Traditional Music of Africa and the Maghreb
Regional Divisions of African Music
African music can be broadly divided into the following regions:
- The Maghreb: The northern fringe of the continent, encompassing countries of Arabic culture, extending from Morocco to Egypt.
- Sub-Saharan Africa: The region south of the Sahara Desert. This can be further divided into three zones:
- Western: The coast of Guinea, home to powerful kingdoms before European domination. A notable instrument is the kora.
- Central: Occupied by countries like Zaire, Uganda, and Tanzania. Languages of common origin use the ilimba, the most widespread instrument in the region.
- Southernmost: The music here is most representative of the Hottentots and Bushmen.
Traits of African Music
- Anonymous: The names of the composers are generally unknown.
- Collective and Participatory: Music belongs to the community, and everyone actively participates.
- Functional: Music is often used for specific purposes, both in the life cycle of individuals and in activities related to the yearly cycle.
- Oral Tradition: Music is spread by word of mouth; it is the only way music is remembered.
- Ritual: Music is frequently used for ceremonies.
Arabic Music
The origins of Arabic music lie in the Arabian Peninsula during the pre-Islamic era. From the 7th century, with the Muslim expansion in North Africa, this music developed and spread throughout the Maghreb and parts of the Iberian Peninsula.
The spiritual influence of Islam on all aspects of Arabic music is undeniable. Celebrations in mosques are based on the sung word. The Qur’an is recited using a form of singing, though the reciters are considered orators. The call to prayer is sung and performed by the muezzin from a minaret, a tower found in all mosques. Each call, sung with a slow tempo, consists of a fixed number of musical phrases in a highly ornamented melody.
Musical Features of Arabic and Saharan Music
Arabic Music:
- Scale Division: The scale is divided into 24 equal intervals, instead of the 12 in the Western chromatic scale. The source system is the 24 frets of the lute’s neck.
- Tuning System: A different tuning system from the West is used, incorporating quarter-tones.
- Melodies: Homophonic and highly ornamented melodies are based on 7-note scales. These scales, or modes, are called maqam (plural, maqamat); there are more than 70 modes, each with a different name.
Specificities of Saharan Music:
- Predominance of Rhythm: Rhythm is supported by clapping and enriched with a large number of percussion instruments.
- Relationship with Dance: Instrumental performance and song lead to body movement.
- Abundant Use of Pentatonic Scales: Examples of complex polyphony (simultaneous execution of two or more melodic lines) are present.
- Repetition: Repetition is a key musical element, with procedures such as call-and-response chants. These elements have had considerable influence on music; African slaves transmitted the rhythmic sense to musicians in the Americas (Cuba, Brazil, etc.), resulting in samba, jazz, and blues.
African music enjoys great vitality, with modern trends mixing with traditional rhythms.
Definitions of Instruments and Terms
- Rai Music: A movement born in Algeria, combining traditional elements with Western rhythms such as rock and funk, but mostly Jamaican reggae.
- Darbuka: A cup-shaped drum with a single head. The difference in sonority between dark and light strokes is very important for setting rhythmic patterns.
- Ud (Lute): Characterized by a short, fretless neck and a body shaped like half a pear.
- Daff: Similar to a tambourine, it is held with the left hand and played with the right, sometimes shaking its rattles and occasionally hitting the chest.
- Griots: Poets and musicians who played an important role as chroniclers of African history. Their origin is in the medieval kingdoms. The role of griots was transmitted through leading pentatonic scale songs accompanied by the kora.
- Kora: A mixture of harp and lute. The body is constructed with a large gourd; a mast is coupled with 21 strings made of gut, played with the thumbs.
- Atumpan: Two drums that are always played together: one male (low-pitched) and one female (high-pitched). They are played with rounded, curved wooden sticks.
- Muheme: A single-headed, hourglass-shaped drum, played with the hands while held between the legs.
- Balafon: Belongs to the family of idiophones. It is played with sticks with natural rubber heads. Wooden sheets with strings are placed underneath, and gourds act as resonators.