traditional African societies today. The African’s
concept of music is unlike that of Western soci-
eties, and therefore those unfamiliar with the
African concept of music often misunderstand it.
Specifically, in creating music, Africans do not
strive to put sounds together so that the end result
is a pleasant sound. The African musician is not
trying to reproduce sounds in nature through
musical instruments. Instead, the African musician
takes nature’s sounds and integrates those sounds
into the music. The goal is to express life through
sound. Each sound has a meaning fully understood
only by those familiar with African life.
The use of music for its supernatural powers is
the chief function of music in traditional African
societies. In a general sense, music for the African
allows humans to connect with the invisible deities
that control their lives and destinies. Many Africans
believe that music contains magical powers that
produce specified results, and sound is a key vehi-
cle through which deities and humans communi-
cate with each other. Musicians must understand
and play certain rhythms for certain gods. In addi-
tion to inviting the gods, music is believed to direct
the flow of these supernatural powers.
For example, in West Africa, drumming facili-
tates ceremonies during which participants are
possessed by the gods. In Akan society, a bell
attached to a sacred blackened stool is used to call
the spirit of the ancestors. Similarly, in Zimbabwe,
for the Shona performers, music is a process or
power that promotes spirit possession and ultimate
healing. Throughout Madagascar, music is used to
inform ancestral spirits that they are needed, and
it then facilitates tromba spirit possession, where
the body is essentially a vessel for the spirit and
music mix.
For many Africans, music, as the conduit for
communication between humans and ancestral
spirits, has substantial healing qualities. For
example, the Shambaa people of the Usambara
Mountains in northeastern Tanzania refer to
nguvuas a force of health, wellness, and power
that is obtained throughughanga, which is con-
sidered a song, a prayer, a spirit, a way of life—of
healing. It is through music and ritual that
ughanga is called into being. In northern Malawi,
the Tumbuka-speaking people believe that music,
such as the sound of the drum beat, the clap of the
hands, and the clank of metal objects, is the link
that allows patient, healer, and spirit to connect,
and it is this connection that plays a significant
part in bringing about healing.
The people of Africa use a variety of musical
instruments, including drums, harps, harp-lutes,
lutes, lyres, and zithers. Often these instruments are
considered much more than mere objects; rather,
they are endowed with human and superhuman
characteristics. These instruments may have names
or be given special sacrificial food, and they are
believed to supply a certain power. The musician and
the instrument develop a kinship, almost humanlike.
For example, the Yoruba of Nigeria, when mak-
ing a drum, first engage in a ceremony to pacify the
spirit within the tree that is to be used to make the
drum. The Yoruba also believe that a good drum
must be made from a tree near a village of people
so that the drum is familiar with human voices.
Otherwise, the Yoruba believe, the wood is unac-
quainted with human voices, and therefore will not
make an adequate drum. Each drum also has an
altar carved on it where the drummer and the deity
of drumming connect spiritually. For the Yoruba,
regular communion with the patron deity of
drumming is essential to effective drumming.
The sacredness of musical instruments is also
demonstrated by the important function these instru-
ments play in traditional African political systems. In
a number of societies, like the Ankole of Uganda
and the Lovedu of the Transvaal in South Africa, a
sacred drum is a mythical symbol of office.
Not only is the musical instrument important,
but, according to the Yoruba, words also have mag-
ical power and are used to achieve specified results.
The specific sentence structure is not as important
as the magic in the sounds of the words.
Although African music takes on many forms,
it does have common characteristics. Repetition,
polyphony, and call-and-response are three such
characteristics. The Mbira music of the Shona
people of Zimbabwe, for example, is a repeated
pattern. African music also is participatory and
involves both spectators and leaders in a dynamic
exchange. One of the most common characteris-
tics of African music, typical in music of the
African diaspora as well, is the call-and-response,
a method whereby a group repeats a refrain in
response to a leader’s prompting.Valerie I. HarrisonMusic 435