Music of the Solomon Islands
Encyclopedia
The music of the Solomon Islands
has received international attention since before the country became independent from the United Kingdom
in 1978.
and Guadalcanal
use up to ten performers with different instrument, each with unique tunings.
husks. After American soldiers brought their sandals to the Solomon Islands, these replaced coconut husks by the early 1960s, just as the music began spreading to Papua New Guinea
.
In the 1950s, Edwin Nanau Sitori
composed the song "Walkabout long Chinatown
", which was to become popular throughout the Pacific, and has been referred to by the government as the unofficial "national song" of the Solomon Islands.
In 1969/1970, ethnomusicologist Hugo Zemp recorded a number of local songs which were released on an LP in 1973, as a part of the UNESCO
Musical Sources
collection. One of the songs, a lullaby named "Rorogwela", sung by Afunakwa, a Northern Malaita
woman, was used as a vocal sample in a 1992 single "Sweet Lullaby
" by the French
electronica
duo Deep Forest
, becoming a worldwide hit, but also causing some controversy over perceived "pillaging" of the world music heritage by Western musicians. A lesser-known use of the song is in the track "Death Lullaby" by Rorogwela. The artist (whose identity is not certain) obviously took the name from the sample used. As opposed to Deep Forest's track, "Death Lullaby" is a harsh noise song with elements of "Rorogwela" used towards the end. The track appears on EXTREME MUSIC FROM AFRICA (Susan Lawly).
The lyrics to Rorogwela translate to:
Young brother, young brother, be quiet You are crying, but our father has left us He has gone to the place of the dead To protect the living, to protect the orphan child
Modern Solomon Islander popular music includes various kinds of rock and reggae
as well as something known as island music, a guitar and ukulele ensemble format influenced by Polynesian and Christian music.
Traditional Melanesian choir singing features heavily in the soundtrack of the film The Thin Red Line
, which is set against the backdrop of the Battle for Guadalcanal
.
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
has received international attention since before the country became independent from the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1978.
Folk music
Traditional Melanesian music in the Solomon Islands includes both group and solo vocals, slit-drum and panpipe ensembles. Panpipe orchestras, which are well-known on MalaitaMalaita
Malaita is the largest island of the Malaita Province in the Solomon Islands. A tropical and mountainous island, Malaita's pristine river systems and tropical forests have not been exploited. Malaita is the most populous island of the Solomon Islands, with 140,000 people or more than a third of the...
and Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
use up to ten performers with different instrument, each with unique tunings.
Popular music
In the 1920s bamboo music gained a following in several countries. Bamboo music was made by hitting open-ended bamboo tubes of varying sizes, originally with coconutCoconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
husks. After American soldiers brought their sandals to the Solomon Islands, these replaced coconut husks by the early 1960s, just as the music began spreading to Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
.
In the 1950s, Edwin Nanau Sitori
Edwin Nanau Sitori
Edwin Nanau Sitori, also known as Eddie Sitori , is a Solomon Islands former amateur composer and singer, best known for composing the country's unofficial "national song", "Walkabout long Chinatown"....
composed the song "Walkabout long Chinatown
Walkabout long Chinatown
"Walkabout long Chinatown" is a "popular folksong" from Solomon Islands...
", which was to become popular throughout the Pacific, and has been referred to by the government as the unofficial "national song" of the Solomon Islands.
In 1969/1970, ethnomusicologist Hugo Zemp recorded a number of local songs which were released on an LP in 1973, as a part of the UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
Musical Sources
Musical Sources
Musical Sources is a series of recordings of traditional music that was made for the International Music Council by the International Institute for Comparative Music Studies and Documentation and released on the Philips label. Most of these recordings were later reissued on the Auvidis label. ...
collection. One of the songs, a lullaby named "Rorogwela", sung by Afunakwa, a Northern Malaita
Malaita
Malaita is the largest island of the Malaita Province in the Solomon Islands. A tropical and mountainous island, Malaita's pristine river systems and tropical forests have not been exploited. Malaita is the most populous island of the Solomon Islands, with 140,000 people or more than a third of the...
woman, was used as a vocal sample in a 1992 single "Sweet Lullaby
Sweet Lullaby
"Sweet Lullaby" is a world music/ethnic electronica song by Deep Forest which originally appeared on their eponymous album. The song gained popularity in 1992 and 1993 where it was released as a single, becoming a top 30 hit in many European and Oceanian countries...
" by the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
duo Deep Forest
Deep Forest
Deep Forest is a musical group consisting of two French musicians, Michel Sanchez and Eric Mouquet. They compose a style of world music, sometimes called ethnic electronica, mixing ethnic with electronic sounds and dance beats or chillout beats...
, becoming a worldwide hit, but also causing some controversy over perceived "pillaging" of the world music heritage by Western musicians. A lesser-known use of the song is in the track "Death Lullaby" by Rorogwela. The artist (whose identity is not certain) obviously took the name from the sample used. As opposed to Deep Forest's track, "Death Lullaby" is a harsh noise song with elements of "Rorogwela" used towards the end. The track appears on EXTREME MUSIC FROM AFRICA (Susan Lawly).
The lyrics to Rorogwela translate to:
Young brother, young brother, be quiet You are crying, but our father has left us He has gone to the place of the dead To protect the living, to protect the orphan child
Modern Solomon Islander popular music includes various kinds of rock and reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
as well as something known as island music, a guitar and ukulele ensemble format influenced by Polynesian and Christian music.
Traditional Melanesian choir singing features heavily in the soundtrack of the film The Thin Red Line
The Thin Red Line (1998 film)
The Thin Red Line is a 1998 American war film which tells a fictional story of United States forces during the Battle of Mount Austen in World War II. It portrays men in: C Company, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division; in particular those soldiers played by Sean Penn, Jim...
, which is set against the backdrop of the Battle for Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal campaign
The Guadalcanal Campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by Allied forces, was a military campaign fought between August 7, 1942 and February 9, 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific theatre of World War II...
.
Solomon Islander musicians
- Jim Baku
- Solomon Dakei
- Fred Maedola
- SharzySharzySammy Saeni is a musician from Solomon Islands.Sharzy was born on the island of Simbo in the Western Province. His mother is from Simbo and his father from Malaita. His musical career began in 1995 when he joined the 2-4-1 band. He produced his first solo album "Aloha" in 2001, which became an...
- Peter Lui
- Pascal Oritaimae
- Thomson Frank