"Music of the World" – MUL 2720 (Spring 2009) - Warfield

Review Sheet # 6
Nettl, Excursions, Chapter 7 (Sub-saharan Africa)

  1. What is Sub-Saharan Africa and how uniform is this region? What is the geography like, and how are the various countries throughout this region defined (how were their boundaries drawn)? Why is Northern Africa not considered part of this region?
  2. What about the people of Sub-Saharan Africa? How uniform or diverse are the cultures of this continent, and how uniform might the culture of a single country in this region be? What role did European colonialism play in all of this?
  3. What are some of the most important basic traits common to most African musics, i.e., what elements are similar or treated in a similar fashion in the majority of African musics? What sorts of instruments, textures, amd structural techniques are favored by many African cultures? How important are such elements and techniques as ostinato, interlocking parts, improvisation, call and response, etc.?
  4. Who makes music in various African cultures, and what does that tell you about the importance and/or status of both the musician and the music? How is specialization vs. non-specialization in music performance a part of this concept, and how are these concepts reflected in the music of various cultures?
  5. Who are the Shona, where and how do they live, and what is their belief system like? What is a Bira and how is music a part of this ceremony? What is a Mbira, how is it played, and what does it sound like?
  6. Who are the Mandinko/Mandingo/Mande, and in what country(ies) do they live? What are the Sula and Nyamalo in their culture, and which includes the Jali (or Griot)? What is a Kora and how does it relate/sound in comparison to other African instruments?
  7. What is music-making like in nomadic and semi-nomadic cultures such as the Baka or Mbuti Pygmies of the Central African (Ituri) rainforests? Who, specifically, makes music in these cultures? What does their music sound like, what sorts of instruments do they use, and how does all of this reflect Pygmy social organization?
  8. Why are drums important in the cultures of Ghana (notably the Ewe and Yoruba tribes) and other countries of the West African Coast? How does the organization of drumming ensembles reflect social values of the region? How is this music made and what does it sound like? What are the large talking drums, and what is their function in the drum ensemble? What is the function of a time-line instrument?
  9. How do musicians like King Sunny Adé, Fela Kuti and others mix elements of traditional Yoruba culture with Western music to form genres like Juju and Afrobeat?