Rara
Encyclopedia
Originating in Haïti
, rara is a form of festival music used for street processions, typically during Easter Week
. The music centers on a set of cylindrical bamboo trumpets called vaksen (which may also be made of metal pipes), but also features drums, maracas, güira
s or güiro
s (a percussion instrument), and metal bells, as well as sometimes also cylindrical metal trumpets which are made from recycled metal, often coffee cans. The vaksen-s perform repeating patterns in hocket
and often strike their instruments rhythmically with a stick while blowing into them. In the modern day, standard trumpet
s and saxophone
s may also be used. The genre though predominantly Afro-based has some Taino
Amerindian elements to it such as the use of güiro
s and maracas.
The songs are always performed in Haitian Kreyòl
and typically celebrate the African ancestry of the Afro-Haïtian masses. Vodou is often implemented through the procession. The genre was imported to the Dominican Republic
and is now an integral part of the Afro-Dominican music scene, where it is known colloquially as Gaga
. In the Dominican Republic, the music is often played by the Afro-Dominican population as a cultural tribute to their African ancestors in the same manner as their counterparts in Haiti. Rara in Haiti is often used for political purposes, with candidates commissioning songs praising them and their campaigns. Rara lyrics also often address difficult issues, such as political oppression or poverty. Consequently, rara groups and other musicians have been banned from performing and even forced into exile—most notably, folk singer Manno Charlemagne
who later returned to Haïti and was elected mayor of Port-au-Prince
in the 1990s.
Rara performances are often performed while marching, and are often accompanied by twirlers employing metal batons. Performances generally begin on Ash Wednesday
and culminate at Easter Weekend.
"The Rara festival most likely developed during the period of colonial slavery, when enslaved Africans and Afro-Creoles in the colony of Saint-Domingue were said to parade with drums and instruments on Easter Sunday. There is also some evidence that troupes of maroons marched with drummers, horns, and singers, similarly to Rara."
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, rara is a form of festival music used for street processions, typically during Easter Week
Easter Week
Easter Week is the period of seven days from Easter Sunday through the Saturday following.-Western Church:In the Latin Rite of Roman Catholicism, Anglican and other Western churches, Easter Week is the week beginning with the Christian feast of Easter and ending a week later on Easter Saturday...
. The music centers on a set of cylindrical bamboo trumpets called vaksen (which may also be made of metal pipes), but also features drums, maracas, güira
Güira
A güira is a percussion instrument from the Dominican Republic, generally used in merengue, bachata, and its subgenres, that sounds like a maraca or hi-hat but in fact is a sheet of metal—in practice, often from a five gallon oil can—evenly perforated with a nail, shaped into a cylinder or...
s or güiro
Güiro
The güiro is a Latin-American percussion instrument consisting of an open-ended, hollow gourd with parallel notches cut in one side. It is played by rubbing a stick or tines along the notches to produce a ratchet-like sound. The güiro is commonly used in Latin-American music, and plays a key role...
s (a percussion instrument), and metal bells, as well as sometimes also cylindrical metal trumpets which are made from recycled metal, often coffee cans. The vaksen-s perform repeating patterns in hocket
Hocket
In music, hocket is the rhythmic linear technique using the alternation of notes, pitches, or chords. In medieval practice of hocket, a single melody is shared between two voices such that alternately one voice sounds while the other rests.In European music, hocket was used primarily in vocal...
and often strike their instruments rhythmically with a stick while blowing into them. In the modern day, standard trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
s and saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
s may also be used. The genre though predominantly Afro-based has some Taino
Taíno people
The Taínos were pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. It is thought that the seafaring Taínos are relatives of the Arawak people of South America...
Amerindian elements to it such as the use of güiro
Güiro
The güiro is a Latin-American percussion instrument consisting of an open-ended, hollow gourd with parallel notches cut in one side. It is played by rubbing a stick or tines along the notches to produce a ratchet-like sound. The güiro is commonly used in Latin-American music, and plays a key role...
s and maracas.
Haitian Creole language
Haitian Creole language , often called simply Creole or Kreyòl, is a language spoken in Haiti by about twelve million people, which includes all Haitians in Haiti and via emigration, by about two to three million speakers residing in the Bahamas, Cuba, Canada, France, Cayman Islands, French...
and typically celebrate the African ancestry of the Afro-Haïtian masses. Vodou is often implemented through the procession. The genre was imported to the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
and is now an integral part of the Afro-Dominican music scene, where it is known colloquially as Gaga
Gaga
- Entertainment :* Lady Gaga , American recording artist* Gaga , a dancing technique* Rara, a type of Caribbean music called Gaga in the Dominican Republic* GNZ-004 Gaga, a mobile weapon in Mobile Suit Gundam 00- Sports :...
. In the Dominican Republic, the music is often played by the Afro-Dominican population as a cultural tribute to their African ancestors in the same manner as their counterparts in Haiti. Rara in Haiti is often used for political purposes, with candidates commissioning songs praising them and their campaigns. Rara lyrics also often address difficult issues, such as political oppression or poverty. Consequently, rara groups and other musicians have been banned from performing and even forced into exile—most notably, folk singer Manno Charlemagne
Manno Charlemagne
Manno Charlemagne, born 1948, is a Haitian political folk singer, songwriter and acoustic guitarist, lifelong political activist and former politician. He recorded his political chansons in both French and in Creole. He lived abroad in exile twice, both during the 1980s and again during the years...
who later returned to Haïti and was elected mayor of Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The city's population was 704,776 as of the 2003 census, and was officially estimated to have reached 897,859 in 2009....
in the 1990s.
Rara performances are often performed while marching, and are often accompanied by twirlers employing metal batons. Performances generally begin on Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday, in the calendar of Western Christianity, is the first day of Lent and occurs 46 days before Easter. It is a moveable fast, falling on a different date each year because it is dependent on the date of Easter...
and culminate at Easter Weekend.
"The Rara festival most likely developed during the period of colonial slavery, when enslaved Africans and Afro-Creoles in the colony of Saint-Domingue were said to parade with drums and instruments on Easter Sunday. There is also some evidence that troupes of maroons marched with drummers, horns, and singers, similarly to Rara."
Discography
- 1978 - Rara in Haiti - Gaga in the Dominican Republic. Produced by Verna GillisVerna GillisVerna Gillis is a free-lance producer who has gained recognition for her work promoting and producing music from various cultural backgrounds.From 1972 to 1978, Gillis recorded traditional music in Afghanistan, Iran, Kashmir, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, Peru , Surinam, and Ghana...
. Folkways 4531.
Films
- Rara. Produced by Verna Gillis and Gail Pellett. Researched between 1975 and 1978. 15 mins. This film can be viewed at website http://rara.wesleyan.edu Rara: Vodou, Power and Performance in Haiti and Its Diaspora
- "The Other Side of the Water" http://www.othersideofthewater.org Documentary on Haitian Rara in Brooklyn
External links
- http://rara.wesleyan.edu Rara: Vodou, Power and Performance in Haiti and Its Diaspora
- http://www.djarara.net Rara band in America
- http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/rara.htm Observation of a rara band in Haiti