Music of Chad
Encyclopedia
Chad
is an ethnically diverse Central Africa
n country. Each of its regions has its own unique varieties of music and dance. The Fulani
people, for example, use single-reeded flutes, while the ancient griot
tradition uses five-string kinde
and various kinds of horn
s, and the Tibesti region uses lute
s and fiddle
s. Musical ensembles playing horns and trumpets such as the long royal trumpets known as "waza
" or "kakaki" are used in coronation
s and other upper-class ceremonies throughout both Chad and Sudan
.
The national anthem
of Chad is "La Tchadienne
," written in 1960 by Paul Villard and Louis Gidrol
with help from Gidrol's student group.
music of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
http://www.thephatplanet.com/music.ihtml?pid=7804&step=4. Styles of Chadian popular music include sai, which used rhythms from the southern part of Chad—this style was popularized by a group called Tibesti. Other bands include the Sahel
's International Challal and African Melody, while musicians include the Sudanese-music-influenced
guitar
ist Ahmed Pecos and Chadian-French musician Clément Masdongar http://cp.settlement.org/english/chad/arts.html.
live in the area around the Tibesti Mountains
. Their folk music revolves around men's string instrument
s and women's vocal music. String instruments like the keleli are used to "speak for" male performers, since it is considered inappropriate for a man to sing in front of an adult woman.
(string instrument
with calabash
loudspeakers), kakaki
(a tin horn
), maracas, lute
, kinde
(a bow harp) and various kinds of horns http://www.tchad.org/research/art.html. Other instruments include the flute and drums music of the Kanembu and the balaphone, whistle, harp and kodjo drums of the Sara people
, while the Baguirmians are known for drum and zither
music, as well as a folk dance in which a mock battle is conducted between dancers wielding large pestles http://cp.settlement.org/english/chad/arts.html.
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
is an ethnically diverse Central Africa
Central Africa
Central Africa is a core region of the African continent which includes Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda....
n country. Each of its regions has its own unique varieties of music and dance. The Fulani
Fula people
Fula people or Fulani or Fulbe are an ethnic group spread over many countries, predominantly in West Africa, but found also in Central Africa and Sudanese North Africa...
people, for example, use single-reeded flutes, while the ancient griot
Griot
A griot or jeli is a West African storyteller. The griot delivers history as a poet, praise singer, and wandering musician. The griot is a repository of oral tradition. As such, they are sometimes also called bards...
tradition uses five-string kinde
Kinde
Kinde may refer to:* Kinde, Michigan, United States* kinde, a type of arched harp found in Chad* kinde, an archaic spelling of "kind". See Kindness....
and various kinds of horn
Horn (acoustic)
A horn is a tapered sound guide designed to provide an acoustic impedance match between a sound source and free air. This has the effect of maximizing the efficiency with which sound waves from the particular source are transferred to the air...
s, and the Tibesti region uses lute
Lute
Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back, or more specifically to an instrument from the family of European lutes....
s and fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
s. Musical ensembles playing horns and trumpets such as the long royal trumpets known as "waza
Kakaki
The kakaki is a three to four metre long metal trumpet used in Hausa traditional ceremonial music. Kakaki is the name used in Chad, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Nigeria. The instrument is also known as waza in Chad and Sudan, and malakat in Ethiopia....
" or "kakaki" are used in coronation
Coronation
A coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch and/or their consort with regal power, usually involving the placement of a crown upon their head and the presentation of other items of regalia...
s and other upper-class ceremonies throughout both Chad and Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
.
The national anthem
National anthem
A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
of Chad is "La Tchadienne
La Tchadienne
La Tchadienne is the national anthem of Chad. Written by Louis Gidrol and his student group and composed by Paul Villard, it has been the official anthem since independence in 1960.-In French - En français:Peuple Tchadien, debout et à l'ouvrage!...
," written in 1960 by Paul Villard and Louis Gidrol
Louis Gidrol
Louis Gidrol is a Chadian musician. He wrote the national anthem for Chad with Paul Villard in 1960, along with help from his student group. He and his students were part of St. Paul's School, which is where it was composed. The anthem is called "La Tchadienne"...
with help from Gidrol's student group.
