigs and independent recording and distribution, and maintaining strong intercity connections that kept the musical movement alive.
The crowd at the Jogjarockarta festival 2023. Photo by Umar R./MetalTalk
Since the fall of Suharto’s authoritarian regime in 1998 and the subsequent period of Reformasi (Reformation), the Indonesian government’s relationship with extreme metal subcultures has shifted. No longer vilified as a threat to social order, extreme metal is now viewed as a marketable commodity aligned with the country’s creative economic agenda. This shift is evident in the rapid expansion of regional metal music festivals that regularly draw thousands of fans, often sponsored by cigarette companies, mainstream clothing brands, and beverage corporations. Additionally, some Indonesian metal bands have secured grants from state-funded projects, enabling them to perform at international festivals and further integrate into the global metal scene.
Indonesia’s former president Joko Widodo sporting a Napalm Death t-shirt.
Widodo with his security detail at an Indonesian metal concert in 2014.
Indonesia has emerged as a significant hub for large-scale heavy metal festivals, most notably Hammersonic–recognized as Southeast Asia’s largest annual heavy metal music festival–which most recently took place in Jakarta in May 2024 and is slated to return in 2025. This growing acceptance of the genre reflects a broader cultural shift, one that reaches even the highest levels of government. Former President Joko Widodo—widely known as Jokowi—has openly expressed his enthusiasm for heavy metal, signaling a rare alignment between subcultural music scenes and political leadership. As Pri Ario Damar, Dean of Performing Arts at Institut Kesenian Jakarta (Jakarta Institute of the Arts), explains, “Indonesia is a moderate Muslim country, which is why we’re more open to foreign influences, including heavy metal music, compared to some more conservative nations.”
Whether this openness will persist remains uncertain, particularly given Indonesia’s political trajectory. Elected in 2014 on a wave of reformist optimism, Jokowi eventually came to embody the dynastic and anti-reform politics reminiscent of earlier regimes. His successor, Prabowo Subianto, is a former military general who served under Suharto.
This according to “From our own voices: The meaning making of subculture among extreme metal musicians in Indonesia” by Oki Rahadianto Sutopo and Agustinus Aryo Lukisworo (Metal music studies 9/3 [2023] 359–367; RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2023-20530).
The photo at the beginning of this piece is of the hijab-wearing, female metal trio Voice of Baceprot, the first Indonesian band to perform at the 2024 Glastonbury Festival in the U.K.
Below, a vlog of an Indonesian metalhead’s journey to Hammersonic 2024.
RILM Abstracts with Full Text will add eight more titles to its full-text journal collection this summer. The new titles are:
Българско музикознание [B”lgarsko muzikoznanie/Bulgarian musicology]. Sofiâ: B”lgarskata Akademiâ na Naukite, Institut za Izkustvoznanie, 1977–. ISSN 0204-823X
The only academic periodical dedicated to music and musicology in Bulgaria, this journal was established in 1977 as a musicological series and has been published quarterly since 1981. It features scholarly articles that explore phenomena and developments across both Bulgarian and international musical cultures.
Canadian winds/Vents canadiens: Journal of the Canadian Band Association/Revue de l’Association canadienne des harmonies. Toronto: Canadian Band Association/Association Canadienne de l’Harmonie, 2002–. ISSN 1703-5295
The professional journal of the Canadian Band Association, this publication was first issued in the fall of 2002. It features a broad range of articles related to wind band activity, interpreted in an inclusive and expansive manner. Striving to balance scholarly inquiry with pedagogical relevance, the journal is designed to be accessible to all instrumental music educators. While its primary audience is Canadian and many articles address issues specific to the Canadian context, the journal maintains an outward-looking perspective, aiming to foster dialogue and engagement with the international wind band community.
Fontes artis musicae. Madison: A-R Editions, 1954–. ISSN 0015-6191
The journal publishes articles aligned with the aims of IAML, with a particular focus on international music librarianship, documentation, bibliography, audiovisual materials, and musicology.
