Music from the Cape Verde Islands
The music of the Cape Verde Islands is shaped by the influence of several cultures and rhythms : Batuku is of African origin, Morna of Portuguese origin, Funaná also has influences from Portugal. The characteristic Funaná instrument gaita ( accordion ) also comes from there.
history
The emergence of Cape Verdean music is closely linked to the history of the island, in particular the Portuguese colonization and the arrival of African slaves in the 15th century . Different cultures merged on the islands with no original population. Then there were the effects of emigration : there has always been a lively exchange with the mainland and people emigrated to the West African coast or the American continent , for example . By the end of the 20th century , far more Cape Verdeans were living abroad than on the islands themselves.
While the influence of Portugal is clear on the northern Cape Verde Islands, the music of the southern islands is heavily influenced by Africa. H. it is mainly rhythm-dominated.
The music of the islands
The music typical of the islands encompasses a wide range of sounds. Materials made of iron, plastic, glass bottles and cans serve as instruments as well as wood, mussels, dried pumpkins and pods .
Vozes
Under Vozes (votes) refers polyphonic a cappella - compositions of African origin.
Batuku
Probably the first style born in Cape Verde, originates from Santiago and is a ritual dance with an African influence. Usually a singer brings stories, news and rumors to the rhythm of the drummers, enriched by familiar phrases and themes that are often repeated by the drummers' choir ( finaçon ). The fabric belt around the dancer's hips is reminiscent of the shackles of slavery. The drums are often replaced by plastic bags filled with scraps of fabric and pieces of clothing that are pressed and beaten between the drummers' thighs.
Finaçon
To the Batuku rhythm, a singer performs everyday topics, news, quotes, philosophies, views and special events as a soloist.
Tabanca
Today this means a festival that takes place in May. Sea shells and drums are traditionally played. The word Tabanca means something like "connection and gathering of one community with another" (the original meaning of the word is "small village", but today it stands more for "brotherhood") to honor the ancestors, in which the participants dress up in bright colors ( often based on the clothing of the authorities ) and heat up the crowd with their singing, clapping and dancing. Each Tabanca has a king, the Rei Di Tabanka , who usually precedes his Tabanca dressed in white uniform and bears the emblem of the assembly.
Funaná
Funaná is played with a diatonic accordion and a flat, fluted iron rod that is rubbed with a knife as a percussion instrument. Originated on Santiago, this is the fastest style of Cape Verdean music. The performance of this form of music in public places was forbidden under the colonialists. They feared the texts' criticism of the prevailing system. It was only with independence from Portugal that Funaná found its place on the dance floors and on the radios of the Aluguer drivers of the archipelago.
The accompanying dance is perceived as erotic. Current Funaná performers are Ferro Gaita , Raízes , Os Amigos and many more.
Cola
Colá is an earth fertility ritual that is played in May or June of the year with very varied music with drums and pipes. Musically it is related to the Tabanca.
Morna
The morna was probably made on the island of Boavista . The most famous singer was Cesária Évora . The Morna is the most popular and widespread music style in Cape Verde , which is strongly influenced by the minor keys . It is often compared to Portuguese fado . It is played with guitars, cavaquinho (small 4-string guitar), violin and percussion instruments. The mood of the Morna is melancholy and thoughtful, the lyrics are full of longing, homesickness and longing, characterized in Cape Verde as sodade .
The Portuguese jazz singer and composer Carmen Souza has Cape Verdean roots and combines the morna with the Portuguese fado in her work.
Coladeira
Developed from Morna, but is much more rhythmic and danceable. The lyrics are funny, humorous and sarcastic. Coladeira is influenced by the Caribbean Zouk and the Brazilian Samba , so that wind instruments and keyboard sounds can also be heard very often. Important representatives of the Morna and Coladeira are Tito Paris , Lura and Cesária Évora, who died in 2011 .
Well-known musicians
A master of Batuku and Finaçon was Antonio Vaz Cabral (Ntoni Denti d'Oro, 1926-2018).
The musicians of the successful disco group Tavares came from the Cape Verde Islands, as did the parents of Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silva, the jazz musician Horace Silver .
Cesária Évora is considered the best-known representative of Cape Verdean music. Names like Jotamont , Luis Morais, Ildo Lobo and Manuel D'Novas were also important for the development .
Names such as Mayra Andrade , Lura , Bana , Tito Paris , Teófilo Chantre , Baú , Terezinha Araújo , Sara Tavares and Carmen Souza have also become internationally known . Groups such as Os Tubarões , Simentera , Finaçon (1980s / 90s), Ferro Gaita and Cordas do Sol should also be mentioned.
Representatives of more international styles include names such as Gil Semedo , the rapper Boss AC or Charles Marcellesi, who comes from Corsica and lives in Cape Verde .