African Musical Symbolism In Contemporary Perspective - Saoas.org

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Theme Three: Hidden Space – Syncopation and Swing
In addition to its relativistic array of staggered rhythms each
with its own starting and endpoint, another aspect of African
music is its utilisation of rhythmic silence. Two analogies might
help here.
Weaving provides a very simple one if the individual subrhythmic
strands of music are compared to threads of cloth.
Cross-rhythms are like the cross-webbed threads of the fabric
that, if one looks closely enough, are full of gaps between the
webbing. The following Figure illustrates this analogy.
Figure 11: Enmeshed space within criss-crossing threads of cloth or strands
of rhythm
The second example is the three dimensional one of the
architect who uses stone, metal, glass and wood to construct a
building, whose main purpose is, of course, to create living and
working room. Similarly the African musician uses polyrhythmic
structures to create sonic space. Continuing in this architectural
vein, African sub-rhythms can also be equated to scaffolding; for
both are intersecting strands of sound or steel that envelope
acoustic or physical space.
Continuing this analogy, European art musicians can be
compared to builders who construct massively intricate edifices