THE MUSIC OF SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

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THE MUSIC OF SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
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Sub-Saharan Africa is extremely diverse
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We will explore the relationship between African
music and the kinds of culture that produce it
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A Shona Mbira performance in Zimbabwe is our
first case study
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Mbira music "Nhemamusasa" Textbook CD 2, track
11
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The Pygmies are nomadic hunters and gathers of
equatorial Africa
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They use vocal choirs, flute duets, trumpets made
from tree bark or ivory, and the musical bow
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BaMbuti vocal music Alima Girls Initiation
Music. Textbook CD 2, track 12
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The Mande of West Africa come from Senegal and
Gambia
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Kora music Ala la ke Textbook CD 2, track 13
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The Ewe of Ghana have club organizations that
maintain semiprofessional drum and dance troupes
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Gadzo Textbook CD 2, track 14
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The Buganda Kingdom desecrated musical
instruments after the 1962 insurrection
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Greetings and Praises Performed on the Yoruba
Dùndún DrumTextbook CD 2, track 15
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Musical Bow Played by a BaMbuti Pygmy Textbook
CD 2, track 16
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Popular music in the twentieth century includes
West African highlife brass bands
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I.K. Dairo and The Blue Spots, Salome Textbook
CD, track 17
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Chitima Ndikature Thomas Mapfumo and The Blacks
Unlimited Textbook CD 2, track 18
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Despite the diversity, a few underlying
principles characterize the music of the whole
region
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Interlocking is the practice of fitting pitches
into spaces between other parts
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An example is the whole melody created by a mbira
players two hands
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Call and response is very common
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Hocket is the interlocking pitches between two or
more sources.An example is Pygmy vocal music
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Dense, overlapping textures and fuzzy timbres in
overlapping drum rhythms is common
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Ostinatos are the basic foundation of a
performance
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Community participation is key
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The importance of rhythmic complexity is not to
be underestimated
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Summary
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Sub-Saharan Africa is a huge area.There are,
however, some common general musical
characteristics
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African music favors ostinatos, polyphony, and
interlocking parts
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Musical performance is often a communal
participatory activity
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Many musical performances accompany religious or
civic rituals
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Social structure and conditions influences music
and performance
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Key instruments include lamellaphones (the
mbira), strings (the kora), xylophones, trumpets,
flutes, musical bows, and drums
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During the 20th century, cosmopolitan musical
influences have been incorporated into the
African musical scene
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Is there an equivalent to African interlocking in
Western music, and how might it work?
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Is there an equivalent to African interlocking in
an Asian music studied thus far, and how does it
work?
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Why would Pygmy communal living bear an influence
on vocal hocket?
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Why would Pygmy nomadic life prevent Pygmies from
using many musical instruments?
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Why do the words of the jali have as much
importance as writing?
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Are there equivalents to the jali in Western
music, and what do they say?
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Does our popular music use drumming in the same
manner as African drumming, or is it different?
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What might befall an African court music
tradition in the event of political insurrection,
and how could it be guarded?
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How have traditional African musical instruments
and styles survived in the rapidly changing world?