Jamaican Folk Music - A Synthesis of Many Cultures

This first in-depth study of the entire genre of Jamaican folk music illustrates the effect that acculturation has had. It contains nearly 200 musical examples, the majority of which are Jamaican, with some British and West African to illustrate comparative points made in the text. It is the largest comprehensive collection of Jamaican folk music covering all categories of the genre. An appraisal of the multifarious races which constitute the population of Jamaica enable comparisons to be made between the music contained in each of the categories with the ethnic musics of the peoples who make up the population. The study disagrees with several previously accepted prognoses, which were based on small samples in individual genres. In addition to the ethnic analysis, this study includes the categories of play, work, and religion.