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The historical background of western and african music
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The historical background of western and african music
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This world is a big place. It is very diverse, in culture, beliefs, traditions, and even music. Music is an important part of this world; not just pop music and what many first world countries are used to, but music of the world as well, such as melodies in Cuba or Africa. These two countries share many characteristics in their music, despite being two very different places. From the melody, to the rhythm, and even the instruments and cultural practices, the countries of Cuba and Africa have both very similar traits in their music.
Rhythm is the pattern of music. It is one of the key characteristics to define music as what it is. Rhythm is valuable, and in both Cuban and West-African music, it is one of the most crucial parts of their music. Cuban music can be separated into many different sub-categories, one of them being the Son Cubano, a type of music that originated in Cuba, and is heavily influenced by African music. Son music has very few characteristics that fully developed by itself; the music has strong hints of Spanish guitar, melody, monophony and lyrical translation with African percussion and rhythms, all merged together to show that the music had developed traits that it had borrowed from other cultures, mainly Africa. This clearly demonstrates the distinct similarities between these two nations, and how one adapted a part of the others music. Another interrelation is how both culture's music is quite simple; no complex harmonies or complicated reading of music, but with decidedly trickier rhythms. In West-Cuban music, they have an element called polyrhythm, which means multiple or opposing rhythmic patterns played at the same time. Usually, there are multiple drummers to play the separate parts, so in the end it c...
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Reggae and Zydeco, as well as many other musical genres have ties that go as far as Africa.
Monson, I. (2010).Freedom sounds : civil rights call out to jazz and Africa. New York Oxford: Oxford University Press.
The term Ska is used to describe a style of Jamaican popular music between 1961 and 1965 as noted by Kenneth Golang, a traditional ska band consisted of piano, guitars, bass, drums, saxophone and brass.
Hip-hop music and the culture embodied within it has become a global and hybrid phenomena. The latter has been both adopted and arrogated by many different cultures, ethnicities, races, and nationalities all over the globe. Globalization plays a notable role in the significant growth presence of hip-hop in major cities around Africa in the past two to three decades, by gaining access to information through the Internet and television (Charry 2012, p. 170). Specifically speaking, Nigeria has become the hub of the television and entertainment industry in Africa gaining a large following, influence, and adoption of hip-hop music but specifically the rap genre. Nigeria is among the very few nations that have successfully incorporated hip-hop culture amidst the youth but also creating their own form of authentic Nigerian hip-hop called Naija hip-hop (Oikelome 2013, p. 85). More so, this form of hip-hop has created an outlet for the youth to listen to something new with a global edge...
“How Musical is Man?” was published in 1974. This book was written by John Blacking, a musician turned social anthropologist. His goal in writing this ethnography, and several other papers during this same time period, was to compare the experience of music-making that takes place within different cultures and societies throughout the world. In this book, he discusses and describes the musicology of the Venda people in South Africa. Though he does go to Africa to research and learn about the Venda people and their music, he specifically states that his book is “not a scholarly study of human musicality” (ix), but rather it is a summary (written from his point of view), which is both expressive and entertaining, of several different issues and ideas that he has seemingly been contemplating for some time.
Angeles, Los. (2009). African arts. Volume 28. Published by African Studies Center, University of California.
Music played a very important role in the lives of people is diaspora communities. It served as a reminder for the immigrants of their homeland, which allowed them to proudly express their national and cultural identities. Diaspora refers to an international network of communities linked together by the identification of a common ancestral homeland and culture. People in these communities are no longer living in their homelands, with no guarantee of a return either. (Bakan, 19). Music played a large role in African diaspora communities. This was first started by the slave trades many years ago when slave traders traveled to the coast of West Africa to capture Africans and brought them back to the United States to be slaves on plantations. Slaves were more prone to loose a sense of their own culture because every new aspect of their lives was forced upon them, therefore they were undoubtedly forced to abandon their n...
One noticeable difference between (my knowledge of) popular Christianity in the U.S. and our current knowledge of African religions is the importance of the physical manifestation of its spirituality; this is most noticeably shown by the emphasis that many West African religions put on dancing, however it does share Christianity’s usage of music and singing as well. I must acknowledge that there are likely parts of Christianity that link similar practices to their religious experience, however their frequency seems to be lower in comparison. Albert J. Raboteau mentions that, in the Yoruba and Fon subsets, “the orisha and the vodun are called to take possession of their devotees by the songs and the drumming of of the cult group, each of the
Throughout the semester, various styles of music and the aspects of culture associated with these styles have been analyzed. Musical elements such as dynamics, texture, form, timbre, melody, instruments, etc., have been used to thoroughly explore each kind of music from different areas of the world, with an emphasis in music from Africa, India and Indonesia. These aspects of music go far beyond just music itself. Culture also plays a huge role in music and the accompanying musical elements. Each country and culture has a different style and distinctiveness that add to what makes the music of that certain culture unique. Music in Africa may differ dramatically from music in Indonesia or India not only due to those certain elements but also due to how it is interpreted by people and what it represents for those people. In addition to this, what one may consider music in one culture may not be music to another. These differences have been made apparent in the several demonstrations that we have been exposed to in class.
West African music was the music of the African people before the Europeans captured and sold them into slavery in the Americas. It was unique in the manner in which it was played as well as the reasons why it was played. West African music was documented around the 1600's when explorers wrote journals about what they had found while traveling.
The missing and fusing of cultures has made a great impact on the music culture itself. One example of this is the influence of African aesthetics, for instance African dress while performing. Enculturation is a key factor in the development of a multitude of music genres, and the importation of key features has changed the Latin American
The influence that music has throughout the world is immeasurable. Music evokes many feelings, surfaces old memories, and creates new ones all while satisfying a sense of human emotion. With the ability to help identify a culture, as well as educate countries about other cultures, music also provides for a sense of knowledge. Music can be a tool for many things: relaxation, stimulation and communication. But at the same time it can also be a tool for resistance: against parents, against police against power. Within the reign of imported culture, cross cultivation and the creation of the so-called global village lies the need to expand horizons to engulf more than just what you see everyday. It is important to note that the role of music in today’s world is a key tool in the process of globalization. However, this does not necessarily provide us with any reasons that would make us believe that music has a homogenizing affect on the world.
Music is a form of communication, letting others knows what is going on in the country, political, social or economic and any other problems the people of the Caribbean faced. With so many different ethnic backgrounds in the Caribbean, they are people with Asians, Indians, and Africans descents. This created a language and culture barrier but each ethnic background shared a common link music. Music bridged the gap between the different ethnicities Music is part of everyone’s culture especially here in the Caribbean. Our culture is recognized worldwide for its music. The Caribbean has different genres of music such as calypso, reggae, dance hall, zouk and many others. Our music has roots in both African and European cultures. The drum rhythm comes from the African in...
...econd African Writers Conference, Stockholm, 1986. Ed. Kirsten Holst Petersen. Upsala: Scandinavian Institute of African Studies, 1998. 173-202.
Music has played a role in society since the dawn of man. Said to be the beginning of communication in early civilization, music and dance have influenced how we think, act and treat members of our own society. Song and dance is used in rites of passage ceremonies such as births, weddings and funerals throughout the world. Jamaican and Yoruba cultures have made many contributions to our society. The uses of this music as a vehicle for political issues, values, and beliefs have been used by many musicians from different cultures. I intend to discuss the Contribution of these two contemporary cultures music and their effect on society.