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Montserrat is a dependency of the United Kingdom. Montserrat (ˌmɒntsəˈræt is British overseas territory located in the Leeward Islands, part of the chain of islands called the Lesser Antilles The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The influence of Irish traditions is apparent in Montserrat's symbols and heritage, especially the set dance-like Bam-chick-lay, and the presence of fife and drum ensembles similar to the bodhrán. Set dances, sometimes called "country sets" are a popular form of folk dancing in Ireland. A fife is a small high-pitched transverse Flute that is similar to the Piccolo, but louder and shriller due to its narrower bore The drum is a member of the percussion group technically classified as a Membranophone. The bodhrán (ˈbɔːrɑːn or /ˈbaʊrɑːn/ plural bodhráns or bodhráin) is an Irish Frame drum ranging from 25 to 65cm (10" Natives are also witness to the jumbie dance, the style of which is still strongly African. Jumbie is a term akin to a Black Ghost. Whereas Western culture "sees" a ghost as a white misty figure jumbies are imagined as dark shadowy figures Instruments include the ukulele and shak-shak, an African instrument made from a calabash gourd; both of these are used in traditional string bands. The ukulele (ˌjʉːkəˈlɛɪli from ʻukulele /ˌʔukuˈlele/ variantly spelled ukelele (particularly in the UK) or alternatively abbreviated uke The shak-shak (or chak-chak) is a kind of Antillean musical instrument, similar to Maracas They are played in Barbados, Montserrat The calabash or African bottle gourd (not to be confused with the Calabaza) is a Vine grown for its fruit which can either be harvested young and used This article refers to the Dried fruit shell For the alternative country musical group of a similar name see The Gourds. Calypso and spiritual-influenced vocal choirs, like the Emerald Isle Community Singers, are popular. Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean Music which originated in Trinidad and Tobago at about the start of the 20th century Spirituals (or Negro spirituals) are songs which were created by African slaves in America. The Emerald Isle Community Singers ( ECS) are a Montserratian musical ensemble formed in 1971 [1]

Past pop stars include the soca bandleader Alphonsus ‘Arrow’ Cassell, known for 1983's "Hot! Hot! Hot!". Alphonsus Celestine Edmund Cassell MBE (born 16 November 1954, Montserrat, West Indies) is a calypso and Soca musician Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) [2] Calypso music is also popular, as are the vocal choirs Voices and the Emerald Community Singers are well-known throughout the island. Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean Music which originated in Trinidad and Tobago at about the start of the 20th century The Emerald Isle Community Singers ( ECS) are a Montserratian musical ensemble formed in 1971 They perform at various special occasions, such as the December Festival, and throughout the year. The most famous modern steelband from Montserrat is the Rude Boys String Band. [3]

Montserratian culture is generally a hybrid of African and European, specifically British and Irish, elements. [4] The African influence is the most pronounced, and manifests itself in the local Creole language, as well as the island's folktales, stories, songs, dances and religion. Montserrat remained largely isolated from international popular culture until the 1960s, and the island's folk traditions remained vibrant until the eruption of the Soufriere Hills Volcano in the 1995, after which most of the population left the island. The popularity of Arrow also contributed to the demise of traditional music, replaced largely by imported popular styles. [5]

Contents

Folk music

Montserrat's folk musical heritage includes a wide array of religious and ritual folk music. Folk music can have a number of different meanings including Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous There are also folk songs used in spiritual musical traditions, in addition to secular use; indeed, there is little distinction between secular and spiritual aspects of traditional Montserratian culture. Folk songs are generally in the Montserrat Creole language and concern topics ranging from obeah (magic) to agriculture, infidelity and historic occurrences. Montserrat Creole is a Creole language spoken in Montserrat.The number of speakers of Montserrat Creole is below 10000 Obeah (sometimes spelled "Obi" is a term used in the West Indies to refer to Folk magic, sorcery, and religious practices derived from Central Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture See also Adultery Infidelity can be defined as any violation of the mutually agreed-upon rules or boundaries of a relationship and is a breach of faith in an inter-personal [6] Many songs are widespread and well-known, and occur in numerous variations, including "Nincom Riley" and "All de Relief", two of the most famous Montserratian folk songs. The folk repertoire also include calypsos and Irish melodies. The Irish Montserratian tradition has largely died out, with the last performer, George Allen, a fiddler, dying in 1966. [5]

