Analysis of North African Music - Essay Example

?Kenneth Felton Wong Dylan Messina MUS 13AF: World Music Africa 05 February North Africa It is a common misconception that the clusters of nations that make up the continent of Africa are just that, and nothing more. The lack of familiarity, and hence appreciation for these uniquely diverse groups of peoples and cultures perpetuates a stigma of uniformity that belies the truth. What many fail to realize is that, approximately one billion people, made up of nearly 3000 ethnic groups speaking in 2000-3000 different languages (Kaiser 15 January 2013), inhabit this majestic continent. All general notions of uniformity dealt and disposed with, I would like to take a closer look at the specific region of North Africa in order to discuss the larger historical, cultural and social influences, and the effect that they have impressed upon the music in this subcontinent. History North Africa has a very influential historical background which is distinctively composed of many civilizations, empires and kingdoms; for instance, the Nok Civilization which remained in power from 500BCE to 200CE (approximate figures) similarly the Kingdom of Ghana which maintained its authority over the continent from 830 to 1235. The African continent is inhabited by emigrants belonging to different parts of the world who until the 20th century did not even consider themselves as Africans (Kaiser, Africa and Ethnomusicology). The word ‘Africa’ is derived from Arabic term Ifriqiye which was an expression for the coastal areas of North Africa. Slavery carried diverse groups of people to the African land who were then recognized as one, which ultimately developed the basic thought of Africa among the residents of many countries. The extremely brutal form of slavery led the scholars of the black population; particularly those who had left their ancestral land and migrated to North Africa to conduct anti-slave campaigns. By the end of the 19th century the term ‘Africa’ was familiar among traders and intellectuals surrounding the coastal towns as the ‘rich diversity’. Due to this the modern day Africans are known to be the descendants of aboriginal Berber and Egyptian populace, in addition to the people of Greek, Phoenician and Roman civilizations, Moor as of Iberian Peninsula along with Arabs and Jewish. Also Sub-Saharan African who came and settled in North Africa due to distant trading and slavery. People from France, Corsica, Malta, etc. are also found in the present day North Africa (Kaiser, CD Problems?). Africans because of their rich historical background and affluent diversity among inhabitants have different religious beliefs and practices in addition to integrated music, art, drama and dance. As a result of diverse Diaspora the music of North America is influenced by their religious beliefs, spirituality, and nature; it characterizes the groups and individuals as per their prior conditions and musical abilities (Kaiser, Africa and Ethnomusicology). Material cultural Africans have their own distinctive music style which compels Westerners to recognize their special music as the ‘African Sound’. The basic idea behind their unique music style is concealed under racial unity, geographic harmony, communal politics/history/economy and above all the cultural concord. African maintain their own cultural attitude which is closely associated with the folklore and actual life events, incorporated in to routine life, active participation in music, drama, dance or visual arts. Ultimately all of these are related to their religious beliefs and nature (Kaiser, Africa and Ethnomusicology). The concept of music does not only encompass the typical music style rather it also includes education, sports and work in addition to visual art, playing instruments, poetry, singing and dancing. Furthermore it includes sounds of humans, animals and instruments as voices, there is a call and response relationship, strong link between motion and rhyme, sound, shape and feeling in the music (Kaiser, Africa and Ethnomusicology). North African Culture have made a deep impact over its music style; it includes the whole group’s involvement with music, all the cultures participate whether small/big and personal/international, there are musical institutions which generate great musical ideas and plan actions to play it correct. However, there are cultural clashes as well since when people hear music from some other culture they comprehend it in the light of their own musical views (Kaiser, What is Music?). The African music culture can be defined with the help of following four components (Kaiser, What is Music?): Ideas about music: it is a whole musical system which includes aesthetics of music, for instance when a song sounds attractive? What was the musical context? That is how, when and where it was composed? What was the occasion? The musical history including mere details about its transition period. Musical activities: it endorses work, games and group belongingness which involve physical, perceptual and emotional harmonization. Ethnomusicologist have identified the ways through which variables such as race and ethnicity, gender, demographics, individuality, social status, politics, religious viewpoints, etc. are entrenched into the musical activity. Music repertories: it is the set of