Wabap (or simply Biguine Wabap) is a subgenre of
biguine
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 steps.
History
Two ...
, a
Caribbean music style.
Etymology
The name derives from the traditional refrain ''wiz-zap wabap'' sung by sugarcane cutters.
History
According to Al Lirvat, the term was coined by Nelly Lunflas, a revue leader at
La Canne à Sucre. The first wabap recordings were made in 1952 by Al Lirvat and
Robert Mavounzy. In 1954, a piece by Lirvat sung by
Moune de Rivel was titled Biguine Wabap.
Musical Characteristics
Wabap incorporates into biguine a number of
assonance
Assonance is the repetition of identical or similar phonemes in words or syllables that occur close together, either in terms of their vowel phonemes (e.g., ''lean green meat'') or their consonant phonemes (e.g., ''Kip keeps capes ''). However, in ...
s and
dissonances, altered chords, and complex rhythms in five, six, and seven beats.
[Jacques Denis, in ''Vibrations'', reproduced on th]
Frémeaux & Associés website
/ref> Banjo disappeared in Wabap and it was replaced by Guitar.
References
Caribbean music genres
{{music-genre-stub