Difference between revisions of "African music" - New World Encyclopedia

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#redirect[[Music of Africa]]
 
 
Some musical genres of [[Northern Africa]], [[Horn of Africa|Northeast Africa]] and the islands off the [[East Africa]]n coast
 
share both traditional African and [[Middle Eastern music|Middle Eastern]] features.
 
 
 
== Distinguishing features ==
 
===Rhythmic complexity===
 
Sub-Saharan music has as its special feature a rhythmic music that has spread to other regions, especially to the Americans. The unique way of African [[polyrhythm]] is the ''distinguishing coherence'' of the African rhythmic pattern.
 
 
 
===Musical instruments===
 
Besides using the voice, a wide array of musical instruments are used. African [[musical instrument]]s include a wide array of [[drum (musical instrument)|drum]]s, [[slit gong]]s, [[rattle]]s, [[double bell]]s as well as melodic instruments like [[string instrument]]s ([[musical bow]]s, different types of [[harp]]s and harp-like instruments like the [[Kora (instrument)|Kora]]  as well as [[fiddle]]s), many types of [[xylophone]] and [[lamellophone]] such as the [[mbira]] and different types of [[wind instrument]] like [[flute]]s and [[trumpet]]s (spelling of instruments may vary due to literal translation).
 
 
 
Drums used in African traditional music include [[talking drum|tama talking drums]], [[bougarabou]] and [[djembe]] in [[West Africa]], [[water drum]]s in [[Central Africa|Central]] and West Africa, and different types of drums are often called [[engoma drums|engoma]] or ngoma in Central and [[Southern Africa]].
 
 
 
During colonial times, European instruments such as [[saxophone]]s, trumpets, and [[guitar]]s were adopted by many African musicians; their sounds were integrated into the traditional patterns and are widely used in African popular music.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
===Relationship to language===
 
Many [[African Languages]] are [[tonal languages]]. In many African cultures, this leads to a close connection between music and language. In singing, the tonal pattern or the text puts some constraints on the melodic patterns. On the other hand, in instrumental music, a native speaker of a language can often perceive a text or texts in the music. This effect also forms the basis of [[drum (communication)|drum languages]] ([[talking drum]]s).
 
 
 
===Relationship to dance===
 
[[Image:DN-ST-85-08495.jpg|right|thumb|250px|An African woman, wearing native garments, performs during a visit from participants in the West Africa Training Cruise 1983.]]
 
The treatment of "music" and "dance" as separate art forms is a European idea. In many African languages there is no concept corresponding exactly to these terms. For example, in many Bantu languages, there is one concept that might be translated as "song" and another that covers both the semantic fields of the European concepts of "music" and "dance". So there is one word for both music and dance (the exact meaning of the concepts may differ from culture to culture).
 
 
 
For example, in Kiswahili, the word "ngoma" may be translated as "drum", "dance", "dance event", "dance celebration" or "music", depending on the context. Each of these translations is incomplete.
 
 
 
Therefore, from an [[intracultural]] point of view, African music and [[African dance]] must be viewed in very close connection. The classification of the phenomena of this area of culture into "music" and "dance" is foreign to many African cultures.
 
 
 
==Traditional music==
 
A lot of African [[traditional music]] is or was performed by professional musicians. Some of it is courtly music or sacral music. Therefore, the term "folk" music is not always appropriate. Nevertheless, both the terms "folk music" and "traditional music" can be found in the literature.
 
 
 
[[List of Sub-Saharan African folk music traditions|African folk music]] and traditional music is mostly functional in nature. There are, for example, many different kinds of [[work song]]s, ceremonial or religious music and courtly music performed at royal courts, but none of these are performed outside of their intended social context.
 
 
 
Music is highly functional in African ethnic life, accompanying [[Childbirth|birth]], [[marriage]], [[hunting]], and even political activities. Similarities with other cultures, particularly Indian and Middle Eastern, can be ascribed primarily to the spread of Islam.
 
 
 
== Popular music ==
 
:''For more details on this topic, see [[African popular music]]''
 
 
 
== Influence in American music ==
 
African music has been a major factor in the shaping of what we know today as [[blues]] and [[jazz]]. These styles have all, to some extent, borrowed from African rhythms and sounds, brought over the Atlantic ocean by slaves. [[Paul Simon]], on his album "[[Graceland (album)|Graceland]]" has used African bands and music along with his own lyrics.
 
 
 
==See also==
 
*[[Paul Berliner]] 
 
*[[Gerhard Kubik]]
 
*[[International Library of African Music]]
 
*[[Ashenafi Kebede]]
 
*[[:fr:Robert Ayitee|Robert Ayitee]]
 
 
 
== References ==
 
*[[Hugh Tracey|Tracey, Hugh]]. (1961). The evolution of African music and its function in the present day. Johannesburg: Institute for the Study of Man in Africa.
 
* Lomax, Alan: Folk song style and culture. American Association for the Advancement of Science, Publication No. 88, Washingthon 1968.
 
