African American Music Genres Essay

African American Music Genres Essay
Music Genres Used by African–Americans
Black people have suffered slavery, oppression, physical and emotional aggression for a long time
until them begun to fight for their rights. They suffered regardless the place they were. African –
American in the United State of America have used different methods to conquer their freedom –
writing books such as Maya Angelou, producing movies, giving speeches such as Martin Luther
King Jr, and singing. Music is art of grouping tones or sounds in combination. Musical is used for
several regions and people to express their feelings. Black people have used music to express the
demonstrate the difficult situation they were facing such as slavery and racism, to fight against their
rights, and release them from oppression. Within that situation, new music styles have been crated
and ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
This style was differentiated because of its improvisation, cultivation of the performers as well as
composers and finally because of its professionalism. Jazz was originated during the first years of
the twentieth century in New Orleans. Jazz have been directly connected with terms such as racism,
urbanization, two world wars, civil right movements and others. Black people were being exploited
by whites and suffered discrimination. Black felt that they were financially ripped off and that they
were not recognized. This genre was a distinctive genre which solidified racial relations in New
Orleans specially among English–speaking and French–speaking. Creoles of color were
predominant of French language heritage and of light complexion; they used to live "downtown,"
have a musical training and classic music and musical literacy. On the contrary, English–speaking
who were considered less musically literates and used to live in up–town; they were distinguished
for blue music, abilities as ear musicians and as good improvisers. For this reason, French–speaking
considered themselves as
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African American Influence On Music
African American influence in music has been an ever present and controversial subject in American
history. Stemming from many different cultures, religions and backgrounds, large portions of
American music was introduced by, and credited to African Americans. Although in many cases,
this music was used for entertainment by the masses or majority, contrary to popular belief, black
music served a greater purpose than just recreation. Dating all the way back to the beginning of
slavery in the U.S. during the 17th century, music has been used to make a statement and send a
message. As African American music progressed over the years, there were common themes
expressed as the genres evolved. It has been an open letter to the world, documenting and protesting
the ongoing oppression faced by blacks in the United States, as well as an outlet for frustration. For
many African Americans, the music gave them the only voice that couldn't be silenced by their
oppressors.
Negro spirituals was a "genre" of music introduced by African American slaves in response to their
lives and treatment by the white race. It gave many slaves the voice of opposition that they never
had and allowed them to subliminally speak against their masters without fear of consequences. Said
to have originated from slaves who were "Unable to read the Bible for themselves and skeptical of
their masters' interpretation of it..." (Raboteau). These songs were "... the message of the Christian
gospel... translated... into

African American Music Essay
African influence on American music has been discounted for as it is a reminder of their bitter past
and reflects of the inferior status in America (Kebede 129). Although there is possible co–relation
between the status of African–American music and their social status, the growth of between the two
aspects were definitely not proportional. We can also understand this phenomenon from
understanding the nature of the music developed during this period. Early folk music from the salves
were essentially just work songs with occasional exception of play songs. Work songs were music
meant to sustain one during his labor, with lyrics which revolved around "railroad building, wood
chopping, hauling bales, and pulling barges" (Roach 22). Such songs applied techniques such as
"cries" and "shout", which were equivalent to expressions of pain, anger and sufferings. Blues is
then a vocal form derived from the same emotional expression as the work songs. It reflects the
despair and sadness of the lives of the African–Americans presented in its most natural and raw
form. The origin of blues was as an ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Through studying the origin and development of the slave trade and how music was altered during
the past four hundred years, it sheds light to understand how musical features of African origin
became a dominant part of American music and how its tradition retained its essence without being
assimilated during the process. It gives us a different perspective in viewing the gradual change in
multi–cultural acceptance in America in the context of musical development. The product from the
hybridization of Black and White Americans gave birth to music that ever unattainable from any
side alone, which became of the leading icon of popular music across the globe. This sheds light
onto the potential humans can achieve if they could give proper respect and understanding to
different cultures and

African Music Research Paper
People have always wondered what exactly African music is. African music is labeled as "African
music" but it has never been defined. African music is a form of music that came from indigenous
people of Africa. Indigenous people are those who settled in a region from the beginning of time.
These people have cultural and historical background tied to Africa. Most importantly they are the
original people of Africa. Most indigenous people originated from South Africa. The kind of music
that Africans created was their own musical style that has been transformed into many other genre.
When people listen to blues, rap, ragtime, jazz, and so many other genres, they are listening to a
music form based off African music and African Americans. Early African music has paved a way
for American music styles.
It is no secret that African Americans have influenced American music in a major way. African
Americans are important in the development of every genre of American music. The ... Show more
content on Helpwriting.net ...
People do not know that most African music was created because of the obstacles they faced and the
music gave them an outlet. African music first had a polyrhythmic structure which was complicated
combinations of simple rhythms played at once. There were other music cultures like Western music
whose rhythm and combinations differed from African music. Western music did not add a third
rhythm in their music, the only combination used was "the triplet played against two 'full value'
notes at the same time.'" On the other hand African music used as many as a dozen rhythms and
beats at once. Western music began using multiple rhythms but would rarely attempt to use more
than two rhythms, let alone using a dozen simultaneously. However, American music began using
which is using several tones at once. The idea of playing rhythms, notes, and tones at the same time
was derived from African

African Music Influence
The Influence of African Music
African music is unique. It is a form of freedom and expression that attempt to revolutionize
societies for the better. African music has turned the pain of slavery into musical and artistic
greatness. The music of Africa has an exponential journey through major nations and countries
around the world such as the Caribbean, USA, and Brazil. The African influence in the music
contributed in displaying the struggle and success that these nations have experienced over the
years. The significance of music to the people in these regions has always been massive as it
strengthens the bond between the people within societies. Overall, African music and its retentions
have several defining qualities that created substantial influence in these nations.
African influence in music is so important for a wide variety of reasons such as keeping the identity
of these nations alive and eliminating misconceptions about African music. In the Caribbean, USA,
and Brazil, most of the creation of music was associated with nationalism and independence. During
these times, people try to hold onto every unique element that identifies who they are. The African
influence was one of these elements. It allows the people to take pride in their ... Show more content
on Helpwriting.net ...
The significance of Jazz to the people in the USA is important because it caused social changes and
broke down the racial inequalities. Jazz was more than just music, especially around the time of
World War II. At that time, Jazz was used to escape from all the pain that the war brought to the
people. Jazz was the healer for the musicians and the audiences as well. Furthermore, Jazz is
significant to the people because it represents a huge chunk of their musical history. Throughout its
rich and evolving journey, Jazz has blessed the musical history of the USA with many talented and
dedicated musicians who are known around the world

