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Belize Music – The Garifunas, n.d., viewed 20 August 2014, http://www.belize.com/garifuna-music-belize Belizean Music is Simple, yet Extraordinary, 2013, viewed 20 August 2014, http://www.belizeadventure.ca/belizean-music/ Garifuna History, 1999, 21 August 2014, http://www.garinet.com/main.php?module=gcms&action=get_content_detail&content_id=122&category_id=19&parent_id=224 Garifuna music and dance, n.d., 20 August 2014, http://ngcbelize.org/content/view/40/169/ Garifuna Music: Songs and Instruments – Description and Function within the traditional ensemble, January 2013, viewed 30 August 2014, http://www.lameca.org/dossiers/garifuna_music/eng/p2.htm Garifuna People and Culture in Central America, n.d., viewed 21 August 2014, http://www.globalsherpa.org/garifunas-garifuna Garifuna, n.d., viewed 24 August 2014, http://www.garifuna.com/ Jonkonnu and the Garifuna of Belize, 2007, viewed 2 September, http://cacreview.blogspot.com.au/2007/12/jonkonnu-and-garifuna-of-belize.html Music, n.d., viewed 3 September, http://www.ngcbelize.org/content/view/14/140/ Oliver, G "Punta.", Grove Music Online, Oxford Music Online, Oxford University Press, Viewed September 1 2014, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com.rp.nla.gov.au/subscriber/article/grove/music/A2103549 “Palacio, Andy.", Encyclopedia of Popular Music, 4th ed. Oxford Music Online, Oxford University Press, viewed September 1 2014, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com.rp.nla.gov.au/subscriber/article/epm/93406 Petersen, B. 2013, “A Story about the Garifuna Documentary”, youtube documentary, video, 2 March 2013, viewed 20 August 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXb2p2WgHxI Shepherd, J. and Horn, D. 2014, “Paranda”, Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of popular music of the world, vol. 9, Bloomsbury Academic, New York. Social Commentary Song and Dance Genres of the Garifuna, n.d., viewed 28 August 2014, http://www.lameca.org/dossiers/garifuna_music/eng/p5.htm The Garifuna Culture in Belize, n.d., viewed 30 August 2014, http://ambergriscaye.com/pages/town/garifuna.html The Music of Belize: Drum’n’flute Legacies, 2011, viewed 19 August 2014, http://www.worldmusic.net/guide/music-of-belize/ Warasa drum school, n.d., 22 August 2014, http://www.warasadrumschool.com/ Discography“Garifuna (Junkanoo) Dance, Belize Jan 1 2009”, video, 21 January 2009, Viewed 24 August 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0zvWs9KoP0 Lebeha Drummers 2010, “Lebeha Drummers, 2010 Battle of the Bands: Chumba and Wanaragua” video, innovadotmu, 19 September 2011, viewed 2 September 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WN-4gA-55U Lubaantune Records 2008, “Garifuna Drum Method Preview”, video, End of the line productions, 4 April 2008, viewed 28 August 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRKWdK-f5g0 “Mongulu" n.d., from The Garifuna Collective's album Ayó, directed by Garry Bassin/The Listen Project Moreno, W. 2011, “Garifuna Settlement Day 2011 in Belize City”, video, 22 November 2011, viewed 28 August 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUbxQLFjt3E Nabor. P, Naguya Ne (I Am Moving On) n.d., CD Rom. N. pub., n.p. “Obou" n.d., from The Garifuna Collective's album "Ayó" directed by Garry Bassin / The Listen Project Rann, S. 2008, “Garifuna Punta Music. Belize”, video, 14 December 2014, viewed 31 August 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSe-p3LgQ7A Warasa drum school 2011, “How to Play Chumba - with Warasa Garifuna Drum School”, youtube tutorial, video, Warasa Drum school, September 11 2011, viewed 2 September 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaGmrHXBjms Warasa drum school 2011, “How to Play Gunjei - with Warasa Garifuna Drum School”, youtube tutorial, video, Warasa Drum school, September 12 2011, viewed 3 September 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwZwlyVzb68 Warasa drum school 2011, “How to Play Paranda - with Warasa Garifuna Drum School”, youtube tutorial, video, Warasa Drum school, September 12 2011, viewed 1 September 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-e-X8Sv-hJM Warasa drum school 2011, “How to Play Punta - with Warasa Garifuna Drum School”, youtube tutorial, video, Warasa Drum school, September 12 2011, viewed 31 August 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtadgU2LBDY Warasa drum school 2012, “Playing Garifuna turtle shells”, youtube tutorial, video, Warasa Drum school, 25 December 2012, viewed 28 August 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJtnKeD3Ls8 ImagesFrom bottom to top.
