South Africa's place on the musical map
The Republic of South Africa is a country in Southern Africa that enjoys a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. It is famed for its diversity in cultures and languages, including those of native African and European origin, and therefore also for its diverse musical offerings. The music created and enjoyed here is of both popular and folk forms. This article is a short description of the music of South Africa.
Early musical training was first provided in South Africa by Christian missionaries which brought the earliest of the modern countries musicians to international fame. One such example is Enoch Sontonga, who was the mind behind the national anthem 'Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika' ("God Bless Africa"). Towards the end of the nineteenth century, South Africa, and especially cities like Cape Town, was big enough to bring in musicians from other parts of the world, such as American ragtime musicians.
Among the most important musical traditions in South Africa is jazz music, with names such as Hugh Masekela, Jonathan Butler and Jonas Gwangwa involved. There were, roughly speaking, two kinds of jazz in the 1960s here. One was the popular dance kind, represented by bands such as Elite Swingsters, and the other was the avant-garde John Coltrane-esque kind. John Mehegan was an American pianist who gathered some of the best jazz musicians of South Africa in 1959 and organised a recording session, creating Africa's first two jazz LPs.
Another popular form of music in South Africa is Kwaito. This is a new genre that was developed in Johannesburg in the late 90s. It is a popular form of dance music among the young black peoples of the country. Its sound is that of house music, combined with African sounds, and its distinctively slow tempo has lead it to be described by the famous producer Diplo as "slowed-down garage music".
There has been a resurgence of Afrikaans music in the last decade or so, which has been linked by some to freedom from Apartheid. The influences in the South African music scene far outstrip any attempt to account for them all, but suffice it to say the country is home to a rich and diverse musical heritage.
Early musical training was first provided in South Africa by Christian missionaries which brought the earliest of the modern countries musicians to international fame. One such example is Enoch Sontonga, who was the mind behind the national anthem 'Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika' ("God Bless Africa"). Towards the end of the nineteenth century, South Africa, and especially cities like Cape Town, was big enough to bring in musicians from other parts of the world, such as American ragtime musicians.
Among the most important musical traditions in South Africa is jazz music, with names such as Hugh Masekela, Jonathan Butler and Jonas Gwangwa involved. There were, roughly speaking, two kinds of jazz in the 1960s here. One was the popular dance kind, represented by bands such as Elite Swingsters, and the other was the avant-garde John Coltrane-esque kind. John Mehegan was an American pianist who gathered some of the best jazz musicians of South Africa in 1959 and organised a recording session, creating Africa's first two jazz LPs.
Another popular form of music in South Africa is Kwaito. This is a new genre that was developed in Johannesburg in the late 90s. It is a popular form of dance music among the young black peoples of the country. Its sound is that of house music, combined with African sounds, and its distinctively slow tempo has lead it to be described by the famous producer Diplo as "slowed-down garage music".
There has been a resurgence of Afrikaans music in the last decade or so, which has been linked by some to freedom from Apartheid. The influences in the South African music scene far outstrip any attempt to account for them all, but suffice it to say the country is home to a rich and diverse musical heritage.