World Music Chapter 11 Notes

Vibrations

References to vibrations refer to goals of peace, brotherhood, and love.

Rock steady

A Jamaican music that is slower and more relaxed than ska and is the immediate predecessor to reggae. Used more politically charged lyrics.

Haile Selassie I ("Power of the Holy Trinity")

An Ethiopian emperor considered by Jamaican Rastafarians to be a black incarnation of Jesus Christ and that black peoples of the Disapora were the lost children of Israel held captive in Babylon, awaiting deliverance by Jah (God) and their return back to Zion (Ethiopia in this case), the spiritual home of African-descended populations (which is why Ethiopia's colors of red, gree, and gold, are associated with Zion); many thought Garvey's words came true with him, the King of Kings.

Site 2: Reggae

Characterized by offbeat (2,4) emphasis and by politically and socially conscious lyrics. Bob Marley was a mainstream reggae artist, also brought attention to the island's other music: ska and rock steady. Dreadlocks, red, gold, and green colors, references to "Jah", and ganja (marijuana) are part of a spiritual belief system and way of life that infuses much reggae music. Includes rock/pop instruments like electric guitars/bass, drum set, electronic keyboards. TImbre is important, treble, high-end frequencies of electric guitar contrast with the deep electric base. Snare drum is often tight with the snare wires disengaged. Trumpets and saxes as well as back-up singers are often heard. Lead singer often speaks of peace or protest.

Danza

Dance-based music that could accompany actual dance or be performed as concert music, reflects Puerto Rican traditions influenced by European classical music.

Arrival: The Dominican Republic

Hispaniola is divided into two countries, the east is Spanish speaking Dominican Republic whose people are largely a mix of Spanish and African heritages. Due to cultural policies promoted by dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina that instilled a fear of anything Haitian (vodou), Dominicans prefer to emphasize their Hispanic European roots.

Nyabinghi

Rastafarian spiritual gathering with drums and chanting, people engage in this in order for Jah to return sooner. Also refers to dread-locked Rastas (Nya-man)

Aguinaldo

Sung at Christmas during early morning masses, traditionally by groups of children wandering through the streets. This Puerto Rican practice shows retentions from old age practices brought from Spain.

Rara

This specific performance occasion where processions of singers and players who go from one sacred spot (like a cemetery) to another during the period between Carnival (the period preceding Ash Wednesday, beginning of Lent) and the onset of Easter

Antilles

Two chains of islands in the Caribbean, the Lesser and Greater Antilles. Curacao, Aruba, and Bonaire belong to the Netherlands.

Arrival: Haiti

Western end of Hispaniola. Originally Spanish but ceded to France. Became the first independent nation in the Caribbean due to a slave-led revolution. Official language is French but most speak Creole. Impoverished bc of natural disasters and their main crop sugarcane has little value. Most Haitians are of African descent, but those with lighter skin tend to be wealthier and have more power.

Dub

Recorded music that emphasizes the bass an rhythm tracks so that a DJ can "talk" over the music through a microphone. Later evolved to a style called "dancehall" DJs essentially became reggae poets. Dub has close relationships with the origin and rise of African-American rap and "toasting".

"I and I"

Signifies that Jah is always present with the speaker. In plural form, it refers to the mystical relationships within a group and between the group and Jah.

Arrival: Jamaica

2.5 million people, 1/3 live in Kingston, life for many is one of poverty in crime. Stark contrast between very wealthy and poor. Low prices from sugarcane and bauxite, overpop. in Kingston, and colonial past account for this. But reggae originated in Kingston still. Most people are of African descent. Originally controlled by Spanish until they became a British colony. Many slave rebellions, many escaped into the Mountains are reestablished their Cumina religion. Achieved independence, but struggled politically, including a socialism experiment.

Guaracha

A Latin American ballroom dance, as well as a song type emphasizing call-and-response vocal organization which mix African rhythms and European melodies and harmony

Merengue

A Latin American/Caribbean dance and music genre, originally from the Dominican Republic that is fast-paced.

Shango

A Yoruba name for the god of thunder and lightning in the West African pantheon. Consequently, also the name for a West African-derived religion found primarily in Trinidad. Shango = John the Baptist for many

Carnival

A pre-Lent festival celebrated in predominantly Roman Catholic cultures, primarily in Europe and the Caribbean. Known as Mardi Gras in the United States.

