Music Cultures Test 3 Vocab

Sahel

Semi-arid African transition zone (North and South), griot centered with cross cultural music

European colonization

Foreign domination and extraction, disrupted traditions and imposed music cultures on African people

Ewe

African people group located in Ghana/Togo, colonized by Britain (Ghana) and Germany (Togo)

Mande

African people group from Mali, Guinea, Ivory Coast, and Senegal. Colonized by France

Ashanti/Asante

African People group in Ghana, colonized by Britain

Shona

African people group in Zimbabwe, colonized by Britain. Called southern rhodesia

Baaka/Aka

African people group in CAR and Congo, colonized by France (CAR) and Belgium (Congo)

Polyrhythm

Multiple rhythms played simultaneously, characteristic of African music.

African Hemiola

3:2 Polyrhythm

TUBS (Time Unit Box System)

Grid-based rhythmic notation, developed to analyze west African drumming music

Cyclical

Repeating musical time loops, characteristic of African drumming music

General Form and Structure

Repetition with variation, open forms

Drumming and Language

Rhythms mimic language patterns, communication through drums, characteristic of West African music

Buzzy Timbres

Intentionally raspy sound quality, rattling resonators enhancing sonic texture

Call and Response

Alternating leader/group phrases, musical dialogue

Constellation of Arts

Integrated multimodal artistic expressions, unified music-dance-storytelling practices

Enculturation (African Music)

Learning culture through communal participation

Cultural Circle (African Music)

Community based artistic exchange, collective creation via community

Purpose of Music (African Music)

Social Cohesion, spiritual/ritual function, functional roles, identity expression

Black Atlantic

African diaspora cultural exchange network

Akan

Ghanaian ethnic group, royal drum ensembles

Ashante

Akan Kingdom, ceremonial/court music

The Golden Stool

Ashante royal symbol, spiritual authority

Adowa

Akan funeral dance and drum rhythm

Fontomfrom

Royal Akan drum ensemble, court performance

Kete

Ashante ceremonial drumming and dance ensemble

Kente Cloth

Colorful Ashante textile, cultural identity symbol

Adinkra Symbols

Visual motifs representing Akan philosophies

Ewe

Ghana/Togo group, polyrhythmic ensemble music

Agbekor

Ewe war dance and drumming ensemble

Brekete

Ewe large drumming ensemble, communal performance

Manas Musa

Wealthy Mali emperor, patron of the arts

Horon/Jong

Mande social caste, hereditary farmers

Nyamalo/Sula

Mande Artisan/Musician social caste

Jali/Jalolu

Mande griot, oral historian/musician

Kuna

Mande praise singing repertoire

Kora

21 string harp/lute, melodic griot instrument

Balafon

Wooden xylophone, key Mande instrument

Jalimusolu

Master griot, musical lineage leader

Kandia Kouyate

Renowned Mande griot performer

Great Zimbabwe

Ancient Shona city, cultural center

Shona

Mbira centered community music

Mbira

Thumb piano, melodic and rhythmic Shona instrument

Deze

Resonator gourd for mbira amplification

Mutsigo

Rhythmic or melodic mbira pattern/phrase

Kushaura/Kutsinhira

Leading and following interlocking mbira parts

Banya

Shona term for strong accented rhythmic pattern

Shona Cosmology

Spiritual worldview influencing music and ritual

Performance Practice and Aesthetics (Shona)

Ensemble, improvisation, and ritual presentation

Chunning

Mbira melodic variation technique

Hosho

Shona shaker instrument, marks rhythm in mbira ensembles

Bira Characteristics of Spirit Possession (Shona)

Music facilitating ancestral trance and guidance

Bira Ceremony

Community ritual invoking ancestral spirits

Thomas Mapfumo

Zimbabwean musician, modernized mbira and chimurenga

Chimurgena

Freedom/struggle music, politicized mbira style

Nyunga Nyunga

Shona mbira tuning system, melodic style

Trans Atlantic Slave trade

Forced African migration shaping Caribbean culture

Yoruba

West African ethnic group, characterized by spiritual traditions

Creolization

Cultural blending creating new hybrid traditions

Afro Cuban Music

African derived rhythms in Cuban contexts, Rhumba, Son, Danzon

Bats Drumming

Sacred Yoruba drums, used in Santeria rituals

Bembe

Santeria drum ceremony with call and response

Santeria

Afro-Cuban religion blending Yoruba and Catholicism

Torque de Santo

Possession ritual invoking Orishas

Rumba

Afro-Cuban secular drumming, dance, and song

Conga Drums

Tall Cuban drums, secular and ritual

Clave (Instrument and Rhythm)

Wooden sticks, foundational Afro-Cuban rhythmic pattern

Chequere

Beaded gourd shaker for rhythmic accent

Gua Gua

Cuban percussion instrument, similar to maracas

Palitos

Small sticks used for rhythmic articulation

Guagaunco

Sub-style of rhumba, flirtatious dance drumming

Danzon

Cuban courtly dance genre, European influenced

Son

Cuban music style, clave based with hybrid roots