- Chanté mas
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Chanté mas (masquerade song) and Lapo kabrit is a form of Carnival music of Dominica. It is performed by masequerading partygoers in a two-day parade, in a call-and-response format "lavwé", with a lead female "chantwèl" singer dancing backwards in front of the drummer on a tambou lélé. Chanté mas lyrics are traditionally based on gossip and scandal, and addressed the personal shortcomings of others.
Contents
Characteristics
Accompaniment for the Chanté mas is provided by the lapo kabwit, a drumming band of Dominica. Lapo kabrit ("goat skin") are the most prominent part of Dominica's instrumental tradition. Chante mas and lapo kabrit is participitory music, with the band leader singing a verse and the audience responding. Lyrics are almost all in French creole and are traditionally sung by women (chantwell), while the instrumental tradition are predominantly practiced by men.
Instrumentation
Traditional instrumentation includes, the lapo kabwit, tambou lélé, maracas, scraper-rattle, cowbell, tambourine, triangle, conch shell, and several horn players.
Decline in tradition
The chanté mas tradition started to become dominated by imported calypso and steel pan music in the early 1960s. After a fire in 1963, the traditional carnival was banned, though calypso and steelpan continued to grow in popularity. Calypso appealed to Carnival-partygoers because the lyrical focus on local news and gossip was similar to that of chanté mas, despite a rhythmic pattern and instrumentation which contrast sharply with traditional Dominican Mas Domnik music. Though the traditional Chanté mas and Lapo kabrit declined in popularity due to imported calypso and steal pan music, several villages on Dominica, such as Grand Bay, has preserved the unique Dominican tradition.[1]
On modern Dominica, chanté mas and lapo kabrit has become a part of Bouyon music.[2]
see also
References
- ^ > "Lapo Kabrit by Sakis". Culture of Dominica. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Znh0YDiNieM&feature=related/>. Retrieved September 10, 2010.
- ^ Guilbault, Jocelyne (1999). "Dominica". Garland Encyclopedia of World Music. Volume 2. Routledge. pp. 840–844. ISBN 0-8153-1865-0.
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