Calypso

A topical song or musical commentary on current events, the foibles of the upper class, recent scandals, or odd fashions (short shelf life). Not angry but satirical and parody. They don't do well outside of Trinidad bc they are specific to Trinidad's issues, but some songs like Lord Invader's Rum and Coca Cola rerecorded by the Andrews Sisters have appeal in other countries.

Tamboo Bamboo

A type of ensemble developed after drums were banned in Trinidad, which used cane and bamboo tubes that were beaten with sticks and stamped on the ground.

Mummer

A type of street theater actor, usually in English-derived performances staged during the Christmas season. In the Bahamas and other English-speaking islands, people of African descent sing English ballads and perform these plays, showing how diverse the population mixing is.

Marcus Garvey

African American leader durin the 1920s who founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and advocated mass migration of African Americans back to Africa. Was deported to Jamaica in 1927.

Vodou

African slave religion primarily in Haiti that developed from the combination of Christianity and old African traditions. Incorporates both spiritual tradition/ancestors with a pantheon of nature gods. In this example, Legba (guardian of crossroads/barriers who must be called upon first in a ritual) and Ogoun (god of iron) are invoked. Vodou ritual musical does not cause possession but instead regulates it, making the process more even and efficient. A person must learn how to become possessed first.

Santeria

An African-derived animistic belief system found primarily in Cuba and the United States, a syncretistic religion combining traditional African/Yoruba practices with Roman Catholicism.

Arrival: Cuba

Before Fidel Castro swept away the American-backed dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, Cuba was a popular destination for wealthy Americans who wanted to escape prohibition. Now it is popular for its "time capsule" atmosphere. Spain kind of ignored it, more interested in Hispaniola. Originals were the Tainos and Arawak, but Spanish mostly killed them. Slaves arrived to work the sugar plantations and tobacco, but Cuba soon fell to British pirates. Friction between Spain and US over Cuba led to Spanish-American War triggered by the explosion of US Battleship Maine in Havana harbor and made famous by Teddy Roosevelt's charge up San Juan Hill with his Rough Riders. Harsh American-backed regimes led to the Cuban Revolution and Fidel Castro followed by the Bay of Pigs Invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Relationship between US and Cuba restored by Castro's brother Raul. Music blends African and European traditions.

Cultural Considerations: Site 4

Best-known and most widely distributed kind of ensemble invented in the New World; invented bc of the drum ban in Carnival out of oil drums left from British and Americans. Originally, they just started banging on discarded metal cans.. "dustbin bands"; pan was originally associated with gangs and shantytowns and was not respected, but authorities soon integrated them into Carnival with competitions.. "Panorama"). Most players learn by rote, so an arranger who creates a piece and teaches them is important. Many bands play extended pieces from memory. Steel bands are now more common in other countries, and a singer melody tenor pan may be used as part of an unrelated ensemble

Site 5: Puerto Rican Plena

Call in response with chorus singing in harmony. The plena is one of the youngest vocal genres, but it absorbed Puerto Rican culture. Emerged from a city called Ponce full of mostly black citizens. A ten-string guitar known as cuatro is the only melodic instrument and is accompanied by percussion, including panderetas (small frame drums), guiro, and barriles (barrel drums).

Site 3: Calypso

Calypso is a popular music from Trinidad characterized by improvised lyrics on topical an broadly humorous subject matter. Instruments include: guitar, bass guitar, piano, clarinet, trumpet, violin, and conga drums (tall, barrel-shaped, single-headed drums) that reinforce the beat. The singer's stage name is The Growling Tiger, and he sings about money and its corrosive influence on people (music seems more of a vehicle for him to convey his words than anything). He speaks for the have-nots during the Depression era. "If you haven't money, dog is better than you". His lines are not consistent and he has to rush the lyrics to fit them at times.

