Indo-Caribbean music is the musical traditions of the

Indo-Caribbean Indo-Caribbeans or Indian-Caribbeans are Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin, Indian people in the Caribbean who are descendants of the Girmityas, Jahaji Indian indenture system, Indian indentured laborers brought by the United Kingdom ...

people of the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean ...

music area. Indo-Caribbean music is most common in

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispa ...

, and

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the nor ...

. Indo-Caribbean traditional music often reflects the

Bhojpuri Bhojpuri (;Bhojpuri entry, Oxford Dictionaries
, Oxford U ...

heritage of many Indo-Caribbeans; women's folk songs are especially reflective of the music of Bhojpur. These include folk songs for

childbirth Childbirth, also known as labour and delivery, is the ending of pregnancy where one or more babies exits the internal environment of the mother via vaginal delivery or caesarean section. In 2019, there were about 140.11 million births glob ...

(''sohar''), humorous and light-hearted songs for a bride's family to insult the groom's (''gali''), funereal songs (''nirgun'') and ''matkor''. Other women's folk songs are seasonal and are performed at festivals like the '' phagwah'' and ''holi''. Instrumentation consists mostly of the '' dhantal'', a metal rod and claper, and the ''

dholak The ''dholak'' is a two-headed hand drum, a folk percussion instrument. The instrument is about 45 cm in length and 27 cm in breadth and is widely used in '' qawwali'', '' kirtan'', ''lavani'' and '' bhangra''. The drum has two differ ...

'', a two-headed

barrel drum Barrel drums are a class of membranophone, or drum, characterized by a barrel-shape with a bulge in the middle. They are often one-headed and open at the bottom. Examples include the Vietnamese ''trong chau'' and the ''bendre'' of the Mossi of Bur ...

. Traditional Hindu

bhajan Bhajan refers to any devotional song with a religious theme or spiritual ideas, specifically among Indian religions, in any language. The term bhajanam ( Sanskrit: भजनम्) means ''reverence'' and originates from the root word ''bhaj'' ...

s are also common. Modern Indo-Caribbean traditions include the seasonal, responsorial men's form, the '' chowtal'', and a vocal song form called '' taan-singing'', performed by a single male vocalist accompanied by his own ''

harmonium The pump organ is a type of free-reed organ that generates sound as air flows past a vibrating piece of thin metal in a frame. The piece of metal is called a reed. Specific types of pump organ include the reed organ, harmonium, and melodeon. Th ...

'' and further accompaniment by the ''dholak'' and ''dhantal''. '' Tassa'' drumming is also common. Indo-Caribbean contributions to popular music are very important. The most well-known is the Indo-Trinidadian '' chutney music'' tradition. Chutney is a form of popular dance music that developed in the mid-to late 20th century. Baithak Gana is a similar popular form originating in

. Modern Indian film music, ''

filmi Filmi ("of films") music soundtracks are music produced for India's mainstream motion picture industry and written and performed for Indian cinema. In cinema, music directors make up the main body of composers; the songs are performed by playba ...

'', is also renowned among Indo-Caribbeans.

References

* {{cite book, title=Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, chapter=Indo-Caribbean Music, first=Peter, last=Manuel, pages=813–818, publisher=Garland Publishing, location=New York and London, year=2001, isbn=0-8240-6040-7

See also

References

Further reading