What is the cultural background of African music?
African music is an oral tradition. It is distinct from Arabic cultures in the north and Western European settler communities in southern Africa. African music is largely cultivated in sub-Saharan Africa communities.
What is the history behind African music?
History. It is widely acknowledged that African music has undergone frequent and decisive changes throughout the centuries. What is termed traditional music today is probably very different from African music in former times. … In ancient times the musical cultures of sub-Saharan Africa extended into North Africa.
Did Africa’s culture and history affect its music?
Historically, Africa has contributed hugely to music-making in many other areas of the world most notably the Americas and most significantly in genres such as jazz, rock and roll, blues, salsa and samba.
How important is music in Africa to their culture?
Music in Africa is very important when it comes to religion. Songs and music are used in rituals and religious ceremonies, to pass down stories from generation to generation, as well as to sing and dance to. … Like the music of Asia, India and the Middle East, it is a highly rhythmic music.
What is the most important element of African music?
The music of West Africa is characterized by two main aspects: rhythm and melody. The rhythm is generally the most important, and West African songs are polyrhythmic featuring two or more conflicting rhythms.
What is important to African culture?
For example, social values, religion, morals, political values, economics and aesthetic values all contribute to African Culture. Expressions of culture are abundant within Africa, with large amounts of cultural diversity being found not only across different countries but also within single countries.
What music do Africans listen to?
Many genres of popular music like blues, jazz, afrobeats, salsa, zouk, and rumba derive to varying degrees on musical traditions from Africa, taken to the Americas by enslaved Africans. These rhythms and sounds have subsequently been adapted by newer genres like rock, and rhythm and blues.
What is the most distinctive feature of all African musical instrument?
Slit drums
Falling between rhythmic and melodic instruments, the largest and most distinctive member of the African struck-idiophone family is the slit drum, made from a hollowed log. By careful thinning of the flanks at certain places, the instrument may be tuned so as to yield as many as four distinct pitches.
What makes African music unique?
African singers use a wide variety of sounds. The melodies are short, repeated over and over, also include whistles and yodels which is peculiar to African style of music. Soloist often improvises new melodies while the chorus continuous with the original melody creating a polyphonic structure.
What is the African culture and tradition?
African Traditions are expressed through music, art, dance and sculpture… African Tradition is expressed through many different art forms, such as music, dance, art, sculpture and beadwork. These traditions are deeply ingrained into the whole African culture.
What are the three basic elements of music?
1), harmony (Section 2.3. 1), timbre (Section 2.1. 1), and texture (Section 3.1) are the essential aspects of a musical performance. They are often called the basic elements of music.
Why music is important to world cultures?
Musicians are known to express themselves through song and melody to convey how they’re feeling in life, which allows listeners to relate and find comfort in the music. Music prompts people in every culture around the world to dance and express how they feel with movement.
How does music relate to culture?
Music is an expressive language of culture. It often tells a story, expresses emotion, or shares ideas with a society. … Music reflects the cultural characteristics of a society. For example in America around World War Two, big band music was used to express patriotism.
What is traditional African music called?
Gnawa, also known as Ethno-Pop or Gnawi Blues, comes from the Sahara Desert. This music style is based around a north African repertoire of ancient African spiritual religious songs and rhythms. Its well-preserved heritage combines ritual poetry with traditional music and dance.
Why is Dancing important in African culture?
In many traditional cultures music and dance is as much a part of everyday life as eating and breathing. In Africa, as with other parts of the world, ceremonial dance tells a story. More than mere entertainment, it recounts history, conveys emotion, celebrates rites of passage, and helps to unify communities.