MUSIC OF AFRICA

HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL BACKGROUND OF AFRICAN MUSIC

 Singing, dancing, hand clapping, and the beating of drums are essential to many ceremonies: birth, death, initiation,
marriage and funeral
 Important to religious expression and political events
 It has great influences on global music (contemporary American, Latin American, and European styles)

TRADITIONAL MUSIC OF AFRICA

Afrobeat

 Afrobeat is a term used to describe the fusion of West African with black American music
 Afrobeat is a West African music genre which involves the combining elements of West African musical styles such as
fuji music with American funk and jazz influences, with a focus on chanted vocals, complex intersecting rhythms, and
percussion

Apala (akpala)

 Apala is a musical genre from Nigeria in the Yoruba tribal style, used to wake up the worshippers after fasting during
the Muslim holy feast of Ramadan. Percussion instrumentation includes the rattle (sekere), thumb piano (agidigbo),
bell (agogo), and two or three talking drums

Axe

 Axe is a popular musical genre from Salvador, Bahia, and Brazil. It fuses the Afro-Caribbean styles of the marcha,
reggae, and calypso, and is played by carnival bands.
 Yoruba word meaning “life force”, used to describe the Bahian style of Brazilian pop music popular in that country

Jit

 Jit is a hard and fast percussive Zimbabwean dance music played on drums with guitar accompaniment, influenced by
mbira-based guitar styles

Jive

 Jive is a popular form of South African music featuring a lively and uninhibited variation of jitter bug, a form of swing
dance

Juju

 Juju is a popular music style from Nigeria that relies on the traditional Yoruba rhythms, where the instruments are
more Western in origin. A drum lit, keyboard, pedal steel guitar, and accordion are used along with the traditional
dun-dun (talking drum or squeeze drum)

Kwassa kwassa

 Kwassa kwassa is a dance style begun in Zaire in the late 1980s, popularized by Kanda Bongo Man. In this dance style,
the hips move back and forth while the arms follow the hip movements

Marabi

 Marabi is South Africa three-chord township music of the 1930s-1960s which evolved into African jazz, ragtime, and
blues with African roots. It is characterized by simple chords in varying vamping patterns and repetitive harmony over
an extended period of time to allow the dancers more time on the floor

LATIN AMERICAN MUSIC INFLUENCED BY AFRICAN MUSIC

Reggae

 Reggae is a Jamaican musical style that was strongly influenced by the island’s traditional mento music, as well, as
calypso, African music, American jazz, and rhythm and blues. One of the reggae’s most distinctive qualities is its
offbeat rhythm and staccato chords

Salsa
  Salsa music is Cuban, Puerto Rican and Colombian dance music. It comprise various musical genres including the
Cuban son montuno, guaracha, chachacha, mambo, and bolero

Samba

 Samba is Brazilian music genre and dance style. Its roots can be traced to Africa via West African slave trade and
African religious traditions particularly in Angola and Congo
 Samba is the basic underlying rhythm that typifies most Brazilian music. It has a lively and rhythmical beat with three
steps to every bar, making the samba feels like a timed dance. There is a set of dances rather than single dance- that
defines tha samba dancing scene in Brazil. Thus, no dance can be claimed with certainty as the “original” samba style

Soca

 Soca is also known as the “soul of calypso”. It originated as fusion of calypso with Indian rhythms, thus combining the
musical traditions the two major ethnic groups of Trinidad and Tobago. It is a modern Trinidadian and Tobagonian
pop music combining soul and calypso music

Were

 Were is a Muslim music often performed as a wake-up call for early breakfast and prayers during Ramadan
celebrations. Relying on pre-arranged music, it fuses the African and European music styles

Zouk

 Zouk is a fast, carnival-like rhythmic music, from the Creole slang word for “party”. It originated in the Caribbean
Islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique and was popularized in the 1p80s. It has a pulsating beat supplied by the gwo
ka and tambour bele drums, a tibwa rhythmic pattern played on the rim of the snare drum, a rhythmic guitar, a horn
section, and keyboard synthesizers

PHILIPPINE POPULAR MUSIC

Pop Music

 Refers generally music that is accessible by the public through mass media and also subject to selling.
 Generally consisted of music for entertainment of large number of people, whether on radio or in live performances.

Original Pilipino Music (OPM)

 Original Pinoy Music or Original Philippine Music

 The term was originally used to refer only to the Philippine pop songs, particularly ballads.
 1980’s to 1990’s are the golden era of Philippine ballads.
o Ryan Cayabcab
o George Canseco
o Willie Cruz
o Gary V. – Sana Maulit Muli
o Jose Mari Chan – Beautiful Girl
 Most of these compositions made use of Western -type melody and while expressing uniquely Filipino emotions in
movingly poetic lyrics.
o Pilita Corrales
o Nora Aunor
o Vasil Valdez
 At the start, OPM as centered in Manila, where Tagalog and English are the dominant languages.
 Ethno -linguistic groups such as the Visayan, Bikol, Kapampangan and Ilocano also began to sing and record their
songs in their native dialects.
 Famous artist in 1980s
o Sharon Cuneta
o Regine Velasquez
o Ogie Alcasid
 Famous artist in 1990s
o Jaya
o Jessa Zaragosa
o Donna Cruz
 Famous vocal band in 1990’s.
 Idealism and self -expression
o Smokey Mountain - Kailan
 o Eraserheads
o Parokya ni Edgar
 Recent OPM stars
o Sarah G.
o Gerphil Flores
o Arnel Pineda

Philippine Pop Music

 It started with Bobby Gonzales Hahabol-habol, a local version of the rock and roll songs of the 1950s
o Bobby Gonzales
 Rico J.Puno’s “Luneta”, a local adaptation of “The way we were”.
 This immediately clicked with youth and eventually gained wide acceptance even among the “burgis” crowd.
o Rico J. Puno

Manila sound

 Songs using colloquial language, a combination of Tagalog and English

o Hotdog
o Apo Hiking Society – Batang Bata Ka Pa

Philippine Jazz

 Philippine musicians have been inspired by jazz music.

