The atabaque (; ) is a tall, wooden, Afro-Brazilian
hand drum A hand drum is any type of drum that is typically played with the bare hand rather than a stick, mallet, hammer, or other type of beater.
Types
The following descriptions allude to traditional versions of the drums. Modern synthetic versions are ...
. The shell is made traditionally of
Jacaranda wood from
Brazil. The
head
A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may ...
is traditionally made from calfskin. A system of ropes are intertwined around the body, connecting a metal ring near the base to the head. Because of this tuning mechanism the drum is sometimes known as 'Atabaque de Corda'. Wooden wedges are jammed between this ring and the body and a hammer is used to tighten or loosen the ropes, raising or lowering the pitch of the drum.
In Africa, cord-and-peg tension atabaques had a distribution area roughly congruent with the iron double bell (Agogo). This included the Guinea Coast from the Niger River and west to Benin, Togo, and Ghana. Beyond West Africa, cord-and-peg tension drums appeared in Bahia, Suriname, St. Domingue, Cuba, and the southern states of America. These drums traveled with the
Ewe,
Fon,
Akan, and
Yoruba
The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba consti ...
people during the New World diaspora.
[Taylor, G. Capoeira: The Jogo de Angola from Luanda to Cyberspace (2005)]
The atabaque is used in
Capoeira,
Maculelê and the Afro-Brazilian religions of
Candomblé
Candomblé () is an African diasporic religion that developed in Brazil during the 19th century. It arose through a process of syncretism between several of the traditional religions of West Africa, especially that of the Yoruba, and the Roman ...
and
Umbanda. It is considered sacred in
Candomblé
Candomblé () is an African diasporic religion that developed in Brazil during the 19th century. It arose through a process of syncretism between several of the traditional religions of West Africa, especially that of the Yoruba, and the Roman ...
and
Umbanda. The main instrument in Candomblé is the drum (Atabaque), skinned with cord-and-peg tension.
There are three types of atabaque: ''rum'', the tallest with the lowest pitch; ''rum-pi'', of medium height and in the middle pitch range; and ''lê'', the smallest and highest-pitched.
[Almeida, B. Capoeira: A Brazilian Art Form: History, Philosophy, and Practice.(1993)]
In
Maculelê and the rituals of
Candomblé
Candomblé () is an African diasporic religion that developed in Brazil during the 19th century. It arose through a process of syncretism between several of the traditional religions of West Africa, especially that of the Yoruba, and the Roman ...
and
Umbanda, as many as three Atabaques are used (usually one of each type), but in
Capoeira, traditionally only one is used.
Nomenclature
The atabaque has several distinct parts. Some of these are the couro de boi (oxhide), the corda (rope) and the aro (hoop), forming where together the corda de aro (rope hoop). The acunhas are the Wedges, and the suporte is the atabaque stand.
References
{{Authority control
Hand drums
Brazilian percussion
Candomblé
South American percussion instruments
Capoeira