Creolization in Caribbean Music - English

 In chapter 2 of "Tour de Force: A Musical Journey of the Caribbean", there were several examples of the creolization theme but let’s look at one from Trinidad and Tobago. The musical genre we are looking at is calypso. Calypso style music, according to the book is a “vehicle for social protest”. When listening to calypso music, it’s important to do just that. Listen! Really take in the lyrics because they are usually controversial or satirical. There have been many times when I was listening to calypso music and have had a good laugh or resonated with an opinion or life lesson because of the lyrics. Calypso came to be because enslaved Africans were forbidden from playing drums and other instruments. As well as they weren’t allowed to gather, so these people found another means of communicating, often to make fun of slave masters, and a very entertaining way might I add. And thus, calypso was born.
    Calypso music evolved from a blend of French, English, Spanish and African music. Calypso singers originally sang in French creole but over time switched over to English. As mentioned before, calypso music has a bit of a storytelling element to it and this is usually carried out by the lead singer known as a griot (MasterClass, 2020). This fun music style would sometimes also have a call-and-response element followed by a syncopated rhythm. You might be wondering what calypso music sounds like, so some common instruments are the steel pan, drum, bass and electric guitars, trumpets and trombones. Here is a photo of a calypso band:
 

   
    Here is a video of the famous artist Calypso Rose. I chose this video because women were 

often underrepresented in the music industry and Calypso Rose was the first female 

calypsonian. The song is very catchy and I like how in the video she showed flashbacks of her 

past performances. For persons like me who have never been introduced to Calypso Rose 

before, I liked seeing how free and lively she was when she was on stage. I also really enjoyed 

the message of the song. It shed light on how persons want to take Calypso Rose down and 

speak ill on her but she already conquered all that she set out to do and nobody could ever take 

that from her.



Another musical genre that falls under the theme of creolization in the book "Tour de Force: A Musical Journey of the Caribbean" is quelbe music from the United States Virgin Islands. This genre music is a local version of the 18th century quadrille music. Quelbe music is a mix of African rhythms and the sound of Danish and British military bands. Quelbe bands are also known as scratch bands because although today their instruments are modernized, most of them back then were handmade or “made from scratch”. Some of these instruments include bamboo flutes, drums from barrels, a banjo made from sardine cans and a bass line made from a car exhaust pipe. I think this is incredible and really shows just how much talent those people had. Here is a photo of a scratch band:

 

Scratch band photo taken from https://oldtowncrier.com/2018/07/01/come-to-de-islands-mon/

Quelbe music tell stories. Stories or events of things taking place in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Slaves that worked on the sugar plantations used this type of music to share jokes and news, just as the slaves in Trinidad did with calypso. It is interesting how lots of Caribbean music seems to be stemming from this same reasoning. Slaves needed to communicate even though it was forbidden and music seemed to be the easiest and most entertaining way to do so.

Here is a video of quelbe music being played. I chose this video because not only do you hear the music in the background but also, you learn how to play the instruments and you observe the quadrille dance that accompanies it.



Creolization is not only seen in the musical scene, but also the culinary scene. One example is a really popular Trinidadian street food known as doubles. It is a dish made of curried chickpeas in between two flatbreads. Here is a photo of the dish:


 Photo of doubles taken from https://www.foodandwine.com/news/doubles-fried-caribbean-secret-you-should-know-about

Trinidad is an Indo-Caribbean country so many of its cuisines have that flair. Many Indian dishes are made with curry and the country itself has the largest vegetarian population in the world, with about 30% of its population being vegetarian (After India These Countries Have Most Vegetarian Population, 2022). So you can definitely see where that side of Trinidad comes out. As an aspiring foodie, I’ve had the pleasure of trying doubles once, and let me just say that they tasted ten times better than they look, and they look amazing! The doubles were a bit messy to eat with all of the sauces dripping but it was all a part of the Indo-Caribbean experience. The bread was ever so soft and the curry was extremely flavorful. Below is a video of a local restaurant owner in Trinidad. He is displaying his unique twist on doubles and that is why I chose this video. Watching it had my mouth watering because of all the different toppings and I was ready to book a flight all the way to Trinidad just to go to this restaurant.

 



References

After India these countries have most vegetarian population. (2022, June 4). Ground Report. https://groundreport.in/after-india-these-countries-have-most-vegetarian-population/

Calypso Band with Steel Drums. (2019, December 12). Dreamstime.com. https://www.dreamstime.com/diversity-people-music-cultural-sounds-calypso-band-calypso-band-steel-drums-image166311465

Come To De Islands Mon! (2018, June 29). Old Town Crier. https://oldtowncrier.com/2018/07/01/come-to-de-islands-mon/

Doubles: A Fried Caribbean Secret You Should Know About. (2022, September 26). Food & Wine. https://www.foodandwine.com/news/doubles-fried-caribbean-secret-you-should-know-about

MasterClass. (2020, December 10). Calypso Music Guide: A Brief History of Calypso Music - 2023. MasterClass. https://www.masterclass.com/articles/calypso-music-guide

Quelbe - Popular Caribbean Music Styles. (n.d.). https://www.sites.google.com/site/popularcaribbeanmusicstyles/home/quelbe

Quelbe Music of the Virgin Islands. (2023, January 3). Moon Travel Guides. https://www.moon.com/travel/arts-culture/quelbe-music-virgin-islands/


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