But The Muse can
reproduce other sounds, sounds that are much more pleasing to the ear than
those you might hear from our musical sextet.
The music you are now hearing is an example. It was not yanked from under a camel; it is the
result of a three-year effort by ethnomusicologists, composers, and
performers. It is a selection from Blue
Little Flower, a Chinese traditional song from an album called Silk
Road Journeys: When Strangers Meet, in which Yo-Yo Ma plays the cello.
Pretty good, eh?
We're tuning in to Blue Little Flower about half through, just
before the vocal begins after an instrumental introduction by several
musicians, most notably Wu Tong playing the sheng, an ancient form of
mouth organ.
The point? The Muse Of Music is inviting you to
join this exploration of the world of music and to experiment and discover there. In the
process you may uncover some things to like, some to dislike. If you accept,
you and The Muse will embark on an adventure as intriguing and sometimes as
exotic as the Silk Road. It may not
always be a pleasant trip—you might not always
enjoy yourself; but by stepping into the world of music with an open and
inquiring attitude, you will experience many things to relish and savor while
on the trail and in the future, as well as things to avoid.
And if you've previously trod paths like these before coming to these
pages, consider the trip ahead a visit to a far land you've returned to many
times and learned to love. Ahead, you may revisit old haunts where once you
were accustomed to make merry, trip to an oasis where long ago you spent a
joyful midnight around a bonfire at a guarded caravansary, step again into
musty buildings, thrill to spectacles that never tire, dine at familiar cozy
restaurants, smell scents you adore, re-greet friends you learned to love
and respect. You might even ride the musical equivalent of a camel! there're
lots of things to do to keep you occupied while you're there—making
new friends or investigating dazzling new edifices erected since you
last strode along familiar byways or glanced into back alleys. You may even
compile a list of things to do after you return home, and things to think
hard about later. And when you leave you'll take an ear-full of fond
memories.
about the silk road and the Silk road Project
The Silk Road is the name given to a series of trade routes
that crisscrossed Eurasia from the first millennium BCE through the middle
of the second millennium CE. This historic set of roads stretched 5.000
miles from Japan to ancient Rome.
The Silk Road Project is a not-for-profit arts, cultural and educational
organization. It was founded in 1998 by cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who serves as its
artistic director. Its objective is to bring together artists and audiences
around the globe. Inspired by the cultural traditions of the historic Silk
Road, the Silk Road Project is a catalyst promoting innovation and learning
through the arts.
The Silk Road Ensemble is comprised of a collective of musicians from the
Silk Road lands and the West. Performing new commissions as well as
traditional music, the Ensemble is dedicated to exploring the relationship
between tradition and innovation in music. The music played at this Muse Of
Music page is performed by this group.
