MUS 185 Lecture Notes - Lecture 20: Griot, Balafon, Xylophone
27 Oct 2016
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AFRICA cont’d
Control (Part One)
-Jelis have the exclusive right in Mande culture to play certain instruments
Jeli Instruments
-Balafon (xylophone), kora, koni
**VIDEOS
Control (Part Two)
-Not just anyone can become a jeli…
-Endogamy: strict intermarriage between jeli families
-Album Covers: notice anything in common? Same last name! Diabate
**VIDEO: An example of Mande music: “Ala L’a Ke”
Vocal: donkilo (melody)...sataro (declamatory style)
Kora: kumbengo (groove)...birimintingo (“breaks”)
Summary
-Anyone in the Mande culture can do music, but the jeli is a highly skilled, virtuosic
performer with exclusive rights
-Jeli families control who can become a jeli through intermarriage
-Jeli speech (kuma) is considered powerful and authoritative
Agbekor: Ewe dance-drumming
The Ewe culture
-West Africa (primarily Ghana and Togo)
-Family groups are unified (villages)
-Ancestral worship
FOCUS: Dance-drumming
-Dance-drumming: percussion music that accompanies traditional dance movement
-Often, a close relationship between drumming rhythms and dance movements
-Among the Ewe, dance-drumming repertoire is performed and perpetuated by:
-clubs
-mutual aid societies
-school groups
-professional, state-sponsored troupes
Teaching and Learning
-Often, African music is learned through enculturation (slow learning through absorption; no
formal teaching)
-Difficult or complex repertoire, however, may be specifically taught by rote (observation and
emulation)
Agbekor: “clear life” (aka Atsiagbekor; Atsia means “display”)
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Jelis have the exclusive right in mande culture to play certain instruments. **video: an example of mande music: ala l"a ke . Anyone in the mande culture can do music, but the jeli is a highly skilled, virtuosic. Jeli families control who can become a jeli through intermarriage. Jeli speech (kuma) is considered powerful and authoritative. Dance-drumming: percussion music that accompanies traditional dance movement. Often, a close relationship between drumming rhythms and dance movements. Among the ewe, dance-drumming repertoire is performed and perpetuated by: Often, african music is learned through enculturation (slow learning through absorption; no formal teaching) Difficult or complex repertoire, however, may be specifically taught by rote (observation and emulation) Agbekor: clear life (aka atsiagbekor; atsia means display )
