Continuing on our journey into creolization in Caribbean music, we are now moving on to Chapter 3 of Tour de Force; creolization in the Dutch-speaking Caribbean countries.Chapter 3 covers a lot of countries as some countries from the Lesser Antilles are included. These groups of islands were separated into two groups:
The "Dutch Windward Islands" or the 'SSS islands'- made up of Saba, Sint Eustatius, and the southern half of Saint Maarten.
And the "Dutch Leeward Islands" or the 'ABC Islands'- made up of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao.
Now in this post, I don't intend on giving a history lesson on these groups of islands, but instead, I will be focusing on the creolization of music in the Dutch-speaking countries- particularly Tumba music of Aruba.
(Silveira, n.d.)
Tumba Music of Aruba
Tumba is a style of music native to Aruba. According to the text, Tumba grew from Tambú- a genre made up of percussion, rhythmic hand clapping, and foot-stomping; often accompanied by call-and-response chanting and tambú dancing (LeGrand, C.G. C., 2019). Tumba music was also instrumental, with notable composers being Juan Chabaya Lampe (aka Padú del Caribe) and Rufo Weber. Tumba is similar to calypso music as it is "lively dance music", while still using traditional instruments like the tambú drum (a sheepskin drum made from a hollowed-out log or rum barrel). It is because of this that Tumba is quite popular in Aruban Carnivals and Festivals. Below is a performance by artist Rodrick Franken, singing "Aruba Ariba" at a 2019 Tumba Festival.
(Diario TV, 2019)
Dande
Another example of creolization in the music of Dutch-speaking countries would be the tradition of Dande. Similar to caroling on Christmas Eve, Dande is a New Year's Eve caroling event that is done annually in Aruba. According to the text, this tradition began after emancipation as former slaves would "call out" for their neighbors to bring festive spirits and wishes of prosperity to welcome into a new year (LeGrand, C.G. C., 2019). The singing is done in a call-and-response style in which the lyrics are made on the spot. Dande music originally consisted of sounds of the violin for the melody and the tambú drum and wiri for the rhythm. As the tradition grew, more instruments were added to create a much fuller sound. While the tradition was forgotten by the 20th century, it has since been revived into a Holiday even revered by tourists visiting Aruba. Below is a photo and video of the Dande tradition in action.
(Aruba Experience café and patisserie, 2019)
(GrupoDiBetico, 2012)
References
Aruba Experience café and patisserie. (2019, December 22). Aruba Experience café and patisserie. Www.facebook.com. https://www.facebook.com/ArubaExperiencecafeandpatisserie/photos/december-24th-after-9-30-am-dande-will-be-blessing-aruba-experience-join-us-rese/485737502061228/?paipv=0&eav=Afaha8gnX3PYgiLJkwCTPQTQUhXbO6z0t4KlI1GTX4prYSYGaH5DIlhS41uAOa-8OiY&_rdr
Diario TV. (2019, February 4). Rodrick Franken - A. Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKfPEUP_grM
GrupoDiBetico. (2012, October 30). Grupo Di Betico - Dande. Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWeOOFKgUo8
LeGrand, C.G. C. (2019). Tour de Force: A Musical Journey of the Caribbean. Sound Caribbean.https://online.vitalsource.com/books/9789769624900
Silveira, J. (n.d.). UNESCO - La Tumba Francesa. Ich.unesco.org. https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/la-tumba-francesa-00052
Creolization in Caribbean music: Spanish-speaking Caribbean Throughout my blog posts, we explored the various ways in which creolization had manifested in Caribbean music. We started with the English-speaking Caribbean, then moved to French, then Dutch. Now, we will be looking into one of my favorites; the Spanish-speaking Caribbean. The countries touched on in the Spanish-speaking Caribbean include Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. However, for the purpose of this post, I will be highlighting the musical styles of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Creolization in the Music of Puerto Rico ( Bomba Is an Essential Expression of Puerto Rican Culture, 2023) Puerto Rico, located between the Dominican Republic and the British Virgin Islands, is an island of immense history. The country, associated with the U.S. and a part of the Commonwealth since 1952, was colonized by Spain and has both Hispanic and African influence (Thompson...
Among the many themes discussed in chapter 1 of Tour De France, creolization is one that interested me the most. There were many examples of creolization discussed throughout the chapter, some of which I touched on in my last post (creolization of music and food in Jamaica). In this post, I will continue to focus on creolization throughout music in the Caribbean by sharing two examples. 1 ) Junkanoo of The Bahamas. This genre is described, by the authors, as one of the most important events on the Bahamian calendar as it is a homegrown tradition ( LeGrand, C.G. C., 2019). The earliest form of Junkanoo, which was performed in the early morning of Boxing and New Year's day, is said to consist of homemade costumes made from paper mache and a band comprising of easily accessible instruments (often played by nonmusicians). As the tradition evolved over the years, more elements were added. These consist of the addition of brass and wind instruments, free dancers, and more el...
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