Popular music
Following independence, Chad, like most other African countries, quickly began producing some popular music, primarily in a style similar to the soukousSoukous
Soukous is a dance music genre that originated in the two neighbouring countries of Belgian Congo and French Congo during the 1930s and early 1940s, and which has gained popularity throughout Africa...
music of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Music of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Describing the music of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is difficult, due to vagaries surrounding the meanings of various terms. The country itself was formerly called Zaire and is now sometimes referred to as Congo-Kinshasa to distinguish it from the Republic of the Congo...
http://www.thephatplanet.com/music.ihtml?pid=7804&step=4. Styles of Chadian popular music include sai, which used rhythms from the southern part of Chad—this style was popularized by a group called Tibesti. Other bands include the Sahel
Sahel
The Sahel is the ecoclimatic and biogeographic zone of transition between the Sahara desert in the North and the Sudanian Savannas in the south.It stretches across the North African continent between the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea....
's International Challal and African Melody, while musicians include the Sudanese-music-influenced
Music of Sudan
Sudan has a rich and unique musical culture that has been through chronic instability and repression during the modern history of Sudan.Beginning with the imposition of strict sharia law in 1989, many of the country's most prominent musicians and poets, like poets Mahjoub Sharif, were imprisoned...
guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist Ahmed Pecos and Chadian-French musician Clément Masdongar http://cp.settlement.org/english/chad/arts.html.
Teda music
The TedaTeda
The Teda are a Toubou people who live mostly in northern Chad, but is present also in Libya, Niger and Nigeria. They speak Tedaga, a Nilo-Saharan language, and are very close ethnically and culturally with the Daza. They likely number more than 50,000, and are Muslims....
live in the area around the Tibesti Mountains
Tibesti Mountains
The Tibesti Mountains are a range of inactive volcanoes located on the northern edge of the Chad Basin in the Borkou- and Tibesti Region of northern Chad. The massif is one of the most prominent features of the Central-Sahara desert and covers an area of approximately 100,000 km². The northern...
. Their folk music revolves around men's string instrument
String instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
s and women's vocal music. String instruments like the keleli are used to "speak for" male performers, since it is considered inappropriate for a man to sing in front of an adult woman.
Instruments
Traditional Chadian instruments include the hu huHu hu
The hu hu is a string instrument originating in 19th century China. It is similar to the erhu and is typically made of wood, snakeskin, fabric, glue bamboo, and horsehair....
(string instrument
String instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
with calabash
Calabash
Lagenaria siceraria , bottle gourd, opo squash or long melon is a vine grown for its fruit, which can either be harvested young and used as a vegetable, or harvested mature, dried, and used as a bottle, utensil, or pipe. For this reason, the calabash is widely known as the bottle gourd...
loudspeakers), kakaki
Kakaki
The kakaki is a three to four metre long metal trumpet used in Hausa traditional ceremonial music. Kakaki is the name used in Chad, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Nigeria. The instrument is also known as waza in Chad and Sudan, and malakat in Ethiopia....
(a tin horn
Horn (acoustic)
A horn is a tapered sound guide designed to provide an acoustic impedance match between a sound source and free air. This has the effect of maximizing the efficiency with which sound waves from the particular source are transferred to the air...
), maracas, lute
Lute
Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back, or more specifically to an instrument from the family of European lutes....
, kinde
Kinde
Kinde may refer to:* Kinde, Michigan, United States* kinde, a type of arched harp found in Chad* kinde, an archaic spelling of "kind". See Kindness....
(a bow harp) and various kinds of horns http://www.tchad.org/research/art.html. Other instruments include the flute and drums music of the Kanembu and the balaphone, whistle, harp and kodjo drums of the Sara people
Sara people
The Sara are an ethnic group in Central Africa, who reside mostly in Chad, making up approximatively 30% of its southern population.-In Chad:...
, while the Baguirmians are known for drum and zither
Zither
The zither is a musical string instrument, most commonly found in Slovenia, Austria, Hungary citera, northwestern Croatia, the southern regions of Germany, alpine Europe and East Asian cultures, including China...
music, as well as a folk dance in which a mock battle is conducted between dancers wielding large pestles http://cp.settlement.org/english/chad/arts.html.
External links
- Audio clips - traditional music of Chad. French National Library. Accessed November 25, 2010.
- MSN Encarta, downloadable folk sample (Archived 2009-11-01)