African Music
Anyone who has ever been to Africa can confirm how deeply the daily lives of Africans are influenced by their traditional music. Music, singing and dancing are indispensable to life in Africa.
Music from Africa
It cannot be said that there is a uniform music across all parts and tribes of Africa, but there are many commonalities that connect the different styles of the various African cultures. Characteristic of African music is definitely the pronounced rhythm and dynamics of its songs and pieces.
African Music - Mirror of Traditions
Music in Sub-Saharan Africa is strongly influenced by the centuries-old rituals and traditions of the various tribes. The original African music of the ancient cultures can still be discovered today in many tribes of the continent: for example among the Wohinda in East Africa, the Bantu, the Lele in Kasai or the Khoikhoin in South Africa. There is no event within a tribe on the entire continent that is not accompanied by instrumental music and singing.
Authentic African music is still strongly influenced by the daily routine and living conditions of individuals and the whole people. It is also often shaped by events in the community as well as in nature. The traditional bond is also strongly expressed through belief in magic and mythical events as well as through the connection of individual occurrences with certain ritual songs and dances. For many festivals and ritual ceremonies, only certain songs or dances are permitted. These include, for example, circumcisions, weddings, births, mourning rituals, initiation, harvests or the beginning of the rainy season. Africans also consider their music particularly important for the transmission of news, in ruler representations or funeral ceremonies.
Religious Background of African Music
African music is strongly influenced by religious cults. Animism often plays a major role here. This means that people believe that every living being (including plants and animals) has a soul. Africans communicate with these spirits of nature with the help of their music and establish a connection between their lives and the world of spirits. Since they believe that the soul does not understand spoken language, they try to establish a connection with the world of souls through sounds and dances.
Sometimes, however, things can go wrong, e.g. if the soul of an animal takes possession of the human body; in this case, the spirit must be driven out again by special music.
Instruments, Dance and Song
Characteristic African music is inevitably associated with drums and various other rhythm instruments. But numerous other musical instruments also play an important role in African culture. Most of the time, the sound instruments are used to summon certain spirits or deities, but sometimes also to make contact with deceased tribal members. African instruments can be roughly divided into 4 types: idiophones and membranophones, aerophones and chordophones. Idiophones include, for example, bells, rattles and xylophones, while membranophones include all types of drums. African aerophones include, for example, trumpets, flutes, horns or leaf instruments; chordophones include lutes, zithers and guitar-like musical instruments.
The African dance has numerous meanings. On the one hand, it gives people new energy and strength. On the other hand, it also serves as a means of communication and expression of various emotional states. Even stories are told with certain dances.
In Africa, there are special songs and their associated dances for every occasion. The songs usually deal with events within the community, old legends and animal stories, heroic deeds of ancestors or serve as hymns to spirits and deities. In Africa, singing is performed for every conceivable occasion: for greetings and farewells, at festivals and ceremonial occasions, and even for conflict resolution. In this context, singing, dancing and instrumental music are inseparable.
