MUSIC IN THE CARIBBEAN
Olivia Irvin
NINTH ANNUAL RAKE 'N' SCRAPE
FESTIVAL
• This festival took place in Cat Island.
• June 2, 2006
• Pop: 1,600
• Storytellers are the introduction
• Rake n’ Scrape
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Traditional music of the Bahamas
Features the accordion, a carpenters saw, and a goatskin drum
Electric guitar, bass, and percussion is also used
Accompanies Quadrille dancing
Called different names depending on where you are
• Ancient Man
• Popular Rake n’ Scrape artist
NINTH ANNUAL RAKE 'N' SCRAPE
FESTIVAL
• As the Rake n’ Scrape is being played, lessons on how to perform the
Quadrille is being taught among the audience
• Quadrille
• Meaning of the dance is being together and enacting community
• The first day of the festival ends at around 2 am, and most people retreat to
a nearby night club.
• On the third night of the festival, gospel music is played.
• Anthems and North American gospel style songs
SHARED HISTORIES, MUTUAL
CHALLENGES
• Many events have taken place that have shaped the way Caribbean music is
today
• Diaspora
• The forced movement of ethnic groups from their homeland
• Shared colonial encounter
• Created new languages spoken on each island
• Musicians use these different languages to identify with each island
• New religions were created
• Religious practices required unique styles of music
• Heavily influenced by African music
• Many different types of drums are used
• African dances are practiced
• The same style of rhythmic concepts
SHARED HISTORIES, MUTUAL
CHALLENGES
• European influences
• Stringed, winged, and brass instruments, pianos and accordions
• Dance forms: waltz, quadrille, and mazurka
• Native American influences
• The maraca
• North American influences
• Often exterted through mass media
• Involved in political affairs
THEMES IN CARIBBEAN MUSIC
• Patterns of musical reception, questions of identity, class and cultural politics, and
tourism and travel
• Goombay Music
• Characteristics of traditional Rake n’ Scrape
• Calypso’s
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Trinidadian genre
Could sway public opinions with songs, so they were considered dangerous
Kalenda: stick fighting
1883: drumming was banned
Tamboo Bamboo Bands
• Contains 3 different instruments cut from bamboo
• Staple of carnival celebrations
• Lyrics contained boasting, political and social commentary, double entendre, and insult
THEMES IN CARIBBEAN MUSIC
• 1890s: String bands were becoming popular in Trinidad
• Guitars, violins, and quarto’s
• The end of WWII created more Jazz type ensembles in the Caribbean
• Horn line, bass, percussion, and drum line
• 1950s: Calypso style music was brought to New York and became well
known, bringing in many tourists from the United States.
• Steel Band
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Gradually replaced the Tamboo Bamboo band
Similar sound to a Western orchestra
Can include as many as 120 performers
Traveled and became in North America and Europe
THEMES IN CARIBBEAN MUSIC
• Rumba Music
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African drumming tradition
Lead vocalist, chorus, and 3 percussion instruments
Different styles were formed
Male and female dancers
Became banned in the late 19th century
NATION AND IDENTITY IN THE
CARIBBEAN
• Musicians played a huge role in bringing forth the Bahamian culture
• Junkanoo: carnival that served as an icon of Bahamian identity
• Some people felt threatened by this festival
• Tourists began to express interest in Junkanoo
• Punta Rock
• Usually composed by women
• Secular duple meter genre
• Brings back Garifuna identity
• Merengue Music
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Developed from salon type music
Picked up as a folk music
Guitar, marimba, and tambura
Focuses on emphasizing on beats
SUMMARY
• The music of the Caribbean reflects the challenges of changed history
• It helps create new ways of making meaning and creating community