African Music and Culture Flashcards

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from the lecture notes.

Maghrib

A region of North Africa that predominantly practices Islam.

Sub-Saharan Africa

The region of Africa below the Sahara Desert, including central, east, west, and south Africa.

Triple Heritage

Refers to the influence of indigenous heritage, Eurocentric capitalism, and the spread of Islam in Africa.

Scramble for Africa

The invasion, conquest, and colonization of Africa by European powers.

Berlin Conference (1884-85)

A meeting of European powers that regulated European colonization and trade in Africa during the New Imperialism period.

Social Darwinism

The belief that the fittest groups will rise to the top and survive, used to condone racism and aggression.

Race

A social categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities; regarded as a myth.

Patrilineal

Descent traced through the father's line.

Matrilineal

Descent traced through the mother's line.

Lineage

Lineal descent through a known ancestor.

Ghana (Gold Coast)

Former British colony which later changed name to Ghana when it gained independence in 1957.

Mawu

In Ewe cosmology, the moon, darkness, and female aspect of creation; also considered the creator of humans.

Se

God of destiny in Ewe cosmology.

Habobo

Dance and drum societies; all women's groups created by Ewe women.

Agbekor

Ewe war and funeral music and dance.

Gankogui

Ewe double bell instrument key instrument in Agbekor. Never changes.

Axatse

Rattle-like instrument Dried gourd wrapped in a beaded net

Kagan

Narrow, high-pitched drum used in Ewe musical traditions.

Kidi

Medium-sized drum played with wooden sticks.

Atsimevu

Open, single-headed cylindrical drum; drum instick

Gideon Foli Alorwoyie

Master drummer who expanded the range of traditional African drumming.

Mali Empire

Powerful West African empire noted for its vast gold wealth and adherence to Islam.

Jali

Griot, storyteller, musician, and oral historian

Kora

21-stringed double bridge harp lute played by griots; chordophone.

Balafon

West African rhyth resembling a xylophone or marimba

Praise for Patronage

The positive recognition and appreciation given to individuals or institutions that provide support for artistic endeavors.

Lunsi

Married to the drum.

Lunga

Lead drum hourglass shaped changes pitch

Gungong

Answering drum to lunga

Tonal Language

Pitch matters in the language.

Mbira

Idiophone.

Hosho

Rattle internal heads create the sound.

Chuning

Different Mbira have different tunings.

Kushara

The leading part with the Kutsinhira following.

Kutsinhira

In Shona music, it is the following part a beat behind the Rushaura.

Kaleidophonic

Switch your hearing and the music switches.

Bira

Ceremony for 3 spirits Mbira spirit possession.

Chimurenga

Shona word for uprising used in Zimbabwe.

Thomas Mapfumo

Creator of Chimurenga music.

Band Society

A small group of kin, egalitarian, no main leader

Egalitarian

Men and women have equal say in society

Rites of Passage

A ceremony or even marking an important stage in one's life.

Molimo

When someone dies the men sing all night long

Vocal Polyphony

Yodeling lyrics low vocable following harmonic outline.

Ewe

Live in Ghana and Togo.

Mande

Mali professional music.

Dagbamba

Griot British colony

Shona

Bantu speaking ethnic group primarily in Zimbabwe

Sahel

In between Sahara and Forest

Polyphony

Simultaneous combination of two or more independent melodic lines

Monophony

One voice

Homophony

A melody supported by harmony

Heterophony

Different versions of the same melody played at the same time

Polyrhythm

Two or more rhythms at the same time

Burned timbre

Buzzy quality to the sound

Vocables

syllables without meaning

Percussive aesthetic

deeply embedded in rhythm in drumming and dance

Ostinato

short repeated melodic rhythmic phrase

Timeline

Repeated ostinato

Call and response

one voice calls another responds

yodel

repeated and rapid changes of pitch