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Haiti
Music
of the Carnival and the Konè
Carnivals in Haiti
are mobile, expressive festivals of sound, similar to street theatre.
This is a time of letting go, and everyone is invited to take part
in the celebration. Carnivals often mark the end of winter and celebrate
the return of life. In Haiti, the carnival known as rara is celebrated
in February, and coincides with Mardi Gras. It was originally a
peasant carnival, and its festivities correspond, in this agricultural
society, to the celebration of spring. This carnival is also tied
to Christianity's most holy week, and certain religious elements
can still be observed. The carnival is pure entertainment, filled
with imitations of well-known characters and personalities and elaborate
homemade costumes - combining to create a scene that is at once
a satire of social, political and economic life. Celebrants perform
a variety of dances, accompanied by drums, horns made of metal and
bamboo, brass instruments, whistles and various percussion instruments.
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(Konè)
Konè
are trumpets made of sheet metal, with each individual instrument
producing only a single sound. It is the combination of the sounds
and rhythms provided by each musician that create a melody. These
groups are called "foot bands", and the members are generally
under the direction of a leader, who also plays a trumpet. These bands
form the backbone of the carnival, and their principal function is
to amuse the people during these periods of rejoicing, as they chant,
dance, juggle and perform magic tricks. |
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Burkina
Faso
The
Language of the Bendré Drum
Cultural Group: Moaga
The bendré drum is made from a large hollowed-out calabash,
which is cut off at the top and re-covered with animal skin that
is secured with strips of leather. A leather cover protects the
skin, the centre of which is coated with a resinous material. The
calabash drum is the ultimate aristocratic instrument, reserved
for the court of the emperor and his provincial chiefs. It is charged
with evoking the highlights of dynasties and the virtues of the
Moaga
people, and reminds the chief that he must be impartial, modest
and courageous.
This instrument
is possessed only by the benda - a brotherhood of musicians who
play the bendré. Their mission, from time immemorial, has
been to punctuate and illustrate all official acts of the court.
The drum is thus used to establish communications or to transmit
messages. The language can be secret, reserved strictly for a group
of persons who know the formulas. To learn the language, one must
belong to the benda caste
and be initiated, because these skills are transmitted only from
father to son. From a young age, a child will learn simple formulas,
which are practiced and tested when the child plays in public on
marching days. These formulas respect the tone of the language and
the rhythm of words and phrases.
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Vietnam
Music
of the Sixteen-String Sitar
There are many
types of music in Vietnam.
That of the majority kinh or Viet people is currently rebounding
in popularity after several years. This music is tied to daily activities,
to different stages of life, to rural and seasonal celebrations,
to the intimacy of the home, and to funerary
ceremonies (rites).
In Hué,
chamber music and the songs of boatmen are very popular. They accompany
boat processions on the Perfume River, and orchestras and court
ballets frequently give waterborne performances for tourists.
The renewal
currently being enjoyed by traditional Vietnamese music is the result
of several years of initiative and devotion by certain young masters.
Musical genres on their way to extinction have been given a second
wind, and traditional music has begun, bit by bit, to regain the
place it lost as a result of war and subsequent bans against it.
( Dan tranh
)
The dan tranh is a sixteen-string sitar, stretched over sixteen
mobile bridges. The musician plucks the strings in the section of
the instrument between the tuning pegs and the movable bridges with
the fingernails of the thumb and index finger of the right hand,
or with picks made of tortoiseshell. The left hand puts pressure
on the strings to vary the tension, which modifies pitch. This results
in a rich musical ornamentation. Women ar the traditional masters
of this instrument.
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