By: Dr. Andersen Viana1
Series: (2) Diasporic African Music Culture
Theme: (1) In the Americas
Issue: 1
Introduction
At the invitation of the prestigious Àkójọpọ̀ Music Foundation – with a short deadline to accomplish – I accepted the challenge of producing this article, which I hope can contribute to knowledge on the influences of African music in the Americas2. I do not intend to exhaust the subject, but to start conversations about something that is rarely discussed among global art music communities.
Africa – with great ethnic, cultural, musical, linguistic, religious and geographic diversity – is the continent with the most countries on the planet (fifty-four), followed by Asia and Europe. An important question arises: how can we remain oblivious to the contributions of a continent of almost 1.5 billion people? How can we ignore its practices and knowledge, their thoughts, cuisine, religions, culture and art? The answer is simple: it’s impossible.
Brazil is the largest country in size and population in Latin America, with almost 213 million inhabitants, 54% of which are of African origin. Thus, in theory, everything that is done musically in Brazil would have some African cultural influence. This would explain why in my last interview with European academics, they were surprised by my use of repetition in the music I write without it being “minimalist”.
After research to write The African Kyrie (recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG6SQPmmulA) at the request of Àkójọpọ̀ Music Foundation, my view of musical repetition changed radically. I concluded that much of what I compose unconsciously utilizes the African musical matrix, and that much of the Academy is unaware of this music tradition in art music spaces. How could I expect European academics to understand what I compose without experience? The answer again is simple: it’s impossible.
Minas Gerais – the third State in the country in terms of population – has a close relationship with the Yoruba culture, which is ancient and ever-present throughout Nigeria, Benin Republic, Togo, and other West African countries. This influence is present in the daily use of Portuguese (Yoruba) words such as “acarajé” (akara) and “abadá” (agbada), in the religion of Candomblé and the cult of deities (Orishas) such as Xangô (Sango), Ogum (Ogun), Oxum (Osun), among others derived from Ifa (Yoruba traditional religion). I was extremely fortunate to work with Prof. Dr. Romeu Sabará3(1941-2023), who was a partner and mentor in folklore studies. Through this partnership, I gained a deeper understanding of various rites of African origin here in Brazil. I wrote a musical work for mezzo-soprano, baritone and piano from his poem: “Outra Vida4”. I also explored the Congado Mineiro, a religious manifestation of African origin that has a parade with dramatic dance, songs, and percussion that celebrates the coronation of the king and queen of Congo. It is a very important cultural expression in Minas Gerais, with traditions that date back to the 17th century. These cultural pursuits contributed to new musical works that I wrote with great African influence.
Some Pioneers
In 1888, Alberto Nepomuceno5 (1864-1920) had already written his first musical works and composed the Dança de Negros (1887) for piano that would become the Batuqueof the “Brazilian Series” in 1891. For the first time in history, the typical Samba percussion instrument – the reco-reco (dikanza) – was used in an orchestral work.
As we can see in Example 1, the wide use of syncopation (sixteenth note, eighth note, sixteenth note) is characteristic of African musical influence:
Example 1
The composer Francisco Mignone (1897-1986) wrote an African-influenced ballet: Maracatu de Chico rei (1933), and also recorded it under the baton of one of my teachers David Machado with the Minas Gerais Symphony Orchestra. This ballet tells the true story of an African tribe imprisoned in Africa and brought by force to Brazil. Upon reaching Minas Gerais, they were sold as slaves but the king of the tribe (Chico)achieved their freedom through his work in the gold mines. He continued working and freed his wife. Together, they freed the entire tribe, forming the Confraria do Rosário in the city of Ouro Preto.
Another important work by Mignone influenced by African music is Babaloxá (1936). It was written for symphony orchestra, its title being a modification of Babalorixá (derived from the Yoruba Ifa diviner Babalawo), who are the priests of Afro-Brazilian religion.Being one of the best orchestrators of his time, Mignone magnificently transposed this small piano piece into the language of the symphony orchestra. His work resulted in a rare Brazilian art music work of African influence in the early 20th century.
Composed in 1923 by Fructuoso Vianna (1896-1976), Dança de Negros is another work that shows African influence in Brazilian art music. As seen in Example 2, syncopated rhythms from African music are used by the composer.
Example 2
A composer I met as a child, through my father and teacher - Sebastião Vianna - was William Dawson6 (1899-1990). His impressive Negro Folk Symphony (1934) was well-received by the public, including being conducted by Leopold Stokowski with the Philadelphia Orchestra. In 1952, Dawson visited seven African countries, later adding new rhythms to the work. This symphony brings an impactful emotional charge. It is possible to perceive images of the continent through the orchestral sounds richly designed by Dawson and his experiences with African music culture.
In Example 3, we can observe the main theme of the first movement, presented alone by the solo horn. Perhaps he was evoking sounds of a spectacular African landscape from his interactions with African music.
Example 3
It is his only symphony, which was performed several times after its premiere but inexplicably forgotten for decades.
However, one of the most significant examples of the influence of African music on artmusic in the Americas is perhaps the “Batuque” from the Orchestral Suite Reisado do Pastoreio (1930) by Lorenzo Fernandez7 (1897-1948), a work that enchanted Toscanini and Koussevitzky, and was performed and recorded by Leonard Bernstein with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. Currently, Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel regularly performs this piece with various orchestras in the world. Some of these recordings can be found freely today on the Internet.
