MUSIC 151 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: African-American Music, Miles Davis, Street Cries
Document Summary
Most black slaves brought to the new world came from the gold coast, the ivory coast, and the savannah regions of western africa. West african musicians would play music for their own pleasure, most of their music is linked to some activity in the lives of the entire community. Therefore, the music is not to an artistic end unto itself. Because of this, a piece of music should not be judged on its aural merits alone, but rather on its effectiveness in achieving the goal of the activity that it accompanies. There is music that has a specific purpose for births, puberty rites, hunting trips, harvests, marriages, healing the sick, and for funerals. West african music is associated with dance, so it is repetitive in its structure. The hypnotic effect this music and dance facilitates entering trancelike states for tribal purposes. The majority of west african music is entirely based on a call- and- response structure.
