Music In Africa Final!!!

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Multiple encounters of Christianity in Africa

Christianity came to Africa more than once — first through ancient churches, then again through European missionaries during colonialism.

Missionary activities

When European Christians came to Africa and taught locals their hymns and church music.

Orthodox Churches

Eastern Churches not in full communion with the Catholic Church. Very old African Christian churches (like in Ethiopia and Egypt) that existed before European colonialism, with their own ancient music traditions.

Non-Orthodox Churches

(1) the Spiritual Churches (e.g., Cherubim and Seraphim Churches, the Celestial Church of Christ, etc.)

(2) Pentecostal Churches (e.g., Ghana Pentecostal Churches, etc.)

(3) Neo-Pentecostal/ Charismatic Churches (e.g., International Central Gospel Churches, etc.)

Music in Orthodox churches

Ancient chants, call-and-response singing, and traditional African instruments like drums and rattles.

Music in non-Orthodox churches

Western hymns mixed with African drumming, hand-clapping, and local languages — especially lively in African Independent Churches.

Musical types used in Orthodox churches

~The African Catholic and Anglican churches made use of the following music:

--Musa Luba, Missa Mayot, Missa Maleng

~Their masses are based on the following:

--Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, Benedictus, Agnus Dei

Neo-African Art Music

Serious, composed music by African musicians trained in Western classical music who also used African sounds and rhythms.

The two main types of neo-African music

. Art music — formal, composed for concerts. 2. Popular music — made for dancing and the radio. (or chordal/instrumental music)

Four categories of neo-African music

(1) Music based on Western models, and in which the composer has not consciously introduced any African elements.

(2) Music whose thematic material (e.g. melodic and rhythmic motifs) is borrowed from African sources, but which is otherwise Western in idiom and instrumentation.

(3) Music in which African elements form an integral part of the idiom (for example, the use of African instruments, texts, or stylistic concepts and so forth), but which also includes non-African ideas;

(4) Music whose idiom is derived from African traditional culture, which employs African instruments, and in which the composer has not consciously introduced non-African ideas.

Ephraim Amu

Ghanaian. Father of Ghanaian art music. Used Akan/traditional sounds in his compositions and proudly wore traditional cloth as a political statement.

Fela Sowande

Nigerian. Mixed Yoruba folk music with Western classical style. Famous for his African Suite.

J. H. Kwabena Nketi

Ghanaian. Africa's top music scholar. Studied and documented African music AND composed his own art music.

Akin O. Euba

Nigerian. Created 'creative ethnomusicology' — using traditional African music as the base for new composed works.

Joshua Uzoigwe

Nigerian. Student of Euba. Continued the same approach, rooted in Igbo traditional music.

Gyima Labi

Ghanaian art music composer who mixed Ghanaian traditional sounds with Western composition techniques.

Factors influencing African pop music

Colonialism, moving to cities, Western music on the radio, Latin/jazz records, and mixing of different African ethnic music styles.

Ghanaian Highlife

Ghana's main popular music — African rhythms and melodies played with Western instruments like guitars and brass.

Palm Wine Music

Chill, acoustic guitar music played in palm-wine bars. The earliest form of highlife.

Dance-band highlife

Fancy, big-band highlife for the elite — like African jazz, played in hotels and ballrooms.

Guitar band highlife

Simpler highlife for everyday people — electric guitars instead of brass, more African in feel.

Classic guitar-band highlife

The golden age (1960s-70s) of guitar band highlife — polished and recognizable, the 'classic' sound.

Burgher highlife

Smooth, slow, synthesizer-heavy highlife made by Ghanaians living in Germany in the 1980s.

Gospel highlife

Highlife music with Christian lyrics. Very popular in Ghana today.

Reggae highlife

Highlife mixed with Jamaican reggae rhythm.

Nigerian Juju

Nigerian Yoruba music with talking drums, guitars, and praise singing. Celebrates people and their lineage.

Afro-juju

Juju mixed with Afrobeat influences — harder and more energetic.

Fuji

Nigerian Yoruba music with fast singing and heavy percussion but NO guitars. Comes from Islamic prayer music.

Juju-fuji

A mix of juju and fuji styles.

Afro-beat

Created by Fela Kuti — jazz + funk + African rhythms + angry political lyrics against corrupt governments.

Congolese Soukous

Fast, danceable guitar music from Congo, also called Congo rumba. Influenced by Cuban music that came back to Africa.

Afro-Cuban rumba

Cuban dance music that was originally rooted in African rhythms. When records came back to Congo, they inspired soukous.

Marabi / Jive

Early South African city music from the 1920s-30s — African melodies mixed with American jazz piano, played in townships.

Pennywhistle jive

South African 1950s street music using a simple tin flute with a jive beat. Lighthearted and accessible.

Mbaqanga

South African township music from the 1960s — electric instruments + traditional Zulu sounds with a driving beat.

Vocal Mbaqanga

Mbaqanga with a focus on vocals — a deep male 'groaner' leads while women sing backup.

ET Mensah

Ghana. 'King of Highlife.' Led the Tempos band. Made dance-band highlife famous across West Africa in the 1950s.

Baba Tunde King

Nigeria. One of the very first juju musicians to record music in the 1930s-40s.

I.K. Dairo

Nigeria. Modernized juju in the 1960s. First Nigerian musician to receive a British MBE honor.

Ebenezer Obey

Nigeria. Juju musician known for his 'miliki' style and Christian-themed lyrics. Contemporary of King Sunny Ade.

Joseph Kabasele

Congo. 'Grand Kallé.' One of the founders of Congolese rumba/soukous. Led the African Jazz band.

Simon 'Mahlathini' Nkabinde

South Africa. 'Lion of Soweto.' Famous for his super deep groaning voice in mbaqanga with the Mahotella Queens.

Angélique Kidjo

Benin. Huge international star. Mixes West African music with funk, R&B, and jazz.

Miriam Makeba

South Africa. 'Mama Africa.' Brought African music to the world AND fought against apartheid.

Youssou N'Dour

Senegal. Global superstar. Created mbalax — Senegalese drumming mixed with pop and Cuban music.

King Sunny Ade

Nigeria. Took juju music global in the 1980s. Known for very long, hypnotic live performances.

Fela Kuti

Nigeria. Created Afrobeat. Mixed jazz, funk, and Yoruba music with fierce anti-government political messages.

Hugh Masekela

South Africa. 'Father of African jazz.' Jazz trumpeter who mixed jazz with township sounds and fought against apartheid.