African Music: Uses in Rituals, Celebrations, and Healing
African Music: Uses in Rituals, Celebrations, and Healing Africa is a vast and complex content that
is home to over 200 different languages being spoken. Just as the people of Africa are diverse, so is
their music, but they are still used for the same reasons. The music they perform is tediously learned
and artfully performed. They have songs specifically for one person, like "Magonde" which is a
song for the chief played and sung in the Zimbabwe culture (Sinyoro, n.d.). It is an old, traditional
song that is played on an mbira–type instrument (also known as "thumb piano") called a Njari dza
MaNjanja (Willoughby, 2010). Much of the music performed is for spiritual rituals, various
celebrations, whether joyful or sorrowful, and even occasionally for healing.
African Rituals Yaya Diallo writes in his book "The Healing Drum" several different rituals
performed that everyone in his village, Fienso, in the Republic of Mali, would watch and/or
perform. He addresses a few different types of rituals and how they are performed, the first being the
Maniah festival in Zangasso, Mali.
Maniah Festival The Maniah festival is a spiritual ritual. It begins on a Thursday and lasts until
Saturday night. It would start with the Maniah fetish being brought out of its hut. Then it would be
placed on someone's head, usually a conquered warrior, and the fetish would carry the fetish around
the village three times and if it was dropped, the carrier would be condemned to death. For

African Music Influence
Rap, hip hop, jazz, gospel and spirituals are all extremely influential genres toward popular music
today, especially in America. Such musical genres, which are derived from African music traditions,
were not widely accepted until very recently in history. This process of acceptance is stretched out
through several centuries and it dates back to the era of Atlantic slave trade which began in the 16th
century. Even though African culture is severely suppressed in America during those times, the
traditions found various means to assimilate into the European–American ways through multiple
channels, one of which, is music. How has music from Africa influenced Western music in America
due to the trans–Atlantic slave trade from 16th–19th century, and what were the social repercussions
of such cultural hybridization which may have rippled to even the modern day? Countless slaves
were shipped across the Atlantic to the New World for such cause. Due to the sheer number of slave
of African origin, over the centuries, some of their traditions, including music, has found ... Show
more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Industrialization has driven up the demand of those product by an immense amount. It was
inefficient to produce such primary good locally, therefore those products were to be produced
elsewhere and imported into Europe. Using slaves as the main labor power in those plantation were
also the more economical choice, as it requires them to work under very extreme conditions and it
was not appealing to the Europeans to farm in another corner of the world while they could just
enjoy its benefit from their home country. Slaves were not treated as humans, western Capitalist
need not worry about wages or labor abuses at all; they were essentially treated as capital, living
machines, which their sole existence was to

African Influence In Latin Music
Latin Music is a form of art; it is a way of expression, and the liberty to express happiness,
depression, heartache, lust, and/or fame. Latin music is derived from Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico,
and Colombia. Most of the Salsa music has a lot of African influence with many rhythms. The
African influencen Latin music could be the single most important element in Latin music history.
Samba, Salsa, Merengue, Bachata, and Timba are all strongly influenced by African Culture. Latin
Pop and Rock en Español have been shaped by the foreign sounds of Rock, Alternative and Pop
music. This paper will elaborate and explain how Salsa is a melting pot for Latin Culture
The great migration of Puerto Ricans to New York City in the 1940s influenced the birth of Salsa.
Harvest Of Empire written by Juan Rodriguez shows how the migration of Puerto Ricans to the
United States had a great influence on music and culture developed at that time. Puerto Ricans
would be known as NewYorkRicans and Salsa would later become their identity. "Identity is not a
thing but a process" "Dancing Salsa is another act of acquiring knowledge and self knowledge. For
the masses and the working class communities, it is truly something They call their own...
Performing, composing, and dancing to Salsa Differentiates the Latinos from the rest of North
American ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
In songs they could express they emotions, their distress, problems from their past. "For many
Latinos, the cultural and political value of salsa dance, with regard to the construction and
performance of identity, is often made tangible (consciously and/or unconsciously) through
movement in connection to music, both individually and collectively. Salsa unites many cultures,
one main reason why it does so is that, despite the cultural history that each country may have, Salsa
dance and music are often represented as apolitical and ahistorical.

Africa, a continent rich in culture and diversity, sets the base of my cultural lecture. Being filled
with many distinct yet close bonded countries in which have different yet similar sounds musically,
paved the way and has had its impartation of our music today. Coming from an African background,
I thought it would only be proper for me to focus more in on my roots. For centuries now African
music has been commended to not only having dissecting beats and rhythms, but to also have
spiritual ties with its rich heritage. Through the slave trade, the rich traditional of African music was
divided and set to evolve along with its people.
Although what was taught to be the traditional african sound of music, has indeed evolved over the
centuries. Many traces of what was known as the traditional sound are archaeological. What
differentiated traditional African music from another were their uses of unique instruments. In the
Yoruba culture in Nigeria, west Africa, ig̀bìn drums were used in their traditional festivals from the
10th to the 14th century ad. Congo, another neighboring country in Africa used iron bells to depict
unique tones in times of ceremonial events. Along with the tones of such instruments, dances went
along side them. Each celebration ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Adaptations of traditional African Music are seen in all parts ranging from Brazil all the way to the
Caribbean. The music of the Candomble religion in Brazil was adapted from the Orisha native
worship among the Yoruba people of Nigeria in the 19th–century. Among Brazils adaptation of
African musical tradition, the now religion of Voodoo in the Caribbean spun from the religious
musical practices called Vodun in Benin. Brazil and the Caribbean are certainly not the only pats of
the world that have been influenced by traditional musical practices of