Image 1: Central America, n.d., viewed 20 August 2014, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central America Image 2: Garifuna People and Culture in Central America, n.d., viewed 21 August 2014, http://www.globalsherpa.org/garifunas-garifuna Image 3 and 11: Photo essay: Habinaha Waranagua – The second Annual Junkanu Dance Contest in Dangria, Belize, 2012, viewed 22 August 2014, http://lilylilyphotography.com/2012/01/photo-essay-habinaha-waranagua-the-second-annual-junkanu-dance-contest-in-dangriga-belize/ Image 4: Belize Music – The Garifunas, n.d., viewed 20 August 2014, http://www.belize.com/garifuna-music-belize Image 5: Music Review: The Garifuna Collective – Ayo, 2013, viewed 24 August 2014, http://freegankolektiva.wordpress.com/2013/08/01/review-the-garifuna-collective-ayo/ Image 6: Immersion anglaise au Belize, n.d., viewed 24 August 2014, http://www.johannegervais.com/immersion-anglaise-au-belize/ Image 7: Garifuna Music: Songs and Instruments – Description and Function within the traditional ensemble, January 2013, viewed 30 August 2014, http://www.lameca.org/dossiers/garifuna_music/eng/p2.htm Image 8: Turtle Shell Musical Instrument - Livingston, Guatemala, n.d., viewed 28 August 2013, http://photos.uncorneredmarket.com/Central-America/Guatemala/Livingston-Guatemala/i-Q96JCXn Image 9: Calabash tree maracas, 2013, viewed 28 August 2014, http://english.eluniversal.com/aniversario-104/130611/calabash-tree-maracas Image 10: Crescentia cujete, n.d., viewed 28 August 2014, http://toptropicals.com/cgi-bin/garden_catalog/cat.cgi?uid=Crescentia_cujete&comments=1 Main image: Belize Music, n.d., viewed 20 August 2014, http://belize.edelmandigital.net/about-belize/music Garifuna culture is very rich and music is a big part of society. Music is played or made at ceremonies, gatherings, concerts, parties, at home, whilst working and at any time of the day. Influences from other cultures could have it mistaken for African music but once you look more closely there are many differences.
