Exploring Music in Context Section 1: AOI 1

For my Exploring Music in Context Section 1: AOI 1, I decided to change up my stimulus piece, as the Indonesian national anthem proved difficult to find sheet music for. Since there are also multiple different recordings for different versions of the piece online, I thought it would be best to change to a similar piece—Myanmar’s national anthem Kaba Ma Kyei, or “Till The End of The World.” 


The official translation of the lyrics is: 


Accompanied with justice and freedom;

our nation, our motherland.

To bring peace to all people;

the nation having equal right and pure policy,

our nation, our motherland.

Let us preserve with vow

for perpetuity of our heritage of the Union.


As long as the world exists, we love Myanmar,

the true heritage of our ancestors.

We shall safeguard the Union by sacrificing our lives.

This is our nation, our motherland and our own land.

Let us serve unitedly for the interest of our nation, our motherland.

That is our duty for the precious land.


Kaba Ma Kyei was composed by Sayatin, a member of the “Dombama Asiayone (We Burmans)” group that was a Burmeses nationalist group against the controlling British government. Kaba Ma Kyei was an official song of sorts for Dobama Asiayone. When Burma was being occupied by Britain and Japan, the song slowly transitioned into a national symbol. In 1948, the Kaba May Kyei became the official anthem of Burma. There are two versions of the anthem: one that includes a traditional Burmese section in the beginning of the piece, and a shorter version that I will be adapting to my instrument, as the former is a little over two minutes long. Singers also must give a small bow when they are done singing the anthem, in order to signify respect. 


As for musical techniques, the Kaba Ma Kyei is usually written in 2/4 time, although I have seen some scores with it written in 4/8 time. It is written in the key of B flat major, and usually performed around 80 bpm. In order to incorporate elements of the Kaba Ma Kyei into my adaptation of the piece, I should play with lots of expression. For example, in order to capture the fact that the anthem is usually vocalized, I plan to play with lots of vibrato, to make the double bass sound like a human.  Because the piece is meant to be played slowly, I need to make sure I do not rush, and play with a grand and expressive tone. This is further emphasized with the sheet music reading “moderato,” meaning the piece should not be played too fast. I also need to make sure my phrasing is good, and that there isn’t too much space in how I play the piece. I also need to make sure I play fermata and emphasize the last three notes, to capture the grandiose nature of the anthem. If there is a video of me playing and not just the audio, I will also incorporate a small bow after I am done performing, in order to show my respect to the anthem. 


The official score can just be found on Wikipedia, so here it is: 


Source Used: http://nationalanthems.info/mm.htm

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