Musical Trip to Africa

 Research

Traditional African music is something that I find fascinating. It is deeply cultural and important to their everyday life. It is also extremely diverse, with distinctions between individual villages, as well as countries (Evens). African music is used for several different topics and events. It is an important part of religious ceremonies, and is also used to pass down oral stories, throughout several generations (Music of Africa). Songs and music are a very important part of African society; they are used to teach and guide, mark the passage of life and death, and even to give political guidance or show unhappiness (Evens). 

There are a variety of instruments used in Traditional African music, but percussion instruments are some of the most common and popular. Various different types of drums, rattles, bells, and wooden sticks are often used in African music (African Traditional Music). African music is very rhythmic and often includes polyrhythms of varying complexity (Music of Africa). They are so popular, there have been various different instruments designed with the sole purpose of making it easier to play polyrhythms in a song (African Traditional Music). The instruments themselves are often so beautifully designed that they are a work of art, just like the music they produce. Music and the creation of instruments lend some status to a person as well. People who make good instruments, and manage to capture the spirit of the instrument, are held in high regard (Evens). The singing that accompanies African music is often deep and resonant, but this isn't a rule, and there is plenty of variation between songs (Evens). Using only voices, or a singer's body to produce music is also popular, resulting in music that is similar to acapella (Evens). Creating music that sounds pleasing isn't important to traditional African musicians, it is more important to capture the essence of life in their music, and to show their creativity and ingenuity (Music of Africa).

Analysis

 

 

This song is called Meridian, it is a traditional Ghanaian folk song. I couldn't find the original composers or the date it was written or released. It originated in western Africa. In this example, it is played by a Ghanaian music group called Wulomei (Taylor). 

 

Texture: I believe that the texture of this song is largely polyphonic, like most traditional African music (African Traditional Music). When listening to it, I can hear the drums playing one melody, while what sounds like sticks being hit together plays an entirely different melody. Every once in a while, you can also hear a drum beat that is completely random and doesn't follow the melody that the drums were previously creating. Even the guitar strumming doesn't quite sound like it goes with the other melodies. This is consistent with African music. Following one melody isn't common, creating several that help to convey the spirit of the song is much more common and accepted (Evens).

Melody: I think that the melody in Meridian is largely disjunctive. It jumps around a lot, and was really hard for me to follow. There wasn't a concrete melody that all the instruments were following, it kept unexpectedly changing throughout the song. This random switching and jumping is a good example of traditional African music that focuses more on the feeling of the music, rather than making sure that a specific melody is being created and followed. 

This song is called Homeless. It was composed by Paul Simon and the Joseph Shabalala, the lead singer for Ladysmith Black Mambazo (Homeless (Paul Simon and Ladysmith Black Mambazo song)). It was written and released in 1986, in South Africa. This song was also recorded in not only South Africa, but also England and the US (Homeless (Paul Simon and Ladysmith Black Mambazo song)). In this example, it is sung by Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

Texture: Like Meridian, and many other traditional African songs, Homeless contains some polyrhythmic texture. In the beginning of the song, the lead singer is singing a different melody than the other singers, creating a polyrhythm. Large parts of this song are also homophonic. Toward the middle of the song, the singers start to harmonize a bit more, but they use different notes together, combining to form a homophonic texture. 

 

Melody: I found the melody in Homeless to be a lot easier to follow than the melody in Meridian. This song is sung at a much slower pace, giving me more time to grasp the melody and basic pattern that the song follows. I think that most of this song is composed of a conjunct melody. It was pretty easy for me to follow along and anticipate what the next notes might sound like. To me, this song sounded more like the kind of African music that is telling a story, rather than just made to entertain and amuse people.

Both of these songs use several musical elements and techniques that are unique to traditional African music. They both use some polyrhythms in their texture, and they both use some traditional instruments in their music. Meridian uses a lot of percussion instruments, including different drums, and what, to me, sounds like wooden sticks being tapped together (Taylor). Homeless uses just the singer's voices to create an acapella-sounding music, which is a common type of traditional African music (Evens). Each of these songs also rely more on how the music makes someone feel, and the spirit of it, rather than the melody or harmony of the song. 

Personal Opinion

 

Personally, I really enjoyed both of these songs, despite the vast differences between them and what I normally listen to. I am used to being able to clearly hear a melody, and being able to follow it as I listen to the music. With these songs, the melody was harder to hear, and there were more polyrhythms than I had expected. However, I enjoyed the way that they sounded. It seemed like a more carefree style of music that let the composer just enjoy themselves, rather than trying to make sure each part of the music fit together seamlessly. I liked the more carefree approach to music, and the contrasting melodies that are a defining feature of African music.

Sources:

"African Traditional Music." Weebly. Web. 2 March 2021. 

Evens, Bronwen. "African Music." Contemporary African Art. 2020. Web. 2 March 2021. 

"Homeless (Paul Simon and Ladysmith Black Mambazo song)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation,10 Dec. 2020. Web. 2 March 2021. 

"Music of Africa." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 2 March 2021. Web. 2 March 2021.

Taylor, Mildred. "10 traditional African songs that won international acclaim." Face 2 Face Africa. 21 June 2018. Web. 2 March 2021.