関渡音樂學刊 [Guandu yinyue xuekan]/Kuandu music journal. Taibei: Guoli Taibei Yishu Daxue/Taipei National University of the Arts, 2004–. ISSN 1814-1889
Named after Guandu, the area of Taipei where the university is located, the journal has been in publication since 2004, and is published by the School of Music at Guoli Taibei Yishu Daxue (Taipei National University of the Arts, TNUA). It features scholarly articles on a range of topics, including musicology, ethnomusicology, compositional techniques, music theory, and music psychology.
Journal of Christian musicology. Ilé-Ifẹ̀: Obafemi Awolowo University, 2020–. ISSN 2782-8433
Published annually by the Christian Music Research Forum in collaboration with the Christian Music Institute and Research Centre–an academic NGO based in Nigeria–this journal responds to the growing need for a systematic study of Christian music in all its diversity and distinctiveness. It advances global scholarship and practice in Christian music by publishing research on its various forms, disseminating theoretical perspectives across genres, and promoting the performance and application of Christian repertoire in a range of social and cultural contexts.
– Liuteria, musica e cultura: Organo ufficiale dell’Associazione liutaria italiana. – Cremona: Associazione Liuteria Italiana, 2006–. ISSN 1825-7054
The official publication of the Associazione Liutaria Italiana (Italian Violinmaking Association), this journal supports the Association’s mission to promote and preserve the culture of violin making. It welcomes contributions from scholars whose research interests intersect with the field of violin making, as well as the broader domains of organology and musical scholarship. Membership in the Association is open to individuals engaged in these areas of study.
– Studi musicali. Firenze: Leo S. Oschki, 1972–2009. ISSN 0391-7789 and eISSN 2037-6413
The official publication of the long-established Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, dedicated to the field of music culture. While the journal leans toward historical musicological studies–particularly those related to Rome–it also encompasses a range of other disciplines, including music criticism, sociology, ethnomusicology, and analysis. Given its international circulation, the journal accepts submissions in widely used scholarly languages within the cultural and academic spheres.
– Studien zur Musikwissenschaft: Beihefte der Denkmäler der Tonkunst in Österreich. Wien: Hollitzer Wissenschaftsverlag, 2017–. ISSN 0930-9578
Founded in 1913 by Guido Adler, this journal features studies closely related to the volumes of the Denkmäler der Tonkunst in Österreich (DTÖ), along with methodological reflections on musical philology, articles on the history of music in Austria, and editions of relevant textual sources.
These additions exemplify RILM’s commitment to providing full-text content that is truly international in scope, with coverage that embraces a diversity of languages, nations, subject matter, and approaches to music research. RILM Abstracts of Music Literature with Full Text is a comprehensive bibliography of writings on music, featuring citations, abstracts, and indexes. It covers over one million publications from the early 19th century to the present on traditional music, popular music, jazz, classical music, and related subjects, enhanced with full text.
If you do not already subscribe to RILM Abstracts with Full Text, please reach out to your EBSCO sales representative, or email information@ebsco.com.
Comments Off on New titles for RILM Abstracts with Full Text in 2025
The study of 18th century music pedagogy in the Neapolitan region of Italy has seen a significant surge in interest within musicological research in recent years. This research has explored sources related to the practice of partimento since the late 20th century, and over time, has expanded to include materials on counterpoint and solfeggio. Solfeggio evolved throughout the 20th century into an exercise focused almost exclusively on musical reading–first spoken, then sung. A landmark modern and systematic study of the instructional duo between the 16th and 17th centuries is Andrea Bornstein‘s comprehensive monograph, followed by Robert O. Gjerdingen‘s works. Gjerdingen identifies a compositional framework within 18th century exercises, which he refers to as “schemata” and finds within the partimenti. His research demonstrates that both partimento and solfeggio, centered on the close relationship between bass and melody, can be considered foundational exercises for musician training since the 18th century.
Subsequent studies by scholars such as Paolo Sullo explored the role of solfeggio within the composition schools of various Neapolitan masters, carefully reconstructing and analyzing the production context and repertoire spanning from the era of Leonardo Leo to that of Nicola Zingarelli. The work of Nicholas Baragwanath, particularly his influential monograph The solfeggio tradition (2020), has sparked a revival of interest in 18th century solfeggio, reaching an expanding audience of musicologists and musicians. Baragwanath’s study highlights the deep connection between solfeggio and the practice of solmization on the hexachord, a practice that, in Italy, persisted until the 19th century. He identifies the enduring presence of this practice as being largely due to the central role of the Catholic Church, which continued to base the teaching of musical rudiments on hexachordal plainchant and the associated solmization system.
