African Music Traditions: Diversity and Characteristics

African Music and Its Cultural Divisions

The African continent is culturally divided into two large areas with distinct musical practices:

• The Maghreb: The northern side of the continent, including countries of Arabic culture.
• Sub-Saharan Africa: South of the Sahara Desert, further divided into:
  • West Africa: The coast of Guinea, where powerful kingdoms existed before European domination.
  • Central Africa: Occupied by countries such as Uganda, Tanzania, and Zaire, where languages share a common origin and a certain cultural identity.
  • Southern Africa: Whose music is most representatively found among the Khoisan peoples.

Common Features of African Music

Despite more than a thousand languages on the continent, common characteristics of African music include:

• It is anonymous.
• It is collective and participatory.
• It is functional, deeply rooted in oral tradition and ritual.

The Music of the Arab World

Arabic music encompasses traditions from both the Near East and the Maghreb in North Africa. The origins of Arabic music are found in the Arabian Peninsula during the pre-Islamic era. Notably, the musician Ziryab, who lived in Cordoba, exerted an enormous influence on Arabic music of his time.

Music and Religion in the Arab World

Religion, particularly Islam, has an undeniable influence on spiritual music in all aspects of the Arab world. Religious music holds great importance for celebrations in mosques, which are often based on the sung word of the Quran. This is recited using a specific form of singing. Prayer is also sung and performed by the muezzin from the minaret tower of all mosques.

Hallmarks of Arabic Musical Performance

In the Arab world, the composer is often also the interpreter. The objective of the technique is to merge with feeling. Outside the palaces of the aristocracy, popular music thrived in towns and cities.

Key Features of Arabic Music

• Division of the scale into 24 equal intervals, instead of the 12 of the chromatic scale.
• Different tuning systems that utilize quarter-tones.
• Homophonic melodies, often very ornate.
• Scales based on seven notes.

Sub-Saharan African Music: Beyond Simplicity

Sometimes, Black music is mistakenly identified with the idea of simplicity. This is far from reality; African music possesses a highly rhythmic complexity. In traditional African societies, learning music is a complex art that is often performed naturally.

Distinctive Features of Sub-Saharan African Music

• Prevalence of rhythm, often supported by clapping and slapping.
• Strong relationship with body movement and dance.
• Abundant use of pentatonic scales.
• Emphasis on repetition.

These musical elements have exerted considerable influence on Western popular music.