music which is geared up to be performed. It comprises of musical style such as regional or national, genres including standard components of repertory, text which reflects the actual words of songs, composed either individually or collectively, transmission which is done either through aurally or lineage and specific movement of the musical performance. Material culture of music: it showcases the material entities produced by the people of a particular culture. Social context People moved into North Africa primarily due to trade and travel and the intensity of this movement increased after 1950 when new roads and railway system was successfully developed along with airports. With the advancement in trade routes food items including fruits and vegetables could be easily moved from the internal farms to the external coastal urban areas in addition to this manufactured goods were also readily available to the people. With the increased trade activity music also made its way into the lives of modern North African who start purchasing cassettes along with other traded goods. Initially people became familiar with feature films from India and America which added a great deal to their historical music style (Stone). The North Africans communicate through four major languages such as Swahili, trade language of East African, Bantu grammar and some words of Arabic. In addition to this people are also familiar with colonial languages such as French, Portugese and English. The aboriginal writing is not prevalent however some people do contain scripts written in Tuareg, Berber, Kpelle, etc. The Arabic modes and Sahelian rhythms have actually influenced the North African music to a much greater extent than any other aspect as music is always the incorporated form of material culture, social context and history. The Gnawa music is a clear reflection of Pre and Post Islamic conceptual blend with the West and North Africa. The Arab-Andalusian music was based on the melodic style which was highly romantic in nature and its court poetry was composed using orchestral and choral music. The famous instruments were Rabab, Kamanja, Derbuka, Tar, Ud and Bendir (Kaiser, CD Problems?). The essence of aboriginal religious beliefs is still prevailing among North Africans; for instance, the concept of supremacy of creator. Three religions are found in North Africa including Christianity, Islam and new religions such as Syncretic, Merges and Aladura therefore these people have diverse religious beliefs and practices (Kaiser, Africa and Ethnomusicology). As per the societal context Patterning and organizing of sounds is done through rhythm and meter, melody, form and harmony. The modern age instruments include Idiophone, Chordophone, Membranophone, Electrophone and Aerophone (Kaiser, What is Music?). Tuareg people They were tall, camel riding warriors usually covered with a veil. They maintained nomadic lifestyle and controlled trade which was primarily done through Sahara Desert. They were possibly compelled to live in desert due to the fast spread of Islam. Tuareg were great artisans and noble people, they particularly gave high status to their women who were not veiled rather their men used to cover themselves with a veil. They had distinct Berber vernaculars such as tamabaq. These people had a strong desire for independent state and for this purpose they had several wars since 1960 up to present day. Tuareg music is presented on special occasions including births, stepping in to the adulthood, courtship, wedding ceremonies, religious festivals, curing and routine parties. Among them verbal arts are highly admired, musical composers and poets are acknowledged. However they do not encourage musical professionalism. Men are mostly motivated to participate in wars which are usually associated with nobility, courtship and youth. Musicians played solo or accompanied voices. The musical trend was declined due to the defeat in noble privilege, end of warfare and Islamic restrictions (Kaiser, CD Problems?). Conclusion: Music is a vocal art which leaves deep impression on the historical records over the time. Research unveils the melodious secrets behind the North African music which includes the significant influence of history, material culture and social context. Historical context indicates that North African music has undergone important changes since very beginning. These people have strong affiliation with the aboriginal religious beliefs and practices which is clearly reflected through their music style and song composition (Agawu). Africa is hugely populated continent with more than 1 billion inhabitance that maintains their distinctive cultural background, speak different languages and practice diverse religions. Racial unity and geographic harmony have played substantial role in strengthening the North African music. These people have idiosyncratic ideas about music which encompasses various musical activities and repertories. Works Cited Agawu, Victor Kofi. Representing African Music: Postcolonial Notes, Queries, Positions. New York: Routledge, 2003. Print. Kaiser, Jeff. "Africa and Ethnomusicology." Music 13AF. 2013. Print. "CD Problems?" Music 13AF. 2013. Print. "What is Music?" Music 13AF. 2013. Print. Stone, Ruth M. The Garland Handbook of African Music. New York: Routledge, 2008. Print. Read More