The Radif is the traditional model repertory of Iranian classical music. It comprises more than 250 melodic modules, named gushes, arranged in special orders into seven primary and five (or six) secondary collections on the basis of their modal and melodic affinities. The primary and secondary collections are respectively called the dastgāh and the āvāz. Each dastgāh/āvāz is a collection of melodic models arranged in a multi-modal cycle, i.e. embracing several maqāms, beginning and ending on the same mode while modulating to a number of other modes. The structure of each cycle can be analyzed in terms of two layers. The underlying, fundamental, layer provides the modal infrastructure upon which a variety of melodic and/or rhythmic motifs are set. The seven dastgāhs are shūr, segāh, chahārgāh, māhūr, homāyūn, navā and rāstpanjgāh. The āvāzes are considered as derivatives of two dastgāhs. The satellites of shūr are abū‘atā, dashti, bayāt-e tork, afshāri (and bayāt-e kord), while āvāz-e bayāt-e esfahān is regarded as the satellite of dastgāh-e homāyūn. Each gushe has also a specific name which refers to its function in the cycle, a technical feature, an area, an ethnic group, a mood, a poetic genre, or a musician, as well as other descriptive or expressive titles. Some nominal and structural counterparts of the constituent parts of the contemporary radif can be found in the musical systems of the ancient and medieval Persia. Although the radif per se was the product of the Qajar epoch (1785-1925), the history of the dastgāh, as the main component of the radif, dates back to the mid-Safavid period (1501-1722), when the old modes or maqāms were gradually transformed into multi-modal cycles in terms of the main shadds (chains) and later dastgāhs (systems). Indeed, the radif can be regarded as the reformulation of an older musical system, which dates back to earlier centuries. There are various versions of the radif as interpreted and performed by prestigious masters of Persian music. There are two main types of the radif, i.e. vocal and instrumental versions. The latter is, in turn, translated into the technical language of various instruments, slightly differing in performance techniques while retaining the same structural foundations. The radif is sung and also performed on the traditional instruments of Persian classical music: tār (double-chested skinned long-necked lute), setār (long-necked lute), santur (hammered dulcimer), kamānche (fiddle) and ney (reed pipe). It is also performed on other musical instruments such as the ‘ud, qānun, and violin. The radif, as a model repertory, serves as a point of departure for actual musical performances in terms of improvisation and composition in Persian classical music. The main performance practice of Iranian traditional music unfolds through improvisation, which is the spontaneous creation of music according the mood of the performer and in response to the audience, inspired by the spatial and temporal context of performance. All performances of Persian classical music rely on the rich treasury of melodic modes of the radif.

Iran 2009

Gamelan is the percussion orchestra of Indonesia. Gamelan is a set of traditional music instruments mostly made of hand-forged metal (bronze, brass, and iron). Gamelan consist of slab-type (wilahan) instruments: saron/sarun/pemade, demung/sarun ganal, gender/kiliningan, slenthem/selentem/jegogan, peking/sarun paking/kantilan, kecrek/keprak, and gong-type (pencon) instruments: gong, kempul, kenong, bonang, trompong, kethuk, and kempyang. Other instruments, e.g., zither and seruling (bamboo flute). Gamelan instruments are played by beating (gong, saron, demung, slenthem, kecer); plucking and strumming (siter, kecapi, rebab); tapping (kendang); and blowing (flute). The pitch and tuning of gamelan are slendro and/or pelog (pentatonic and/or heptatonic), each has its own frequency and interval pattern. Lower and higher pitched instrument pairs, together, they produce Indonesian Gamelan melodies, which resonate the sound of ombak (beats) or pelayangan (vibrato). Gamelan music has its own techniques and forms, i.e., one melody performed simultaneously by the different instruments (heterophony), the technique of interlocking multiple instruments to structure their rhythms (interlocking part), and the rhythmic and metric patterns of beat and punctuation (colotomic punctuation). Gamelan is used for human life-cycle rituals and ceremonies, mental-health therapy and other purposes, e.g., to refine character, develop life skills, increase study concentration, self-confidence and motivation. As entertainment, Gamelan is performed at music concerts, theatres, and other artistic expressions. Archaeological evidence of gamelan was found in the bas-reliefs of the 8th-century Borobudur temple. Gamelan is widely known in Indonesia and abroad.

Indonesia 2021

Ca Trù singing has other names such as: A Dao singing, Dao nuong ca, Co Tou singing, Nha tro singing, communal house singing, Nha To singing..., derived from folk songs, folk music plus a number of performances and games. folk dance. From the way of worshiping at the communal house door, singing the congee, singing the crowd... Ca trù has gradually been professionalized. Belonging to a folk performance art form, the uniqueness of Ca Trù is that it is an art that combines poetry, music and sometimes dance and performance. The performance space of Ca Trù is diverse, each with its own singing style and performance method. Ca Trù singing has 5 main performance spaces: hát cửa đình (hát thờ), hát cửa quyền (hat cung đình hay hát chúc hỗ), singing at home (hát nhà tơ), singing Thi, and singing ca quan (hát chơi). The performance form of ca trù is a chanting consisting of three main components: a female vocalist (called "dao" or "ca Nuong") using a percussion set to take the beat; a male musician (referred to as "kép") plays the bass lute to accompany the singing, sometimes singing and dancing in both hat su and hat giai singing styles; people who enjoy ca trù (called "quan vien", connoisseurs of sound law, vocal music, and dance) beat drums to punctuate sentences and express their satisfaction with drum sounds. Both the singer, the man, the listener participate in the singing. Ca Trù's greatest contribution to Vietnamese culture is the birth of spoken poetry. In terms of music, the characteristic of Ca Trù is that there are three types of musical instruments: bottom lute, beat and drum, which have contributed to making Ca Trù become a special musical genre of Vietnam.

Viet Nam 2009

Inscribed in 2008 (3.COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (originally proclaimed in 2003) Pansori is a genre of musical storytelling performed by a vocalist and a drummer.This popular tradition, characterized by expressive singing, stylized speech, a repertory of narratives and gesture, embraces both elite and folk culture. During performances lasting up to eight hours, a male or female singer, accompanied by a single barrel drum, improvises on texts that combine rural and erudite literary expressions. The term Pansori is derived from the Korean words pan, meaning “a place where many people gather”, and sori meaning “song”. Pansori originated in south-west Korea in the seventeenth century, probably as a new expression of the narrative songs of shamans. It remained an oral tradition among the common people until the late nineteenth century, by which time it acquired more sophisticated literary content and enjoyed considerable popularity among the urban elite. The settings, characters and situations that make up the Pansori universe are rooted in the Korea of the Joseon period (1392-1910). Pansori singers undergo long and rigorous training to master the wide range of distinct vocal timbres and to memorize the complex repertories. Many virtuosos have developed personal interpretive styles and are renowned for their particular manner of performing specific episodes.

South Korea 2003