Creolization in The Music of the French Caribbean

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 'Mambo bosu.' A syncopated five-note rhythm is heard which is a common feature found in méringue music.

Video taken from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbF0yR60jsQ&list=PL4F1DAoOOZbkmiNmV9JLmmiby1LCUMmPB&index=2

Another example of a creolized musical style of the French-speaking Caribbean the text mentions is biguine music which originated from Martinique. Biguine fuses the Bélé musical genre and French ballroom music with African rhythms. Authors Christine Gangelhoff and Cathleen LeGrand outline some features of this style such as syncopated rhythms and interplays between clarinets and trombones or strings instruments like the guitar and bass.

Here is a photo of Martinican biguine singer Léona Gabriel:

Photo taken from https://secondhandsongs.com/artist/65359/works

Below is a video of Léona singing the biguine song "Liva." 

Video taken from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU-t9-6FpqU

Another aspect of creolization in the French-speaking Caribbean is in the food. Guadeloupe's French creole cuisine for example is a blend of Amerindian, African, Indian and French culinary influences. The website fodors.com highlights the Guadeloupe's traditional creole dish of porc columbo. The columbo dish contains pork (or chicken) seasoned with herbs and spices like curry powder, cumin and allspice stewed with vegetables like green peppers, onions and potatoes.

Here is a photo of the porc columbo dish:

Photo taken from https://goodfoodonbadplates.wordpress.com/2017/11/18/autumn-warmer-guadeloupe-porc-colombo/

Below is a video on how to prepare the columbo creole dish.

Video taken from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHBzxluRh6w


References

Banigan, M. (2018, February 20). 10 French Créole Culinary Traditions to Try in Guadeloupe. Retrieved from https://www.fodors.com/world/caribbean/guadeloupe/experiences/news/10-french-creole-culinary-traditions-to-try-in-guadeloupe.

Gangelhoff, C., & LeGrand, C. (2019, December 31). Tour de Force: A Musical Journey of The Caribbean. Sound Caribbean.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Introduction to Creolization in The Caribbean

Image
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
Read more

Creolization in The Music of the English Caribbean

Image
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
Read more