Morna
- Dance
- Music
Realistically, the origin of the word that gave name to the most universal and idiosyncratic musical genre in Cape Verde is unknown. It has been ascribed to the English language (to mourn), to French (morne), and also to an origin from Martinique (where the word means town). The academic, Vasco Martins, believes it comes from Alentejo, and has a more natural meaning, following the normal sense of the word in Portuguese (in the sense of calm, slow), as occurs with almost all the terminology in Creole. Wherever the term comes from, morna is now universally known, and audiences in many countries of the world have seen shows by Cesária Évora, Tito Paris and other icons of Cape Verdean music, and are able to hum along to the simple, but moving melody of “sodade, sodade…”.
The tenderness expressed by morna is all the more moving with a knowledge of the bitterness of the islands of the Harmattan, but perhaps this is not the case if we consider the human capacity to overcome material difficulties through a strong spirit. In fact, Cape Verdean music, and particularly the morna, are a real comfort and cure for the rigours of life for those “beaten by the wind”, as Manuel Lopes described them.
Generated on the island of Boa Vista from the landum, by transforming it from a two-beat to a four-beat rhythm and progressively introducing minor keys, the morna adopted a great range of themes, putting them into a slower rhythm than previously. It is believed that this is due to the influence of the pauses in rowing among the fishermen on the island. Rabilona is the name of the first well-known morna, which was best known on Boa Vista in Povoação Velha, the first population centre on the island, where Maria Barba sang in her spare time.
The morna was most successful on the island of Brava at the end of the 19th Century and in the first quarter of the 20th Century, and its greatest exponent is still held to be Eugénio Tavares (1861/1930), who infused it with the sentimental colour that so characterises the genre. His music focused on themes of love, of the almost divine beauty of women and of sodade (nostalgic longing) imposed by separation.
Although the morna is close to the heart of Cape Verdeans on all the islands, somehow it has particularly made its home on S. Vicente. It has been enriched by a new approach to accompaniment and tone, as B. Leza (1905/1958) introduced semi-tones under Brazilian influence (the sailors that passed through Mindelo left strong influences), as well as a harmonic enrichment, which gave it the dramatic touch that we know it for, and which so captures the listener. The instruments that bring it to life are made in S. Vicente, and this is the birthplace for many authors (such as Luís Rendall, Manuel de Novas, Bau…) and artists (such as Bana, Cesária Évora, Titina…) who have spread the doleful sound and lament of their message far and wide. Without doubt, this is one of the best known centres for Cape Verdean music.
Realistically, the origin of the word that gave name to the most universal and idiosyncratic musical genre in Cape Verde is unknown. It has been ascribed to the English language (to mourn), to French (morne), and also to an origin from Martinique (where the word means town). The academic, Vasco Martins, believes it comes from Alentejo, and has a more natural meaning, following the normal sense of the word in Portuguese (in the sense of calm, slow), as occurs with almost all the terminology in Creole. Wherever the term comes from, morna is now universally known, and audiences in many countries of the world have seen shows by Cesária Évora, Tito Paris and other icons of Cape Verdean music, and are able to hum along to the simple, but moving melody of “sodade, sodade…”.
The tenderness expressed by morna is all the more moving with a knowledge of the bitterness of the islands of the Harmattan, but perhaps this is not the case if we consider the human capacity to overcome material difficulties through a strong spirit. In fact, Cape Verdean music, and particularly the morna, are a real comfort and cure for the rigours of life for those “beaten by the wind”, as Manuel Lopes described them.
Generated on the island of Boa Vista from the landum, by transforming it from a two-beat to a four-beat rhythm and progressively introducing minor keys, the morna adopted a great range of themes, putting them into a slower rhythm than previously. It is believed that this is due to the influence of the pauses in rowing among the fishermen on the island. Rabilona is the name of the first well-known morna, which was best known on Boa Vista in Povoação Velha, the first population centre on the island, where Maria Barba sang in her spare time.
The morna was most successful on the island of Brava at the end of the 19th Century and in the first quarter of the 20th Century, and its greatest exponent is still held to be Eugénio Tavares (1861/1930), who infused it with the sentimental colour that so characterises the genre. His music focused on themes of love, of the almost divine beauty of women and of sodade (nostalgic longing) imposed by separation.
Although the morna is close to the heart of Cape Verdeans on all the islands, somehow it has particularly made its home on S. Vicente. It has been enriched by a new approach to accompaniment and tone, as B. Leza (1905/1958) introduced semi-tones under Brazilian influence (the sailors that passed through Mindelo left strong influences), as well as a harmonic enrichment, which gave it the dramatic touch that we know it for, and which so captures the listener. The instruments that bring it to life are made in S. Vicente, and this is the birthplace for many authors (such as Luís Rendall, Manuel de Novas, Bau…) and artists (such as Bana, Cesária Évora, Titina…) who have spread the doleful sound and lament of their message far and wide. Without doubt, this is one of the best known centres for Cape Verdean music.
Armando Ferreira - 2011 -