The premiere of this Orchestral Suite in 1930 in Rio de Janeiro had a great impact on the audience, especially the “Batuque”. The composer knew how to orchestrate exuberantly over a fierce and obsessive rhythm of what was known at the time as “Black dance” – a rhythmic motif of African musical heritage – in a markedly modernist and daring style that was already evident in the artistic avant-gardes of that time. However, all of this was always linked to the exuberant rhythm so characteristic intraditional African musics.
In Example 4, we can see the “call” and “response” (antiphony), modalism and other sound effects presented by the trumpet.
Example 4
At The Present Moment
Music composers of the Americas, particularly I as a Afro-Brazilian, owe African music culture gratitude. This is not only from an artistic point, but also from a human and economic point of view. This influence can be found in works I wrote for chamber, choir, orchestra and symphonic band. I will mention several of my award-winning works that stand out.
The first is “TOCCATA” for symphonic band, a work that won 1st Prize in the César Guerra-Peixe Composition Competition (1998) Rio de Janeiro-Brazil, 1st Prize at "1er Concours de Composition pour Orchestre à Vent" Lys Music Orchestra (2001) Comines Warneton-Belgium, and Honorable Mention at “Coups de Vents” Composition Competition (2004) Lille-France. It is a relatively complex work, suitable for professional groups and ensembles. The work utilizes African rhythms throughout. In this piece(Example 5), we find rhythmic structures that are the synthesis of African and Brazilian music influences.
Example 5
The use of syncopations characteristic in African music are also found in the popular Brazilian music style Samba, the main influence in Example 6.
Example 6
In my “CONCERT PIECE in blue” for Solo Violin and Symphony Orchestra (also for Symphonic Band), I melded African rhythms with elements of folk, blues, and Westernart music (present in Examples 7 and 8). This piece won 1st Prize at the Susanville Symphony Composition Competition (2012) in California-USA among hundreds of works from around the globe.
Example 7
Example 8
Conclusion
As evidenced by my reflexive analysis of African music culture influences on Brazilian art music, we can conclude that the art music made in the Americas owes a lot to African music culture in several aspects. I hope this article has clarified rarely discussed points by showing some of the influences of African music in art music of the Americas for the development of future partnerships, exchanges, and the creation of new works and trends. Because African music culture permeates the varied cultures of the Americas, other articles and new research will show rarely discussed influences and detail the importance of the African matrix for the music of the Americas.
Footnotes
1. Andersen Viana is a Multiartist (composer, academic, writer, film director and visual artist) and retired professor at State Fundação Clóvis Salgado (www.fcs.mg.gov.br) in Belo Horizonte-Brazil. He began composing at the age of 13 and became a professor at the age of 19. He has studied with his father Sebastião Vianna and completed PhD studies in Music Composition at the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA) and at other institutions: Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Accademia Filarmonica di Bologna, Arts Academy of Rome, Accademia Chigiana di Siena (Italy) and the Royal College of Music in Stockholm (Sweden). 437 music pieces written (1975-2024). 54 composition awards and recognitions received in Americas, Europe and Asia (1984-2024).
2. I have tirelessly told my colleagues (who don't always accept it) that the continent is divided into three: North America, Central America and South America, not just one America...
3. Romeu Sabará da Silva is renowned in Cultural Anthropology, Folklore and Afro-Brazilian Culture. PhD in Social Anthropology from the University of São Paulo (USP) and full professor of Cultural Anthropology at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG). Author of numerous articles and books published in Brazil and Europe.
4. Poem that is part of the books “De Marias e Madalenas”. 1996. Mazza Edições. Belo Horizonte-Brazil; 2019. Chiado Edition. Lisboa-Portugal.
5. Alberto Nepomuceno was a Brazilian composer, pianist, organist and conductor. He is considered the “father” of nationalism in Brazilian music. He held several management positions, having made the first translation into Portuguese of Arnold Schoenberg's Treatise on Harmony.
6. William Levi Dawson was a composer, choir director, professor and musicologist born in Alabama, United States. He started composing at a very young age. He is known for his contributions to orchestral and choral music. His name is written in the Alabama Arts Hall of Fame (1975).
7. Oscar Lorenzo Fernández was the son of Spanish parents and at a young age he started playing at private parties. At the age of 18 he composed the opera Rainha Moura. He joined the National Institute of Music where he later took up the chair of Harmony. In 1936 he founded the Brazilian Conservatory of Music, which he directed until his death in 1948. Like other composers, Fernandez also had three aesthetic periods: Influence of French impressionist music, nationalist school and universalist phase.
Works Cited
Dawson, William. Negro Folk Symphony. 1934. Shawne Press, Inc. Delaware Water Gap, Penna. USA.
Fernandez, Lorenzo. Batuque (Suite Reisado do Pastoreio). 1930. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Mignone, Francisco. Maracatu do Chico rei. 1933. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
———. Babaloxa for Symphonic Orchestra. 1936. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Nepomuceno, Alberto. Dança de Negros for Solo Piano. 1887. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
———. Batuque for Symphonic Orchestra. 1891. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Silva, Romeu Sabará; Viana, Andersen. "José e Maria". 1997. Manuscript. Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Viana, Andersen. Concert Piece in blue for Violin and Symphonic Orchestra. 2001. Manuscript. Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
———. Toccata for Symphonic Band. 1998. Manuscript. Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
———. The African Kyrie. Vocal Score. 2023. Akojopo Music Foundation.
Vianna, Fructuoso. Dança de Negros for Solo Piano. Ricordi Editions. 1923.
