Wolof music

The Wolof are the largest ethnic group in today's Senegal, and have developed a distinctive musical tradition. Wolof music, with the influnce of neighboring Fulani, Tukulor, Serer, Jola, and Malinke cultures, has contributed greatly to popular Senegalese music, and to African music in general.

Griot Tradition

Wolof musicians were traditionally drawn from the griots ("géwél"), or of the blacksmith caste ("tëgg"), who were masters of drumming. Griots taught history, ethics and religion using their songs and recitations, and were employed by powerful members of the community as praise-singers and historians. Today many modern Wolof musicians still come from Griot families.

After the 19th century conversion of major Wolof kingdoms to Islam, the tagg, or ode song in Wolof, was reused in an Islamic Nasheed tradition—an important integration of pre-Islamic style into the new Muslim paradigm.ref|Mbye1

Instruments

Wolof folk instruments include the sabar drums, tama and xalam.

The xalam is a very important instrument in Wolof folk music. It is a five-stringed lute. Another important instrument is the sabar, an ensemble of seven different drums, each differently tuned. Other kinds of drums include the Qadiriyyah (a Sufi brotherhood) tabla drums, and the hourglass talking drum called a "tama". These drums are the most important part of Senegalese music, because rhythm is the central to the Wolof compositions.

Modern Wolof musicians have incorporated instruments usually associated with the neighboring Fula and Mandinke peoples, including the Fula flute, the balafon, the Maures tabla drums, the kora (a West African harp) and the riiti (a Fulani single-stringed bowed instrument).

Dance Rhythms

As drumming is central to the most traditional of Wolof music, there have evolved unique dance rhythms. Farwoudiar is a women's dance with a distinct "tama" accompaniment, in which women celebrate their prospective husbands. [ [http://www.worldmusiccentral.org/staticpages/index.php/glossary World Music Central: International Dance Glossary & Dance Forms] .]

ee also

* Music of Senegal
* Mbalax
* Senegalese hip hop: especially "mbalax rap"

Famed Wolof Musicians

* Doudou N'Diaye Rose: Wolof Sabar master and Griot.
* Mbaye Dieye Faye: Singer and percussionist
* Youssou N'Dour: Perhaps the most famous modern Wolof singer, From a Griot family ofn his mother's side.
* Alioune Mbaye Nder: Singer, "the Prince of Mbalax"
* Thione Seck: Famed singer of the 1970s to today.
* Jimi Mbaye: Guitarist and producer

References

* Mbye B. Cham, " [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0001-9720%281985%2955%3A4%3C447%3AIISLAF%3E2.0.CO%3B2-3 Islam in Senegalese Literature and Film] ", Africa: Journal of the International African Institute, Vol. 55, No. 4, Popular Islam, 1985 pp. 447-464.