The Culture Of African Music And Early African American...
The earliest recorded time there was music in African culture would be only when royalty was
around. With the king's arrival there would be beats of drums following the announcement of his
arrival. Also for gatherings the king would have musicians play when desired. Music was considered
be something that help mend the pain, something that could feel the empty void slaves
had,something that could only express with their tears could no longer do. Music had many roles in
African American culture, from someone getting married to just singing about your daily life. They
also used music for communication which was called the call and response. Call and response is
when you have one person who is the soloist sing some thing and then there is a corresponding
voice or voices who then echoes the soloist. Another form of communication the slaves had were
drums, until they were banned because white slave masters began to get paranoid about a slave riot.
Early African American culture brought their culture where ever they traveled while they were
slaves. This lead to the reason why Caucasian slave masters tried to limit the expression of what the
African Americans could do. To many Caucasian people during this time had various opinions about
how this type of behavior is so far from the norm. Early African American people used to use music
to escape the threshold of slavery. They would do this for various occasions such as
marriage,death,birth and puberty. To get the rhythmic beats and

African Music And Its Impact On The World
In today 's world most music we hear today is profanity such as rap or pop or basically any music in
the united states. But there is one culture that hasn 't changed that much but has stayed to their roots
and is still popular today. That is African American music. Because of the rise of modern day music
in America such as rap and pop I want to show how African music has impacted the world today and
stayed in their roots.
African music or better known as black music brought a lot of different types of music to America.
Such as Afrobeat founded by Fela Kuti and many bringing over a polyrhythm sound. One of the
very first Africans to America were a variety of different ethnic groups with a long history of
African musical traditions. When arriving some were allowed to bring their instrument and other
made new instrument. An example of this is the "Banja" or "banshaw" now known as the banjo were
one of the very first African instrument brought over and is still today being played and built in
America. The beginning of mainstream African American music began in the 19th century, "In the
1830s, the Great Awakening led to a rise in Christian fundamentalism, especially among African
Americans". At the time African Americans were slaves but during that time they started performing
a variety of spiritual and christian songs. Many of the songs were code for escape. By the 1800's the
black populations has been growing and many Africans American music was being banned they are
a wide

African American Soul Music
Mostly any person you can start a conversation with on American soil has heard of soul music. Soul
music it's a traditional African American music and its gritty, vocal style filled with a feeling out of
black church. Soul music it's a style of popular music that originated in post–world war II American
and flourished during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, and remained alive and
well today. Soul often has horn section and sometimes string, soul is more about naked emotion and
personal testimony. Ray Charles was changing the musical landscape by bringing musical elements
from the African American church together ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Soul music can find its roots in 2 different sources; racial. Geographical. Racial roots of soul music.
After slavery ended in 1865, African Americans weren't welcome in the churches of white
Americans, so they built their own churches and sang Christian songs with African–American vocal
styles and rhythms. They sang joyful, up–tempo gospel songs while clapping and moving to the
beat, and they sang slower gospel songs that expressed deep feelings like yearning for God's love.
These different styles led to the two main styles of soul music and that was early soul music. early
soul music were created when gospel song changed into secular songs by rewriting the lyrics so,
joyful gospel songs became tempo soul music ,and slower gospel song became romantic love

African American Gospel Music
Music has always played a vigorous role in religious celebrations throughout history. Religions
across the world have shaped our nations through music. There are various types of music in diverse
religions across the world. Music is used to worship in many religions and it is spread across
communities of the same religion. Music helps spread the gospel that is being preached.
Gospel music is a form of religious music that is practiced among African Americans and whites.
Gospel music is considered to be praising the religion of Christianity. African Americans and whites
sing gospel music to worship their religion Christianity. Although African Americans gospel has
been greatly influenced in the aspects of popular contemporary music. Singers

Duke Ellington: African American Music
Renowned jazz musician, Duke Ellington, liked to refer to his music as, "American Music". During
the 50+ years he spent playing music, Ellington composed over 3000 songs and performed over 20,
000 concerts (Biography). Ellington paved the way socially and musically, for future generations of
jazz performers. He is remembered for his contributions to the African American community and
their daily struggles and triumphs, as he portrayed in his music.
Born Edward Kennedy Ellington, Duke's musical career started at an early age, with his mother
teaching him to play the piano. By the age of seventeen, he was playing jazz music professionally.
In 1923, Duke moved from his hometown of Washington DC and transitioned to a new life in New
York. It was in New York, that he formed his first band, known as the Washingtonians. After gaining
a strong Harlem fanbase, Ellington and his band began touring (Cunningham et al, 809). Ellington
believed that rather than building his band around certain instruments, it was better to build on an ...
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One of his most famous compositions, "Black, Brown and Beige" highlights the political and social
struggles and triumphs of the African American culture in America. Ellington played, "Black,
Brown and Beige" for the first time in front of an audience at Carnegie Hall. The artistical
expression of this piece, received highly controversial reviews. This piece begins with a song called,
"Work Song" the tone of this movement is meant to represent the early struggles slaves endured in
America. The second piece is meant to represent the triumphs of the African American culture. The
third movement, is entitled "Light" and is meant to establish an identity for the African American in
America. Lastly, the final piece, "Come Sunday" refers to the role of Christianity in the African
Americans while assimilating into this new culture

