Call and response (music)

Call and response is a musical pattern on the call (call) a cantor and the subsequent response (response) of the choir is based. This kurzphasige responsory is true in much of the musicological literature as a characteristic musical feature traditional African music, is also " as a formative principle to basic design elements of Afro-American music. " This principle was in North and Latin America in a variety of African-American music genres from vocal transferred to instrumental music, such as on drums in Brazilian music.

Classical view

In North America, call-and - response principle is typical of spirituals, gospel, blues and jazz and has come on the rhythm 'n' blues in other music genres. Its origins are here in the Afro-American Work Songs ( work songs ), who sang native of Africa slaves working in the fields to the work to facilitate and strengthen the sense of community. A cantor was before the melody and the text, several Nachsänger responded or repeated text and melody of the previous phrase. An example of a song that contains this element, is the song "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot ".

A first solo carried forward call formulates a structure that is often designed more open and questioning. It is then carried out by the group (or an individual ) the final response, consistency, etc., that ends the phrase with the response. In the religious singing of the preacher and the congregation sings is true then, for example, the preacher sings " Witness" and the congregation joins in: " for my Lord ." In contrast to the antiphonal singing of Gregorian chant of the choir falls, before the cantor has ended; even when changing the chorus to the song leader, there is a corresponding phase shift.

Call and response is also used as a design element in the African-American instrumental music. In jazz, for example, it sometimes comes to the interplay between two instruments that have taken the lead of the musical piece in a moment, and cause a kind of conversation with each other, which usually requires the end of the " exclamation " one of the two instruments for an answer, often with a leading tone or the voltage of the second -resolution sound ends. Even in the abstract game forms of free jazz is the call-and - response principle a common means of musical design. So this principle is found in the collective interaction of two or more instruments often use to produce a certain density and voltage.

According to the principle of call and response, the votes in the two-part instrumental movement can lead accordingly; Most topics are constructed so that they are shared between two melody instruments. Also, developing and playing riffs builds on this. Used efficiently gives this interplay the piece a special intensity.

Critique of African origin assertion

In the African -American working group to the ethnomusicologist Alfonso M. duration a critique of the idea was developed that this musical principle has been transferred from the Music of Black Africa in the Afro-American music. It was pointed out that the cases where it is really going to make a call and the answer in the songs and their lyrics, rarely emerging to subsequently call this design form; Moreover, whether from the previous Jazz Research the antiphon ( in which two choirs alternately recite the same tune ) have not been clearly distinguished from the actual responsory. In particular, Maximilian Hendler has shown that this reputation - response pattern not only comes from Africa, but around the Mediterranean is common and beyond takes place in work songs.