The term "African music of Africa" is a collective concept that includes a variety of music cultures. It usually refers to all kinds of black traditional music originating in sub-Saharan Africa (black Africa), while the music north of sub-Saharan Africa (North Africa) belongs to the category of Arabic music. This entry only outlines the former.

classification

African music is very complicated because of its vast territory, diverse nationalities and different beliefs. According to the classification of ethnomusicologists, African music can be divided into four categories: 1) ancient Egypt 2) three countries in North Africa (Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria) 3) Ethiopia 4) sub-Saharan (East Africa, West Africa, Central Africa and South Africa). 5) Black music

Specific introduction 1) Egyptian music

Ancient Egyptian music can be traced back to 27 BC, and ancient musical instruments emerging from ancient Egyptian ruins show the history of ancient music in Egypt, which is second only to Mesopotamia and Egypt's music for nearly 5, years; At that time, Egyptian music was believed to be dominated by ritual ceremonies and court music. The traditional music of Egypt, after the rule of Greece, Rome, Persia, Arabia, Ottoman Empire, Napoleon of France and modern British Empire, was influenced by religious changes, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and the relationship between the traditional music of Egypt and the music of ancient Egypt was not tested.

2) Ethiopian music

Ethiopia has the oldest church in Africa with a history of 16 years. Ethiopians believe that the Roman Empire persecuted the Church of Jesus 2, years ago, and many believers fled to the mountains of Ethiopia and built numerous secret churches in the caverns. Ethiopians still believe that the ark of the Ten Commandments of Jesus is in a church on the mountain of Yiguo. The Great Cathedral in Jerusalem, the church in Ethiopia, still retains a part of its exclusive parish.

3) Andalusian music:

Magli Magli in Moorish style in North Africa refers to the territory of Moroccan royal family in North Africa in the 11th century, including Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya until 1465. The music in this area is dominated by Andalusian music and Sufi David's (Darwish). The music of Andalusia, the ancient Arabic word Nawbah, originated from Andalusia in southern Spain. In the 8th century, the music of Baghdad was mixed with the music of Jews, Gypsies, Iberians and the Moors of North Africa. After the restoration of Andalusia in 1414, Chabbert, a Catholic in the 15th century, refused to submit to Catholics, Jews and Moors in Cordoba and Granada.

4) Music south of Sahara -

West Africa

African countries in West Africa include Mali, Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Togo, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, Gambia, Mauritania, Namibia, Ivory Coast and Ghana. The music level in West Africa is generally higher than that in East Africa and South Africa.

Central Africa

Countries in Central Africa include Central Africa, Gabon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Congo and other places, and their music styles are similar.

Countries in East Africa

Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania. The musical forms in East Africa are not much different from those in West Africa and Central Africa. They only sing and dance, clapping instead of drumming, and shouting to beat and entertain. The musical instruments are similar to those in South Africa.

This area is apart from the well-known five countries including South Africa, Swaziland, Namibia, Lesotho and Botswana. Music, dance, ritual style and the use of musical instruments in this area are not much different from those in East Africa, Central Africa and West Africa. Musical instruments are slightly influenced by materials and immigrants from India, Portugal, the Netherlands and Britain in the 16th century, such as miners' music in South Africa. Kora, one of the most traditional musical instruments in this area, is a two-ball-sized blare instrument, which is placed in front of the abdomen and played by hand. It is a court instrument in ancient Africa, and the performer is also a singer. This singer not only performs in the royal family, but also goes to various villages to sing, just like il trovatore in Europe. The sound of the piano is beautiful, with a pure and thick singing cavity, which has a unique flavor and is quite different from the form of drumming and shouting.