* Lomax, Alan, Bertenieff, Irmgaard, Paulay, Forrestine: Choreometrics: a method for the study or cross-cultural pattern in film. Research Film, Vol 6, No. 6, Göttingen 1969.
 
* {{cite book|title=Worlds of Music: An Introduction to the Music of the World's Peoples|chapter=Africa/Ghana|author=Koetting, James T|pages=67-104|year=1992|edition=Second edition|location=New York | publisher=Schirmer Books|id=ISBN 0-02-872602-2}}
 
* [[Gerhard Kubik|Kubik, Gerhard]] [http://www.lit-verlag.de/isbn/3-8258-7800-7 Zum Verstehen Afrikanischer Musik, Aufsätze, Reihe: Ethnologie: Forschung und Wissenschaft, Bd. 7, 2., aktualisierte und ergänzte Auflage, 2004, 448 S., ISBN 3-8258-7800-7] (in German language)
 
* Simon, Artur (Ed.), "Musik in Afrika", (Staatliche Museen) Berlin 1983 (in German language)
 
* Bender, Wolfgang: Sweet Mother - Moderne afrikanische Musik, 1985, Trickster Verlag, München. ISBN 3-923804-10-5 (in German language)
 
 
 
== External links ==
 
*[http://www.africanmusic.org/ AfricanMusic.org]
 
*[http://trumpet.sdsu.edu/M345/Knowledge_Webs/4African_MusicY/African_music.htm African Music]
 
*[http://www.afropop.org Afropop.org] - African music radio program on public radio
 
*[http://www.kubatana.net/html/archive/artcul/030521music.asp?sector=ARTCUL A glossary of African music styles]
 
*[http://ilam.ru.ac.za/ International Library of African Music] at Rhodes University Department of Music And Musicology
 
*[http://bbc.net.uk/worldservice/africa/features/rhythms/index.shtml Rhythms of the Continent (BBC)]
 
*[http://www.rootsyrecords.com/HtmlFiles/djembevideo.htm African Drumming Festivals and Ceremonies]
 
*[http://www.usd.edu/smm/Africa/African.html Some African musical instruments]
 
*[http://www.doctagasaro.com Rwandan Musician Docta Gasaro]
 
 
 
{{Africa in topic|Music of}}
 
[[Category:African music| ]]
 
 
 
[[de:Traditionelle afrikanische Musik]]
 
[[es:Música africana]]
 
[[fr:Musique africaine]]
 
[[it:Musica africana]]
 
[[hu:Afrika zenéje]]
 
[[sv:Afrikansk musik]]
 
 
 
{{credits|African_Music|
 
 
 
Some musical genres of [[Northern Africa]], [[Horn of Africa|Northeast Africa]] and the islands off the [[East Africa]]n coast
 
share both traditional African and [[Middle Eastern music|Middle Eastern]] features.
 
 
 
== Distinguishing features ==
 
===Rhythmic complexity===
 
Sub-Saharan music has as its special feature a rhythmic music that has spread to other regions, especially to the Americans. The unique way of African [[polyrhythm]] is the ''distinguishing coherence'' of the African rhythmic pattern.
 
 
 
===Musical instruments===
 
Besides using the voice, a wide array of musical instruments are used. African [[musical instrument]]s include a wide array of [[drum (musical instrument)|drum]]s, [[slit gong]]s, [[rattle]]s, [[double bell]]s as well as melodic instruments like [[string instrument]]s ([[musical bow]]s, different types of [[harp]]s and harp-like instruments like the [[Kora (instrument)|Kora]]  as well as [[fiddle]]s), many types of [[xylophone]] and [[lamellophone]] such as the [[mbira]] and different types of [[wind instrument]] like [[flute]]s and [[trumpet]]s (spelling of instruments may vary due to literal translation).
 
 
 
Drums used in African traditional music include [[talking drum|tama talking drums]], [[bougarabou]] and [[djembe]] in [[West Africa]], [[water drum]]s in [[Central Africa|Central]] and West Africa, and different types of drums are often called [[engoma drums|engoma]] or ngoma in Central and [[Southern Africa]].
 
 
 
During colonial times, European instruments such as [[saxophone]]s, trumpets, and [[guitar]]s were adopted by many African musicians; their sounds were integrated into the traditional patterns and are widely used in African popular music.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
===Relationship to language===
 
Many [[African Languages]] are [[tonal languages]]. In many African cultures, this leads to a close connection between music and language. In singing, the tonal pattern or the text puts some constraints on the melodic patterns. On the other hand, in instrumental music, a native speaker of a language can often perceive a text or texts in the music. This effect also forms the basis of [[drum (communication)|drum languages]] ([[talking drum]]s).
 
 
 
===Relationship to dance===
 
[[Image:DN-ST-85-08495.jpg|right|thumb|250px|An African woman, wearing native garments, performs during a visit from participants in the West Africa Training Cruise 1983.]]
 
