The Music of Africa  6575

  1. The Social and Cultural Background
    1. The Musical Traditions of Africa
    2. Music in Community Life
    3. Performing Groups and their Music
    4. Recruitment and Training of Musicians
  2. Musical Instruments
    1. Instrumental Resources
    2. Idiophones
    3. Membranophones
    4. Aerophones
    5. Chordophones
  3. Structures in African Music
    1. Organisation of Instrumental Ensembles
    2. Melody and Polyphony in Instrumental Music
    3. The Rhythmic Basis of Instrumental Music
    4. Organisation of Vocal Music
    5. Melody and Polyphony in Vocal Music
    6. Rhythmic Structures in Vocal Music
  4. Music and Related Arts
    1. Speech and Melody
    2. The Role of Song Texts
    3. Interrelations of Music and Dance
    4. The Dance Drama
    5. The Conventions of Musical Practice
    6. Summary

Appendices

  1. Selected Discography
  2. Location of Ethnic Groups Mentioned in the Text
  3. African Terms used in the Text
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3 thoughts on “The Music of Africa”

  1. Harold Raitt

    Although the cultivation of music performed on instruments receives attention in African musical traditions, instrumental music is not regarded everywhere as something that should be developed in its own right. Many traditions have a tendency to combine it with some singing, either by performers or by the instrumentalists themselves.

    This is the opening to Chapter 13, and (although I haven’t read chapters 1-12 in full), it seems strange to me that vocal music is not addressed specifically until this far through the book. I don’t know whether that is because of Kwabena Nketia is an instrumentalist himself, rather than a vocalist, or from a (Ghanaian?) background which favours instrumentalism, or whether I need to just fundamentally adjust my own received opinion about the primary of vocalism (at least a primacy in terms of origins) in the case of African music.

    Reply
  2. Harold Raitt

    Chapter 17 “The Role of Song Texts” very good on topics of African songs. E.g. “Cradle Songs” (cf. e.g. “Sometimes I feel like a motherless child”). Also “Reflective Songs” and “Historical Songs”.

    Reply
  3. Harold Raitt

    p. 203 “Repertoire of songs:

    Songs about death, for example, are not confined to dirges or mourning songs.

    Reply

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