 Among are jazz pianist recording artist Boy Kantindig, who becomes from the well –known class of musicians that
includes that jazz piano legend Romy Katindig and saxophonist Eddie Kantindig. The Kantig family pioneered Latin jazz
in Manila

Philippine Alternative Folk Music

 The Philippines also saw the rise of alternative music which was different from the traditional and popular form.
 This new form combined instrumental with electronic accompaniment, while presenting themes or issues of
Philippine society and environment.
o Freddie Aguilar
o Joey Ayala - Magkaugnay

Philippine Rock

 The year 1973 saw the birth of Philippine or “Pinoy” rock music which successfully merged the rock beat with Filipino
lyrics.
 This sound was introduced by the legendary Juan de la Cruz band which the members Pepe Smith, Wally Gonzales
and the originator of jeproks, Mike Hanapol, who later become a major symbol of Pinoy rock.
o Juan de la Cruz Band – Laki sa Layaw
 Continuing this legacy of Pinoy Rock today are vocal groups and bands that include:
o RiverMaya
o Truefaith
o Sponge Cola
o December Avenue
o IV of Spades – Mundo
o *Kamikazee - Narda

Pinoy Rap

o Francis Magalona – Kaleidoscope World

 Known as “master rapper” and “King of Pinoy Rap”
 He was also the first Filipino rapper to cross over the mainstream and was credited for having pioneered the
merging of rap with Pinoy rock
o Gloc-9
o Andrew E
o Abra

Pinoy Hip Hop

 A style of music incorporating complex, stylized rhythms that is often accompanied by rapping
 Hip hop is becoming popular especially in dance forms in the Philippines
o Ex Battalion
POPULAR MUSIC

Popular Music

 “music of the populace”

 Generally consisted of for entertainment of large number of people, whether on the radio or in live performances
 From standard songs and ballads, in the pop, rock, hip-hop/rap, and alternative music modes, popular music is now
shared by the entire world

Folk Music

 Traditional, folk music refers to melodies and song of the common people that are handed down from one generation
to next
 Dealing with almost every kind of human activity, folk music often expresses the character of ethnic and social groups
and sometimes of a nation
 It can express political or religious belief, tell a story, recount history, or simply provide amusement
o Bob Dylan
o Peter, Paul, and Mary
o John Denver

Country and Western Music

 “country music”
 Reflects the people’s life experiences and local settings, even while combining the ideals of progressive society with
nostalgia for one’s roots and culture
o Kenny Rogers

Ballads

 The ballad originated as an expressive folksongs in narrative verse with text dealing typically with love
 “chanson ballade” and “ballade”
 In the 19th century, it became slow popular love song
 Today, term ballad refers to a love song in a slightly pop or rock style, with different variation
1. Blues ballads
2. Pop standards and jazz ballads
3. Pop and rock ballads

Blues Ballads

 The character of the performer more than the narrative content

Pop Standard and Jazz Ballads

 Emotional style of music that often deal with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, war (protest
songs), loneliness, death, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in poignant but solemn manner
o Irving Berlin

Pop and Rock Ballads

 Emotional love song with suggestions of folk music

o Don McLean
o Eric Clapton

Standards

 Its style is mostly in a slow or moderate tempo with a relaxed mood

 It also features highly sing-able melodies within the range and technical capacity of the amateur singer
o Frank Sinatra
o Nat King Cole
o Matt Monro

Rock and Roll

 Rock n Roll was hugely popular song form in the United States during the late 1940s to 1960s. it combined Afro-
American forms such as the blues, jump blues, jazz blues, jazz and gospel music with the western swing and country
music
 The lead instruments were the piano and saxophone, but these were eventually replaced by modern instruments
o The Beatles
 o Elvis Presley
o John Lennon
 In its classical form, rock and roll employed on or two electric guitars (lead, rhythm), a string bass or bass guitar and
drums that provide the rhythmic patter
 With the technological advances, amplifiers and microphones were added
 The style derived its name from the motion of ship on the ocean, “rock and roll”
o Chuck Berry

Disco

 The 1970s saw the rise of another form of pop music known as “disco”. Disco music pertained to rock music that was
more danceable, thus leading to the establishment of venues for public dancing also called discos.
 The term originated from French word “discotheque” which means a library for phonograph records
 The disco style had a soaring and reverberating sound rhythmically controlled by a steady beat for ease of a dancing,
and accompanied by strings, horns, electric guitars and electric pianos or synthesizers
o Bee Gees
o Abba
o Earth, Wind and Fire

Pop Music

o Michael Jackson
o Mariah Carey
o Celine Dion
o Backstreet Boys
o Boyz 2 Men
o Westlife

Today’s Pop Idols

o Bruno Mars
o Ed Sheeran
o Justin Bieber
o Lady Gaga
o Beyonce
o Adele

Hip Hop and Rap

 Hip hop is a stylized, highly rhythmic type of music that usually (but not always) includes portions of rhythmically
chanted words called “rap”
o Eminem
o Kanye West

Alternative Music

 Alternative music was an underground independent form of music that arose in the 1980s
 Defy “mainstream”
 It was also characterized by high energy levels that bred new styles such as new wave, punk rock, post-punk, indie
rock, gothic rock, jangle pop, noise pop, etc