Music Of Africa Unit Exam

Front 1

What four elements do most mbira have in common?

Back 1

soundboard, a method of amplifying the sound, device for producing the buzzing quality (buzzers), set of keys

Front 2

Mbuti

Back 2

Ituri Forest (DRC)

equatorial forest area from Cameroon to Rwanda

Front 3

lamellaphone

Back 3

music instruments with tuned metal or reed tongues set on bridge mounted to a soundboard or a box; played by striking keys

ex: mbira

Front 4

interlocking

Back 4

the practice of fitting one's pitches and beats into the spaces of other parts, or alternating the ptiches or phrases of one part with those of others to create the whole; also called hocket

Front 5

call-and-response

Back 5

the alternation or interlocking of leader and chorus musical parts or of a vocal and instrumental part

Front 6

ostinato

Back 6

repeated melodic or rhythmic pattern. In much African music, one or more ostinatos provide the basic form for musical sections and pieces.

Front 7

general characteristics of African music

Back 7

-interlocking melodies and rhythmic parts
-preference for dense, overlapping textures and buzzing timbres
-cyclical forms (based on melodic/rhythmic ostinatos)
-flexible approaches to rhythms often combining or juxtaposing units of twos and threes
-descending melodic shape
-musical roles including "core" and "elaboration" parts

Front 8

Mande

Back 8

Senegal, Gambia, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Sierra Leone

Front 9

Shona

Back 9

Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique

Front 10

Jali (pl., jalolu)

Back 10

term for a hereditary professional musician (hierarchical) in Mande society, who serves as an oral historian and singer/performer

due to ability to manipulate words, jalolu have the greatest power

women are prime singers; both sexes can sing, however

Front 11

Ewe

Back 11

Ghana

Front 12

double-bell present in Ewe drum ensembles

Back 12

gankogui

Front 13

gourd shaker present in Ewe drum ensembles

Back 13

axatse

Front 14

two examples of social structure and conditions influencing music and performance

Back 14

-mbuti: fewer instruments which are smaller, lighter, and compatible with nomadic lifestyle, favors vocal performance
-buganda kingdom: highly organized, centralized government, developed elaborate court music ensembles

Front 15

Buganda kingdom

Back 15

Lake Victoria region

Front 16

shona instruments

Back 16

karimba, hosho, 22-key mbira in calabash gourd, voice, hand clapping,

Front 17

typical form of mbira music

Back 17

melodic-harmonic cycle, or ostinato, of 48 quick beats-- usually divided into four 12-beat phrases in 12/8 meter

Front 18

Mbuti instrumentarium

Back 18

voice, musical bow, whistles, end-blown flutes made from cane, rhythm sticks, rattles, trumpet types- like end-blown molimo

Front 19

Mbuti musical characteristics

Back 19

-vocal music is at the core
-music s a non-specialized activity
-sometimes differentiated by gender, depending on context
-ostinato and interlock
-call-and-response
-yodeling
-song texts kept to a minimum ("the forest is good")

Front 20

Mande

Back 20

savanna in west africa (Mali)

Front 21

Mande instrumetns

Back 21

balo (xylophone), kora (bridge harp), kontingo (five-stinrged plucked lute with skin face like a banjo)

Front 22

dance-drumming traditions of Anlo-Ewe

Back 22

committee of men and women- chairperson, secretary, and leaders of subgroups

resembles broader Ewe political hierarchy

composer- responsible for creating distinctive music - identity emblems for ensemble

created on the basis of hometown identity- basis for social networks

performances are less frequent among Ewe- plays on special occasions, supports its members during significant events (death)

semi-professional- rehearse as a ensemble, expect payment of some sort, but not chief income

Front 23

kora

Back 23

-21-stinged bridge harp with range just over 3 octaves
-cowhide is stretched over the gourd sound box
-strings come off the neck in two parallel rows perpendicular to face of the sound box
-scale series alternates between the two rows and the two hands
-buzzer attached to bridge

Front 24

4 major components of kora music

Back 24

donkilo- basic vocal melody
sataro- improvised, declamatory singing style (sometimes receiving lots of emphasis)
kumbengo- short ostinato- most basic organizing feature of a performance
birimintingo- improvised instrumental interludes

Front 25

Anlo-Ewe

Back 25

musically and socially distinct from other Ewe
mostly farmers and fishers

Front 26

chimurenga

Back 26

"songs of liberation"

major transition in music of Zimbabwe when folk songs were used to politicize rural people

(Mapfumo)

Front 27

important traditional instruments in the Buganda kingdom

Back 27

entenga ensemble- 12 drums carefully tuned to th elocal pentatonic scale- melodic instruments; played by 4 musicians, accompanied by 3 other rums played by 2 drummers. Limited to royal enclosure.

akadinda- 22-key xylophone with bars sitting freely on two logs; played by 6 musicians

Front 28

effects of kabaka exile on music

Back 28

royal drums destroyed; irreparable and irrecoverable

princes as "prince of the drum"- significance dependent on which drum

loss of music traditions that were central symbols of that kingdom

Front 29

donkilo

Back 29

basic vocal melody of kora singing

Front 30

sataro

Back 30

improvised, declamatory singing style (sometimes receiving lots of emphasis in kora singing)

Front 31

kumbengo

Back 31

short (instrumental) ostinato- most basic organizing feature of a kora performance

Front 32

birimintingo

Back 32

improvised instrumental interludes in kora music

Front 33

donkilo

Back 33

basic vocal melody of kora singing

Front 34

sataro

Back 34

improvised, declamatory singing style (sometimes receiving lots of emphasis in kora singing)

Front 35

kumbengo

Back 35

short (instrumental) ostinato- most basic organizing feature of a kora performance

Front 36

birimintingo

Back 36

improvised instrumental interludes in kora music