Az ausztrál őslakosok zenei kultúrája – a didgeridoo jelene és múltja

For centuries, making music was a communal experience. Although it is true that some artists have now “moved up” onto the stage while the audience has been “moved down” into the auditorium, and it is also true that these days we can listen to almost any music alone with earphones in our ears, all this is a relatively new development in historical terms. While of course this new fashion has its own magic, in the Global Village+ series we would like to return to the roots, break down the invisible wall between stage and audience, and draw the audience into the community of music makers.

We begin the season with the musical culture of the Australian Aboriginal people, focusing in particular on getting to know the didgeridoo, guided by none other than Balázs Martin, didgeridoo player, instrument maker, and workshop leader. The didgeridoo is one of the oldest wind instruments in the world, originally used for thousands of years by the Indigenous peoples of northern Australia. Traditionally it is made from the trunk or branch of a eucalyptus tree hollowed out by termites, yet because of the way it is played – which among modern instruments is perhaps closest to the tuba – in terms of organology it is still classified as belonging to the brass family. In the presentation we will learn about the instrument’s history and symbolism, as well as traditional and contemporary playing techniques. We will provide each participant with a practice instrument made from paper tubes, on which everyone can try producing sound, and what is more, using the Aboriginal Australian motifs they have learned, each person can shape it according to their own taste.

The program is interactive but does not require any prior musical training; everyone interested is warmly welcome to make music together!