World Music

Front 1

Peurt A Beul
(North American)

Back 1

an unaccompanied dance song with nonsense syllables used to substitute for fiddling

Front 2

Ballad
(North American)

Back 2

a song that tells a story, usually performed by a solo voice

Front 3

Appalachia
(North American)

Back 3

a geographic region marked by the Appalacian Mountains, wich extend throughout the easter U.S.

Front 4

Psalms
(North American)

Back 4

a book of the Bible comprised of text praising god used as the source of songs in Calvinist churches

Front 5

Singing School
(North American)

Back 5

a tradintion of teaching four-part harmony techniques, found in rural areas throughout the U.S.

Front 6

Sharpe Notes
(North American)

Back 6

a music notation system that uses differently shaped "note" heads to indicate a pitch

Front 7

Blugrass
(North American)

Back 7

a style of music characterized by viruosic instrumental performance and the so-called "high lonesom" vocal style, in which a harmony pitch is sung above the main melody

Front 8

Mandolin
(North American)

Back 8

a high-ranged fretted lute commonly used in bluegrass

Front 9

Blue Note
(North American)

Back 9

a pitch not standard to the Euro-American tradition, believed to derive from West African tunning systems.

Front 10

Hymn
(North American)

Back 10

a "humanly composed" religious work

Front 11

Blues
(North American)

Back 11

a secular folk music tradition orginating within the African American community in the southern U.S.

Front 12

Conjunto
(North American)

Back 12

a popular dance music found along the Texas-Mexico Border in North America

Front 13

Banda Tipica
(North American)

Back 13

an early type of dance band that plays popular music from the Texas-Mexico borderland region of North America

Front 14

Creole
(North American)

Back 14

a term referring to populations of French descent that are found in the southern U.S., primarily Lousiania

Front 15

Vocables
(North American)

Back 15

words considered only with regards to sound, not in terms of meaning

Front 16

Pow Wow
(North American)

Back 16

a pan-tribal American indian event celebrating Native American identity and culture, generaly also open to non-Native Americans

Front 17

Palm Wine Guitar
(Africa)

Back 17

a poular guitar style known for its association with folk musicians who frequently played for drinks usually palm wine

Front 18

Highlife
(Africa)

Back 18

a broad label applied to a variety of urban popular music traditions throughout Western Africa, especially in Ghana

Front 19

Pygmies
(Africa)

Back 19

a general term describing the many ethnic groups of forest-dwellers in the rain forests of Central Africa

Front 20

Mbira
(Africa)

Back 20

a general reference to lamellophones found throughout Africa, in particular those common to the shona and other ethnic groups of Zimbabwe

Front 21

Bira
(Africa)

Back 21

a spirit possession ceremony of the shona ethnic group from zimbabwe

Front 22

Akadinda
(Africa)

Back 22

a large, heavy log xylophone from Uganda that uses interlocking patterns that can approach 600 beats per minute

Front 23

Kora
(Africa)

Back 23

a harp-lute or bridge-harp by a jali during his poetic recitation

Front 24

Afrikaners
(Africa)

Back 24

the descendents of Dutch colonialists in South Africa

Front 25

Shaka
(Africa)

Back 25

Zulu warrior king of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries who reigned over much of South Africa

Front 26

Apartheid
(Africa)

Back 26

a policy of racial segregation and political/economic discrimination against non-European in South America

Front 27

Mbube
(Africa)

Back 27

a general of choral performance common among migrant workers of South Africa

Front 28

Antilles
(Caribbean)

Back 28

the islands of the Carribbean, excluding the bahamas

Front 29

Mummer
(Caribbean)

Back 29

a type of streat theater actor, usually in performances staged during the Christmas season

Front 30

Animism
(Caribbean)

Back 30

beliefs systems in which natural phenomena as well as both animate and inaminate objects are considered to possess a spirit

Front 31

Shango
(Caribbean)

Back 31

a Yoruba name for the god of thunder and lighting in the West African pantheon. Consequently, also the name for a West African-derived religion found primarily in Trinidad.

Front 32

Reggae
(Caribbean)

Back 32

a popular music from Jamiaca characterized by a rythmic emphasis on the off-beat and by politically and socially conscious lyrics.

Front 33

Haile Selassie
(Caribbean)

Back 33

an Ethiopian king considered by Rastafarians to be the second coming of Jesus Christ

Front 34

Dub
(Caribbean)

Back 34

recorded music that emphasizes the bass and rythm tracks so that a DJ can talk over the music through a microphone

Front 35

Calypso
(Caribbean)

Back 35

a popular music from trinidad characterized by inprovised lyrics on topical and broadly humorous subject matter.

Front 36

Conga
(Caribbean)

Back 36

a tall, barrel-shaped single-headed drum used often in Latin American music

Front 37

Carnival
(Caribbean)

Back 37

a pre-Lent festival celebrated primarily in Europe and the Carribbean. Known as Mardi Bras in the U.S.

