Gabonese music

The Musique Gabon ease completely forms part of the culture of this country. It impregnates as well the profane life as religious the Gabonese one.

Traditional music

The traditional music Gabon ease is as varied as the multiplicity of the Rites as it celebrates. It accompanies not only the rites, but also the acts of the daily life: agricultural work, rejoicings profane or simple taken care (death, ceremonies of initiation). And the instruments which allow its execution it are not less. One can distinguish four big families from Musical instruments traditional:

In all the areas of the country, the Tam-tam is one of the most widespread instruments. Because at the base of this Gabonese traditional music, there is initially and especially the rate/rhythm. Also, the harmony of all the other instruments of accompaniment, offers it a very original melody with the syncopated rate/rhythm of the tom-tom to the base; a style specific to the people of the basin of the Ogooué and surroundings.

The tom-tom is thus the basic rhythmic instrument in the Gabonese traditional music. One finds it in various forms according to whether one is located in one of the nine provinces of the country. It gives to the Gabonese music its breathing, its life…

There exists obviously in Gabon a profusion of traditional instruments, as saw we it previously. Although the tom-tom is most popular of all, the Mungongo (also called the musical arc) and the Ngomb (Harpe or Cithare) are not less representative. The Ngomb for example is the instrument most characteristic of Gabonese art. The Bwiti, one of the traditional rites most celebrated in Gabon, in made its instrument of predilection.

The traditional toothing-stone includes/understands seven unequal cords, which one grips with the inches and the indices. A case of resonance cut in a piece of wood and covered with skin of animal constitutes the body of the instrument, on which the handle carrying of cords is fixed.

Beside the traditional toothing-stone, it there with the Sanza which one especially finds in the southern part of the country, but also in close Congo. Manufactured starting from an alignment of iron plates, of which one of the ends is fixed on a case of resonance, the Sanza is an instrument which is played by gripping the plates to obtain different sounds.

The Sonnaille S, Bell S, Whistle S, horn S and Castagnettes that the dancers relate to them add to other percussions that the musicians make vibrate. They are the bunches of valves formed shells, Cauri S or dry fruit cores, as well as the water-bottles in form of maracas, provided with handles.

In the traditional music, the importance of the words is determining. Even when they are the Polyphonie S, the need for the refrain is a form of insistence compared to the topic of the song.

It is with the voice that the Chanteur expresses his feelings and conveys all its Poésie. But like everywhere in the world, those which do not understand the language used in a song, express their attraction with difficulty. From where importance of the music and in a broader direction the Choreography.

It seems to us besides that the Musique, the Danse and the traditional Chant S are not easily dissociable, even if it is well-known that the human voice is an musical instrument with whole share. Because by the body, breathing, the vibration of the vocal cords, and without the support of worked out instruments, the people Bantous continue until our days to transmit the beauty and the purity of a culture among richest.

Gabonese modern music

The contacts between Music S of the occident and specifically African traditional music - bantoue in particular - led to the blossoming and the development of new forms which one described as urban or popular music, even “acculturée music”.

Acculturée music because deprived of its original savor. Acculturée because dominated by an orchestration containing Western instruments. It is to say that the opening of the Gabonese populations at the new rates/rhythms does not go back to today. The adoption of these new musics has magazine various aspects of the modernity of style resulting from an interbreeding with the funds traditional.

On this subject, let us note that the Guitare, largely diffused in Africa, often intervenes in musical expressions of traditional origins. Sometimes this one is structured and manufactured locally. The example can also be widened for the use of the Accordéon, in addition very popularized in the center and on the coast of the Gabon.

If the guitar and the accordion were taken a long time at contribution to accompany the musics known as traditional, one seldom heard a traditional instrument play of the “modern” music.

However, in 1993, with the album “Lembarena” realized to celebrate the four-twenty-fifth birthday of doctor-humanistic the Albert Schweitzer, one could realize that the meeting between two cultures could lead to a musical interbreeding of good imposing presence. The majority of the songs contained in this disc were composed starting from African and European traditional melodies.

Thanks to the double culture from which come the authors Hugues De Courson and Pierre Akendengué, this disc made discover with all those which listened to it, the richness and the diversity of the musics which are at the base of the African and European traditional repertories.

It is by a return to the musical sources - primarily vocal - people the most ignored modern world that this marriage made become aware of the size and the force of the human capacities in the musical expression.

In the church S where this expression of the modern music appeared with its stammerings, the Chorale S had traditional and Western instruments. It thus very often arrived in the music of church that Hochet S, drum S and Balafon S takes share with the ceremonial.

Left the churches, this music sounded rather Latin-American to differing degree. The Rumba known as Zairean with the close Congo, was thus born from a mixture of the folk rates/rhythms Bantous and instruments Western such as Guitare S, Saxophone S and batteries.