Cultural Considerations: Site 2

Commercially successful, comes from individual artists who fuse their life experiences and their work. They view music as a way to spur people to action and educate the masses. Bob Marley most important reggae artists who had quality lyrics of his life experiences in Kingston's Trench Town and Rastafarian concepts. Famous. Died at 36, blow to the public even though establishment Jamaica shunned Rastafarian "rude boys". Reggae lyrics combine aspects of Jamaican vernacular English with vocab from the Rastafari religion. Also influenced by American rock and rhythm and blues, evangelistic hymns and choruses, and African drumming and singing. The loose faith surrounding Selassie adopted a lifestyle of dreadlocks and smoking ganja (to be put in a prayerful state and be closer to Jah). These people were called Rastafarians. Most reggae artists are sympathetic to Rasta religion, so reggae often challenges social order and white hegemony. Live performances were forbidden so reggae was distributed through vinyl records. Reggae also influenced by the choral style of Christian revival meetings with Cumia, African-derived drumming and singing.

Arrival: Puerto Rico

Commonwealth of the US, official language Spanish but many speak English. Had slaves, but many debate the influence African culture had. The island's culture is considered hegemonized, and 75% identity as white, but few of the 25% identify as Afro-Puerto Rican although there are African elements in the music. The pre-Columbian population was the Taino who migrated from South America. They were enslaved by the Spanish and must died from their diseases leaving no written record of music, but many historians describe a historical ceremonial dance called areito/areyto in which natives accompanied their movements and recitations with percussion. Few people there today identify as Amerindian. Spain ceded Puerto Rico to US under the Treaty of Paris.

Cultural Considerations: Site 6

Cuba is tied to dance, and it is ballroom dance that has reinforced Latin music. The rumba is the easiest, others include bolero, cha cha cha, and mambo. Rumba originally denoted a secular form of local dance music played primarily by African-derived percussion with singing. Rumba dance only made use of the slower bolero-son. The basic international step pattern begins on beat 2 (- 2 3 4 hold) while the American rumba begins on 1 (1 2 3 hold) in a box pattern. Son was the foundation for salsa music. Cha cha cha and mambo arise from the European derived danzon, popular among Euro-Cubans. Mambo was originally a dazon song, but it gave rise to so many imitations that a mambo craze blossomed in NYC at the Palladium Ballroom (Temple of Mambo). American dance teachers edited it to be somewhat easier. Mambo had also absorbed characteristics of son. The cha cha cha is an easier version of mambo bc it was danced as 2 3 4 and 1 with the cha cha cha on 4 and 1, but Americans again edited it as beginning on beat 1.

Site 4: Steel Band (Pan)

Easy to mistake for an automatic pipe organ. The steel band is made up of 55 gallon oil drums whose heads have been beaten into a series of concave dents. Usually energetic, can be serene. A steel band ensemble consists of multiple steel drums (pan) plus a rhythm section known as the engine room which comprises a drum set, conga drums, and maybe claves, maracas (Caribbean gourd rattles with beads), guiro (scraped gourd), and the cowbell. There is no fixed number of pan and they have inconsistent names. The higher-pitched pan are cut from the full drum, leaving a short "skirt" (side of the drum) whereas the lowest pan have a full skirt. Notes of definite pitch are produced by striking tuned dents that have been hammered into the head of each pan; higher-pitched pan can produce more pitches bc area is smaller for each dent. Some pitch ranges require multiple pan bc low pan can really only produce 4 pitches. The leading melodic pan are known as the tenor, pong-pong, soprano, lead, and melody pan while those creating harmony or strumming effects like guitars are called guitar, double-second, double guitar, quadraphonic, triple guitar, and cello. The base line is provided by the bass pan. Skilled tuners are highly sought after. Breakaway dancing is common in Trinidad's Carnival on the streets. Fast, rhythmic, full of syncopation.

Site 6: Cuban Son

Easygoing and danceable. Created in the Oriente province. Original instruments consisted of tres (a guitar like instrument with three courses of two strings each), claves, and maracas. Later added more, some African derived such as the marimbula or botija (a wooden box with large metal lamellae plucked to provide bass pitches) and bongos (a pair of small, single headed drums) and some European derived such as timbales (metal-framed drums of the military snare family), trumpets or cornets. Guiro, conga drums, piano and jazz instruments later added. Son is the progenitor of most music labeled "Latin". A typical form consists of an introduction sung in chorus followed by a section called the montuno (influential on other son-derived styles) where a soloist alternates with the group. After, the instrumentalists begin a free interplay that reflects jazz influence. The claves in this example are articulating a cyclic pattern of five clicks, so the meter for the players is "son clave" but it is 2/4 or duple for us. It emphasizes the subordinate beats, not the main ones.