The music can be characterised by:
Overall Garifuna music is bright and suited for everyday life. Dance is a major component of music and all Garifuna music can be danced to. Music and dance are way of expressing emotions and events as well as a major from of entertainment. The Garifuna music is a way of bringing the cultural differences of four different countries together. Mongulu is a piece by the Garifuna music collective which is a popular group of Garifuna musicians. Their music does not fit into a set genre of Garifuna music and instead is a mix of all elements of Garifuna music. Their style of music is most easily related to pop music of the western world. It is the type of music that young people listen to. DurationThe tempo of Mongulu is moderato, however; the people who wrote it would not have written it that way. The piece itself can be thought of as quite relaxed even though the tempo is not slow. Syncopation is used to add interest but is not a main feature, generally there are even beat divisions. As stated at the begining of the video the piece is in common time signature. Mongulu is full of rhythmic motifs and polyrhythm. The motifs bring continuity and unity where as the polyrhythm gives contrast and interest. The most evident rhythmic motifs are below. As you can see the two rhythms do not fit together smoothly creating interest. Overall the duration of Mongulu is relaxed and fairly even but full of polyrhythms. PitchThe melody of Mongulu can be split up into Three different motifs and is repeated through the entire piece. Each motif involves complex rhythms but is stepwise. For more on the melodic motifs see below. Most of the harmony in mongulu comes from the layers of voices. These layers build up within phrases, especially melodic motif A. Additionaly harmony comes from the acoustic and electric guitars used in accompaniment. The harmony is fairly simple and homophonic because it isn't the most important part of the piece. Octaves are the most common form of harmony. The tonality could be classified as D major but there are many accidentals used throughout the piece. Finally, the range is fairly low for female singers but this is characteristic of the Garifuna people. Melodic phrase AMelodic phrase A is the phrase that is heard most in the piece. It is antiphonic and can be heard clearly at 0:36 in the video above. The woman's call is joined by the rest of the group in harmony. This is an effective texture build up and very characteristic of Garifuna music. This phrase has an African music feel. The rhythmic motif that makes up the phrase is below. As can be seen below the rhythms used are a mixture of both simple and complex. The range for this melody is also very small. Overall this melody is interesting which makes t appropriate for repetition and also very characteristic of Garifuna music. Melodic motif BMelodic motif B is the second most prominent motif in Mongulu and can be heard for the first time at 1:14 in the video above. This motif is different to the last as it is only the women singing and only on one note. The first time it is heard, the whole phrase is sung on a B then for a second time it is sung on a F sharp. This phrase is more of a rhythmic motif than a melodic motif but it is the only melodic line at the time. Overall Melodic motif B is more of a rhythmic motif due to only being on one note. Melodic motif CMelodic motif C comes in with a set instrumental accompaniment that has already been heard. The motif can be heard coming in at 2:00. The motif is sung mostly in unison (sometimes the last 3 notes are harmonised). As can be seen below the motif is simple and full of repetition. Overall the motif is simple which suits the rich and layered accompaniment instruments. Dynamics and expressive techniquesDynamics are not an important part of Garifuna music. Mongulu uses no significant dynamic changes and the piece ranges between mf and ff depending on how many people are singing/playing. There are no style markings that I know of due to the lack of a score but the piece is approximately 110 crotchet beats per minute or moderato. The only expressive technique used by the voices is calling. Expresssive techniques in the percussion includes specially made mallets and rolls. Overall dynamics and expressive techniques are not a big part of mongulu as there is more of a focus on rhythm. TextureThe texture of Mongulu can be described as both Antiphonic and homophonic. Most of the piece and its harmonies are homophonic but there are areas of antiphony. Antiphony can be heard in melodic motif A. The piece is also fairly dense due to the nine layers of voices and instruments. Overall the piece would be described as homophonic and dense. Tone colourThe tone colour of Mongulu can be described as full. There are many percussive sounds throughout the whole piece which aids in the warm and bright sounds. Overall the timbre can be described a light and bright whilst still being made up of many layers. InstrumentationVoices Guitar - electric and accoustic Drums - segundo and primero Turtle shells (clearly heard at 3:10) Clave Donkey jaw bone (can be more clearly heard at 1:55 - sounds like a guiro) StructureA - call and response (4 times) 0:35 B - Homophonic (2 times) 1:14 A - Call and response (2 times) 1:32 Instrumental 1:50 C - instruments play same melody as instrumental (4 times) 2:00 B - Homophonic (2 times) 2:35 D - instruments and calling 2:53 A - Call and response (4 times) 3:12 For another piece by the Garifuna music collective visit the link below.
