The music of Vanuatu may refer to any kind of music played in the country of
Vanuatu
Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...
.
Traditional music
Traditional music (known in
Bislama
Bislama (; ; also known by its earlier French name, ) is an English-based creole language and one of the official languages of Vanuatu. It is the first language of many of the "Urban ni-Vanuatu" (citizens who live in Port Vila and Luganville) ...
as ''kastom singsing'' or ''kastom tanis'') is still thriving in the rural areas of Vanuatu. Musical instruments consist mostly of
idiophone
An idiophone is any musical instrument that creates sound primarily by the vibration of the instrument itself, without the use of air flow (as with aerophones), strings (chordophones), membranes (membranophones) or electricity ( electrophones) ...
s: drums of various shape and size,
slit gong
A slit drum or slit gong is a hollow percussion instrument. In spite of the name, it is not a true drum but an idiophone, usually carved or constructed from bamboo or wood into a box with one or more slits in the top. Most slit drums have one slit ...
s, as well as
rattle
Rattle may refer to:
Instruments
* Crotalus (liturgy), a liturgical percussion instrument
* Rattle (percussion instrument), a type of percussion instrument
* Rattle (percussion beater), a part of some percussion instruments
* Ratchet (instrume ...
s, among others. In various regions,
aerophone
An aerophone () is a musical instrument that produces sound primarily by causing a body of air to vibrate, without the use of strings or membranes (which are respectively chordophones and membranophones), and without the vibration of the instru ...
s, such as
conch shells, whistles or bamboo flutes, are (or used to be) played.
Membranophones and
chordophone
String instruments, stringed instruments, or chordophones are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings when a performer plays or sounds the strings in some manner.
Musicians play some string instruments by plucking the st ...
s were also found in some areas, but have fallen into disuse during colonial times.
The large slit gongs which symbolize Vanuatu belong to these traditional instruments; they were most often used as musical drums to accompany certain dances, but also sometimes – though seldom – as a ritual means of communication; although widespread throughout Vanuatu, they are used vertically only in central areas of the archipelago (mainly on
Ambrym
Ambrym is a volcanic island in Malampa Province in the archipelago of Vanuatu. Volcanic activity on the island includes lava lakes in two craters near the summit.
Etymology
Ambrym (also known as ''Ambrin'', ''"ham rim"'' in the Ranon language ...
). So-called ''traditional music'' is actually a very general cover term encompassing a wide and complex variety of musical genres known by every local community – in a way very similar to the vague term ''
classical music
Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...
'' of
Western societies
The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to the various nations and states in the regions of Europe, North America, and Oceania. .
String bands
Another musical genre that has become widely popular during the 20th century in all areas of Vanuatu, is known as ''
string band'' music. It combines
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
s,
ukulele
The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings.
The tone and volume of the instrumen ...
, and popular songs.
Urban music
More recently the music of Vanuatu, as an industry, grew rapidly in the 1990s.
[ Stern (2007).] The early part of that decade saw bands like Huarere and Tropic Tempo forge a distinctly ni-Vanuatu modern musical identity, and more bands have followed in their footsteps, including XX-Squad and
Vanessa Quai
Vanessa Diandra Sally Ann Kiristiana Quai, better known as Vanessa Quai, born July 13, 1988 in Port Vila,[African new wave
African or Africans may refer to:
* Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa:
** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa
*** Ethn ...](_blank)
,
Reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
,
zouk music and
reggaeton. African Zouk, Reggae and Reggaeton, a variation of hip-hop rapped in Spanish, played alongside its own distinctive beat, is especially played in the local nightclubs of Vanuatu with, mostly, an audience of Westerners and tourists. Reggae is also becoming the Nations favorite and the local upcoming reggae stars are not limited to Naio Band, Stan and The Earthforce band, Tujah, Smol Fyah and Metoxide!
References
Notes
Bibliography
*.
* .
External links
Leweton string band's music Album Leweton string band's video clip
{{Oceania topic, Music of