Mor lam is an ancient Lao song form of Laos and Isan (Northeastern
Thailand). Mor lam means expert song, or expert singer, referring to
the music or artist respectively. Traditionally mor lam was
extemporaneous singing accompanied by the khene, a free reed mouth
organ, but the modern form is most often composed and uses electrified
instruments. Musically it is characterised by quick tempi and rapid
delivery. As well as the usual theme of unrequited love, mor lam
reflects the difficulties of life in rural Isan and Laos, leavened
with wry humour. In its heartland performances are an essential part
of festivals and ceremonies, while the music has gained a profile
outside its native regions thanks to the spread of migrant workers,
for whom it remains an important cultural link with home.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mor_lam
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1801:
The U.S. House of Representatives elected Thomas Jefferson as
President and Aaron Burr as Vice President of the United States,
resolving an electoral tie in the 1800 presidential election.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._presidential_election%2C_1800)
1854:
Britain recognized the independence of the Orange Free State in the
present-day Free State Province, South Africa.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_Free_State)
1895:
The famous ballet, Swan Lake, was first performed at full length with
music by Tchaikovsky in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swan_Lake)
1959:
Vanguard 2, the first weather satellite, was launched to measure
cloud-cover distribution.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanguard_2)
1979:
About 120,000 troops of the People's Liberation Army of China crossed
into northern Vietnam, starting the Sino-Vietnamese War.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Vietnamese_War)
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Wikiquote of the day:
"There is one simple Divinity found in all things, everything has
Divinity latent within itself. For she enfolds and imparts herself
even unto the smallest beings. Without her presence nothing would have
being, because she is the essence of the existence of the first unto
the last being." -- Giordano Bruno
(
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Giordano_Bruno)