Please complete the survey below as to gather data on favorite Garifuna music styles and to test your knowledge. Jonkanu can be described as an opposite to most Garifuna music. Instead of the dancers following the drums, the drums have to follow the dancers. Small rattles attached to a dancers' ankles produce the beat. The stronger beats are emphasised by the dancer to create a feeling of metre. The Jonkanu is always danced by men in women's dresses. This comes from when the British occupied the Garifuna land and the women got angry that the men were not being real men. So the women dressed up as the men and the men as the women. This allowed the males to assault the British when they were unaware. As a remembrance of this time the men still dress up in masks and dresses for the Jonkanu. The Segundo drum rhythm for Jonkanu music is Ta Ta Ta but has major emphasis on the first beat. The first beat is also played on the edge of the drum producing a higher pitched sound. For an excellent video on Jonkanu drumming watch the video in the link below.
Gunjei music is less common again and also has a slower tempo than the styles mentioned earlier. It is traditionally performed in a circle with partners swapping over. The Segundo drum rhythmic ostinato is Ta Ti Ti Ta Ti Ti Ti (triplet). This is the most complicated Garifuna drum rhythm. This pattern although more complicated still allows for the improvisation of the Primero drum. It is also one of the only Garifuna music styles in the common time signature. Overall it is a slower and more graceful yet more difficult style of music than its closest relation, Chumba.
For an excellent video on Gunjei drumming visit the link below. chumba music is highly polyrhythmic like Punta but with a slower tempo. It is almost always danced by women and can often be about daily life and events. The dancing involves lots of soloists and improvisation. the characteristic Segundo drum rhythm is Ta Tika Ta which is a step up in complexity from Punta and Paranda. Chumba music is not a common style of Garifuna music as it is mainly made up on the spot. overall it is very characteristic of Garifuna music but has a major difference of a slower tempo. For an excellent video on Chumba drumming visit the link below. The video below is a good example of how the music and dancing interconnects and the different tempo. Paranda music is the most simple of the traditional Garifuna music styles. The unique Segundo drum rhythm to Paranda music is Ta Ta Ta but the first and last beats are in the center of the drum and the middle beat is on the edge of the drum. This produces the two different pitches for interest to a very simplistic rhythm. This style originates back to when the garifuna people were living on St. Vincente but the added touch of Latin music has come for later on. The addition of an acoustic guitar brings out the Latin influence in the music. Two artists that are well known for their Paranda music are Paul Nabor and Aurelio Martinez. For an excellent video on Paranda drumming click on the button below. Paul NaborPaul Nabor is the most famous Paranda musician and is known for his Naguya Ne - I am moving on. He was also a spiritual healer and fisherman. Andy Palacio discovered his music and used it in his own album and this brought Paul Nabor to fame. Unfortunately he never recorded much music as his talents were realised at an old age. His music is a lot more gentle and slow paced then Punta music which is characteristic of Paranda. Below is his most famous piece. Punta music is the most common and favoured style of Garifuna music. The original style has developed to become the more modern Punta Rock which is currently one of the most popular styles of music in Central America. Punta is the music that you can hear coming from peoples windows and at almost all gatherings. It is known for the Punta dance style. This involves a dance off between women where you have to keep your torso steady whilst doing intricate hip and foot movements. Instruments usedPunta music relies on the beat set by the drums. The traditional segundo drum rhythm for Punta music is Ta Ti Ti Ta. The speed of the beat will be altered to challenge dancers and provide interest but this is mainly done by the primero drum. The maracas are also an important part of Punta music in keeping the beat. The primero drum has no set rhythm and what they