Spanish Movement

The Spanish movement Slavery Music has created many genres that are well known in the new world. Other than the British, the slavery route was extended into other region on the Caribbean, which are known as The Spanish Carribean. They also creared music theat captivated the world and is famous and used in the profund Ballroom Dancing.

http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/dcblog/cuba/

Cuba

Starting off with the most influencial music in today's era, the country that consist of many African heritages, Cuba. Cuba has one of the largest musical genres in the Caribbean Spanish Colonies, because of the large number of African heritages and races. Cuba's African heritage's came from Congo, Nigeria, Cameroon, Benin, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Senegambians (current day Senegal and Gambia), and a small number of Sudanese (Hugh, 1971). Having that said, is it possible to imagine the fusions of cultures to form the recognisable genres?


The Most Important rythem is the Clave. The Clave is the basic foundation of most of the Cuban music and including Haiti and Bahian Brazilian or Afro-Brazilian. With Clave the following music is formed:

• Rumba- it was derived from the Congo. Underneath is an example of Congolese Rumba

• Mambo 

• Compara De Conga (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBBfbODdYY0&feature=related) unfortunately it can not be uploaded but it has a lot of emphasis on the drums

• Salsa (known worldwide)

If the the videos are heard well, you will notice a resemblence in rythem, that rythem is Clave.

Trinidad and Tabago

http://www.caribbeanprincessmusings.com/2011/04/introducing-trinidad-and-tobago.html

From Cuba we move on to Trinidad and Tabago, the home of Calypso. The slaves that were sent to Trindad and Tabago for sugar plantation, brought along their musical essence and created the music called Calypso. Calypso has a heavy use of drums which are made of steel, which have dents and these dents creates different tunes, sounds, with different amplifying levels.

here is a link of a video that shows the different tunes and levels that a calyso band plays :

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Db0c4aAwUbY&feature=related

Puerto Rico

http://www.hispanicallyspeakingnews.com/notitas-de-noticias/details/us-dol-and-mine-operator-in-puerto-rico-reach-settlement-in-discrimina/5220/

From Trindad and Tabago, moving on to Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico adapted so many genres from different countries such as, reggae from Jamaica, Salsa from Cuba, Calyso from Trinidad, although the one African (Slave)Influencial music that Puerto Rico has is the Bomba.

That is the end of the Spanish Caribbean, and their famous and known music. The next entry speaks about the French Colonies of Grenada and Haiti.

Reference:

Hugh, T. (1971). Cuba, or the Pursuit of freedom.

British Movement

As mentioned in the previous entry the British movement, covered The North America, and the Carribean Island. Music followed the slaves where ever they went, whether their ship was lost along the way or not; music was created.

North America

The Slaves first landed in the Colony of Viginia in 1619 by the British. And according to Shmoop University a website the earlier collect of Slave music was published in 1867, which was the Negro spiritual music which was discussed in the previous entry.


A time line of Slave Music formed in the United States:-

• African Musical Root

• Negro Spiritals (work Songs)
• Jazz

• Rural Blues (Mississippi Blues)

Here is a Famous Mississippi blues artist Mississippi Fred Mc Dowell

• Boogie-Woogie

Here is the great Martha Davis playing a boogie-woogie song

• Rhythem and Blues
• Soul

Aretha Franklin singing one of the famous love songs I say a Little prayer.

• Funk

King of Funk No One else but James Brow

• Disco

• Rap Hip-Hop & RnB

This is the famous group salt n peppa that has a great impact on Hip-hop, RnB and Rap

British Caribbean

Jamaica

While Jazz, Blue, Disco Hip-Hop and RnB were created in North America the Caribbeans has another plan up their sleeve. The Divided themselves into little sub-genre of the Caribbean Rhythem or Music.

So Jamaica are Famous of their:

• Reggae Music (it is not only music that people hear for entertainment purposes, The "Rastafarias" a form of religious belief in the Jamaican community use it chants of songs to keep close to the spirituality.

The legend Bob Marley who is known to heal the world with his music and lyrics.

• Dancehall

A preview of how islander music from Jamaica sounds like this is normally played in a spacious place with big speakers surrounded everywhere and create a dance floor or a hall hence the name Dancehall

• Ska (derived from Reggae, more up beat and a lot Skanking= where the word Ska came from)

Routes and Lands

Now, since the previous blog spoke about Negro spirituality, lets take few steps back and see where slaves came from and what music is from which region.


This Image below shows you the continent of Africa and the America(s).  (North America (USA), The Americas (In the middle which are the Carribean), Spanish America (adjecent to the Carribean) and South America.

