MAPEH 10 Aquarius – 10:00-10:45 Sagittarius – 1:00-1:45
VOCAL FORMS OF AFRICAN MUSIC SPA – 1:45-2:30 Gemini – 2:30-3:15
1. Maracatu – It is the combination of strong rhythms of African percussion instruments and Portuguese melodies. This
form of music is being paraded along the streets by up to 100 participants.
2. Blues – It is one of the most widely performed musical forms of the late 19th century. The melodies of blues are
expressive and soulful. The slaves and their descendants used to sing these as they work in the fields.
3. Soul – It is a popular music genre of the 1950s and 1960s which originated in the African-American community
throughout the United States. It combines elements of African-American gospel music, rhythm and blues, and often jazz.
4. Spiritual – It originated in the Unites States and created by African-American slaves. It is also known as “Negro
Spiritual”. It became a means of imparting Christian values and a way of venting their hardships as slaves.
5. Call and Response – It is likened to a question and answer sequence in human communication. The slaves used to
sing these songs while simultaneously doing all their tasks in a day.
CLASSIFICATION OF TRADITIONAL AFRICAN INSTRUMENTS
A. Idiophones – Sound is produced by the body of the instrument vibrating.
1. Agogo - It is a single bell or multiple bells and is considered as the oldest samba instrument based on West African
Yoruba single or double bells. It has the highest pitch of any of the bateria instruments.
2. Shekere – It is a type of gourd and shell megaphone from West Africa, consisting of a dried gourd with beads woven
into a net covering the gourd.
3. Slit/Log drum – It is a hollow percussion instrument. Although known as a drum, it is not a true drum but is an
idiophone. It is usually carved or constructed from bamboo or wood into a box with one or more slits in the top.
4. Atingting Kon (Slit Gong) – It is a hollowed cylinder of wood with a narrow longitudinal opening or slit whose edges
are struck to produce a deep, sonorous tone. They are considered to be portraits of ancestors so that when played, it is the
voices of awakened ancestors which resonate from their interior chamber.
5. Balafon – It is a kind of wooden xylophone or percussion idiophone which plays melodic tunes. It has been played in
the region since the 1300s. In the 16th century, it became a real art at the royal court of Sikasso/ Mali and was flourishing
under the reign of a generous king.
B. Membranophones – Sound is produced by the vibration of a tightly stretched membrane.
1. Body percussion - It refers to African music using their bodies as instruments. Their body can be used to produce
sound by clapping their hands, slapping their thighs, pounding their upper arms or chests, or shuffling their feet. Wearing
of rattles or bells on their wrists, ankles, arms, and waists enhances their emotional response.
2. Talking drum – It is used to send messages to announce births, deaths, marriages, sporting events, dances, initiations
or war. It is believed that the drums can carry direct messages to the spirits after the death of a loved one.
3. Djembe - The West African djembe (pronounced zhem-bay) is one of the best-known African drums. It is shaped like a
large goblet and played with bare hands. The body is carved from a hollowed trunk and is covered with goat skin.
C. Lamellaphone – Sound is produced by the vibration of tongues of metal, wood or other material.
1. Mbira (Kalimba/ Thumb Piano) – It is a set of plucked tines or keys mounted on a sound board. It is being played by
holding the instrument in the hands and plucking the tines with the thumbs. They used this instrument to drive away evil
spirits since it is believed that it was a vector of communication with ancestors and spirits.
2. Array Mbira – It is a hand-crafted instrument with a unique harp or bell-like sound. It is a popular traditional
instrument of the Shona people in Zimbabwe. It is a radical redesign of the African Mbira and it consists of up to 150
metal tines attached to a wooden board, comprising up to five octaves.
D. Chordophones – Sound is produced by the vibration of a string or strings that are stretched between fixed
points.
1. Musical Bow - The Musical bow is the ancestor of all string instruments. It is the oldest and one of the most widely
used string instruments of Africa. It consists of a single string attached to each end of a curved stick, similar to a bow and
arrow.
2. Zeze - The Zeze is an African fiddle played with a bow, a small wooden stick, or plucked with the fingers. It has one or
two strings made of steel or bicycle brake wire. It is from Sub-Saharan Africa.
E. Aerophones – Sound is produced through the vibration of air.
1. Fulani – It is a type of flute which is widely used throughout Africa and either vertical or side-blown. They are usually
fashioned from a single tube closed at one end and blown like a bottle.
2. Kudu Horn – It is made from the horn of the kudu antelope. Its sound releases a mellow and warm sound that adds a
unique African accent to their music.