Thus, modern speech of music by opposing it to the traditional music can appear completely legitimate. Only, this same modern music knows an extraordinary change, with strong even electronic electric tendency.

Must we undoubtedly wait us until the current modern music becomes traditional compared to the musics of tomorrow. Without being in a hurry of being able to note it, we must admit that for the time being, it is well the modern music which is a new music.

Here some very known singers in Gabon. Find them on http://l.nsogo.free.fr creates by Abess danghers

LIKE POUNAH Alexis Abessolo Amandine Angele Assele Angele Revegnet Annie Flore Batchiellilys Arnold Djoud Chriss Ayoum Claude Damas Ozimo Dangerous brother System (DBS) Didier Mombo Eben & Family Egniga Serge Ngaba hope Evizo Stars François Ngwa G2 + group of animation Kounabelie, Mikouagna… Hayo' E Hilarion Nguema Ignonga Kakie Disco music & Codos Landry Ifouta Mackjoss Dede mom Martin Rompavet Mauvaiz' breath Max Makolani Ndong Mboula Ngouebo Nicole Amogho Notre Dame of Salette Oliver Ngoma Omar Defunzu & Dibaku Ondeno rebieno Onkana PINPIN_ANOTHO Dabany patience Paul Mamo Pierre Akendengue Pierre Claver Zeng Prince Marius Raaboon Rentch Bengo Sima Mboula Stephanie Feeds Thomos Vibration Vickoss Ekondo YVES DELBRAH dreamy and steff B-Good lestatt mbala rickyb

Gabonese music today

The Gabonese modern song always referred to the topics of the daily life. While remaining diagrammatic, there is possible to identify three main tendencies: Pioneers and great classics, revelations of the Years 1980 and the generations 90, shared between the variety and the movement Hip-hop.

  • In the first tendency, certain type-setters authors still activity, seem pioneers and traditional uncontested: Pierre Akendengué, Hilarion Guéma, Vyckoss Ekondo, Aziz Inanga, Pierre Emboni, Pierre Claver Zeng Ebome, Chrsitian Makaya known as Mackjoss, Claude Damas Ozimo, Martin Rompavet, Ondeno Rébieno… the majority are often the only ones with being really known the abroads.

  • the decade of the Années 1980 recorded a multitude of revelations in the world of the music. Without being professional truths of the industry of the music and showbusiness, these revelations acquired a real popularity with the passing of years: Oliver Did not gum, Patience Dabany, Julien Nziengui Mouele, Makaya Madingo, Angèle Assélé, Angèle Révignet, Paola, Dominique Douma, Stéphanie Afene, Etienne Madama etc
  • the arrival of a new generation in the tradition of the Gabonese song of the beginning of the Années 1990 with our days, opened the way with the variety and the Hip-hop. The fulgurating opening of this tendency is due to the talent of a young guard which counts in its rows of the names like: Stéphy Adia, Pimpin Anotho, Arnold Djoud, Annie Flore Batsiellilys, Christian Ayume, Landry Ifouta, Moughissi, Blandine Pemba, Nicole Amogho, Professor `You, Joseph Francoise, Nanette, etc

The exploration of these three main tendencies gives us to a classification based on the chronological appearance artists on the scene. It would be indeed difficult to proceed differently, as well it is true as in term of style, the kinds Gabonese intersect. The repertories of the musicians Gabonese of today are as many fish ponds at rates/rhythms of all kinds, with a multitude of registers.

In this step, it is by no means necessary to show in what the instrumentation is determining in the implementation of the modern music. However, beyond the place of the instrumentation in the Gabonese song of today, the voice remains all the same a key component in the orchestration of the harmonies.

In this register, the women appear among those which best capitalized this natural asset. Singers like Patience Dabany (inspired by the rate/rhythm “Djobi” and the pop musics) and Annie-Flora Batchiellilys, illustrate this vocal approach perfectly.

For their part, the men, with the old school, of the Hilarion Guéma and others Paul Ekomie, the topics will turn primarily around the love, of social and the policy. Mackjoss which also justifies a musical long career in this register, in addition cut a notoriety of stainless veteran. And in its wake, of the young values following the example Didier Mombo and Kodos clear a well deserved place.

The Gabonese song has also its poets; those whose music is used indeed as speaking pipe. Pierre Akendengué is the leader of this other school whose music is primarily inspired by the traditional rates/rhythms. Among its continuators, there was Prince Martin Rompavet, Ondéno Rébiénot, Pimpin Anotho, Yves Delbrah and Marcel Reteno…

With its “Rock'n'roll-obisco”, Pierre Claver Zeng Ebome was undoubtedly a pioneer in the kind, continued by other followers with the image of Jean Louis Evoung, Pépé Nzé, Obiang Okane and Prince Escey. In a form more “roots”, the orchestra Mbala of the Omar Bongo University gained a real success with its title Mvett 2000 interpreted by Alexis Abessolo. The trio “Vibration” as for him, revealed to the public by the song “Elone” in 1997, gave this traditional dance to the last style, starting from modern choreographies.