African Tribal Music Research Paper
Traditional African musical stylings were one of the key components of jazz music. African tribal
music contained a multitude of similarities as compared to typical jazz. Noted in The History of Jazz
by Stuart Kallen, "Like jazz, ancient African tribal music had several defining factors: it featured a
strong drumbeat, improvised licks, voices imitating instruments, and the use of short, repeated
phrases of melody (later called 'riffs' by jazz musicians)" (15). Another prime element of African
tribal music utilized in jazz was "call and response", a technique in which the leader of a song would
"sing a line and a group of singers would repeat the line" (Kallen 15). Such constituents of the
musical style that is jazz were clearly passed ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
This communal attribute happened to be evident in the nature of early jazz performers as well, as
explained in the article, "Congo Square: An Inquiry into the Origins of Jazz", when Frederick Turner
reveals,"The black [jazz] players had that sound. Much closer to the African tradition of a rhythmic,
improvisational music, communal in nature and integrally related to dance, they transformed every
music they attempted" (92). Beauregard Square, more commonly known as "Congo Square", in New
Orleans was highly reflective of such a notion. In regards to a conventional Sunday gathering at
Congo Square, Turner notes that "[Writer G.W.] Cable in particular left a vivid account of the
clangorous, crashing, polyrhythmic sound that welled from the improvised instruments, the
hollowed logs, jointed bamboo drums, wooden horns, and vials of shot that flung together against
the wrists and ankles of the dancers" (88). Furthermore expressed in episode one, Gumbo:
Beginnings to 1917, of the PBS documentary, Jazz, the square was known as "an authentic glimpse
of Africa to whites of New Orleans." As a result of the gathering of various individuals that could
trace their lineage back to a people of exceptionally communal nature, the era of jazz was bound to

Trends In African-American Music
There are many different genres or categories of music. These can range from the smooth layered
sound of classical music to the harsh thrashy sound of heavy metal in a seemingly endless list of
geners and sub–genres. Amongst these genres few have been as influential in contemporary music
as the Blues. The blues can be attributed as being the foundation for many modern generes including
rock and roll and jazz. (Nicole 2005)
The blues are often known for their meloncholic overtones and simplistic chord progressions. These
characteristic are a direct result of the genres origins. During the 19th century in southern America
black slave groups would often sing work songs to pass the time and maintain a steady work pace.
These field hollers were songs with simple meloncholic lyrics, often using a call and response style
in full a capella.(Oliver 1969) The 1890s was a pivitol time in african–american history. It saw the
change from black slave labour to paid manual labour bringing with it a sense of indivdualaity for
the african–american people.(Davis 2003) In turn using the influences of the old work songs and the
current western trends in music the early blues were formed.
In 1908 the first blues sheet music publication Antonio Maggio's "I got the blues" was printed. This
sparked an interest in the blues in the black ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
These views were reinforced by the extreme racial segregation that was happening at the time
causing such things as the Stagger Lee myth where many believed that the blacks wished to take the
virginities of young white girls with black music being a method of achieving this. (Komara

African American Music
In the nineteenth century, European countries expanded their interest in foreign music globally.
Through world fairs like the 1889 Universal Exposition, cultural and material riches were displayed,
which sparked widespread interest in exotic cultures and music, especially the Indonesian gamelan.
Exotic music was ranked on a spectrum of exoticism, ranging from pure exoticism to transcultural
composing. The term exoticism represents a non–Western object referred to as "Othering, where one
group is discriminated from one's own group due to self definition. Exotic music evokes "cultural
and geographical Otherness" and should be perceived as different from home, both by the composer
and by the audience.1 On the other side of the spectrum, transcultural transposing incorporates
certain styles and conventions of another culture's music and "merge musical elements that the
composer and audience would recognize as our own with those of the distant other culture".2 Some
pieces, such as Colin McPhee's Tabuh–Tabuhan, were easier to place on the spectrum, while others,
such as Benjamin Britten's opera Death in Venice, were harder to decide. Through the
characteristics, and overall purpose of the opera, although Britten integrates exotic gamelan music in
Death in Venice to represent homosexuality, which was prohibited in English society, Death in ...
Britten's use of gamelan style does not represent a non–Western "Other"; instead, it is used as a
metaphor for his homosexuality. Death in Venice expresses Britten's emotions and sufferings on
homosexuality. Compared with Carmen, and exotic work, Death in Venice does not compare to the
level of exoticism displayed in Carmen. Therefore, Britten's Death in Venice should be categorized
at the transcultural composition side of the

A Summary Of African American Music
1. Music is an expressive language of culture. All today's black American music is from Africa.
Migrations of African peoples brought musical styles and instruments to new areas. Ancient African
cultures included music in their everyday live (Hassan 2012). It survived the shock of migration of
millions of African slaves to the Americas, and after 300 years of slavery the old sounds of Africa
became the new sounds of black America (Sambol). Slaves generated their rhythms while they were
working. One of the earliest kinds of musical instruments in Africa was the rock gong, a curved
rock. They used to strike it with a smaller rock to create a sound (Blades, 1970). The Slaves
influence on American music has lived on for centuries beyond slavery.

The Effects Of Music On African Music Essay
Music has been around for a very long time. Especially African Music. Throughout many centuries,
African music has changed. Just like any music today, the beat, the style, and even the dances have
always been different and changing in Africa. There are many forms of African music that we think
we may know but we don't. Traditional music for us might be any song we play during certain
holidays or special gatherings and then continuing that throughout the years. Unlike in Africa, their
form of traditional music is very different. African music back then when written, was associated
with specific ethnic groups. An original artist, focused his style on items that were very creative. The
main source they used to write a song was based on archeological items and other human nature
things as well. They were very intrigued and used photographic paintings on items such as rocks,
many books and other picture motions to get inspired. This is how any original artist got his or her
idea and based its song on daily life items. (1. "African Music.")
Like many other historical things, African music has been written, and re written for another vocalist
to interpret them. This has been going on for so many generations that have been found through
written excerpts found in journals of western explorers. Many of these writings were based on
frameworks and different biographies under diverse categories. It is very fascinating how this type
of music affects and influences the discussion of

Music In African American Culture
Throughout the history of time, music has impacted cultures in numerous ways. Music cultivates our
mind to understand historical events, to express ourselves to others, to deliver messages, and to just
celebrate and have a good time. While acknowledging the importance of music, we must also
acknowledge our own individual culture and how they have contributed to the impact of the music
industry. African Americans have paved the way for the music industry for centuries. They have
granted people of different cultures the opportunity to understand their harsh past, how they have
overcame, and where they are going. While African Americans provide other races and ethnicities
with music that has derived from ancestral past, many argue that people of different ethnicities can
not partake in performing or ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
One must understand that even though our music has a lot of pain and hardship behind it, it is not
meant to be kept to ourselves in any way. Music speaks truth and life for all and could even possibly
help those in need. Other cultures should fulfill their wishes of arranging, performing, or even
composing music derived from the African Diaspora, but know the difference between appropriation
and appreciation. Music derived from the African Diaspora evolved mainly during the time of
slavery. Most Africans who migrated from their homeland and were brought into slavery used
singing as inspiration, motivation, and communication to get through the harsh times. These songs
were known as spirituals. Spirituals were described as songs of sorrow, jubilee, and cult. For
example, "Wade in the Water," "Steal away," and "Sweet Chariot" were songs sung by many slaves
to communicate to one another. In modern time you can still see these songs still being sung by
people of different

