Meklit Hadero: The unexpected beauty of everyday sounds
Meklit Hadero: Nečakaná krása každodenných zvukov
Meklit Hadero is an Ethiopian-American singer-songwriter living the cultural in-between, both in her own luminous compositions and as a co-founder of the Nile Project. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
or, as I like to call them,
alebo, ako ich nazývam ja,
and hip hop that I grew up with,
pri ktorých som vyrastala,
mojich predkov,
on my childhood radio stations.
hrajúci v rádiách počas môjho detstva.
there is another question:
influence the music that we make?
zvuky, ktoré počujeme denne?
inspiration for songwriting,
inšpirácii pre hudobnú tvorbu,
a little bit more closely,
trošku lepšie porozumeli,
about three things:
of true silence.
skutočného ticha.
a sense of a world
rada ukázala svet ako miesto
as active participants,
aktívnym účastníkom,
but before we do that,
no predtým, ako začnem,
of an opera singer warming up.
z hlasovej rozcvičky operného speváka.
of an opera singer warming up.
operného speváka.
recognizes as its own.
1987 Hungarian recording
z roku 1987
and slows down their pitches
ktorých výšku hlasu spomalil,
v skutočnej verzii)
were inspired by birdsong.
bola inšpirovaná vtáčím štebotom.
to be our musical teachers.
za svojich hudobných učiteľov.
are considered an integral part
za neoddeliteľnú súčasť
was born in the Empire of Aksum,
v Aksumskom kráľovstve,
of the ancient world.
his father died,
with an uncle, who was a priest
ktorý bol kňazom
of scholarship and learning,
obrovské množstvo štúdia
and study and study,
študovať a študovať,
keď študoval pod stromom,
became his teachers.
recognized as Saint Yared,
five volumes of chants and hymns
päť zbierok svojich piesní a hymien
to compose and to create
aby mohol skladať a vytvoril
into what is known as kiñit,
takzvaný „kiñit“,
modal system that is very much alive
ktorú počuť dodnes
in Ethiopia today.
it's true at multiple levels.
lebo je skutočný na viacerých úrovniach.
historickou osobnosťou
can be our musical teacher.
tune their instruments
in the forest around them.
v okolitých lesoch.
expert Bernie Krause describes
Bernie Krause opisuje,
has animals and insects
nachádzajú zvieratá a hmyz,
and high-frequency bands,
alebo vysokej frekvencie,
as a symphony does.
were inspired by bird and forest song.
bolo inšpirované piesňami vtákov a lesa.
can be our cultural teacher.
našim kultúrnym učiteľom.
human world of language.
ľudského jazyka.
with pitch to varying degrees,
výšky rôznymi spôsobmi,
gives the same phonetic syllable
dáva rovnakej fonetickej slabike
at the end of a sentence ...
of Amharic, Amhariña.
Amhariña.
the language of my parents,
jazyk mojich rodičov,
to fall in love with this language:
prečo sa zamilovať do tohto jazyka:
its double entendres,
the wisdom and follies of life.
múdrosti i pochabosti života.
a musicality built right in.
aj melodickosť a zvučnosť.
emphatic language --
to highlight or underline
in the audience,
something like "No!"
alebo „To určite neurobil!“
this was my very favorite word,
bolo to moje najobľúbenejšie slovo,
as it springs from someone's mouth.
keď z niekoho vyletí.
when I hear that word,
keď počujem toto slovo,
is floating through my mind.
for "It is right" or "It is correct" --
„Je to fajn“ alebo „Je to správne“ –
through my mind.
premieľať rozumom.
what I did was I took the melody
of those words and phrases
to use in these short compositions.
použité v týchto krátkych skladbách.
kind of as bass lines.
of Jason Moran and others
Jasona Morana a iných,
with music and language,
in my head since I was a kid,
čo mi blúdilo mysľou od detstva,
to each other and to us.
alebo s nami.
and from Amhariña that I learned
every sentence that we speak,
každou vetou, ktorú prehovoríme,
that we receive.
ktorú počujeme.
in the words I'm speaking even now.
aj v slovách, ktoré práve hovorím.
of 20th century avant-garde composition:
avantgardnej tvorby 20. storočia:
or combination of instruments.
či kombináciu nástrojov.
to walk onto the stage
vystúpiť na pódium
by the Museum of Modern Art --
múzeom moderného umenia
a single note written
nie je zapísaná ani jediná nota
when there are no strings
tam nikto nebrnká
or hands hammering piano keys,
či netrieska rukami po klávesách,
still there is music,
hudba je tu stále,
that arises from the audience themselves:
ktoré vzchádza zo samotného obecenstva:
their whispers, their sneezes,
jeho šepot, jeho kýchanie,
of the floors and the walls
creaking and groaning
and even controversial though it remains,
akokoľvek to je doteraz kontroverzné,
such thing as true silence.
neexistuje nič ako úplné ticho.
we still hear and feel the sound
stále počujeme a cítime zvuk tepu
with musical expression.
let's say, remixing John Cage
zremixovala Johna Cagea
in front of the stove cooking lentils.
a varila šošovicu.
and it was time to stir,
chystala som sa to premiešať,
the kitchen counter next to me,
na kuchynskú linku vedľa mňa
clanking against a counter)
o linku)
that cooking pan lid has."
zvláštny cool swing.“
a zjedli sme ju,
skúšobne na dvore
of the lid, and singing)
wasn't instructing musicians
for sonic textures to turn into music.
zvuky, ktoré premenia na hudbu.
and human hearing expert Charles Limb
a odborník na ľudský sluch, Charles Limb,
actually evolved to hear music,
aby počul hudbu,
than it needs to be for language alone.
že môže byť stvorená len pre jazyk.
as a musical desert,
ako hudobná pustina,
hanging out at the oasis,
but it's already playing.
and enjoy that exploration.
a užite si to pátranie.
to which we all belong.
ktorému patríme všetci.
percussion inspiration,
inšpiráciu na bicie,
as they roll over the unusual grooves
točia sa v nezvyčajných
na vašom sporáku
and dusk avian orchestras
leteckých orchestrov
of emphatic language.
jazyka dôrazu.
and we are the composers
a my sme tí skladatelia
or language or soundscape,
jazyka alebo prostredia,
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Meklit Hadero - Singer-songwriterMeklit Hadero is an Ethiopian-American singer-songwriter living the cultural in-between, both in her own luminous compositions and as a co-founder of the Nile Project.
Why you should listen
Meklit Hadero's music is imbued with poetry and multiplicity, from hybridized sounds of Tizita (haunting and nostalgic music) drawing from her Ethiopian heritage, to the annals of jazz, folk songs and rock & roll. Hadero describes her music as emanating from “in-between spaces,” and the result is a smoky, evocative world peopled by strong bass, world instruments and her soothing voice.
In the Nile Project, founded along with Egyptian ethnomusicologist Mina Girgis, Hadero set out to explore the music of the Nile basin, pulling influences from countries along the river, from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, and finally to Egypt. The project brings together hip-hop, traditional and contemporary music, with instruments and traditions old and new. As she says, "My work on a lot of levels is about multiplicity." Their new record is Aswan.
About her own music, here's what people say:
“Soulful, tremulous and strangely cinematic, Meklit’s voice will implant scenes in your mind — a softly lit supperclub, a Brooklyn stoop, a sun-baked road. Close your eyes, listen and dream." -- Seattle Times
"Meklit… combines N.Y. jazz with West Coast folk and African flourishes, all bound together by her beguiling voice, which is part sunshine and part cloudy day.” -- Filter Magazine
Meklit Hadero | Speaker | TED.com