Biguine ( , ; ) is a rhythmic dance and music style that originated from Saint-Pierre, Martinique in the 19th century. It fuses West African traditional music genres, such as Bélé, with 19th-century French

ballroom dance Ballroom dance is a set of European partner dances, which are enjoyed both socially and competitively around the world, mostly because of its performance and entertainment aspects. Ballroom dancing is also widely enjoyed on stage, film, and te ...

steps.

History

Two main types of French antillean biguine can be identified based on the instrumentation in contemporary musical practice, called the ''drum biguine'' and the ''orchestrated biguine''. Each of these refers to characteristics of a specific origin. The drum biguine, or ''bidgin bèlè'' in Creole, comes from a series of bèlè dances performed since early colonial times by the slaves who inhabited the great sugar plantations. Musically, the bidgin bèlè can be distinguished from the orchestrated biguine in the following ways: its instrumentation (cylindrical single-membraned drum (bèlè) and the rhythm sticks ( tibwa); the call-and-response singing style; the soloist's improvisation, and the nasal voice quality. According to a study by Rosemain (1988), the biguine figured in fertility rituals practiced in West Africa, but its ritual significance has since disappeared in Martinique.

Drum biguine, or bidgin bélé

Bidgin bèlè originates in

slave Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

bèlè dances and is characterized by the use of bèlè drums and tibwa rhythm sticks, along with call and response, nasal vocals and improvised instrumental solos. It has its roots in West African dances. The ''bèlè'' is also the name of medium size tambour drum. Players sit astride the drum. It is characterized, in its rhythm, by the " tibwa" (two wooden sticks) played either on a length of bamboo mounted on a stand or on the sides of the tambour bèlè. Added to the tambour bèlè and tibwa are the maracas, more commonly referred to as the ''chacha''. The cinquillo- tresillo is beat out by the tibwa, but it translates very well to the ''chacha'' when the rhythms are applied for playing biguine. The ''tibwa'' rhythm plays a basic pattern and the drum comes to mark the highlights and introduce percussion improvisations.

Orchestrated biguine

By combining the traditional bèlè music with the European dance genres, the black musicians of Martinique created the biguine, which comprises three distinct styles: * the ''biguine de salon'' * the ''biguine de bal'' * the ''biguine de rue''. In the 1930s several biguine artists from Martinique and Guadeloupe moved to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, where they achieved great popularity in Paris, especially in the wake of the colonial exhibition in 1931. Early stars like Alexandre Stellio and Sam Castandet became popular in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. Between the 1930s and 1950s, the dance biguine was popular among the islands' dance orchestras. Its popularity abroad died relatively quickly, but it lasted as a major force in popular music in Martinique and Guadeloupe until Haitian Cadence and Compas music took over in the 1950s. In the later part of the 20th century, biguine musicians like

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

virtuoso Michel Godzom helped revolutionize the genre.

Biguine and jazz of Louisiana

Biguine is one of the ancestors of the musical genre

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

that was created by the Creoles of

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Evolution of biguine

The signature sound of the biguine is the interplay between the clarinet and trombone, both solo and as a duet, which can still be heard today throughout Antilles' music, from the most traditional forms like cadence or the pop sounds of today's Zouk.

Biguine vidé

Biguine vidé is an up tempo version of the biguine rhythm (''tambour'' and ''tibwa''), combining other carnival elements. It is a form of participatory music from

Guadeloupe Guadeloupe is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre Island, Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galant ...

and Martinique, with the bandleader singing a verse and the audience responding. Modern instrumentation includes a variety of improvised drums made from containers of all kinds, plastic plumbing,

bell A bell /ˈbɛl/ () is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be m ...

s, tanbou débonda, chacha bèlè, tibwa and bèlè drums. The fast pace of the carnival-associated biguine provided the rhythmic basis for zouk béton ("hard" zouk), which is reserved for individual jump up.

Selected recordings

* ''Celestin roi diable'' – Alexandre Kindou (1932) * ''Oué oué oué oué'' – Alexandre Stellio (1931)

References

{{Authority control 20th-century music genres Music of Martinique Music of Guadeloupe French styles of music Caribbean music genres Polka derivatives