Gabonese the musician family has long roots and branches which cross the continents. One of them, Oliver Did not gum, made in a style which is not unknown the Gabonese one. The Afro-Zouk, rate/rhythm invented by the musicians of the African community of Paris, is used as support with the songs of the one of the singers Gabonese more in sight since 1990. Let us recall that the first to have tried out this rate/rhythm at the end of the Années 1980, is of the Ivory Coast the Monique Seka , been useful by the arranger Cape-verdien Manu Lima. On this rate/rhythm inspired of the Zouk West-Indian - popularized by Kassav' -, Oliver Did not gum sings exclusively in language Vili (southern west of the Gabon). Other alternatives such as “Zouk Kuteng” of Lewis Kessel and “Zouk Shewing Gum” of the orchestra “Mbala” constitute the second edge of the “Zouk” in Gabon.

The Congolese Rumba also had followers in Gabon. During all its change, this music which presents several alternatives today (Kwassa kwassa, Soukouss, Mayébo, Nyékéssé, Kupépa, Etutana, Ndombolo and Zangulé), of many Gabonese tested themselves with this style born between two banks of the Congo river, with the crossroads of the music of the soil and the sounds come from Cuba.

Faithful to this receipt, Hilarion Guéma built very early a reputation in this register of light swings, the guitars and the coppers, mixed with the cherishing voices and jerked tempos. Failing to sing in lingala - the language of the Congolese rumba by excellence, the local languages lent themselves always well to this background music. The Massako, ex- “Fag” of Mackjoss, Evizo Stars of Louis Ossavou, Ave Stars of Large Téké-Téké Ambah, Léco Stars and “Iveva Club” made a true bottom of it trades. Under the jerked rates/rhythms and interminable cries of joy, these groups connected success on success.

In Gabon, the movement Hip-hop also was a way, especially near the young people at the end of the Eighties. With the whole beginning, the texts of the songs hip-hop in Gabon will express the revolt to assert a company righter. The group V2A4 (to pronounce in English “Screw all and strong”) will be the first to be tested on this tempo which will not always achieve the unanimity near the adults.

This rate/rhythm come from the United States will end up gaining the sympathy of step badly of patrons so much so that today, the productions Rap carry out best the sales in the vats of the discotheques. Today, in addition to the groups Movaizhaleine, Hayoe and Raaboon, the set ones on the Gabonese rap can also take into account Professor “T”, revealed with the Gabonese public by compilation “Bantou Mix” in 1998.

So for some time the artists Gabonese are better and better made know and to accept by their own public, it is however difficult for them to fight against the success of the musics besides. It is true more that the works discographics produced in Gabon are less accessible, by their high cost that by their quality.

Thus, with load of revenge, the Gabonese song would like to also leave to the conquest the public distances. They is undoubtedly why personalities such as “Afro-zoukeur” Oliver Did not gum, the singer of varieties Patience Dabany gain a great success respectively, but very localized with the the Antilles and the the United States.

It is also necessary to mention, in very an other kind, the free-Gabonese artist Jann Halexander (French song), formed with the piano with the academy Maurice Ravel, in Libreville. It is more known in France, abroad, that in its native land. However, it owes on the one hand its notoriety relative to Internet, the word of mount, on the other hand, it is currently one of the Gabonese artists of origin most known out of the borders of Gabon, behind Pierre Akendengué and Oliver Did not gum.

Other artists not having a great international repute present their knowledge only inside the country:

  • Aziz-Inanga,
  • Martin Rompavé,
  • Zéfirin the Large one,
  • Pierre Clavère Zeng,
  • Opapé,
  • etc

The future of the Gabonese modern music depends today on the negative image of the political officials as well as the capacity of the artists Gabonese to obtain an independent organism with perception and distribution with the royalties. This step also depends on the capacity of the artists to being able to harmonize their actions in order to be made hear near the authorities.

This structure should however take account of certain realities suitable for the Gabonese context (weak population, weak purchasing power, non-existent distribution network etc). It is a priority question to which the current advisers of the President of the Republic to the Cultural Affairs (Pierre Akendengué, Makaya Madingo and Vyckoss Ekondo) give the highest attention.

After 50 years of course, during which the Gabonese music almost under exploited its rich person cultural heritage with the profit of the rates/rhythms come besides, it tries to be reconciled with itself, with its ancestors of the large Equatorial forest.

Random links:Tallinn | Tetsu Katayama | Acute delirious puff | -2645 | Brigitte Morisan | Peter Szoke | Ivanhoe,_la_Californie