Leonardo Leo
For Baragwanath, the gradual abandonment of hexachordal solmization in favor of the French method of reading real sounds–where each note corresponds to a single syllable–marks a key factor in the gradual decline of the Italian bel canto tradition. In this context, hexachordal solmization emerges not only as a performance technique, which Baragwanath carefully reconstructs and applies to 18th century solfeggi, but also as an interpretative lens through which to understand the solfeggi themselves.
This according to a new article on solfeggio by Paolo Sullo in DEUMM Online.
At the age of six, blues musician Freddie King (known as the “Texas Cannonball”) received his first guitar and began taking lessons from his mother, Ella Mae King, and his uncle Leon King. Soon after, he earned enough money to buy a Roger guitar from a local music store by picking cotton. After his parents divorced, the family moved to Chicago, where a sixteen-year-old King sneaked into a blues club one night and sat in with the house band, which included the legendary Howlin’ Wolf. While working in a steel mill, King played in the evenings with Earlee Payton‘s Blues Cats, the Little Sonny Cooper Band, and with guitarist Jimmy Lee Robinson and drummer Frank (Sonny) Scott in the trio Every Hour Blues Boys. In 1953, he also participated in studio sessions for Parrot Records, among others, though none of the recordings were ever released. Despite being rejected by Chess Records due to his vocal resemblance to B.B. King, Freddie King released his first record, Country boy, in 1956 on the independent El-Bee label. The single, which featured a duet with Margaret Whitfield and Robert “Junior” Lockwood on guitar, garnered little attention.
By 1960, Freddie King had signed with King-Federal-DeLuxe, a label that also represented blues and soul artists like James Brown. Alongside pianist Sonny Thompson, King produced recordings such as Have you ever loved a woman and Hide away (1960), the latter becoming an instrumental crossover hit between blues and pop. Producer and record company owner Syd Nathan expertly capitalized on this crossover success, helping King achieve lasting commercial success. From 1961 to 1963, King sold more records than any other blues artist, including B.B. King, toured extensively in concert halls and nightclubs, and performed at numerous jazz and blues festivals. In 1963, King moved to Dallas to reunite with his wife and six children, who had returned to Texas the previous year due to the challenges of the music business.
Watch Freddie King’s 1973 concert in Paris.
King signed with Cotillion Records in 1968, where he recorded two albums: Freddie King is a blues master in 1969 and My feeling for the blues in 1970. During this period, he also embarked on extensive concert tours through England, where he was backed by members of the English blues group Steamhammer. King’s music had a significant impact on the blues rock scene of the time, influencing rock guitarists such as Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Peter Green, and Mick Taylor, who incorporated his style into their own bands.
This according to a new entry on Freddie King by Volkmar Kramarz in MGG Online.
Image credit for the first photo: Michael Putland/Getty Images
Advancements in technology have facilitated diverse research strategies in ecoacoustics (or acoustic ecology), algorithmic sound recognition, and aesthetic approaches, with significant scientific and technological applications. These developments have opened new avenues for studying the relationship between humans and their environment through sound. Portable ambisonic recorders, capable of capturing sound trajectories in a 360° sphere, have proven valuable for surround sound systems, as they accurately reproduce the acoustic environment’s spatial characteristics. This technology allows for faithful representation of the sound emitter’s unique qualities, movement patterns, and the reverberant properties of the environment. As a result, soundscape research intersects with multiple disciplines, including robotic listening, census strategies, acoustics, and algorithmic classification of fauna. Moreover, soundscape studies have increasingly contributed to environmental conservation efforts by informing strategies to mitigate the impact of human activities on natural ecosystems.
Ambisonic microphones
These technological advancements have facilitated the development of diverse strategies and mechanisms, ranging from traditional audio capture techniques to interactive systems that enable communication between humans and other species through sound. In all cases, soundscape studies provide valuable insights into how human activities impact the environment. This includes analyzing the effects of land and air traffic, power lines that generate electromagnetic fields, and other anthropogenic factors. By interpreting such interactions, soundscape research deepens our understanding of ecological disruptions and contributes to the development of strategies for minimizing human-induced environmental disturbances.