The African Influence on African American Music African American music has evolved into unique
musical tradition, reflecting the experiences of Africans in the New World. This musical tradition,
however, has been influenced by African cultural patterns in profound and subtle ways. To define
such a broad genre is a difficult task, as African music is not a static system of notes and beats, but
rather it is a conceptual approach to music making. There are, nonetheless, a set of common basic
elements that help define the genre. African music in terms of spirituality, community, and language
have influenced African American music profoundly. Musical organization and syntax can be traced
directly to sub–Saharan peoples in terms of cyclical ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, Duke Ellington, Mahalia Jackson, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin,
and Charlie Parker engaged the audience in abundance. By pooling as many people together to focus
on the same musical goal, they were able to create in their audiences the very same pervasive pattern
of participation akin to African musical traditions. A large reason why hip hop music today is so
popular is that these performers, by valuing the communal bond between their audience, are able to
produce "catchy" music, enabling a quick, cohesive bond to then move in synchrony with the

What Is The Importance Of African Music
Spencer Rubinoff
History of Africa
12/4/17
African Music
African Music Traditionally, music has played a very important role in Africa's culture and history.
If you observe any part of the culture you can see that music is essential in representing their
heritage. Unlike most cultures today, ancient African cultures brought music into their lives every
day. Music also helps with African story–telling, dance, and even religious practices. Music is
especially important for African dance because in some cultures there is not even a spoken language,
they tell their stories through songs and dance. When discussing the impact of music in Africa it is
important to also mention the power of dance as well.
In the African culture, music and dance mean so much more than just something done for a good
time, it has a much greater purpose. In the African culture, a dance is usually done by a group and
usually for a specific purpose. That being said, having a group of people means that these tribes run
with utilitarianism. "The idea of Utilitarianism suggests that the value of a thing depends on its use,
and not its beauty. In many ways, African music is a utilitarian function used in vital aspects of life
such as, a child's naming ceremony" (The Importance of Music in the African Culture: More Than
Just a song). This list could also include initiation rites, agricultural activities, national ceremonies,
war times, religious ceremonies and ceremonies for the dead. Indigenous tribe's

Essay On African American Music
African America Music
In past few weeks, we studied about the origin of African–American and the Atlantic slave trade
project in Cultural history and English courses. We learned that how did the African transfer to
America via the slave trades. Meanwhile, those African slaves brought their unique culture to United
States, which became the mainstream of further United States. For all of those culture brought to
America, African music tends to be the most significant and influential one. Most of contemporary
prevalent styles of music trace their origins to African roots, such as Jazz, Gospel, Rhythm and
Blues, Rock n Roll, Reggae and my favorite Hip Hop and Rap. ()
When people on the way home, they always turn on their phone and starts to ... Show more content
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It potentially could be one of the most influential music styles in the world. "African American
music is widely known and loved, and much popular North American music emerged from it, White
American music also has strong African roots." (Wiki) This illustrates that African music combined
with Europe and North American music elements and now you can see it in almost every kinds of
music. "African music has been a major factor in the shaping of what we know today as Dixieland,
the blues and jazz." (Wiki) People's thought would naturally flow towards Blues and Jazz when
most of them start to talk about more familiar modern forms of music, which have definitely
developed from African music and melted into our culture as well as our heart. "Certain Sub–
Saharan African musical traditions also had a significant influence on such well–known works as
Disney's The Lion King and The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, which blend traditional tribal music
with Western music." (Wiki) This literally shows that African music was also widely exploits in the
film and movies. African music dramatically exhibits the tribe spirit to people, giving people more
knowledge about the African live. Overall, the influences that brought from African music are
positive; it promotes music getting more and more various and

African Music
It is broadly recognized that African music has experienced regular and unequivocal changes
consistently. What is termed conventional music today is most likely altogether different from
African music in previous times. Nor has African music in the past been unbendingly connected to
particular ethnic gatherings. The individual artist, his style and imagination, have constantly
assumed a vital part.
The material hotspots for the investigation of African music history incorporate archeological and
different items, pictorial sources (rock canvases, petroglyphs, book outlines, drawings, artworks),
oral chronicled sources, composed sources (voyagers' records, field notes, engravings in Arabic and
in African and European dialects), musical documentations, sound recordings, photos and films, and
tape.
A little box–reverberated lamellaphone, called the likembe in Congo, went in the other course, from
the west toward ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Greatly inaccessible regions in Africa may have comparative, even indistinguishable, attributes,
while adjoining territories may have very distinctive styles. The multipart singingstyle in triads
inside of an equiheptatonic tonesystem of the Baule of Côte d'Ivoire is so close, if not
indistinguishable, to the part singing style of Ngangela, Chokwe, and Luvale people groups in
eastern Angola that the closeness is instantly perceived by sources from both societies.
African music as it is known today was additionally molded by changes in the environment of the
mainland, which drove individuals into different terrains, in this manner creating changes in their
craft. With the drying of the Sahara, for instance, populaces tended to move southward. At the point
when settled populaces acknowledged the gatecrashers, they frequently embraced musical styles
from

The Origin Of African American Music
The origin of African–American music
Nowadays, the United States has the largest music market in the world. Inheriting from the
European tradition music from the European immigrants, American music has been deeply
influenced by African–American music in both rhythmic and lyrical styles. African–American music
includes a diverse range of music genres, such as blues, hip hop, jazz which are developed by
African Americans. although these forms of African–American music may different a lot in music
style, rhythm and so on, however, in some extent, they could all be classified as inheriting from one
main type of music of the African cultural heritage which the slaves brought from Africa. In this
way, what is the origin of the African–American music, how and why African music was used by
those Africans that were sold to America will be discussed concerning the racism, educational
indoctrination, identity and so on. At the same time, the development of the African–American
spiritual music, and how, why they were developed from the African music will be discussed in
detail.
At the beginning of seventeenth century, many Africans were captured and brought to America, they
were forced to separate from their family, moving to a new continent with no kin around. What's
worse, they were even sold into slave with cheap price, and suffered in both physical and mental
ways through the brutality action and harsh orders of the slave owner . At that time, music became
one way for them to

