Do you enjoy music? In this activity we will explore a style of music called 'call and response'. This style was used to create work songs and sea shanties! We will try and create our own sea shanty today.
Music with a purpose
Can you think of any music with a purpose, that is, a song with any sort of advice or instructions to do something?
Why might someone choose to sing instructions instead of writing them down?
Music and song can be a fun and memorable of passing on information especially when it’s attached to a dance or tune; it can also make a boring task into a fun group activity by almost making the task into it’s own song!
This image from the collection shows text and illustrations to a sea shanty 'A Yankey ship came down the river'.
How does this relate to African culture and music?
The continent of Africa is made up of many different regions and nations. Each of these places have their own musical traditions and styles. Some places use music to share news, tell stories or teach. Some music stretches back generations.
Call and response is one form of music that has roots in the continent of Africa. Here, one person sings a line of a song, and this is repeated by the rest of the group. Perhaps you know a song like this?
Music, like people, has always travelled whether through a family, community, country, even crossing the world. When people travel, they take their music with them. This is especially true for people who travel for their jobs like sailors and people with things to sell.
Work Songs on Land and Sea from Africa
Have a look at these farmers and fishermen as they work together. Can you join in the rhythm clapping your hands or stamping your feet?
These are all work songs passed down through oral tradition (passed on by mouth).
Why not try this one? It is a song from the Iteso people of Uganda, East Africa.
Leader: Adulaye adula!
Group: Adulaye adula!
Odula means 'granary'. A granary is a building for storing food. 'Adula' is a play on words'.
Work songs at sea in British history
Have a listen to another type of work song sung in another part the world.
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Do you notice any similarities with the songs from across Africa?
Something in common?
Do you think that some music is just the same across the world? What about the chance that these African traditions and European ones crossed and sea shanties could have been inspired by African work songs?
Take a look at a map and consider the Atlantic Ocean not as a big empty space, but a mixing pot of many people from the land surrounding it.
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Remember that many British ships were travelling across the Atlantic from Britain, to Africa and to the Caribbean, back to Britain again during the 1800s when sea shanties became very popular.
Sea work songs were popular on boats carrying cotton (from the Caribbean and America) and tea. This is a time when many people were being taken from Africa to work in America, South America and the Caribbean and it is possible the sailors were inspired by African and Caribbean work songs they saw and brought them back home when they reached land.
Some of the most famous sea shanties sing about sailing around Africa and experiences with African people.
In Unison!
Let’s bring it all together- inspired by the Sukuma people’s famous work song style, we’ll be adding some African inspired percussion to a well known English sea shanty.
In Zimbabwe, there is a musical instrument called a hosho. The hosho are created using maranka gourds with seeds. They make noise when you shake them.
Can you find or make something that can be used as a shaker to play along to this sea shanty?
Can you create your own shanty?
Perhaps there is a task you need to do that could be made easier by singing the instructions?
Could you come up with a couple of lines to describe the task?
For example: Row, row, row the boat,
Gently up the stream
You could also have a go singing being the Caller (or Shantyman) and then the responder.
Share your sea shanties with us on social media!