Jazz African Music

II. Short essay

1. What are the common characteristics of African music?

Common Characteristics of African Music are heavy emphasis on complex rhythm: syncopation and polyrhythm, Melody relies strongly on a five note pentatonic scale, Importance of Improvisation and close relationship between Instrumental music and speech.

The most noticeable characteristic of African music is the heavy emphasis on rhythm. Rhythmic content of the music is very sophisticated. Often contrasting, syncopated rhythms are superimposed on each other, each played by different musicians, creating a polyrhythmic effect that is so complex that it cannot be written down using standard music notation.

African harmony and melody is equally complex, it is often characterized as simple and primitive. One commonly observed quality of African melody is the strong reliance on a five-note pentatonic scale.

Another important aspect of African music is the importance of improvisation. Many instrumental performances are comprised of short melodic phrases that are repeated for long periods of time, sometimes hours, with slight variations that are introduced at the whim of the player. Improvisation is perhaps the most notable in vocal performances, where a common technique is call and response, with one lead singer calling, and the rest of the participants providing the response. The very nature of call and response lends itself to much variation and improvisation.

African music is also characterized by the close relationship between instrumental music and speech. People in every culture talk using countless inflections and variations of pitch and tonality to enhance their delivery. Most African instruments are played in a way that imitates the human voice, using tonal inflections, slurred attacks, and bending of pitches. The "talking drum" which when played correctly is an almost perfect copy of speech, is found throughout Africa, as are other instruments such as xylophones, flutes, and trumpets that are played in this manner.

2. What are the two song forms that existed in slave camps?

Among the most important song forms that existed in the slave camps were the field holler, the shout and the work song. The field holler is a solo song shout without for or steady rhythm, highly spontaneous and improvisational. The shout is more define than the field holler, and contained stanzas of verses of three lines, often times with the second line being a repeat of the first. The work song, as it was most commonly found in the American slave environment, was a group sound, usually incorporating call and response, with a distinct pulse. Quite often, tools that were being used in the work, such as plows, shovels, and axes, provided accompaniment to singing.

Through these song forms, slaves expressed how they felt about their work surroundings. Hey were no longer working for themselves, nor was work improvising the quality of their lives. As a result, the very nature of the field hollers, shouts and work songs began to change to a more personal expression of ones troubles and pain, and eventually became primary sources in the creation of the blues.

3. How were slaves introduced to European music?

From the beginning of slavery, missionaries and other religious people concerned about saving the souls of the slaves made efforts to convert them to Christianity. The church was a welcome respite for many slaves, with the message of deliverance from their wretched existence to the Promised Land. Musical activities were one of the most popular aspects of church life, and the singing and playing of church hymns was one of the ways the African Americans were first introduced to traditional European Harmony and European instruments such as the piano and organ.

Reverend Richard Allen, who organized the First Black Church in America, published a hymnal of spiritual songs, which contained only text but no music, were sung using techniques such as call and response, repetitive phrases, and shouting. The blending of African music tradition with European church music, the spiritual, had been a common practice for many years. Spirituals became even more widespread during a particularly strong religious movement from 1800 to 1830 known as the "Second Awakening." During the period, large camp meetings were held throughout the South with active participation by both blacks and poor whites, and new songs were introduced. The ring shout was also performed at these camp meetings.

4. What were the positive and negative legacies of the minstrel show/?

Minstrel shows created and perpetuated many negative racial stereotypes, they provided one of the first avenues for blacks to gain experience as professional musicians and entertainers. Many of the