THE MUSIC OF SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

THE MUSIC OF SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Sub-Saharan Africa is

extremely diverse

We will explore the relationship between African music and the kinds of culture that produce it

A Shona Mbira

performance in Zimbabwe

is our first case study

Mbira music: "Nhemamusasa" Textbook CD 2, track 11

The Pygmies are nomadic hunters and gathers of equatorial Africa

They use vocal choirs, flute duets, trumpets made from tree bark or ivory, and the

musical bow

BaMbuti vocal music: “Alima Girls’ Initiation

Music.” Textbook CD 2, track 12

The Mande of West Africa come from Senegal and

Gambia

Kora music: “Ala l’a ke” Textbook CD 2, track 13

The Ewe of Ghana have club organizations that maintain semiprofessional drum and

dance troupes

“Gadzo” Textbook

CD 2, track 14

The Buganda Kingdom

desecrated musical

instruments after the 1962 insurrection

Greetings and Praises

Performed on the Yoruba Dùndún

DrumTextbook CD 2,

track 15

Musical Bow Played by a

BaMbuti Pygmy Textbook CD 2,

track 16

Popular music in

the twentieth

century includes

West African highlife

brass bands

I.K. Dairo and The Blue Spots,

“Salome” Textbook CD,

track 17

“Chitima Ndikature” Thomas

Mapfumo and The Blacks Unlimited

Textbook CD 2, track 18

Despite the diversity, a few underlying principles characterize the music of the

whole region

Interlocking is the practice of fitting pitches into spaces between other

parts

An example is the whole melody

created by a mbira player’s

two hands

Call and response is very common

Hocket is the interlocking

pitches between two or more

sources.An example is Pygmy vocal

music

Dense, overlapping textures and

fuzzy timbres in overlapping drum

rhythms is common

Ostinatos are the basic foundation of a performance

Community participation is key

The importance of rhythmic complexity is not to be

underestimated

Summary

Sub-Saharan Africa is a huge

area.There are,

however, some common general

musical characteristics

African music favors ostinatos, polyphony, and

interlocking parts

Musical performance is often a communal participatory activity

Many musical performances

accompany religious or civic rituals

Social structure and conditions influences music and performance

Key instruments include

lamellaphones (the mbira), strings (the

kora), xylophones,

trumpets, flutes, musical bows,

and drums

During the 20th century,

cosmopolitan musical

influences have been

incorporated into the African musical scene

Is there an equivalent to

African interlocking in

Western music, and how might it

work?

Is there an equivalent to African interlocking in an Asian music studied

thus far, and how does it work?

Why would Pygmy communal living bear an influence on vocal hocket?

Why would Pygmy nomadic

life prevent Pygmies from using many

musical instruments?

Why do the words of the jali have as much importance as

writing?

Are there equivalents to the

jali in Western music, and what

do they say?

Does our popular music use drumming in the same manner as African

drumming, or is it different?

What might befall an

African court music tradition in the event of

political insurrection,

and how could it be guarded?

How have traditional African

musical instruments and styles survived in

the rapidly changing world?