The West African Music Culture
In this course we have learned about all of the different cultures and their musical traditions. My
favorite so far has had to be the west African music culture. They have a variety of different music,
instruments, and dances to contribute to the reasons I liked this music culture so much. So, I have
taken it upon myself to further my research on this particular musical group. I will compare and
contrast a variety of different videos from the west African music culture and I will analyze how
they connect to this culture.
To begin, the particular videos that we will be discussing are Paul Simon's diamonds on the sole of
her shoe, Kinobe's kora performance, and Youssou N'Dour's song daan featuring American singer/
rapper Akon. These three particular videos relate to the west African musical culture because they
all involve singing, instrumental music, and dancing which are all characteristics of this particular
music. Most of their music consist of a beat that you can dance to and that is usually how you can
tell whether it is or is not this type of music. Rhythm and melody are two key factors of west
African music and all three of the videos consist of both characteristics. The songs above were very
unique to me. It may have been the beat that makes me want to dance, the calmness of it, or it may
have even been uplifting to me. They all presented something different that drew my attention to
them.
Although all three of the songs were west African musical traditions, they

African American Music Influence
"Music can change the world because it can change people" Bono. Society is an ever changing
process. Because society is a collection of people, it is really a kaleidoscopic representation of what
is happening in the world at that time. Music is a significant presence in society; it has been a part of
the human element since the dawn of man. Throughout the centuries, music has been incorporated
into the most significant and minor moments of history. People can remember events based on the
song that was popular at the time. They genre of music varies as do people. The average person
spends several hours a day listening to music. People use it as a major part of whatever they may be
doing, or they see it just as something to fill in the silence in the background. It is not surprising,
then, that music is a more powerful force on how humans think, communicate, act, possibly even
affecting intelligence. Music is often used in ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
It has always had an overwhelming influence on the black community in America. It has influenced
America to speak up for generations and providing a message. However, provocative lyrics express
that Hip Hop is a vocal outlet for many people in America. It has provided a platform for rappers to
express their opinion in societies and the treatment of African–Americans in the past decades.
Additionally, the rights given to black people during and after the Civil Rights Movement left the
following generations at a loss of how to fight for black rights, how to determine the more subtle
forms of racism and discrimination, so rap came into play. It redefined cultural norms and practices
nationwide by establishing new modes of learning, conduct, and social interaction. In the 1990s,
when rap was really becoming popular, there was a whole dispute over which "coast" had the best
rappers and these rappers were willing to do anything to show that they were the toughest and their
raps were the

African American Music In The 20th Century
The twentieth century was a great time for America, things were changed dramatically and this was
strongly shown through music. America is actually the birthplace too many different types of music
from jazz to rock. During this time period there was the swing, country music all the way to things
such as rhythm and blues, even classical music. The music world was definitely changing as it is
continuing to.
Jazz saw its early development in the African American communities all throughout the South which
was effected majorly by rhythms. Soul music grew up alongside rock and roll which was also
developed out of gospel. Jazz took from American art form 'ragtime' to create its unique sound. In
the early part of the 20th century, there were a multitude

African American Music In The 1960s
A time of disruption in: society, fashion, mindsets and music epitomised the United States in the
1960s. Before the mid 1960s, music still mirrored the sound, stylistic traits and views of the prior
decade. Many of the popular records were by artists who had found mainstream success in the
1950s, such as Ray Charles, Elvis Presley and Bill Haley & his Comets. From the mid 1960s
onwards, a number of social influences changed what popular music was and introduced us to the
miscellany that even today we experience with music. The assassination of President Kennedy
(1963), the intensification of the Vietnam War (1965 – 1973) and the advancement of the Civil
Rights Movement (1963) all had a significant impact on the disposition of American culture and the
music began to reflect that. (Holz, 2010) One of the artists that erupted at this pivotal time was
James Brown. Rather than the backbeat that characterised African American music, James Brown
developed his signature groove that accentuated the downbeat. Heavy emphasis was put on the first
beat – and in some cases the third beat of every measure to form his characteristic sound. (Parker
and Gross, 1989) This 'one, three beat' propelled the stint in James Brown's signature music style
with "I Got You (I Feel Good)" (1965) being one of his first songs ... Show more content on
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It was a speedier and more built up version of a song called "I Found You" that Brown had written a
few years previous for one of his early protégés, Yvonne Fair. "I Got You (I Feel Good)" could owe
part of its success to an unlikely source. "A few months before the single was released, Brown
performed the song in the Frankie Avalon teen flick Ski Party." (500 Greatest Songs of All Time,
2011) Considering what was happening in America at the time, James Brown performing in a movie
with the majority of the cast being white was unexpected but seemed to work in his

African Music Essay
African Music
When trying to compare and contrast the music–culture and society of the Mbuti and that of the
Venda, it becomes difficult to comment on sound when we haven't heard any Venda music. It's easy
to recognize that for the Mbuti the music embodies the heart of the forest, and for the Venda the
relation to nature is the act of a mother giving birth. Thinking about concept and behavior this
makes the music performed by the two cultures separate and distinguishable. This is where culture
and environment become important factors. How noticeable is this when listening to the music of
both peoples? When given the opportunity to listen, without a trained ear, it would be difficult to
find differences in the sound of the music. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
In both societies there is a visible comparison between the separation males and females when
performing 'rights of passage.' In both cultures we see a universal participation in music as a
common thread to survival, and an individuality is kept within the music as it's being performed.
The Venda believes that all human beings have the capacity to be musical. Blacking solidifies this
thought when stating that, "The Venda may not consider the possibility of unmusical human beings,
but they do recognize that some people perform better than others." The same general concept may
hold true with the Mbuti, the concept that we are all somehow children of the forest. The
relationship that the Mbuti has with the outside villages for provisions and the treatment they
receive in these villages can be viewed as a distinction. How close does the Venda come to
resembling the village groups sited in Turnbulls research? Is this where most of the distinctions can
be made?
The Mbuti is primarily a forest dwelling group, relying on the forest for most of their subsistence.
The Mbuti uses the molimo as their main instrument, when an elder dies, ceremonies take place
using this instrument by the men. The Venda is more complex socially, and they use more
instruments. Even the attitude the Mbuti has toward daily life and music seems much more relaxed
and simple. Are there the same circular flow or looping patterns in the music of both cultures? Do
both cultures have a

