‘Yiri’ - by Koko FACT SHEET
GCSE Music: AoS4 World
African Music in Society -
African music has a major impact on the rest of the world because many of its features spread via the slave trade.
-
A lot of music in Africa is performed by professionals. Families of griots (praise singers) were attached to tribes and would perform at important events.
-
Drums have special significance in Africa. They don’t play the instrument – they ‘teach it to speak’.
-
The vocal inflections can be imitated by the talking drum to communicate.
-
Music is nearly always part of any social gathering.
-
Music is combined with speech, dance and vibrant costumes to produce exciting and dramatic performances.
-
Music is frequently linked to movement which is regarded as an important mode of communication, as important as the music itself.
-
Music is learnt and passed on through oral tradition/orally.
-
Music falls generally into three strands, drums, choral (singing) and instrumental music.
The set work is made of 3 main strands: up
Yiri by Koko
1) Balafon ostinati
-
Koko are a group of 6 musicians
2) Drum ostinati
-
Koko come from the West African country of Burkina Faso
-
Yiri means wood.
3) Vocal line
Djembe
Balafon
Talking drum
Bell
Structure • • • • • •
1. Solo balafon improvisation 2. Solo balafon ostinato 3. 2nd Balfon enters 4. Drums enter and there is a prominent 1 quaver, 2semi-quavers beat 5. Vocals enter in unison - Chorus 6. Changes between Call & Response vocal sections and balafon breaks (there are some vocal solos and improvisations)
• 7. During the final section (the coda) the balafons and drums keep pausing. The piece ends with a bell.