Sub Saharan Music

Music before the 20th century was very different when compared to the music of the 21st Century. There were distinctive occasions for each type of African music. West African music, the African Diaspora, and the music of the Colonies each had different musical instruments.

Many may know that it can be almost impossible to completely identify what African Dance is. Africa is a huge continent that holds many different cultures, beliefs and overall ways of living. It is said to be the most “socially and racially diverse on the planet (wikipedia).” Even though Africa can be one of the most diverse places on earth, there can be similar dance styles being established throughout many other larges countries. Creativecareerguice.com states that “history, language, song, background, and purpose and cannot be translated to another dance of the same culture much less another

African music has been one of the most interesting topics in the music world. Unlike any other music, African music in is a way of life. Throughout its rich history of evolving, music has always played a crucial role in the African culture. Consequently, music in the African society allows outsiders to gain an insight into the different aspect of the culture and the society norms. Due to the uniqueness of the African music, many differences in the way music is used and viewed tend to exist between the American and African music. Although they may share some similarities, the differences are the major factor in shaping the understanding of the African music.

For as long as mankind has walked on this earth, music has been an important part of our culture and lifestyles. Each walk of life beats to a different drum. Different cultures use music for many aspects of their lives; for religious purposes, for celebrations, for comfort, for sorrow, for relaxation, for sports, for dances, for energy, for learning, for sleeping, and for sexual experiences. Everyone uses music for something. Music connects with people and reaches them in ways that words simply cannot. Music is a representation of what feelings sound like. It expresses emotion and brings that characteristic out from within us; it tells us a story. Every generation has its’ own sound and different music styles have emerged and become

Some may say music is just music; a song is just a song. However, music plays an enormous role in our psychology, because a single song has the ability to bring about many kinds of thoughts and emotions in the listener. Music is subtly one of the main factors in which people identify with certain groups and establish their belonging in society. It shapes people’s perspectives on how the world functions and the roles they play within it. Music can function the same way in a culture; it can reflect many of the culture’s values and ideologies. Music can have many effects on culture and the people’s idea of who they think they are within that culture. Music can serve in a way that promotes cultural identity and pride, yet it could also play a

Rap, hip hop, jazz, gospel and spirituals are all extremely influential genres toward popular music today, especially in America. Such musical genres, which are derived from African music traditions, were not widely accepted until very recently in history. This process of acceptance is stretched out through several centuries and it dates back to the era of Atlantic slave trade which began in the 16th century. Even though African culture is severely suppressed in America during those times, the traditions found various means to assimilate into the European-American ways through multiple channels, one of which, is music. How has music from Africa influenced Western music in America due to the trans-Atlantic slave trade from 16th-19th century, and what were the social repercussions of such cultural hybridization which may have rippled to even the modern day? Countless slaves were shipped across the Atlantic to the New World for such cause. Due to the sheer number of slave of African origin, over the centuries, some of their traditions, including music, has found

Music is something that builds ideas, inspires, destroys, and enlightens people. Music in history has changed throughout the ages, music now is incredibly different in sound compared to the way it use to be. One thing that has not changed is the feeling, the way a song is written. Music entails words of another’s mind and their personal experiences. Many philosophers have said that music is pure; the emotional expression of a song can have an impact on the way someone is feeling. Music is my personal way of escaping, not only by listing to the lyrics, by writing, by singing, by playing, I cannot imagine what life would be if music was nonexistent.

The enriching experience of listening to live music has been a pleasurable pastime for many individuals since the creation of music itself. The ability for musicians to provoke profound emotions in others is a form of social communication that is unmatched by any other type of human connection which allowed music to retain its popularity throughout history. Without an artistic mode of expression for humans to communicate what can’t be directly spoken, life becomes dull and devoid of emotion where the only clear method left of expression is through verbal and linguistic communication. Music, in general, acts as a unifying intermediate where both the historical tales of the era coincide with the rhythmic stylings of the composers to evoke compelling

People do not know that most African music was created because of the obstacles they faced and the music gave them an outlet. African music first had a polyrhythmic structure which was complicated combinations of simple rhythms played at once. There were other music cultures like Western music whose rhythm and combinations differed from African music. Western music did not add a third rhythm in their music, the only combination used was “the triplet played against two ‘full value’ notes at the same time.’” On the other hand African music used as many as a dozen rhythms and beats at once. Western music began using multiple rhythms but would rarely attempt to use more than two rhythms, let alone using a dozen simultaneously. However, American music began using which is using several tones at once. The idea of playing rhythms, notes, and tones at the same time was derived from African

In this essay, I will be examining the musical genre of Afrobeat which was created by Fela Anikulapo Kuti. Afrobeat first came to be in the late 1960’s during the Civil Rights Movement in America. Fela Kuti a Nigerian, was able to create a genre that has change the way we view music today. Afrobeat is made up of two different words, “Afro” and “Beat”. “Afro” correlates with “African organized sound while beat is a rhythmic counting pattern in relation to such music” (Oikelome, 2013). Therefore, the meaning of Afrobeat is the unique African rhythmic patterns of such music. The coming of this genre is very interesting since the man behind it has quite a story.

It is broadly recognized that African music has experienced regular and unequivocal changes consistently. What is termed conventional music today is most likely altogether different from African music in previous times. Nor has African music in the past been unbendingly connected to particular ethnic gatherings. The individual artist, his style and imagination, have constantly assumed a vital part.

When music is created, it integrates the cultural and emotional situations that occur in everyday life. People create dances to the

In this course we have learned about all of the different cultures and their musical traditions. My favorite so far has had to be the west African music culture. They have a variety of different music, instruments, and dances to contribute to the reasons I liked this music culture so much. So, I have taken it upon myself to further my research on this particular musical group. I will compare and contrast a variety of different videos from the west African music culture and I will analyze how they connect to this culture.

Music, cultures and societies all around the world are highly diverse. However, a common challenge that each society faces is how to preserve their own identity – how to pass down the music cultures and traditions from generation to generation. It is important to realize that music cultures are not static. Evolution and being dynamic is part of what it means to be human. But from one generation to the next, societies around the world need to be able to pass down certain foundations for the next generation to learn and build upon. Chronologically, all music cultures started with a predominantly oral method of transmission. However, in the last few centuries, there has been a prominent shift towards written methods of transmission. Music and the way that it is transmitted from one generation to the next can tell us a lot, not only about the societies of the world but also the role that music plays in them. By analysing a shift in the transmission styles of music from oral to written, we can see music transform from being a transcendental experience to being a product for replication.

This paper is going to talk about the history, musical history, and music theory of South Africa. The country is populated with 52.98 million people and the main religion is Christian. The country of South Africa is located on the southern most tip of the continent of Africa and covers 4% of the total landmass. It is bordered by Mozambique, Namibia, and Botswana. It is a very biodiverse country because of the Atlantic ocean flanking one side, and the mountain range on the other side.