Ewe music
Encyclopedia
Ewe music is the music
of the Ewe people
of West Africa
. Instrumentation
is primarily percussive
and rhythmically
the music features great metrical
complexity. Its highest form is in dance
music including a drum
orchestra, but there are also work, play, and other song
s. Despite his title Ewe music is featured in A. M. Jones's Studies in African Music
.
He also lists the following "Features of African [Ewe] Music" (p. 49):
Asiwui: Sogo, Kidi, Kagan, Bell, Shakers
Dagbamba: Talking drum, Brekete drum
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
of the Ewe people
Ewe people
The Ewe are a people located in the southeast corner of Ghana, east of the Volta River, in an area now described as the Volta Region, in southern Togo and western Benin...
of West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
. Instrumentation
Instrumentation (music)
In music, instrumentation refers to the particular combination of musical instruments employed in a composition, and to the properties of those instruments individually...
is primarily percussive
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
and rhythmically
Rhythm
Rhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...
the music features great metrical
Meter (music)
Meter or metre is a term that music has inherited from the rhythmic element of poetry where it means the number of lines in a verse, the number of syllables in each line and the arrangement of those syllables as long or short, accented or unaccented...
complexity. Its highest form is in dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
music including a drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
orchestra, but there are also work, play, and other song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s. Despite his title Ewe music is featured in A. M. Jones's Studies in African Music
Studies in African Music (Book)
Studies in African Music is a 1959 book in two volumes by A.M. Jones. It is an in-depth analysis of the traditional music of the Ewe tribe.-Summary:...
.
Characteristics
Jones describes two "rules" (p.24 and p.17, capitalization his):- The Unit of Time Rule or the Rule of Twos and Threes: "African [Ewe] phrases are built up of the numbers 2 or 3, or their multiples: or of a combination of 2 and 3 or of the multiples of this combination. Thus a phrase of 10 will be (2 + 3) + (2 + 3) or (2 + 2 + 2) + 4.
- The Rule of Repeats: "The repeatRepetition (music)Repetition is important in music, where sounds or sequences are often repeated. One often stated idea is that repetition should be in balance with the initial statements and variations in a piece. It may be called restatement, such as the restatement of a theme...
s within an African [Ewe] song are an integral part of it." If a song is formally "A + A + B + B + B" one cannot leave out, say, one of the B sections.
He also lists the following "Features of African [Ewe] Music" (p. 49):
- "Songs appear to be in free rhythm but most of them have a fixed time-background.
- The rule of 2 and 3 in the metrical build of songs.
- Nearly all rhythms which are used in combination are made from simple aggregates of a basic time-unit. A quaver is always a quaver.
- The clapClappingA clap is the sound made by striking together two flat surfaces, as in the body parts of humans or animals. Humans clap with the palms of their hands, often in a constant drone to express appreciation or approval , but also in rhythm to match sounds in music and dance...
s or other time-background impart no accent what-ever to the song. - African [Ewe] melodies are additiveAdditive rhythmIn music, additive and divisive are terms used to distinguish two types of both rhythm and meter.A divisive rhythm is a rhythm in which a larger period of time is divided into smaller rhythmic units or, conversely, some integer unit is regularly multiplied into larger, equal units; this can be...
: their time-background is divisive. - The principle of cross-rhythms.
- The restRest (music)A rest is an interval of silence in a piece of music, marked by a sign indicating the length of the pause. Each rest symbol corresponds with a particular note value:The quarter rest may also be found as a form in older music....
s within and at the end of a song before repeats are an integral part of it. - Repeats are an integral part of the song: they result in many variations of the call and response form (see summary).
- The call and responseCall and response (music)In music, a call and response is a succession of two distinct phrases usually played by different musicians, where the second phrase is heard as a direct commentary on or response to the first...
type of song is usual in Africa [sic]. - African [Ewe] melodiesMelodyA melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
are diatonic: the major exception being the sequence dominantDominant (music)In music, the dominant is the fifth scale degree of the diatonic scale, called "dominant" because it is next in importance to the tonic,and a dominant chord is any chord built upon that pitch, using the notes of the same diatonic scale...
-sharpSharp (music)In music, sharp, dièse , or diesis means higher in pitch and the sharp symbol raises a note by a half tone. Intonation may be flat, sharp, or both, successively or simultaneously...
ened subdominantSubdominantIn music, the subdominant is the technical name for the fourth tonal degree of the diatonic scale. It is so called because it is the same distance "below" the tonic as the dominant is above the tonic - in other words, the tonic is the dominant of the subdominant. It is also the note immediately...
-dominant. - Short tripletTupletIn music a tuplet is "any rhythm that involves dividing the beat into a different number of equal subdivisions from that usually permitted by the...
s are occasionally used. - The teleological trend: many African [Ewe] songs lean towards the ends of the lines: it is at the ends where they are likely to coincide with their time-background.
- Absence of the fermataFermataA fermata is an element of musical notation indicating that the note should be sustained for longer than its note value would indicate...
."
Background rhythm section
Gankogui, axatse, and atoke. The Gankogui is a clapperless double bell that is pounded in shape rather than cast. It produces much less audible high partials than western bells ("purer" fundamental) and is played with a stick. It produces two notes each of which vary and must vary among gankogui so they may be used together. Axatse are rattles, and the atoke are high pitched gongs played with an iron rod. The gankogui plays a background pattern which the orchestra builds upon, though the tempo is set by the master drummer. Many patterns from 8-12 beats are used but the decidedly most common pattern is called the Standard Pattern:Drums
Master drum: AtsimewuAsiwui: Sogo, Kidi, Kagan, Bell, Shakers
Dagbamba: Talking drum, Brekete drum
See also
- Ewe drummingEwe drummingEwe drumming refers to the drumming ensembles of the Ewe people of Ghana, Togo, and Benin. The Ewe are known for their experience in drumming throughout West Africa. The sophisticated cross rhythms and polyrhythms in Ewe drumming are similar to those in Afro-Caribbean music and late...
- Robert Ayitee, Ewe master drummer
- King MensahKing MensahKing Mensah known as "The Golden Voice of Togo", is one of the most popular musical acts from Togo, West Africa. Though based in Lomé, he regularly records and promotes his albums in Paris, and has embarked on several world tours since 2005...