Jumbie

The jumbie dance has been called the "purest manifestation of folk religion on Montserrat", and is an iconic part of folk culture, bringing together local folklore, dance, song and music. Jumbie is a term akin to a Black Ghost. Whereas Western culture "sees" a ghost as a white misty figure jumbies are imagined as dark shadowy figures [7] It has also been described as a startling and unique hybrid, consisting of "Western instruments (that) produce Africanesque music, to which dancers perform Irish steps while moving their upper bodies like Africans". [8]

The jumbie dance was probably last performed in 1980. Jumbies are traditionally said to be spirits, one of several kinds that also include the African sukra and jabless, and the Irish mermaid, animal spirit (similar to the puca) and the Jack Lantern. A mermaid is a Mythological aquatic creature that is half human half aquatic creature (e The Púca ( Old Irish) (also Pwwka Pooka Puka Phouka Púka Pwca in Welsh, Bucca in Cornish, pouque in Dgèrnésiais Jumbies hold a similar place in Montserratian society as fairies does in Irish culture; they are the recipients of many small offerings, such as bits of food or drink, and the subject of numerous daily superstitions and rituals. A fairy (also fay, fey, fae, faerie; collectively wee folk, good folk, people of peace, fair [5]

The jumbie dance is performed by four couples, one man and one woman. They each do a series of sets, consisting of five quadrilles played at successively swifter tempos. for the equestrian form of quadrille see Quadrille (dressage The term may also refer to Quad paper and a Square tiling The couples will switch out as they get tired, until eventually one becomes possessed by a jumbie. They often move about wildly, fall to the floor and shout in glossolalia. Glossolalia is commonly called "speaking in tongues" For other uses of "speaking in tongues" see Speaking in Tongues (disambiguation. [5]

Some Montserratian Irish trace the origins of the jumbie dance to the pre-emancipation period, when slaves attempted to perform the dances performed by white overseers and landowners. Jumbie dances are traditionally performed after a celebration, in the home of a sponsor, and to mark times of individual crisis or major life changes, such as a wedding or christening. [5] The jumbie dance is said to induce spiritual possession and grant divination skills. Spirit possession is a concept of Paranormal, Supernatural and/or Superstitious belief in which spirits, gods, daemons Divination (from Latin divinare "to be inspired by a god" related to Divine, Diva and Deus) is the attempt of ascertaining Often, jumbie dances are intended to cure diseases, remove curses or discover the identity of a guilty party. [6]

There are generally three jumbie dancers in a unit, who perform accompanied by the babala (tambourine, or jumbie drum), triangle, fife or pulley (accordion, concertina or melodeon), and most importantly the French reel (also jumbie drum or woowoo), a skin drum that produces an ominous sound which is said to attract the jumbie spirits. The tambourine or Marine is a Musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame often of wood or plastic with pairs of small metal jingles The triangle is an Idiophone type of Musical instrument in the percussion family A fife is a small high-pitched transverse Flute that is similar to the Piccolo, but louder and shriller due to its narrower bore A pulley (also called a sheave or block) is a Wheel with a groove between two Flanges around its Circumference This is a list of Membranophones used in the Caribbean music area, including the islands of the Caribbean Sea, as well as the musics The drum is a member of the percussion group technically classified as a Membranophone. [9] Both the babala and French reel are similar to the Irish bodhran in construction; all three drums are played with the fingertips, palms and the backs of the hands. The bodhrán (ˈbɔːrɑːn or /ˈbaʊrɑːn/ plural bodhráns or bodhráin) is an Irish Frame drum ranging from 25 to 65cm (10" [5]

Other folk traditions

The same music used in the jumbie dance also accompanies country dances (also known as goatskin or drum dance). ' Country dancing' is a loose term for a number of Dance forms such as Clogging, Contradance, Cumbia, Galop, Mazurka, Country dances are strictly recreational, however, and use different songs and dances than the jumbie dance. Rum shops are frequently home to string bands, especially on Boxing Day, and ensembles of guitar, banjo, accordion and cuatro (ukulele). This article is about the style of old-time American music The term string band also referred to the ensembles now known as Scratch bands part of the Music of the The ukulele (ˌjʉːkəˈlɛɪli from ʻukulele /ˌʔukuˈlele/ variantly spelled ukelele (particularly in the UK) or alternatively abbreviated uke [5]

