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| Batuque | |
|---|---|
| Cultural origins | Cape Verde |
| Typical instruments | Vocals, Piece of cloth (wrapped in plastic bag) |
Thebatuque is a music and dance genre fromCape Verde.
| Music of Cape Verde | ||||
| Genres | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Media and performance | ||||
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As a music genre, thebatuque is characterized by having anandantetempo, a 6/8[1] or 3/4measure and traditionally it is justmelodic, i.e., it is just sung, it has nopolyphonic accompaniment. When compared with the other musical genres from Cape Verde, thebatuque has acall and response structure,[2] and it is the only genre that ispolyrhythmic. In fact, analyzing therhythm, one finds out that it is a 3-beat rhythm over a 2-beat rhythm.
In its traditional form, thebatuque is organized as if it were an orchestralcrescendo.[3] It possesses twomovements (if we may call them so):
In older times the music began with an introduction on thecimboa that provided the base musical line. Nowadays the usage of that instrument is extinct. The first movement is called, in Creole,galion[ɡɐliˈõ]. In this movement one of the performers (calledbatukaderas[bɐtukɐˈdeɾɐs]) executes a polyrhythmic hit, while the others execute a 2-beat hit, clapping hands or slapping a cloth.[2] The lead singer (calledkantadera proféta[kɐ̃tɐˈdeɾɐpɾoˈfɛtɐ]) sings a verse that is immediately repeated (calledronca baxon[ˈʀõkɐbɐˈʃõ]) inunison by the remaining singers (calledkantaderas di kunpanha[kɐ̃tɐˈdeɾɐsdikũˈpaɲɐ]). These verses, improvised proverbs that talk about a variety of subjects such as praising personalities, social criticism, quotidian scenes, are calledfinason[finɐˈsõ]. This call and response structure goes on until the second movement.
The second movement is calledtxabéta[tʃɐˈbɛtɐ]. This movement corresponds to an orchestralclimax in which all the players execute the same polyrhythmic beat, and all the singers sing the same verse in unison that works as arefrain.
Nowadays, recent composers have composed thebatuque in a different way. The music leans on a polyphonic support (chord sequences), and shows a similar structure to the other musical genres in Cape Verde, in which the musical strophes alternate with a refrain.
In 2019,Madonna incorporates the genre on "Batuka" from her albumMadame X. For the song's official music video (which was shot in Lisbon) she dances and plays drums with the Orquestra Batukadeiras, who are also featured as the track's background vocalists.[4][5]
As a dance, the traditionalbatuque follows a precise ritual.
In abatuque session, a group of performers (almost always just women) gather themselves in a circle in a scenario that is calledterreru[teˈʀeɾu]. This scenario does not have to be a precise location, it may be a back yard in a house or it may be a public square, for instance.
The musical piece begins with the players (that may be simultaneously or notbatukaderas andkantaderas) executing the first movement, while one of the players goes to the center to perform the dance. In this first movement the dance is made only with body swinging, with an alternate movement of the legs playing the downbeat.
In the second movement, while the players perform the rhythm and sing in unison, the dancer changes the dancing. Now, the dancing (calledda ku tornu[dɐkuˈtoɾnu]) is made with a hip swing managed through the quick flexion of the knees, accompanying the rhythm.
When the song is over, the dancer pulls back and another takes her place, and a new song begins. These performings may last for hours until the end of thebatuque session.
Thebatuque is probably the oldest musical genre in Cape Verde, but there are written records of it only from the 19th century. Presently, it is found only inSantiago, notablyTarrafal, however, there are clues that it existed in all the islands of Cape Verde.[6]
According toCarlos Gonçalves,[7] thebatuque is not a musical genre that originated in the African continent. It may be an adaptation of some African dance that later has developed its own characteristics in Cape Verde.
The Portuguese administration and the Church have always been hostile to thebatuque, because it was considered “African”, but during the policy ofEstado Novo this hostility was stronger. Thebatuque has even been forbidden in urban centers and it was a dying musical genre from the 1950s.
After independence there has been an interest in the revival of some musical genres. It was in the nineties that thebatuque experienced a true rebirth with young composers (such asOrlando Pantera,Tcheka,Vadú) doing research work and giving a new form to thebatuque, now sung by young singers (such asLura,Mayra Andrade,Nancy Vieira).
Batuque is equally important in the development ofjazz creole in the islands, one of the notable group is Raiz Tambarina.[8]
In ancient times thebatuque had a precise social meaning. It was performed in holy days, in certain ceremonial occasions, in feasts, before and during weddings. There are some scholars who speculate that the dance movement of the batuque has a sexual meaning and the goal was to promote the fertility of the bride.
Nowadays, thebatuque has lost its original meaning. It has been transformed in a stage performance,[7] and it is performed in official acts, in parties or it is used by some groups to give an example of Cape Verdean folklore.
