Africa is home to many countries, many people, and many musical cultures. Though the music from various countries around the continent is based in similar roots, there are styles and traditions that are unique to their own countries. With that said, I'd like to share a bit of info I have uncovered about the different styles and traditions from all over Africa. Specifically, I will cover the traditional instruments used in the country Ethiopia, the tradition of a famous dance from South Africa known as the Zula dance, and a general background for how music is used in the context of religion and worship.
The reason I chose to speak about the instruments from Ethiopia specifically is because one of my closest friends is actually from Ethiopia and was adopted into an American family when she was younger. Because of this, I am a bit more familiar with the culture in that country and I knew the instruments would be a joy to talk about. I found myself on allaboutETHIO and discovered many instruments from the area are actually different types of lyres and lutes. A couple of the most common ones used are the Masenqo and the Krar. The Masenqo is a single string bowed instrument that originates from the lute. The body of the instrument is made from a diamond shaped piece of wood with animal hide wrapped around it. It is always used for accompaniment, and it is a favorite instrument to many minstrels. The Krar is a lot more like a lyre. It is shaped and played in almost the exact same way, but actually has 6 strings and is tuned to a pentatonic scale. Many modern Krars are used like electric guitars and can be amplified and given additional effects. I also wanted to briefly touch on a very popular aerophone in Ethiopia. It's called a Washint. The reason I find this flute so interesting is because musicians use it as a way to convey oral history, similar to like what a Griot does. It is constructed from bamboo and like the Krar, it is also tuned to a pentatonic scale.
Masenqo
Krar
Washint
After watching the FOLI video in class, we were asked to mention something we'd like to learn more about, so I stated that I wanted to learn more about what kind of dance it was they were doing in the video. I looked it up and eshowe was able to inform me that it was traditional Zulu Dancing from South Africa. When watching the video, I noticed the dance was very intense. It is usually performed by groups at traditional Zulu ceremonies with accompaniment from several large drums and very intense vocals with strong timbre. What's interesting is how they spilt up different groups for the dance. Typically, young unmarried men are in their own group and young unmarried women are in a separate one. Their are also categories where children dance together as either a full group, or separated based on gender. The most traditional of the Zulu dances is called the Indlamu. It consists of drums, vocals, and synchronized dancers dressed in traditional uniform based on the attire of warriors.
Lastly, I'd like to explain a bit on how music in Africa was mixed with religious music. Specifically in the context of Christianity, the origin of how music was brought into the lives of African people is actually quite interesting. According to encyclopedia.com, when sacred Christian music was introduced to the African culture, they struggled to incorporate the music into their worship while also maintaining their traditional style of African worship. This was not only because of music itself, but also because of how their language mixed with the text of the Christian hymns. As we discussed in class, African language is tonal, so when the people would sing these hymns from European translations, the tonal nature of their language changed the texts. This became a struggle for missionaries in the area because they could not change the language and traditions the Africans already had to match what they were use to. One of the ways they tried to combat this was by adding in more instrumentals (lots of percussion) to fill in the areas of the music that did not match the original text. This is partially the reason why so much modern sacred music from Africa consists of so many instruments. With the addition of so many new percussive instruments, there was a lot more movement happening when playing the music of the church. However, this was encouraged, and more choreography was added as time went on, similar to that of the Isicathamiya.
Well that's all for todays blog! I hope you enjoyed learning about this as much as I did :)
Your section on Ethiopa was very interesting, especially since that was not a country we really got to touch on. I really appreciated that you added pictures for us to see the different instruments so we could compare it to the instruments we learned about. I also really liked how you made ties between what we learned with the griots and Kora versus the Krar and how it is used to tell stories in the Ethiopian culture.
I love that you talked about something that you are already familiar with. You did a really great job of introducing instruments we hadn’t talked about in class. I loved the detail you included when you talked about the traditional Zulu dancing. I don’t think I’ve ever really come across a style of dance where the different groups are based on marital status and gender. Really cool!
I think it is so cool how the Washint is used to convey oral history. I had never heard of the Washint before, but I found it really interesting how it is made of bamboo and is tuned to a pentatonic scale. I also wanted to learn more about the dance in the FOLI video we watched, so I am glad you chose to delve further into this dance. Also, I found it very interesting how they mix the text of Christian hymns with their music. Thank you for sharing!
It was very enjoyable to see the traditional Zulu dance and the characteristics of the performances. The unity and synchronicity of the male dancers was quite striking, as was the audience cheering for them. The use of the drums, the intense vocals and the intense dancing makes it that more exciting, almost as if they're connecting with your heartbeat.
wow Aidan! Thank you for the research on Ethiopia and all of the knowledge on the instruments and music! I think it is so interesting that you have a friend also that provided you with such great knowledge! I thought the instruments were super cool!
Over the course of my life I have experienced many different types of rituals, celebrations, and ceremonies. In almost all of them, music has played a prominent role in one way or another. One of the best examples I can personally speak from is the ritual of a traditional, Christian funeral. Though it is sad to say, I have attended many funerals in my lifetime. However, the funerals were never truly all that sad. Growing up in the Christian faith, we do not look at death as the end. Though it breaks our hearts here on earth, we know that the people we lose move on to a place where they are free of the pain and suffering they experienced here on earth. Because of this, the funerals I went to growing up were a time of rejoicing and a celebration of the life that lived, and the life that will live on. The music used in these ceremonies reflected this. Music played in a Christian funeral is used to help reflect and remember the life that one l...
Here's a new fun fact about my music culture. I love Swing Dancing! I started going to a local swing dance club here in Spartanburg back in the summer of 2019, and boy is it a thrill. I still do it to this day and it's still my favorite activity to get involved in. However, part of the reason swing dancing is so special to me is because of the music. The modern stuff is fun, but nothing beats the mood that is classic swing music. So let's talk about it! Before we really get into detail on where swing came from, let's discuss exactly what it is. I got a good description from Carnegie Hall . Basically, swing is one of the earliest forms of jazz. Consisting of big band brass and woodwind instruments, piano, drums, and walking bass lines, swing is the kind of music that just makes you want to get in the groove. The music is very upbeat and often times quite rhythmically complicated. In fact, swing actually got it's name from the fact that the beats fe...
Your section on Ethiopa was very interesting, especially since that was not a country we really got to touch on. I really appreciated that you added pictures for us to see the different instruments so we could compare it to the instruments we learned about. I also really liked how you made ties between what we learned with the griots and Kora versus the Krar and how it is used to tell stories in the Ethiopian culture.
ReplyDeleteI love that you talked about something that you are already familiar with. You did a really great job of introducing instruments we hadn’t talked about in class. I loved the detail you included when you talked about the traditional Zulu dancing. I don’t think I’ve ever really come across a style of dance where the different groups are based on marital status and gender. Really cool!
ReplyDeleteI think it is so cool how the Washint is used to convey oral history. I had never heard of the Washint before, but I found it really interesting how it is made of bamboo and is tuned to a pentatonic scale. I also wanted to learn more about the dance in the FOLI video we watched, so I am glad you chose to delve further into this dance. Also, I found it very interesting how they mix the text of Christian hymns with their music. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteIt was very enjoyable to see the traditional Zulu dance and the characteristics of the performances. The unity and synchronicity of the male dancers was quite striking, as was the audience cheering for them. The use of the drums, the intense vocals and the intense dancing makes it that more exciting, almost as if they're connecting with your heartbeat.
ReplyDeletewow Aidan! Thank you for the research on Ethiopia and all of the knowledge on the instruments and music! I think it is so interesting that you have a friend also that provided you with such great knowledge! I thought the instruments were super cool!
ReplyDelete