The treatment of "music" and "dance" as separate art forms is a European idea. In many African languages there is no concept corresponding exactly to these terms. For example, in many Bantu languages, there is one concept that might be translated as "song" and another that covers both the semantic fields of the European concepts of "music" and "dance". So there is one word for both music and dance (the exact meaning of the concepts may differ from culture to culture).
 
 
 
For example, in Kiswahili, the word "ngoma" may be translated as "drum", "dance", "dance event", "dance celebration" or "music", depending on the context. Each of these translations is incomplete.
 
 
 
Therefore, from an [[intracultural]] point of view, African music and [[African dance]] must be viewed in very close connection. The classification of the phenomena of this area of culture into "music" and "dance" is foreign to many African cultures.
 
 
 
==Traditional music==
 
A lot of African [[traditional music]] is or was performed by professional musicians. Some of it is courtly music or sacral music. Therefore, the term "folk" music is not always appropriate. Nevertheless, both the terms "folk music" and "traditional music" can be found in the literature.
 
 
 
[[List of Sub-Saharan African folk music traditions|African folk music]] and traditional music is mostly functional in nature. There are, for example, many different kinds of [[work song]]s, ceremonial or religious music and courtly music performed at royal courts, but none of these are performed outside of their intended social context.
 
 
 
Music is highly functional in African ethnic life, accompanying [[Childbirth|birth]], [[marriage]], [[hunting]], and even political activities. Similarities with other cultures, particularly Indian and Middle Eastern, can be ascribed primarily to the spread of Islam.
 
 
 
== Popular music ==
 
:''For more details on this topic, see [[African popular music]]''
 
 
 
== Influence in American music ==
 
African music has been a major factor in the shaping of what we know today as [[blues]] and [[jazz]]. These styles have all, to some extent, borrowed from African rhythms and sounds, brought over the Atlantic ocean by slaves. [[Paul Simon]], on his album "[[Graceland (album)|Graceland]]" has used African bands and music along with his own lyrics.
 
 
 
==See also==
 
*[[Paul Berliner]] 
 
*[[Gerhard Kubik]]
 
*[[International Library of African Music]]
 
*[[Ashenafi Kebede]]
 
*[[:fr:Robert Ayitee|Robert Ayitee]]
 
 
 
== References ==
 
*[[Hugh Tracey|Tracey, Hugh]]. (1961). The evolution of African music and its function in the present day. Johannesburg: Institute for the Study of Man in Africa.
 
* Lomax, Alan: Folk song style and culture. American Association for the Advancement of Science, Publication No. 88, Washingthon 1968.
 
* Lomax, Alan, Bertenieff, Irmgaard, Paulay, Forrestine: Choreometrics: a method for the study or cross-cultural pattern in film. Research Film, Vol 6, No. 6, Göttingen 1969.
 
* {{cite book|title=Worlds of Music: An Introduction to the Music of the World's Peoples|chapter=Africa/Ghana|author=Koetting, James T|pages=67-104|year=1992|edition=Second edition|location=New York | publisher=Schirmer Books|id=ISBN 0-02-872602-2}}
 
* [[Gerhard Kubik|Kubik, Gerhard]] [http://www.lit-verlag.de/isbn/3-8258-7800-7 Zum Verstehen Afrikanischer Musik, Aufsätze, Reihe: Ethnologie: Forschung und Wissenschaft, Bd. 7, 2., aktualisierte und ergänzte Auflage, 2004, 448 S., ISBN 3-8258-7800-7] (in German language)
 
* Simon, Artur (Ed.), "Musik in Afrika", (Staatliche Museen) Berlin 1983 (in German language)
 
* Bender, Wolfgang: Sweet Mother - Moderne afrikanische Musik, 1985, Trickster Verlag, München. ISBN 3-923804-10-5 (in German language)
 
 
 
== External links ==
 
*[http://www.africanmusic.org/ AfricanMusic.org]
 
*[http://trumpet.sdsu.edu/M345/Knowledge_Webs/4African_MusicY/African_music.htm African Music]
 
*[http://www.afropop.org Afropop.org] - African music radio program on public radio
 
*[http://www.kubatana.net/html/archive/artcul/030521music.asp?sector=ARTCUL A glossary of African music styles]
 
*[http://ilam.ru.ac.za/ International Library of African Music] at Rhodes University Department of Music And Musicology
 
*[http://bbc.net.uk/worldservice/africa/features/rhythms/index.shtml Rhythms of the Continent (BBC)]
 
*[http://www.rootsyrecords.com/HtmlFiles/djembevideo.htm African Drumming Festivals and Ceremonies]
 
*[http://www.usd.edu/smm/Africa/African.html Some African musical instruments]
 
*[http://www.doctagasaro.com Rwandan Musician Docta Gasaro]
 
 
 
{{Africa in topic|Music of}}
 
[[Category:African music| ]]
 
 
 
{{credits|African_music|158756313}}
 

Latest revision as of 13:25, 29 May 2008

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