The African American Composers and Performers of Art Song: Stage 1 Foundation
African Praise Song Development of musical traditions from West and Central African areas now known as Angola, Benin, Cameroon, the Congo, Gabon, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, Zaire ... performed by people from the nations and cultures of the Akan, Ashanti, Bakongo, Babara, Bantu, Baoule, Fanti, Fon, Fula/Fulani, Igbo, Jolof (Wolof), Malimbo, Malinke and Mandingo. The various African musical traditions contain many of the components of performance that have been identified as integral to the Black Aesthetic, including
- Call and response structure
- Group expression
- Improvisation
- Rhythmic complexity
- Downward flowing melodic lines
- Use of percussion
- Blending of music and movement
- Use of harmonic, pitch and timbre flexibility
