Music of the Republic of the Congo
Encyclopedia
The Republic of the Congo
(or Congo-Brazzaville) is an African nation with close musical ties to its neighbor, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(DRC, or Congo-Kinshasa). DRC's homegrown pop music, soukous
, are popular across the border, and musicians from both countries have fluidly travelled throughout the region playing similarly styled music, including Nino Malapet and Jean Serge Essous
. Brazzaville had a major music scene until unrest in the late 1990s, and produced popular bands like Bantous de la Capitale that played an integral role in the development of soukous and other styles of Congolese popular music http://www.afropop.org/explore/country_info/ID/21/Congo/. The Hip-Hop group "Bisso na Bisso
" also hails from Congo-Brazzaville.
and mvet. The mvet is a kind of zither
-harp
, similar to styles found elsewhere in both Africa
and Asia
. The mvet is made of a long tube with one or two gourd
s acting as resonator
s http://aainnovators.com/CMS/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=483.
, early in the style's evolution both the local scenes of Kinshasa
and Brazzaville
played a very important role. In these cities, American style orchestras (called soukous, or kirikiri or kasongo) played rumba
(a kind of Cuban music
) influenced by traditional music and jazz
. Soukous arose from this fusion of styles, popularized as dance music
by a number of different orchestras in the 1950s and 60s http://www.scaruffi.com/history/cpt10.html.
Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo , sometimes known locally as Congo-Brazzaville, is a state in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda, and the Gulf of Guinea.The region was dominated by...
(or Congo-Brazzaville) is an African nation with close musical ties to its neighbor, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
(DRC, or Congo-Kinshasa). DRC's homegrown pop music, soukous
Soukous
Soukous is a dance music genre that originated in the two neighbouring countries of Belgian Congo and French Congo during the 1930s and early 1940s, and which has gained popularity throughout Africa...
, are popular across the border, and musicians from both countries have fluidly travelled throughout the region playing similarly styled music, including Nino Malapet and Jean Serge Essous
Jean Serge Essous
Jean Serge Essous was a Congolese saxophonist, clarinetist, and cofounder of the Afrika Team in Paris, France, the band Bantous de la Capital in Brazzaville, Congo, OK Jazz, and Orchestre Rock a Mambo.On 11 October 2006, UNESCO designated Jean Serge Essous a UNESCO Artist for Peace by UNESCO...
. Brazzaville had a major music scene until unrest in the late 1990s, and produced popular bands like Bantous de la Capitale that played an integral role in the development of soukous and other styles of Congolese popular music http://www.afropop.org/explore/country_info/ID/21/Congo/. The Hip-Hop group "Bisso na Bisso
Bisso na bisso
Bisso Na Bisso is a music collective of rappers and singers with origins from Congo Brazzaville formed in 1999. The group consisting of Ben-J , Lino and Calbo , Doc and G Kill , Mystik and the only female M'Passi was put together by French rapper Passi.The group created an album called Racines...
" also hails from Congo-Brazzaville.
Folk music
Folk instruments in the Republic of the Congo include the xylophoneXylophone
The xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets...
and mvet. The mvet is a kind of zither
Zither
The zither is a musical string instrument, most commonly found in Slovenia, Austria, Hungary citera, northwestern Croatia, the southern regions of Germany, alpine Europe and East Asian cultures, including China...
-harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
, similar to styles found elsewhere in both Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. The mvet is made of a long tube with one or two gourd
Gourd
A gourd is a plant of the family Cucurbitaceae. Gourd is occasionally used to describe crops like cucumbers, squash, luffas, and melons. The term 'gourd' however, can more specifically, refer to the plants of the two Cucurbitaceae genera Lagenaria and Cucurbita or also to their hollow dried out shell...
s acting as resonator
Resonator
A resonator is a device or system that exhibits resonance or resonant behavior, that is, it naturally oscillates at some frequencies, called its resonant frequencies, with greater amplitude than at others. The oscillations in a resonator can be either electromagnetic or mechanical...
s http://aainnovators.com/CMS/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=483.
Soukous
Though soukous has become much more closely associated with the popular music of the Democratic Republic of the CongoMusic of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Describing the music of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is difficult, due to vagaries surrounding the meanings of various terms. The country itself was formerly called Zaire and is now sometimes referred to as Congo-Kinshasa to distinguish it from the Republic of the Congo...
, early in the style's evolution both the local scenes of Kinshasa
Kinshasa
Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River....
and Brazzaville
Brazzaville
-Transport:The city is home to Maya-Maya Airport and a railway station on the Congo-Ocean Railway. It is also an important river port, with ferries sailing to Kinshasa and to Bangui via Impfondo...
played a very important role. In these cities, American style orchestras (called soukous, or kirikiri or kasongo) played rumba
Cuban Rumba
In Cuban music, Rumba is a generic term covering a variety of musical rhythms and associated dances. The rumba has its influences in the music brought to Cuba by Africans brought to Cuba as slaves as well as Spanish colonizers...
(a kind of Cuban music
Music of Cuba
The Caribbean island of Cuba has developed a wide range of creolized musical styles, based on its cultural origins in Europe and Africa. Since the 19th century its music has been hugely popular and influential throughout the world...
) influenced by traditional music and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
. Soukous arose from this fusion of styles, popularized as dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
by a number of different orchestras in the 1950s and 60s http://www.scaruffi.com/history/cpt10.html.