The Montserratian tradition of masquerading is both a ritual and celebratory element of folk music. A masquerade ball (or bal masqué) is an event which the participants attend in Costume wearing a Mask. Groups of dancers (masqueraders) with bright costumes and voluminous adornments, including whips (hunters) that are used for the Masqueraders to move crowds away as they parade the streets, scare away evil spirits and send signals to other dancers. Masqueraders travel door to door and receive small gifts, while dancing a standard set of dances consisting of a heel-and-toe polka and five quadrilles. Heel-and-toe is a driving technique used mostly in performance driving although some drivers use it on the road in everyday conditions in the interests of effectiveness The polka is a fast lively Central European Dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas for the equestrian form of quadrille see Quadrille (dressage The term may also refer to Quad paper and a Square tiling This celebration begins in mid-December and ends January 1. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC [6]

Montserrat is also home to a string band folk tradition that provides accompaniment to many kinds of songs and dances. A string instrument (or stringed instrument) is a Musical instrument that produces Sound by means of Vibrating strings In the Hornbostel-Sachs These generally include the ukulele (yokolee, imported from Hawaiian music), guitar, triangle, the bass boom pipe, shak-shak, gradge and fife. The ukulele (ˌjʉːkəˈlɛɪli from ʻukulele /ˌʔukuˈlele/ variantly spelled ukelele (particularly in the UK) or alternatively abbreviated uke The music of Hawaii includes an array of traditional and popular styles ranging from native Hawaiian folk music to modern rock and hip hop. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles The triangle is an Idiophone type of Musical instrument in the percussion family The shak-shak (or chak-chak) is a kind of Antillean musical instrument, similar to Maracas They are played in Barbados, Montserrat A fife is a small high-pitched transverse Flute that is similar to the Piccolo, but louder and shriller due to its narrower bore String bands traditionally performed for weddings; this tradition declined with the rise of stereos and recorded music, as well as the spread of jazz bands, but was revived in the 1970s. Stereophonic sound, commonly called stereo, is the reproduction of Sound, using two or more independent audio channels through a Symmetrical Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States String bands now also play at hotels and nightclubs. [6]

Popular music and modern styles

The steel band tradition is common to many Caribbean, and especially Lesser Antillean, islands. Steelpans (also known as steeldrums or pans, and sometimes collectively with Musicians as a steelband) is a Musical instrument and The Lesser Antilles, also known as the Caribbees, are part of the Antilles, which together with the Bahamas and Greater Antilles form the The Montserratian tradition began in 1949 in Ryner's Village and Kinsale, and was prominent enough by the following year to be played at the Empire Day celebrations. Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Commonwealth Day is the annual celebration of the Commonwealth of Nations held on the second Monday in March and marked by a multi-faith service in Westminster Abbey Despite some criticism that the music was degrading for children, steel bands have become a major part of the island's musical heritage. [6]

Calypso is an originally Trinidadian style of music, that has since spread across the world. Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean Music which originated in Trinidad and Tobago at about the start of the 20th century Trinidad ( Spanish: " Trinity " is the largest and most populous of the two major islands and In recent years it has become a major part of Montserratian music, with the rise of Alphonsus "Arrow" Cassell, a soca artist that is internationally renowned. Alphonsus Celestine Edmund Cassell MBE (born 16 November 1954, Montserrat, West Indies) is a calypso and Soca musician Calypso in Montserrat dates to the 1950s, and Justin "Hero" Cassell (Arrow's brother), who won the islands calypso competition thirteen times and became the Calypso King of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States. Justin "Hero" Cassell is a Montserratian Calypsonian, popularly regarded as one of the pioneers of calypso from Montserrat The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States ( OECS) created in 1981 is an inter-governmental organisation dedicated to economic harmonisation and integration protection of In 2000, Sylvina "Khandie" Malone became the first female calypso monarch on Montserrat. [6]

Arrow's "Hot Hot Hot"

Breakthrough hit by Montserratian Arrow
Problems listening to the file? See media help.