African American Music And Its Impact On African Americans
Music in the 1900 's had meaning , music was how African Americans got through a long working
day . Music then was something that no man could take away . That still applies to the 21st century
music , back onto the 1900 's African Americans were not given the same privileges as they are
today . Music was the less threatening way for African Americans to get there point across . The
music was not always about them wanting equality , there was loving songs , upbeat songs , songs
about what they are doing . There were always those songs that would get a person in there feelings .
The music that tells a person life story on what all they may have been through . Most the listeners
were African American which is good , then there may have been some white but not many . African
American music to some was not as important to them as to others . The African American music
has evolved from the 1900 's to now , also the amount of people that listen to African American
music has also evolved . At a farm in Mississippi is an example of how African Americans used
music to get through a hard working day . Music while working usually help the time go by faster .
The music in which was sung in the fields or in the cabins for entertainment later became known as
The Blues . Blues music is usually written from the heart it is an emotional genre of music , the
lyrics or the feeling in the blues comes from a place in someone that may be hurting or struggling . "
But the blues are unique to the

Jazz And African-American Music
Music is a common thread and form of expression throughout all cultures. In every country the
world over you will find a different style or genre of music with a unique sound. Each original style
stems from the different kinds people and their cultures. The music industry has a major influence in
our society. As of 2014, America had the world's largest music market with a retail value of almost
5,000.5 million dollars, and it continues to grow. American music has many different influences,
since America is comprised of people from all over the world. Tons of Americans come from Europe
and Africa, so there's a major influence on American music coming from those places specifically.
Historically, many music styles developed in America including classical, rock and roll, jazz, hip
hop as well as many others. But, interestingly they all originated from different cultures. Jazz music
was created through both African and European influences. Jazz took ideas such as rhymes, blues as
well as call and response from African Music and harmony and the use of basses, pianos, and strings
from European music. Both were very different styles but both had a major impact on the
development of jazz. Jazz and Hip–Hop are probably the two most popular and widespread forms of
African–American music. Jazz originated in New Orleans in the early 20th century. New Orleans at
the time was a port city, which meant that there were always people arriving from all over the world.
It was a city that

Women In Sub Saharan African Music
Music is an universal phenomenon every place has its traditional music and also music it's what
brings the world together. One can appreciate music without understanding the language but
enjoying the sounds coming from the instruments. Throughout the world the role of female
musicians have not been recognized as it should be. The role of female in the music industry has
been changing through the years. Like most of the things men have always dominated different
activities but women are becoming more present in the music industry. Although women roles have
been limited to some areas such as in religious ceremonies and rituals. Women in Sub Saharan
Africa face many obstacles with their participation in performing arts. There are many factors ...
Women who decided to take a path in the performing arts especially that of music experienced many
difficulties. Some of the obstacles the women face with their participation in the performing arts has
to do with domestic responsibility, social stigma, sexual discrimination, lack of funding and the lack
of skills and role models. Women in any society has been burden with the fact that they should
remain at home and take care of her family. This concept of women does not change in Sub Saharan
Africa. This responsibility becomes more difficult in the performing arts sector for women. As it
mentions by Yarri Kamara in Gender Equality: Heritage and Creativity "African women performing
arts practitioners generally have an even greater burden of domestic responsibilities than their
colleagues in the developed world"(Kamara 113). Most women don't have the time to dedicate to
economic activity due to the work that they have at home. If women entered the performing arts
sector they eventually end up abandoning it after they get married. They don't have enough time for
rehearsal or training. Alongside with the domestic responsibility there is also a social stigma
regarding women as musicians. The stigma regarding anyone that is musician, or any other
performing arts form is view in negative way in Africa, but it is stronger for women. "They are more
often labeled as sexually immoral

Popular African-American Music
Nowadays, certain style of music are becoming more involve in our society than others. For
instance, the R&B and Rap/hip pop are now getting the top on the Medias. We will try to explore
those music's gender. We will try to understand why and how they are what they are now?
The R&B first of all stand for rhythm and blues and could be define as a new born of music style
which has gotten his origin from rhythm, blues, pop funk, and dance. Rhythm and blues, usually
abbreviated R&B was a genre of popular African–American music came out in the early 1940. The
term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to
urban African Americans. At that time when rocking, jazz based music with a dense, persistent ...
William have merged to the same idea "2 ". The rap and hip–pop were born around the same year
1970s they also have the same origin. The Jamaican DJ Kool Herc was one of the first person to use
the rap in the music. He is sometime known as the Godfather of hip–hop. he has gotten a unique
play list of R&B, funk, soul . He quickly know that the music the catalyst of the hip hop the way to
follow. A kid from a ghetto neighborhood who gave out with the concepts of B–Boy. "Give It Up Or
Turn it A Loose (In The Jungle Groove Remix)" by James Brown. This is the national anthem of
hip–hop. Every B–Boy, MC, rapper, DJ, rap group, break–dancer, and aerosol artist knew this song,
and when it was played at a party or club, everyone knew it was time for the best B–Boys to do
battle. Definitely the highlight of the night. The movement spread through the borough, taking
inspiration from the rapping used by folk poets in West Africa. Technically, the Hip–hop is mainly
comsed of Mcing, Djing, grafitti, and breakdancing. The term "hip–hop" includes other lifestyle
trends such as clothing,slang and mindset. Rap is the combination of rhyme and poetry to a musical
beat. It has a background in improvisational poetry. It can be part of a hip–hop

