The
music of the former Netherlands Antilles
is a mixture of native, African and European elements, and is closely connected with trends from neighboring countries such as
Venezuela
and
Colombia
and islands such as
Puerto Rico
,
Cuba
,
Santo Domingo
,
Haiti
,
Martinique
,
Trinidad
,
Dominica
, and
Guadeloupe
. The former
Netherlands Antilles
islands of
Curacao
and
Aruba
are known for their typical
waltzes
,
danzas
,
mazurkas
and a kind of music called
tumba
, which is named after the
conga
drums that accompany it.
The remaining islands are much smaller than Aruba,
Bonaire
, and Curacao. They are
Sint Eustatius
,
Sint Maarten
and
Saba
. Sint Eustatius has little nightlife, with only one nightclub (the
zouk
Largo Height Disco)
[1]
as of 1996. The inhabitants, "Statians", hold impromptu street dances called "road blocks", using booming car stereos. Saba has a number of dances at various restaurants, including a wide variety of
hip hop
,
calypso
,
soca
,
kompa
,
zouk
,
bouyon
,
reggae
and
merengue
. Sint Maarten has a well-known
Carnival
tradition featuring music and dance, held in mid-April and culminating in the traditional burning of
King Moui-Moui
, as well as a number of nightclubs and casinos featuring music; popular "spots" where locals go to dance include Boo Boo Jam and Lago Height, both located on the northern (French) part of Sint Maarten; the most popular recent casino band is
King Bo-Bo
, known as the "King of Calypso".
[2]
Modern Aruban music
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Music is very closely connected to the Aruban culture, and plays a major role in holidays, carnivals and informal celebrations. Carnival music originated in Trinidad in the late 18th century, and combines romantic themes, calypso-inspired tunes, and drums from
tumba
. Other Aruban celebrations that are based around music include Dera Gai, Dande, Gaita and Aguinaldo.
Music of Curacao
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]
Traditional music on Bonaire
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]
The island of Bonaire is known for an array of dances, including the
Bari
and
Simadan
. Imported
polka
,
carioca
,
rumba
,
merengue
,
danza
,
joropo
,
jazz
waltz
and
mazurka
are also popular. The
Baile di Sinta
is a popular fertility dance, performed around a
maypole
. Traditional African
work songs
on Bonaire evolved over time into ritual songs with complex dances, instrumentation and polyphony.
[3]
The Bari, performed during the festival of the same name, as well as at other times, is led by a single singer who improvises lyrics commenting on local events and figures (such a singer is similar to a
calypsonian
). Confusingly, the Bari dance, which is performed during the Bari festival, is accompanied by a
bongo
-like drum called a Bari. The first part of the dance features men competing in a stylized,
ritual dance
for women, followed by a part where the couples dance, though they don't touch (it is similar to tumba).
[3]
After the
sorghum
harvest in February through April, the
Simadan
festival is held to celebrate, with the
wapa
, a rhythmic, shuffling dance, accompanying the celebration. Simadan's traditional songs include three
call-and-response
forms, the
Dan Simadan
,
Belua
and
Remailo
. These use instruments including the bari,
wiri
,
karko
,
quarta
,
guitar
,
triangle
and
clapping
.
[3]
Notes
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]
References
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]
- "Curacao's Culture"
.
Curacao Culture and Folklore
. Archived from
the original
on December 3, 2005
. Retrieved
December 3,
2005
.
- De Ledesma; Charles and Gene Scaramuzzo (2000). "Dance-Funk Creole-Style". In Broughton, Simon; Mark Ellingham; James McConnachie; Orla Duane (eds.).
World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific
. Rough Guides. pp. 289?303.
ISBN
1-85828-636-0
.
- "Culture:A Rich and Diverse Heritage"
.
Bonaire
. Retrieved
December 3,
2005
.
- Cameron, Sarah (1996).
Caribbean Islands Handbook with the Bahamas
. Passport Books.
ISBN
0-8442-4907-6
.
- Halman, Johannes & Rojer, Robert (2008).
Jan Gerard Palm: Life and Work of a Musical Patriarch(In Dutch language)
. KITLV, Leiden.
- Halman, Johannes & Rojer, Robert (2008).
Jan Gerard Palm Music scores: Waltzes, Mazurkas, Danzas, Tumbas, Polkas, Marches, Fantasies, Serenades, a Galop and music composed for services in the Synagogue and the Lodge
.
Broekmans & Van Poppel
, Amsterdam.
- Palm, Edgar (1978).
"Music and musicians of the Netherlands Antilles"
(in Dutch). Curacaose Drukkerij, Curacao.
[
permanent dead link
]
- Boskaljon, Rudolph (1958).
"Hundred years of music life in Curacao"
(in Dutch). Van Gorcum & comp. NV, Assen.
[
permanent dead link
]
Further reading
[
edit
]
- Jong, Nanette de. “An Anatomy of Creolization: Curacao and the Antillean Waltz”.
Latin American Music Review
, Volume 24, Number 2, Fall/Winter. 2003, pp. 233?251.
- de Wolf, Tim.
Discography of Music from the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba: Including a history of the local recording studios
. Walburg Pers.
ISBN
90-5730-088-5
.
External links
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]