Ethiopian music: tradition, culture, and American comparisons

Ethiopian Music

Ethiopia is one of the world's most ancient nations, located in Africa. It is a culture that is rich in traditions, customs and music. Between the years 1969 and 1978, Ethiopian music was unknown to the world because the nation was run by the communist dictatorship of Mengitsu. During this time, Mengitsu officially banned all vinyl recordings of music. So, Ethiopian music was lost and unknown to the world. However, during the 1990s, the world discovered Ethiopian music once again. Since then, Ethiopian music is a unique style that can be compared and contrasted to American music. This paper will outline these comparisons and contrasts between the two countries and their styles of music.

Ethiopia is a country located in Eastern Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Kenya to the south, and Sudan to the west. It is a country that is rich in culture, traditions and music. Ethiopian music is extremely diverse, with each of the country's 80 tribes being associated with unique sounds. Some forms of tribal music are strongly influenced by Muslim and folk music from elsewhere in the Horn of Africa, especially Somalia. However, Ethiopian religious music also has an ancient Christian element, traced to Yared, who lived during the reign of Gabra Masqal. In northeastern Ethiopia, in Wollo, a Muslim musical form called manzuma developed. Sung in Amharic, manzuma has spread to Harar and Jimma, where it is now sung in the Oromo language.

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The last three decades of the 20th century saw Ethiopia wracked by famine and drought, and war. Since the end of the 1990s, however, the country has made steps towards recovery, and among other improvements, music has become more omnipresent and more easily accessible outside of Addis Ababa. Ethiopian music uses a unique modal system that is pentatonic, with characteristically long intervals between some notes. This creates a somewhat "unfinished" and anticipatory atmosphere to the music.

Traditional music is played by itinerant musicians called azmari, who are regarded with both suspicion and respect by Ethiopian society. Folk instruments include masenqo (fiddle), washint (flute), kebero (percussion), krar (lyre), and begena (large lyre).

Ethiopia is a musically traditional country. Of course, popular music is played, recorded and listened to, but most musicians also sing traditional songs, and most audiences choose to listen to both popular and traditional styles. A longstanding popular musical tradition in Ethiopia was that of brass bands, imported from Europe during the reign of Haile Selassie. By the end of World War 2, large orchestras accompanied singers; the most prominent orchestras were the Army Band, Police Band and Imperial Bodyguard Band. Most of these bands were trained by Europeans or Armenians.

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Ethiopia actually contains many distinct cultures. The most populous is that of the Christian Amhara around the capital plateau, but there are other Christian, Jewish, and Muslim peoples, some remote and virtually unknown. The following remarks apply to Amhara lyric poetry.

Sung verse poetry is here the major musical artform, given a very plastic melodic conception based in artistic standards which revel in double meanings. The basic formats together with the ambiguities in phrasing have something in common with poetic forms in Yemen and serve principally to attract interest. The sonorities of instrumental ensembles can also be similar, with the instruments serving primarily to accompany or mimick the voice, but with the notable inclusion of the krar lyre which seems to have direct ties to ancient lyres of Greece and King David (a fixture of Ethiopian iconography). The music itself is very much melodically driven, frequently with interesting harmonic accompaniments which anticipate American "blues" (a traceable influence) and relatively little emphasis on percussion.

There have been a handful of recordings illustrating Ethiopian traditional music appearing over the years, but they have been more tantalizing than notable. By contrast, Ethiopian Westernized night club singing has been drawing attention, partly on account of its clear link with American Jazz traditions. This particular fusion has been an easy one.

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Out in the community, musical instruments play a social and entertaining role. The single-stringed masenko is played by minstrels who sing of life around them and invent calypso-like, topical verses on the spot. The krar is a lyre-like plucked instrument with 5 or 6 strings while the begenna is the portable harp.

Up in the hills can be found boys looking after cattle and sheep and playing on the washint, a simple reed flute played with one hand.

Ethiopian people know and love their folk songs. Singing is high pitched and shrill Sand frequently accompanied by excited ululation, especially at weddings and other joyful occasions.

No joyous occasion ever passes without the Ethiopians indulging in their unique form of dancing. There are many styles according to the part of the country, but they frequently focus on the shoulders which seductively gyrate and undulate in a frenzied display of almost competitive energy. As one dancer runs out of steam, so another enters the fray with renewed vigor

Many reggae musicians declare their importance to having some connection to Ethiopian musical origins although the Ethiopian musicians will tell you their music has more in common with Jazz.

In comparison Ethiopian music is very similar to various forms of American jazz, reggae, and blues. Many of the same instrumentation is used, however, more string instrumentation is used in Ethiopian music. The music from both countries portrays a story, rather it be instrumental or vocal. The rise of the intonation and the climax is evident in music for both countries.

Despite the fact that Ethiopian music is unique, yet similar to American jazz, reggae, and blues, much of the American pop music is played on the radios throughout Ethiopian.

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The U.S. And Ethiopia may be miles apart, but they share a common interest in the style and rhythm of their music.

In conclusion, Ethiopian is a country that is rich in traditional and temporary music styles. Although the country has been ravaged by famine, poverty, and war, the music has remained an important influence in the history of Ethiopia. For many years, the music of Ethiopia was unknown because of the strong dictatorship that once rules the land. However, since the mid to late 1990s, music from Ethiopia is becoming more and more popular. With the background and rhythm of American jazz, reggae, and blues, music from Ethiopia is gaining momentum in the American society today.

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