The Oppression Of Music In African American Music
Different genres of music have been developed to address specific goals, and, in some cases, to
soothe particular emotions. From the beginning of civilization, music has been used for self–
expression and communication of hidden messages intended to serve a given purpose. As African
Americans struggled with the yoke of oppression and slavery, they sought means through which
they could not only console and find comfort among themselves but also pass specific messages to
their abusers and the entire world. At the peak of the oppression of black people in America, "basic
human rights were denied, blacks were beaten, whipped, raped and systems of justification arose to
institutionalize slavery" (Sanchez 3). In the 1980s and 1990s, as more African American singers
sought to express their resentment and share with the entire world the true facts of their experiences,
the blues genre was popularized. Queen Latifah was one of the famous artists who chose to raise the
voice of the voiceless. Her song "Evil That Men Do" illustrates the society that did little to help the
needy but largely pursued selfish interests and had misplaced priorities.
The American society of that time failed to recognize the critical needs of its members. While some
African Americans began finding their feet and establishing themselves as successful American
citizens, others remained in the cycle of poverty. Their lives were characterized by daily struggles to
provide for their families, but the

African American Music Research Paper
American music is a tapestry of different colors coming together to make one beautiful picture.
African–American music has had a major influence in the music of today.
"From the lyrical cries of black street vendors in 18th–century Philadelphia to the infectious dance
rhythms of the Motown sound, African–American music has been heard at all times and in every
corner of America. This particular part of this article shows you the elements and eras of music we
will be talking about." ("The History On African–American Music").
Negro Spirituals are traced back to 1953. "In this 1953 essay, which first appeared in the quarterly
Phylon, the poet Sterling Brown analyzes the lyric expression of four types of African–American
folk poetry." ("Brown, ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Hip–Hop is not only for men but is also for women. "Women have also played a role in the shaping
of rap music. Rap artists such as Queen Latifah and the group Salt–N–Pepa represent a growing
number of female rappers who speak for the advancement of black women in American society.
Queen Latifah has emerged as a critic of male dominance in the music industry and sexist images of
women presented by some male rap artists." ("Rap") "Queen Latifah became the first solo female
rapper to receive mainstream radio play. Salt–N–Pepa became the first female rap group to go
platinum and they paved the way for female artists such as Cardi B, Nicki Minaj and group TLC."
"However, rap music did not reach a broad audience until 1980 when the Sugar Hill Gang's song
"Rapper's Delight" received widespread radio play. As rap groups assembled during the decade, they
began to use their art to describe the harsh realities of inner city life. Unlike early rap music, which
was generally upbeat and exuberant in tone, the rap style of the 1980s displayed a strong racial and
political awareness. Toward the end of the decade, rap came to express an increasing sense of racial
militancy." ("Rap") Rap wasn't really popular until Sugar Hill Gang became popular with their
Rapper's Delight. Rap groups such as N.W.A. started

Music
Music has been around roughly for around 55000 years. It is known that the first ever music created
was in Africa. Music back then to be known as naturally occurring sounds and rhythms. Nowadays,
we have around 1264 genres of music! A few popular ones are Hip–Hop, Rock, Pop, Country and
Electronic music. Currently, Hip–Hop is the most popular genre of music (as of in North America).
It is amazing how far music has come thousands of years later, and how different it has changed.
The first song ever written was "Seikilos Epitaph" and it was found engraved on an ancient marble
column and it was used to mark a woman's grave site in Turkey. Music was found written all over
the world. In ancient caves, stones, and abandoned villages. It was written using a diatonic scale.
Another musical piece written was called "Hurrian Hymn No. 6" and was originally composed by
syrians as long as 3400 years ago. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Chime Bell, was one of the first instruments to be played. It is a variation of oval bells in different
sizes. It is a percussion instrument and can be played by hitting it with a wood hammer and a
wooden stick. It has been around since 433 B.C. Another Ancient instrument is a flute. It can date
back to 40000 years old. The flute was made of bird bones and mammoth ivory. It is thought that
early modern humans would spend their evenings in their tribes playing the bone flute.
The most popular instruments in the world are Keyboard, Piano, Recorder, Classical Guitar and
Violin. In common pop songs you can hear all of those frequently. In Hip–Hop music, Most
common instruments used are drum machines, Synthesizers, Sequencers, Bass and Samplers. There
is a clear difference between Hip–Hop and Pop (favourite genres in North

African and American Music: Two Distinctive Journeys of Pleasure
African music has been one of the most interesting topics in the music world. Unlike any other
culture, music in Africa is a way of life. Throughout its rich and evolving history, music has always
played a crucial role in the African culture. Consequently, music in the African society allows
outsiders to gain an insight into the different aspects of their culture and the norms of the society.
American music is rich in history and tradition, but it takes a different path compared to the African
one. Due to the uniqueness of the American and African music, many differences in the way music
is used and viewed tend to exist between the two. Although they may share some similarities, ...
Learning the American music usually takes place through education because most of the music is
noted. However, the majority of African music is transmitted through an oral transition by the
process of enculturation. The African society thinks of music as a fundamental part of their lives.
Therefore, a gradual acquisition of the music is popular since a young age. Because of that, raising
children through enculturation contributes in knowing how to participate effectively. The
enculturation process fosters the belief of collective participation in the African music. Unlike the
American music, the African music includes different forms of participation in which everyone has a
role that ranges between hand clapping, dancing or

Subsaharan African Music
The Music of Africa
You've Got Rhythm
Sub–Saharan Africa
Geography and Brief History of Sub–Saharan Africa
Introduction to the Region
Many Africans reckon the bonds of family laterally and linearly One village may have a genealogy
of a common ancestor Professional caste of musicians memorize these genealogies and recite them
in song Each musical instrument has a spirit of it own.
Introduction to the Region: Polyrhythm
The most distinctive of traditional African musical characteristics Different meters or metrical
starting points going on at once
Characteristics of Traditional African Music
Ostinato 1. A short pattern that repeats over and over 2. ostinato most often refers to a repeating
melody, ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The graphic demonstrates how a xylophone (black rectangles) can imitate the rhythm (shown left to
right) and three pitch levels of speech so that listeners can understand what is being said

African American Music Genres Essay

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