Arrival: Trinidad and Tobago

Has contributed steel band, calypso, and soca. Nation composed of Trinidad (the LIMBO) and Tobago. Held by Spanish, then English. Original Caribs disappeared. After slavery ended, Britain brought East Indians, Africans, and Chinese as indentured servants, so people and religions vary (Christians, Muslim, Hindu, African ritual centers). Most visitors come for Carnival. Great Pitch Lake (tar source!)

Cultural Considerations: Site 3

History of kinder colonialism which is reflected in its arts (unlike angry Jamaica). 19th century Trinidad consisted of freed slaves, indentured workers, and a small number of French and English colonials. Although Carnival was originally quiet and for the upper class, the rowdy classes took it over and it is celebrated through street dancing and singing songs (that often mock the upper class), parades, stick fighting, etc. The British were pissy and passed a music bill that permitted certain instruments to only be played with a license and forbade music at night. This caused riots and protests. Government person Norman Le Blanc created competitions (chantwells) among singers and bands held in tents during Carnival to harness calypso and provide an acceptable place for its expression. Language of songs changed from patois to English. Singers were mostly male (but Calypso Rose is an exception) and took on ridiculous names to match their lyrics (like Lord Protector and The Mighty Chalkdust). Often perform into old age. Influence from rock and reggae led to the creation of soca (soul-calypso) with a more danceable style and fewer words. Soca was pioneered by Lord Shorty (Garfield Blackman) who fused calypso with rock and Indian filmi while maintaining the social commentary (but that was lost as newer artists took over the style). Calypso still there bc of social commentary, but hard to make a living when only performed at Carnival.

Site 1: Vodou Ritual from Haiti

Inaccurate black magic, pin doll stereotypes aside, it is essentially polyrhythmic percussion and call and response with a West African influence. Songs are passed through oral tradition. Language is a combination of Creole and langaj (ceremonial language from Central/West Africa religions). Accompaniment typically consists of three rada drums. Largest drum is the leader, middle is additional rhythms, and small is a steady reference beat. Polyrhythmic patterns are short units known as timeline patterns, not thought of as a continuous meter. Also sometimes there is an iron bell and some kind of shaken rattle (like the shekere). Songs are specific to a certain deity and invite that deity to ritual, participants want to be possessed by that deity and when that happens their gestures express the character of that deity. Bamboo trumpets called banbou/vaskin are also heard that play a single note, but each instrument has a diff. pitch so they play an interlocking melody when played together.

Cuatro

National instrument of PR. ten-string guitar, a Puerto Rican traditional lute-instrument. It is traditionally used to play an improvisational melody above the foundation provided by the bordonua. Within the context of jibaro music, it can also accompany a solo singer, usually accompanied by a guiro (rasp idiophone made of a dried, hollow guard with parallel notches carved in one side and played with a metal scraper) and a single-headed frame drum without jingles called requinto de pandereta (the highest pitched of two hand drums of the pandereta family used in earlier forms of plena). Lutes in the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) had an influence in the Americas and Asia (and Hawaii - ukelele). Since most Caribbean islands were dominated by Spain and Portugal, the Spanish-Portuguese guitar and related vihuela came with the colonialists. Over time, these were modified into distinctive local chordophones. Those of Puerto Rico are of three types: 1) tiple - five strings, smallest 2) cuatro - various sizes with 5 double strings and the most unusual, 90 cm long and 50 cm wide.3) bordonua, also with five double strings. All have fretted necks.

Cimarron

Or 'maroon', a Caribbean slave who escaped into the hills, mountains, etc.

Cultural Considerations: Site 5

Plenas are topical songs whose subjects can include everything one encounters in life... "sung newspapers". Arranged for popular musical orchestra by local musicians, not really accurate to say it is folkloric. Became a popular dance. The lyrics area voice for the reaffirmation of cultural identity for islanders as well as disapora. If one claims to be Borinqueno (Boriken) he must prove it by dancing a plena. Puerto Rico prefers singing and dancing over instrumental music, but music for the cuatro is highly-developed. Little African religious influence, but they still have the bomba circle dance with drums that is only performed by specialists (so not popular outside). Other genres reflect greater European influence collectively known as musica jibara and constitutes folk music. PR is Roman Catholic which allows for festivals, so folkloric music is associated with celebration. Puerto Ricans migrated to NYC in the 20h century and developed popular music forms that (although Cuban) became the pop music idioms of most of what we know as "Latin America". For instance, West Side Story represents the intention of fusing the Broadway musical with features from the classical opera and includes musical techniques present in opera and stylized versions of rhythms found in Hispanic America.