play is up to the skills of both the player and the dancers. Both the segundo drum rhythm, primero drum and maracas can be heard in the music below. Note: end listening example piece at 4:15 In Punta rock the electric and acoustic guitar are used in addition to the drums and maracas. This makes the music more popular to the younger Garifuna people as it is seen as more modern. overall the instruments used in Punta music are common for all Gariguna but the addition of guitars in Punta rock makes it more modern and appealing to the younger generations and modern society. DurationPunta rhythms are driving and energetic to suit the dance style. Lots of syncopation, polyrhythm and cross rhythms are used to add interest. There is always a repeated ostinato of Ta Ti Ti Ta played by the Segundo drum with the intricate rhythms of the Primero above. The Segundo drum ostinato and the cross rhythms of the Primero drum can be heard above. The garifuna people do not use tempo marking but if they did, Punta music would be moderato to allegro depending on the dancers. It is described as the most energetic style of Garifuna music. The metre of Punta music is always simple triple which is much the same to the rest of the Garifuna music. There are never metre changes used due to the repeated ostinato. The rhythms of Garifuna Punta music are very similar to that of African music due to the great infuence it had on the culture and are very much suited to the dancing and signing of the community. For an excellent video on playing Punta music click on the button below or go to the videos page. PitchGarifuna music is not set in a key as no accompaniment is pitched. this allows the same rhythms to accompany several hundreds of different melodies. Melodies are fairly step wise with some thirds. They range from unison choruses, solo 'calls' to homophonic 'responses'. Music is always full of repeated melodies for continuity and this is very characteristic of the style. the repeats can be clearly heard in the music above. They harmony is simple and similar to that of African music. harmony is almost always homohonic and and in major chords. The range of the music is different depending on the vocalists and sometimes can be very large. The atonality with simple scalic melodies and harmonies make Punta music very simple and adaptable for any event. Dynamics and expressive techniquesDynamics are not greatly used in Garifuna music as it is impromptu and sung by masses of people at the one time. Dynamic differences come from the the call being only one voice to the response being many. Similarly style markings are not used as it is an aural tradition. Voices however, use several techniques such as whistles, yells and other sounds. These add interest to the music and aid in the telling of a story. TextureAs said before the texture is antiphonic with a homophonic response and sometimes just homophonic. Music is generally dense due to the many rhythms being played at the one time. The layers of Punta music are:
Tone colourThe blending of the voices is juxtaposed by the accompanying precussion and the bass line of the segundo drum grounds the ensemble and adds a sense of continuity. Overall the tone colour of Garifuna music is very similar to that of African music and can become quite boomy with the addition of many voices. The piece above has a rough tone colour due to the style of singing. this is characteristic of Garifuna music. The maracas contrast against the voices making them apropriate for keeping the beat. Overall the tone colour is quite harmonious and words together well. StructureThe structure of Punta music varies but is normally a series of verses. The piece above has the structure of:
LyricsThe lyrics to Punta songs are always composed by women to comment on unacceptale male behavior and challenges effecting the family. Punta music is a vital part of everyday life especially for women and is used in many gatherings and dance competitions. Punta RockPunta rock is the newest form of Garifuna music and is derived from traditional Punta music by men. The traditional instruments are used with the addition of a drum kit, synthesized keyboard and electric guitar. There are many similarieties to Punta music and the main difference is the even faster tempo. This music is typically performed by men and is a provocative adaptation to the traditonal Punta music.
