Sawyer_MUSI322

The textbook Tour de Force: A  Musical Journey of the Caribbean outlines a few examples of creolization in the music of the Dutch-speaking Caribbean.  One example the text provides is the Antillean waltz from Curaçao. The Antillean waltz evolved from the European, Spanish and Viennese waltzes forming a unique combination of traditional waltz and Caribbean syncopation. Authors Christine Gangelhoff and Cathleen LeGrand describe this creole metamorphosis of the Antillean waltz in detail. Domestic workers on the island often issued the music at dance parties for the European, Dutch, Sephardic and Venezuelan communities. They provided this music using the ka'i òrgel accompanied by the wiri instrument which added a unique rythmic syncopation to the imported waltzes recorded on the ka'i òrgel. It is likely that this accompaniment resulted in the evolution of the Antillean waltz.  Here is a photo of renowned Curaçaoan composer and pianist Wim Statius Muller whose piano works in Antill

The theme of creolization in the music of the French-speaking Caribbean will be examined next. The textbook  Tour de Force: A  Musical Journey of the Caribbean  also highlights numerous examples of creolization in French Caribbean music.  One example the text provides is the méringue musical style from Haiti. This creolized musical style evolved from a fusion of contredanse music from European ballrooms with African-derived music. Typical instruments in méringue music are the tanbou, congas, saxophone, trumpets, guitars, trombones and bass. According to the authors however, salon instruments like the violin, piano and flute are featured in méringues of more cosmopolitan settings.  Here is a photo of the Haitian musical group Orchestre Septentrional who has more than 300 tracks in the meringue, konpa, bolero and other Haitian vodou rhythms: Photo taken from https://xpnkanaval.org/2021/04/18/watch-orchestre-septentrional-in-concert/ Below is a video of the band's méringue song '

We will first explore the theme of creolization in the music of the English-speaking Caribbean. The textbook Tour de Force: A  Musical Journey of the Caribbean highlights numerous examples of creolization in English Caribbean music.  One example the text provides is the rake-and-scrape musical style of The Bahamas. Rake and scrape blends African and European musical elements to create its distinct sound. The authors also include instruments used in the rake and scrape music genre like the accordion, the goombay drum and the handsaw. They refer to other creole musical styles close to the Bahamian rack and scrape such as ripsaw from the Turks and Caicos, quelbe music from United States Virgin Islands and fungi music of the British Virgin Islands. Here is a photo of the rake-and-scrape band Ophie & Da Websites holding the instruments. Photo taken from https://folkmoot.org/bahamas-ophie-webb/ Below is a video of the band leader, Ophie Webb, discussing the dynamics of the rake-n-scrape

This blog will focus on the theme of creolization found throughout the textbook ' Tour de Force: A Musical Journey of The Caribbean . ' Authors Christine Gangelhoff and Cathleen LeGrand describe creolization as the process by which different cultural traditions are blended together. They went on to say that this blending creates new and unique cultures. They mainly highlight this process of creolization in the musical aspect of Caribbean culture. Caribbean musical forms for example came from the mixing of musical traditions brought to the regions from Africa, Europe and East Asia. Merengue, tumba and danza are several Caribbean musical styles that are creolized. Gangelhoff and LeGrand also state that The Caribbean is home to many creole languages and creole religions. The ways in which creolization operates and the distinct cultural products that result will be further examined throughout this blog. The textbook provides the example of jambalaya as an example of creolization in