Algorithmic recognition plays a crucial role in identifying and classifying bird vocalizations. In ornithology, specialists undergo extensive training to recognize bird species and their songs based on region or mating season–a process that is time-consuming and requires significant expertise. To streamline this task, applications capable of recognizing and categorizing birdsong have been developed, enhancing efficiency and accuracy. The study of soundscapes has further contributed to refining algorithmic recognition strategies for cataloging wildlife within specific environments. A notable example is the Raven software, developed by Cornell University’s Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, which can analyze audio recordings to identify and classify numerous bird species. This technology has proven invaluable for tracking and documenting avian populations across different regions. As these systems continue to evolve, there is significant potential for further advancements, making automated bioacoustic analysis an increasingly powerful tool in ecological research and conservation.
This according to “Paisaje sonoro: Creatividad interdisciplinaria y tecnologías aplicadas para el registro del canto de las aves” [Soundscape: Interdisciplinary creativity and applied technologies for the recording of birdsong] by Pablo Rubio Vargas and Jorge Rodrigo Sigal Sefchovich (ANTEC: Revista peruana de investigación musical 8/2 [2024] 170–183; RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2024-13931).
Click the link below to watch a video titled Empowering bioacoustics research in Southeast Asia, which explains efforts at the Center for Conservation Bioacoustics to create biacoustic networks across the region.
The sistrum, an ancient percussion instrument, was commonly shaken during religious ceremonies to signify the presence of a deity. In Egypt, it is believed to have mimicked the sound of rustling papyrus stalks. Unlike enclosed rattles, the sistrum features rings or discs on one or more rods, which produce sound externally. When these rods are set within a frame, they are referred to as frame or sliding rattles. In some sliding rattles, the rods themselves are movable, serving as the rattles. The sistrum discovered in Tutankhamun’s tomb uniquely combines snake-shaped rods with square discs as rattles. Similar design elements can also be seen in silver instruments used in Armenian and Syrian worship rituals.
Sistrum players in a relief from the tomb of Nunuter, 6th dynasty, Giza, Egypt.
A sound sample of an Anatolian sistrum.
Originally a sacred instrument dedicated to the goddess Hathor, the sistrum became a symbol of life-giving energies, rooted in ancient water and fertility rituals, as well as a tool in spiritual practices honoring various deities. In ancient Egypt, Rome, and Greece, it was widely adopted as a priestly instrument in the Isis cult (Apuleius). To this day, the sistrum holds significance in Coptic worship and is still used by Ethiopian Christians alongside the drum, albeit stripped of its pagan embellishments. Ancient Egyptian sistrums were often adorned with depictions of Hathor, Isis, the jester Bes, the sphinx, falcons, and other animal or plant motifs. Fired clay sistrums decorated with papyrus umbels point to the instrument’s mythological origins in a cult ceremony where young women honored the goddess by plucking aquatic plants from the Nile River and shaking them to produce a rustling sound. This act, known as “making a seshesh” inspired the instrument’s name, and in later practices, the sistrum was often shaken alongside bundles of plants.
This according to this month’s featured article on the sistrum in MGG Online.
Above, a short instructional video on the Egyptian sistrum.
Comments Off on From life-giving symbol to instrument of worship
The main entrance to the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts’s exhibition Lou Reed: Caught between the twisted stars opens up on Lincoln Plaza, directly adjacent to the The Metropolitan Opera house. On a sunny day, the Met’s … Continue reading →
Seven strings/Сім струн (dedicated to Uncle Michael)* For thee, O Ukraine, O our mother unfortunate, bound, The first string I touch is for thee. The string will vibrate with a quiet yet deep solemn sound, The song from my heart … Continue reading →
Introduction: Dr. Philip Ewell, Associate Professor of Music at Hunter College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, posted a series of daily tweets during Black History Month (February 2021) providing information on some under-researched Black … Continue reading →
For it [the Walkman] permits the possibility…of imposing your soundscape on the surrounding aural environment and thereby domesticating the external world: for a moment, it can all be brought under the STOP/START, FAST FOWARD, PAUSE and REWIND buttons. –Iain Chambers, “The … Continue reading →