Background Preparation

The mixing of people here occurs very easily and has led to tremendous cultural and artistic energy. The largest islands are Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Hispaniola (Haiti and Dominican Republic). Original population were the Arawaks and Caribs. Columbus discovered it so Spain claimed the New World, but other butted in later (Martinique and Guadeloupe belong to the French). Ew, colonialism. English is the main language of most islands, but others have the main language of their colonial master. There are also linguistic blends, called Creole or Patois, or old forms of English or French impossible to understand for outsiders. Spanish failed to enslave the Arawak and Carib, so they imported slaves in the famous triangle slave trade, so most Caribbean islands mostly have African-derived populations. Following the end of slavery, people brought indentured servants from places like China and India, so these people are also in the Caribbean. Caribbean retains aspects of old cultures from Europe, Africa, and India. Spanish music survived in Cuba, DR, and PR. African religions are in Trinidad, Jamaica, Haiti, DR, etc.

Site 7: Merengue

The scraping sound of the guira (rasp idiophone) is the primary timekeeper, emphasizes offbeats, and maybe the most distinctive feature; the scraping sound is heard when a piece of wood or metal is rubbed along the coarse outside face). The tambora (small barrel drum made with two thick leather faces held in lap) plays in bursts with a stick followed by a thudding fundamental sound by the hand and interlacing laps. Deep tones are produced by playing one face with the stick while striking the other face with the hand creates slapping sounds. Highly danceable. Melodic content is provided by a button-box accordion and voices. Rhythmically dense melody, fast-paced feel. Voices are call and response. Three sections: paseo, merengue, and jaleo, or introduction, verse, and chorus. Paseo emphasizes the melodic instruments and begins slow, maybe free rhythm. Merengue is established by the guira-tambora rhythms and singing vocalists. Jaleo is the refrain that is repeated. Merengue-jaleo alternation throughout the piece, ending jaleo quickens tempo.

Cultural Considerations: Site 7

Two merengue categories: folk and ballroom. Ballroom is characterized by a large orchestra, crooning vocalist, and a consistent guira-tambora rhythm, less improv. Ballroom merengue was promoted as the national dance under Trujillo. The dance is a simple side step in which the leg that follows drags on the ground. Modern form requires exaggerated hip movements, Cuban motion. Often danced in pairs. Many believe the dance is a combination of West African circle dances and European salon dances. Side step shuffle seems to evoke a time when slaves' feet were chained together. Upper body mimics French minuet. One of the step patterns is called the Ibo, a term that refers to the Igbo ethnic group in West Africa. Tambora and call and response have West African origins (debate over whether the Guira is a Dominican invention or from West Africa) but the inclusion of the button box accordion and the use of guitar and sax reveals a European influence. The bachata is another dance that is slower in tempo, smoother in feel, and has a 4 count beat.

Cultural Considerations: Site 1

Vodou is an African-derived religious system incorporating newly encountered and adapted influences from Roman Catholicism. Many of these systems focused on spirits or a pantheon of personified natural forces (orisha in Yoruba, loa in Haiti). While most African slaves in the Caribbean appeared to profess Catholic Christianity, most saw Christ and other figures as equivalents to African gods (syncretism). Gods often include destructive power, but really the goals are good health and healing, social cohesion, successful harvests, etc. During possession, a person's essence leaves the body so the loa can mount the believer (the horse) and the horse acts out the personality of the god through dance and gestures. The horse may receive healing energy, and others may also benefit by asking the deity questions. Extraordinary acts such as walking through fire can be done at a ritual to affirm the power and presence of the deity; recognized as a confirmation of faith and essential to their spiritual belief system. Other African derived religions include: Santeria and Abakwa in Cuba, Shango in Trinidad, and Cumina in Jamaica. Dances are determined by which Iwa, or spirit, one is attempting to entice. Dances are organized according to nanchons, or nations that correspond with the concepts they represent