Holidays and festivals

The Montserrat December Festival (the local Carnival tradition) is the biggest holiday of the year, held all through the month of December concluding on January 1 and ending with a street parade. Caribbean Carnival is the term used for a number of events that take place in many of the Caribbean islands annually New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC A parade (also called march or marchpast) is a procession of people usually organized along a street often in Costume, and often accompanied by Fire . The Festival is like Carnival on the other Caribbean islands, featuring competitions in various skills, especially the Calypso King competition, street dancing (jamming or jumping up), Soca King,beauty pageants and masquerade performances. Caribbean Carnival is the term used for a number of events that take place in many of the Caribbean islands annually A beauty contest or beauty pageant is a competition based mainly though not always entirely on the physical beauty of its contestants and often incorporating Personality There are also Christmas songs and carolling. [3]

December Festival parades formerly included music and masqueraders, and dancers in uniforms modelled on the Grenadier Guards. The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS is the most senior Regiment of the Guards Division of the British Army, and as such is the most senior regiment of infantry Music is provided by an ensemble of triangle, fife and two goatskin, deep-barreled drums called kettles or booms). This tradition is primarily African in style, with little Irish or British influence, and is very distinct from jumbie dance styles. The traditional music of the December Festival was last performed in 1988, in St. John's Village. [5]

Boxing Day is an occasion for music competitions, held in Sturge Park. Steelbands, village groups, masquerade ensembles and mummers all perform. Jump-up Day commemorates and celebrates emancipation from slavery, and is accompanied by steelbands, masquerades and dancing men carrying chains to symbolize the bondage of slavery. [5]

Music is also an important part of St Patrick's Day, which is a celebration of Montserrat's Irish heritage and music and has now been transformed in to a whole week of activities. Saint Patrick's Day (Lá ’le Pádraig or Lá Fhéile Pádraig) colloquially St [3]

Music for Montserrat

Air Studios, a recording studio operated by George Martin, used to be on the island, and performers like the Rolling Stones, Sting and Elton John traveled there to record. Associated Independent Recording (AIR, an independent recording company was founded in London in 1965 by Beatles producer George Martin and his partner Sir George Henry Martin CBE (3 January 1926 is a British record producer arranger and Composer. Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, CBE (born October 2, 1951) better known by his Stage name Sting, is a three time Academy Award Sir Elton Hercules John CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947 is an English pop / rock Singer, Composer After Hurricane Hugo, however, the studios were closed. Hurricane Hugo was a destructive Category 5 Hurricane that struck Guadeloupe, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, St Martin organized a fundraiser (Music for Montserrat) for the island in 1997, which included native band Arrow, Mark Knopfler, Jimmy Buffett, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Carl Perkins - died in next year, Sting and Elton John. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar Mark Knopfler OBE (born August 12 1949 Glasgow, Scotland) is a British Guitarist, Singer, Songwriter, James William "Jimmy" Buffett (born December 25 1946) is a Singer, Songwriter, Author, Businessman, and recently Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE (born 18 June 1942 is an English rock Singer, Bass guitarist songwriter Composer, Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE (born 30 March 1945 is an English Blues-rock Guitarist, singer Songwriter and Composer Philip David Charles Collins, LVO (born 30 January 1951 Chiswick, London) is an English Singer-songwriter, Drummer Carl Lee Perkins ( April 9, 1932 &ndash January 19, 1998) was an American pioneer of Rockabilly music a mix of Rhythm Other local bands performed simultaneously at Gerald's Bottom on the island; the occasion also saw the reformation of Climax Blues Band and the appearance of Bankie Banks. The Climax Chicago Blues Band based in Stafford, England was formed in late 1968

References

Notes

  1. ^ Cameron
  2. ^ De Ledesma and Popplewell, pp 507 - 576
  3. ^ a b c Montserrat Entertainment Guide
  4. ^ Mesener, pg. 922; Mesener cites Messenger, John C. (1968). The Irish of Montserrat. Typescript, Montserrat Public Library.  , Philpott, Stuart B. (1973). West Indian Migration: The Montserrat Case. London: Athlone Press.   and Dobbin, Jay D. (1986). The Jombee Dance of Montserrat. Columbus: Ohio State University Press.  
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Messenger, pp 922-926
  6. ^ a b c d e f Montserrat Chamber of Commerce
  7. ^ "purest manifestation" is from the Chamber of Commerce; iconic status is from Messenger, pg. 924
  8. ^ Quote is from Messenger, pg. 925
  9. ^ The Chamber of Commerce and John Messenger mostly agree; he Chamber of Commerce does not mention the triangle, and refers to the tambourine/bambala as the jumbie drum, while Messenger reserves this for the French reel or woowoo
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