Colá is a musical genre of Cape Verdean music.

As a genre music

As a music genre, colá is characterized by having an ''andante''

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...

, a 6/8 or 3/4 measure and traditionally it is just

melodic A melody (), also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of pitch and rhythm, while more figuratively, the term c ...

, i.e., it is just sung, it has no

polyphonic Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice ( monophony) or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords ...

accompaniment. In its traditional form, it is structured like a chain of (songs or recitals). Today, cola has been composed in another form by recent composers.

As a dance

As a dance, colá is traditionally celebrated in a street parade.

History

Little is known about the history of colá. This music genre is the most popular in the Barlavento Islands (which were later populated), one source stated that it was developed around the 17th century. However, it is known with other affinities with more popular genres of Santiago Island, along with

batuque Batuque may refer to: * Batuque (Brazil), various Afro-Brazilian practices, including music, dance, combat game and religion * Batuque (Cape Verde), a Cape Verdean music and dance genre * Batuque (manga), a Japanese manga series * Batuque (religio ...

and tabanka.

As a cultural festival

The music style is featured in religious music festivals in Cape Verde which occurs in the months of May of June. The objective would be having a good agriculture, celebrated before the rainy season. According to Félix Monteiro, the word ''kolâ'' is of African origin (

Mandinka Mandinka, Mandika, Mandinkha, Mandinko, or Mandingo may refer to: Media * Mandingo (novel), ''Mandingo'' (novel), a bestselling novel published in 1957 * Mandingo (film), ''Mandingo'' (film), a 1975 film based on the eponymous 1957 novel * ''Man ...

) meaning "to acclaim, praise aloud, homage" According to the dates, colá music is best known for religious festivals, according to their patron saint of an area or the island. In Santo Antão "cola-se", the festival of Santa Cruz (Holy Cross) on May 3 in the areas of Coculi and Chã das Pedras, Saint Anthony (Santo António) on June 13 in Pombas, Saint John the Baptist (São João Batista) on June 24 in

Porto Novo , , ; ; ; also known as Hogbonu and Ajashe) is the capital and second-largest city of Benin. The commune covers an area of and as of 2002 had a population of 223,552 people. In 1863, following British bombardment, Porto-Novo accepted French ...

and Saint Peter the Apostle (São Pedro Apóstolo) on June 29 in

Garça Garça is a town located in the west-central part of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The population is 44,409 (2020 est.) in an area of 556 km2. Established on October 4, 1924, it was one of the cities that had been part of the coffee circle ...

. On the island of São Vicente, the festival of Santa Cruz in

Salamansa Salamansa is a village in the northeastern part of the island of Sao Vicente, Cape Verde. It is situated on the north coast, approximately 5 km northeast of the city centre of Mindelo. In 2010 its population was 1,179. Salamansa is a fishin ...

, Saint John the Baptist (São João Batista) in

Ribeira de Julião Ribeira, Portuguese and Galician for ''stream'' or ''riverside'', may refer to the following places: Brazil *Ribeira, São Paulo, a city in the state of São Paulo, Brazil *Ribeira, Rio de Janeiro, a neighborhood in the municipality of Rio de ...

and Saint Peter in São Pedro. In São Nicolau, it is used during the festivals of Saint Peter (São Pedro) and São Pedrinho. On the island of Sal, it is used for the festivals of the Holy Cross (Santa Cruz) and Saint John (São João) in

Espargos Espargos (Portuguese language, Portuguese for "asparagus") is the capital and main commercial centre of the island and municipality of Sal, Cape Verde, Sal, Cape Verde. The cityFundo das Figueiras and all of the island of Brava (patron saint of the island), in which is known as ''kulinha'' or kolâ San Djan.

Fogo tabanka

Musically related with colá, this cultural music genre is known as colêxa (or kolexa) or Fogo tabanka (also as Fogo tabanca, Portuguese: ''Tabanka do Fogo'', ''Tabanca do Fogo''), on the island with the same name. Kolexa rhythm

This variant is used each year in a religious and municipal festival of Festa da Bandeira, which celebrates its saint, it is celebrated each year on May 1 in the city of São Filipe whose patron saint is Saint Philip.

Examples

* «Sanjon na R’bêra d’ Jilion», traditional
Arranged by Franck Cavaquim no álbum «Sanjon na R’bêra d’ Jilion » (ed. ? — 1976) * «Midj’ má tambor» by Kiki Lima
Performed by Kiki Lima on the album «Midj’ má tambor» (ed. ? — 1980?) * «Tema para dois» by Zeca Couto
Performed by Os Tubarões on the album «Tema para dois» (ed. ? — 1982) * «Romaria» by Toy Vieira
Performed by Lura on the album «M’ bem di fora» (ed. ? — 2006) * «Rogá mar» by Teófilo Chantre
Performed by

Cesária Évora Cesária Évora GCIH (; 27 August 194117 December 2011) was a Cape Verdean singer known for singing morna, a genre of music from Cape Verde, in her native Cape Verdean Creole. Her songs were often devoted to themes of love, homesickness, nos ...

on the album « Rogá mar» (ed. Lusáfrica, Paris – 2006)

References

External links

Brief Notes on the Musical Forms in Cape Verde
(pdf)
Music and Cape Verdeans in Lisbon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cola Music of Cape Verde Culture of São Vicente, Cape Verde