MUSI 2040 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: African-American Music, Syncretism, Polyrhythm
29 Sep 2016
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Syncretism combining different traditions: west african traditions, caribbean traditions often brought to caribbean islands for civilizing first, american hymnody slave owners were wary of teaching african americans their practices; changed; started creeping in. Slave songs of the united states: first major publication of african american repertory good intentions, notation issues notes don"t do well in capturing music, repertory: mostly spirituals. Shouters: move around in a circle; shuffling; arm movements; can overlap with basers (integral to spirit); sometimes dance silently. Ring shout/ring spiritual: jubilee : habanera rhythm, west african influence, leader/baser/sticker/shouter. West african music in praise of yoruba chief (call, response: agogo bell, shekere rattle, bata drum. Characteristics of african in ring shouts: rhythmic complexity (polyrhythm, heterophonic, percussion, call and response. The spiritual evolves: restrictions loosen slave owners started encouraging christianity among african. Spiritual: roll jordan : call and response, syncopation, bent pitches. Seen as dignified, respectable; songs command attention, loses rhythmic interest: westernized smoothed out; made into concert spiritual.
