who asked the first question? - International Research Center For ...

241(as “collective sutartines”), but in a different style, heavily influenced by the lateEuropean professional music;• Canon is the dominating type of polyphony in sutartines while in Nuristan thereare hardly any traces of it;• Polytonality is a “trademark” of the unique secondal sutartines. Secondalclashes in Nuristan polyphony and the two melodic centres are organized within onetonality, without real polytonal content;• The leading rhythm in Nuristan in 6/8, while in sutartines it is 4/4;• Change of key (or harmony) happens in sutartines after three bars, so the six-barstructure is equally divided into two sections. In Nuristan the change occurs within thethree-bar structure;• Sutartines were traditionally performed by women only, while Nuristanpolyphony is performed both by women and men (separately and even together);• In sutartines the number of performers is strictly limited by the tradition,allowing only two, three, or four performers to sing any example of sutartines. InNuristan the number of performers is not limited, so bigger and not so strictly organizedgroups can participate in singing;• Lithuanian sutartines is a two-part polyphony, while Nuristan polyphony ismostly three-part;• Lithuanian sutartines it an example of a cappella singing, while in Nuristanmusical instruments (most prominently the archaic harp wadzh and percussion) oftenaccompanies polyphonic singing;• There are several well-defined styles of sutartines in Lithuania (including thecanonic, heterophonic, drone types) while there is generally only one style of traditionalpolyphony in Nuristan;• Some Lithuanian sutartines sub-types display the obvious influence of theEuropean professional style, while there are hardly any traces of the influence ofEuropean professional music on Nuristan polyphony;• And finally, sharing the fate of many other polyphonic traditions, Lithuaniansutartines was completely lost as a folk tradition, while Nuristan polyphony is stillactively functioning in a society.As promised, here is the second list, discussing common elements between thesutartines and Nuristan polyphony:• Both traditions are based on the wide use of ostinato polyphony;• Both traditions make wide use of specific Lydian scale with the augmentedfourth.• In both traditions seconds are almost the only harmonic interval heard at anytime;• Melodies have a small range – mostly third or fourth (or augmented fourth);• Rhythmic recitation on the same note is an important part of the melodicdevelopment of both sutartines and Nuristan polyphony;• Melodic development of the leading parts often is based on the abundance ofsmall jumps on the thirds;