The Garifuna people base their music around percussive instruments and vocals. Barely any music uses non-percussive instruments as they only came along with the British, of whom were not favored by the people. The only other instruments used occasionally are the flute and violin, however, the flute generally is not metal but wooden. Most commonly used instruments are drums, maracas, turtle shells, conch shells and guitars, however some other idiophones are used such as clave and a donkey's jawbone. Calabash maracasMaracas are used in both secular and sacred Garifuna music. They are made by removing the insides of Calabashes then filled with mature seeds from a Weinwein plant. the hole then has a stick forced through to make a handle and keep the seeds inside. the maracas can be clearly heard in the video below of punta music on the Belize Settlement day. Maracas are a major form of emphasising the beat as they stand out and can be heard by all. sisira: Maracas Turtle shellsThe turtle shells are a more recent addition to Garifuna music. They first started to appear in the 1970's which coincided with the invention of Punta Rock. A person will play one to three and they are always played with two sticks. Garifuna music is one of the only musical cultures to use the turtle shells in music. In the video below you can hear the turtle shells being played in the rhythm Ta Ta Ta Ti Ti. Conch shellsThe conch shell trumpet is the only commonly used wind instrument in Garifuna music today. The pointed spiral top is cut off so that air can be blown through. A similar embrouchure to most brass instruments is used to sound the conch shell. Each shell plays a singular pitch and this is determined by the size of the shell. The conch shell is more commonly played in areas around the coast but is not a vital part of Garifuna music. GuitarGuitars are the main form of accompaniment for the Paranda and come from the Spanish influence in Honduras in the 1800's. It isn't very common in the old traditional music but in the newer Punta rock both the acoustic and electric guitar are prominent. The most commonly used guitar is the six string Spanish guitar. Both guitars can be heard in the Garifuna music collective's Mongugu. Garifuna music is destinguished by its drumming. Almost all songs are accompanied by drums. There are most commonly two drums used, but sacred music often calls for another drummer. The lead drum is the primero drum and the other is the Segundo drum. the size difference can be seen above. Garawoun: drum Primero drumthe primero player plays a intricate layer of cross rhythms to create polyphony. the drum is usually 60cm high and 30-40cm in diameter. it produces a higher sound than the segundo drum. Metal wires are commonly put across the head of the drum to give a slightly more snare like sound. This can be heard in the video below. Segundo Drumthe segundo player plays the lower part that keeps the beat of the piece. This seems like an easy task but once the primero player has come in it is actually quite hard to keep steady. the rhythm played the the segundo plaer is fixed throught the duration of the song and is generally fairly simplistic. Each genre of music has its own segundo drum pattern such as punta which has a rhythm of Ta Ti Ti Ta (can be seen above).
The drum is typically 90cm high and 60-90cm wide. This produces the distinctive lower sound. Without the segundo drum music would easily become out of time and would not sound grounded. Garifuna music is an upbeat style of music that is always accompanied by drums and can always be danced to. Music is a part of everyday life and songs are generally about what people are doing or have done but also stories and folklore. An example of this is the Jonkanu which is a style of music which had come from the independence of Belize from Britain. This style mocks the old white masters and is used mostly for independence celebrations on the 21st of September each year. Overall, Garifuna Music is upbeat and linked to everyday life as well as folklore. It is used as a way for the community to come together and for everyday enjoyment. This simple music is always accompanied by two or more drums and is most often in duple or triple time.
Garifuna music is iconic of Central America and made to dance along with. The Garifuna people have very archaic family and social structures. Families are often very connected and if one family moves, so will three or four other households. They share a lot of their culture with Africa, People of the Amazon and Caribbean People. Some aspects of their culture that come from other places are; dialects such as Creole, circular dances, Punta, folklore and banana cultivation. The Garifuna people are mainly farmers and fishermen due to the fertile soils and abundance of fish along the coastline. However young Garifunas are moving away from these traditional occupations and moving to the large cities of the US. In May of 2001 the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) declared the Garifuna language, music and dance a masterpiece of the heritage of humanity. The language, music and dance are an extremely large large part of everyday life and celebrations.
The Garifuna people have a rich history of over 300 years, however they have not always been living in Belize, Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua. In 1665 a slave ship carrying slaves from Africa was shipwrecked and the then freed slaves swam ashore to the island of St.Vincent. These slaves then mixed with the Caribe and Arawaken people forming a new culture, Garifuna. Later the french began to colonise the island and took over a portion. The french brought with them instruments such as the violin and flute which has worked its way into some of the Garifuna music. After this, in 1763 the British wanted to take over the island to use it for farming due to its very fertile soils. The British wanted the land so much that they provoked the Garifuna people to war. After a 32 year conflict the British took over the entire island, even the French section, and drove the Garifuna people out.
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