Extempo
Encyclopedia
Extempo is a lyrically improvised form of calypso
and is most notably practised in Trinidad and Tobago
. It consists of a performer improvising in song or in rhythmic speech on a given theme before an audience who themselves take turns to perform. It is inherently competitive and success is judged by the wit and ingenuity of the performance.
It is similar in form to what has been defined as traditional African song: "a recitative or chants with a short chorus. The soloist gives the melody while a chorus sings a refrain. As the melody is given out, they turn to one another, each improvising in turn. Extempo tends to comprise topics from current events treated with mockery, ridicule and sarcasm, or with flattery or praise.”
. Extempo War, or warring, is the practise of competitors attacking each others efforts at extempo in the course of their own performance. It is not an essential part of competition, but is a regular feature, and an entertaining one.
Extempo war may also be called simply Calypso War
.
Not all extempo performance is competitive. Away from competition formal roles for extempo performers are typically as MCs or hosts at private functions.
tradition of 'yo mama' or the dozens
in its competitive aspect but may be distinguished in that the aim is not to improvise humorous abuse to an opponent incorporating a given form of words, but to entertain an audience of ones competitors while extemporising on a given theme. The abuse or sarcasm may be directed either at ones competitors or at subjects relevant to that theme, ideally both.
It is also similar to the United States tradition of freestyle rap
.
Calypso music
Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago from African and European roots. The roots of the genre lay in the arrival of enslaved Africans, who, not being allowed to speak with each other, communicated through song...
and is most notably practised in Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
. It consists of a performer improvising in song or in rhythmic speech on a given theme before an audience who themselves take turns to perform. It is inherently competitive and success is judged by the wit and ingenuity of the performance.
It is similar in form to what has been defined as traditional African song: "a recitative or chants with a short chorus. The soloist gives the melody while a chorus sings a refrain. As the melody is given out, they turn to one another, each improvising in turn. Extempo tends to comprise topics from current events treated with mockery, ridicule and sarcasm, or with flattery or praise.”
The Art of Extempo
It is characterised either by the “single tone”, consisting of four-line stanzas or the “double tone”, which has eight line stanzas. There are four basic melodies common to extempo; “Santimanitay”, “Matilda”, “Miss Mary Ann” and “Big Bamboo.” The most widely used is Santimanitay. Another characteristic of extempo is that the performer must be able to think quickly on his feet since the subjects are handed out on the spot and the lyrics are improvised.Extempo war
The competitive nature of extempo is reflected in the annual Trinidad Carnival with a formal extempo competition for the title of National Extempo MonarchExtempo Monarch
Extempo Monarch is the title awarded to the winner of an annual extempo competition held at the Trinidad Carnival.A number of contestants compete in preliminary rounds...
. Extempo War, or warring, is the practise of competitors attacking each others efforts at extempo in the course of their own performance. It is not an essential part of competition, but is a regular feature, and an entertaining one.
Extempo war may also be called simply Calypso War
Calypso War
War is a calypso form that has existed since at least the turn of the twentieth century. Originally it was sung in patois. The classic War form is an eight-line stanza, the first four lines in a minor key, then modulating into the major, and returning to the minor with the refrain "santimanite"...
.
Not all extempo performance is competitive. Away from competition formal roles for extempo performers are typically as MCs or hosts at private functions.
Related oral/musical traditions
It is similar to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
tradition of 'yo mama' or the dozens
The dozens
The Dozens is a game that has its origins in African American slavery. The game originates from the devaluing and bargaining off of deformed or defective slaves in auction houses. This element of the African American oral tradition in which two competitors, usually males, go head-to-head in a...
in its competitive aspect but may be distinguished in that the aim is not to improvise humorous abuse to an opponent incorporating a given form of words, but to entertain an audience of ones competitors while extemporising on a given theme. The abuse or sarcasm may be directed either at ones competitors or at subjects relevant to that theme, ideally both.
It is also similar to the United States tradition of freestyle rap
Freestyle rap
Freestyle rap commonly refers to rap lyrics which are improvised through a acapella or with instrumental beats, i.e. performed with no previously composed lyrics, or "off the top of the head"...
.
Notable Extempo Artists
- Brother ResistanceBrother ResistanceBrother Resistance is a musician from Trinidad and Tobago.Born Lutalo Masimba, Brother Resistance became the lead singer of the Network Riddim Band, a Trinidadian soca ensemble, in 1970...
- Lord Pretender
- Big B
- Black Sage
- GypsyGypsy (calypsonian)Winston Edward Peters, also known by his sobriquet Gypsy is a Trinidad and Tobago calypsonian and politician and currently serves as that country's Minister of the Arts and Multiculturalism....
- Lady Africa
- The Relator (Willard C. Harris)
- Shortpants (Llewllyn Macintosh)
- Lingo