Nene Moj Analysis

A Look at Societal Benefits of Intertwining Folkloric Songs with Modern Genres through Musical Analysis of ‘Nene Moj’, a Piece by Contemporary Jazz Artist Elina Duni.

Jazz, the wonderful genre that has always been associated with political and social equality. Sometimes seen as chaotic, sometimes as the representation of raw freedom of expression, it is undeniable that Jazz has influenced artists and musical styles around the world for decades. In Europe, the genre underwent major development in the 1920s that continued through the ‘90s, and although it is not as widespread today, it has managed to retain a strong audience of all ages (Zebrowsky, Jazz in the United States and Europe). I was interested to learn more, and in the process, I stumbled

The original song is of moderate tempo and starts with a clarinet, eventually adding onto it a number of traditional percussion and string instruments (cifteli, lahute, def). The structure of the lyrics is typical to Balkan folk songs: a recurring phrase is repeated in every other verse, the lyrics are grouped into stanzas, and have an alternating rhyme scheme. The melody is based on repetition of the same pattern with minor changes, and emotion in the voice is expressed through ornamentation – slight, sudden, deliberate variations in pitch and loudness (Nettl, The General Character of European Folk Music). Finally, the singers are using polyphony: the singing of two or more individual solos at the same time by different people. Compared to traditional singing, it strengthens the affect one elicits from the song, while also giving the listener room for interpretation based on which voice they differentiate as the figure that stands out from ground. In the meanwhile, the accompanying elements play in unison, giving the listener the perception of an entirely new instrument characterized by a mixed timbre. Thus, an experienced listener knows what to expect from this song, relying on its narrative to understand the composer’s emotional state, and pitch contour to infer

If handled with care, I do not see reason to have any. True, we cannot control the quality of the output, but we do control what we decide to listen to and why. Moreover, the benefits are many: First, we have the ability to enhance the melody and accurately represent the emotion of the lyrics. This will aid in the creation of more accurate image schema of the entire song, eventually inducing a stronger affect to the reader. Consequently, narratives of traditional songs, which depict historical struggles of a nation, are now perceived more vividly than they ever have through music. The original meaning is not only retained, but also enhanced.

Secondly, as was previously stated, folk music is made for people, by people. There has to be change to have development, and picking the right elements to transfer and adapt to a new genre does not mean the original is gone, just that it is being used as a building block for something better, that will resonate to more people throughout the world. After all, the essence will remain the same, and so will the trace back to the original, if people would be interested in knowing the origins and history behind these