(http://www.slavevoyages.org/tast/assessment/intro-maps/09.jpg)


Okay so since you can see the map it shows specifically where the slaves came from and where they were sent to. Before proceeding into my topic to make it clear as there are some countries which were still named after its slave trade location, so to make it clear:

• Senegmabia- Both the countries of Senegal and Gambia
• Windward Coast- Ivory Coast or Cote d'Ivoire
• Gold Coast- Ghana
• Bight of Benin- Nigeria
• Bight of Biafra- Nigeria
• Central and Southeast Afria- Cameroon and North Angola

(http://www.mapsmapsflagsflags.com/map-of-africa/)

Now carrying on with the topic we 7 movements according to regions:-

1. British North America- United States
2. Spanish America- Nicaragua, Belize, Guatemala
3. British Caribbean- Jamaica, Bahamas, Barbuda, Barbados, Antigua
4. Spanish Caribbean- Cuba, Trinidad and Tabago, Puerto Rico, Santo Doming
5. French Caribbean- Guadeloupe, Grenada, St. Domingue, Martinique, Haiti
6. Dutch Caribbean- Guayana
7. Brazil- Brazil which covers (Salvador da Bahia, Rio De Janeiro)

Each movement has their own form of music and style from the beginning of the slave trade to date. Some were modified and some stayed the same. 

The next entries will briefly mention which movement created what famous and recognised  music as there is too many genres to cover.

The "Negro Spiritual" Era

Negro Spirituals are the songs that slaves were given permission to sing, which consists of two types:-

• Negro Spirituals and work
• this category of music was sung by an individual or a group of slaves which helpped them with doing the jobs given by slave drivers. This catergory was used to express their feelings while working and helped cheer each other up when their morale is low. 
• Negro Spirituals and the Underground Rail Road (UGRR)
• while the UGRR was sung when the slaves were at the UGRR trying to escape form the slave drivers. This catergory of songs speak about the obsticles on the way when the slaves were trying to run away from their slave drivers, and the UGRR was their only way to get through for them to reach freedom.

So, here are examples of how the negro spirituals and UGRR music sounds like and this is a very famous UGRR song, sung by Big Mama Thornton- Wade in the water:-

and here is the lyrics so you can read what they were going through:-

(Chorus)
Wade in the water.
Wade in the water, children.
Wade in the water.
God's gonna trouble the water.

Well, who are these children all dressed in red?
God's a-gonna trouble the water
Must be the children that Moses led
God's a-gonna trouble the water.

Chorus

Who's that young girl dressed in white
Wade in the Water
Must be the Children of Israelites
God's gonna trouble the Water.

Chorus

Jordan's water is chilly and cold.
God's gonna trouble the water.
It chills the body, but not the soul.
God's gonna trouble the water.

Chorus

If you get there before I do.
God's gonna trouble the water.
Tell all of my friends I'm coming too.
God's gonna trouble the water.

(Songs for teaching, 2012

According to Aruther C. Jones "wade in the water" the coded meaning behind the lyric is "when you escape and are attempting to connect to the next relay point on the Underground Railroad make sure that you go wade (paddle) through water to thrown the bloodhounts off your scent" (Jones, 1999). So just as it was mentioned earlier that going through the Underground railroad is the only way to get to freedom, so the Underground rail road had authority patroling them and they had bloodhounds to track the African American so they wont runaway, and bloodhounds have a very strong scencing ability, therefore they had to wade or paddle in the water to get ride of their scent so they wont be tracked down.

According to (History Official Site of Negro Spirituals, antique Gospel Music), Slavery abolished in 1865 in America, but racism was still a great factor; yet gave African Americans the oppertunity to enter university. The first Black university was Fisk University, Nashville Tennessee. From this opperunity they took every chance to venture out into the new world, where they introduced and sung the Negro Spirituals, and the group which were the first to do that was Fisk Jubilee Singers (History Official Site of Negro Spirituals, antique Gospel Music).

Although, post the abolishing of slavery, most Afriacn American did not want to be reminded of the hardship and struggles, so the people were not so proud of the spiritual Negro music. Until the 1890's when the Holiness and Sanctified churches appeared; which was highly influenced by the African tradition, that involved clapping, shouting, footstomping and Jubilee songs.

1985- after

the words and action of Dr. Martin Luther King has changed the lives of the African Americans in the United States. The scene of music Has trasformed immesly thanks to the co- founders of the gospel music it has transformed and was used as a reference to many genres to what it is now! Therefore, gospel music or Negro Spirituality is one of the most important key element in the celebration of "Black History Month", in which Negro Spirituality music and its sub-genres are played throughout the month, remembering the hardship and celebrating the success of their forefathers.


Althought the Negro spirituals were established and developed rapidly in the US, Negro spirituals also spread out into other regions of The Americas. The next entries explain how,  where, and what music is recognised generally to the world.

Refernces:


History Official Site of Negro Spirituals, antique Gospel Music. (n.d.). Retrieved 04 14, 2012, from History: www.negrospirituals.com/history.htm

Jones, A. C. (1999). Wade in the water wisdom of spirituals. Maryknoll, New York, USA.

Songs for teaching. (2012). Songs For Teaching. Retrieved 05 04, 2012, from Wade in the Water Lyrics.