Front 38

Pan
(Caribbean)

Back 38

a musical instrument from trinidad made from a steel oil drum

Front 39

Maracas
(Caribbean)

Back 39

a pair of small Caribbean gourd rattles with interior beads

Front 40

Santeria
(Caribbean)

Back 40

an animistic belief system found primarily in Cuba and the U.S.

Front 41

Clave
(Caribbean)

Back 41

rythm pattern in salsa music. Also an instrument consisting of two sticks beaten together

Front 42

Guarracha
(Caribbean)

Back 42

a Latin American ballroom dance, as well as a song type emphasizing call-and-response vocal organization.

Front 43

Orus
(Caribbean)

Back 43

a rhythmic pattern associated with an orisha in the santeria religious tradition

Front 44

Guiro
(Caribbean)

Back 44

a scraped gourd idiophone

Front 45

Merengue
(Caribbean)

Back 45

a Latin American dance and music form, originally from the Dominican Republic

Front 46

Palm Wine Guitar
(Africa)

Back 46

a poular guitar style known for its association with folk musicians who frequently played for drinks usually palm wine

Front 47

Highlife
(Africa)

Back 47

a broad label applied to a variety of urban popular music traditions throughout Western Africa, especially in Ghana

Front 48

Pygmies
(Africa)

Back 48

a general term describing the many ethnic groups of forest-dwellers in the rain forests of Central Africa

Front 49

Mbira
(Africa)

Back 49

a general reference to lamellophones found throughout Africa, in particular those common to the shona and other ethnic groups of Zimbabwe

Front 50

Bira
(Africa)

Back 50

a spirit possession ceremony of the shona ethnic group from zimbabwe

Front 51

Akadinda
(Africa)

Back 51

a large, heavy log xylophone from Uganda that uses interlocking patterns that can approach 600 beats per minute

Front 52

Kora
(Africa)

Back 52

a harp-lute or bridge-harp by a jali during his poetic recitation

Front 53

Afrikaners
(Africa)

Back 53

the descendents of Dutch colonialists in South Africa

Front 54

Shaka
(Africa)

Back 54

Zulu warrior king of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries who reigned over much of South Africa

Front 55

Apartheid
(Africa)

Back 55

a policy of racial segregation and political/economic discrimination against non-European in South America

Front 56

Mbube
(Africa)

Back 56

a general of choral performance common among migrant workers of South Africa

Front 57

Antilles

Back 57

the islands of the Carribbean, excluding the bahamas

Front 58

Mummer

Back 58

a type of streat theater actor, usually in performances staged during the Christmas season

Front 59

Animism

Back 59

beliefs systems in which natural phenomena as well as both animate and inaminate objects are considered to possess a spirit

Front 60

Shango

Back 60

a Yoruba name for the god of thunder and lighting in the West African pantheon. Consequently, also the name for a West African-derived religion found primarily in Trinidad.

Front 61

Totem
(C & S America)

Back 61

a plant, animal, or natural object used as an emblem for a person or group of people

Front 62

Siku
(C & S America)

Back 62

panpipes common among indigenous populations from peru and throughout the andes

Front 63

Bombos
(C & S America)

Back 63

a large drum usid in sikuri performances from Peru as well as samba music from brazil

Front 64

Bandoneon(
C & S America)

Back 64

a type of button-box accordion

Front 65

Tango
(C & S America)

Back 65

a dance and associated music orginating in Argentina, but now commonly associated with ballroom dance

Front 66

Mariachi
(C & S America)

Back 66

an entertainment music associated with festivals and celebratory events in Mexico

Front 67

Vihuela
(C & S America)

Back 67

a small, fretted plucked lute from Mexico, similiar to a guitar but with a convex resonator

Front 68

Guitarron
(C & S America)

Back 68

a large fretted plucked lute from Mexico, similiar to a guitar but with a convex resonator

Front 69

Strophic
(C & S America)

Back 69

the use of distinct units that have the same number of lines, rhyme scheme, and meter

Front 70

Samba
(C & S America)

Back 70

a popular music from Brazil

Front 71

Agogo
(C & S America)

Back 71

a double-bell found in Western Africa and used in African-derived musics in the Western hemisphere

Front 72

Reco-reco
(C & S America)

Back 72

a notched scraper idiophone found in Latin American music traditions

Front 73

Capoeira
(C & S America)

Back 73

a dance that developed from a style of martial arts created by runaway slaves in Brazil

Front 74

Pandeiros
(C & S America)

Back 74

a hand-held frame drum with attached cymbals used in capoeira music

Front 75

Atabaques
(C & S America)

Back 75

a drum of West African origin use in capoeira music as well as candomble rituals

Front 76

Berimbau

Back 76

a musical bow used in capoeira music

Front 77

Ginga

Back 77

a back-and-forth motion used as the basis for capoeira dancing