[Listening extract, audio available. See printed QP for questions.] In West African vocal music, a solo singer delivers a phrase and a group responds. This ...
Question 1 Report
[Listening extract, audio available. See printed QP for questions.]
In West African vocal music, a solo singer delivers a phrase and a group responds. This alternating pattern continues throughout.
What term describes this performance technique? [1]
[Total: 1 mark]
Answer Details
The correct answer is call and response. [1]
Call and response is a performance technique in which a solo voice (the "caller" or lead singer) delivers a musical phrase, and a group (the chorus or congregation) answers with a responding phrase. This alternation between soloist and group continues throughout the piece, sometimes with the call varying while the response remains fixed, or both parts evolving as the performance develops. Call and response is a fundamental feature of West African vocal and instrumental music and has influenced many other traditions worldwide, including gospel, blues, jazz, and soul. In West African contexts, it serves communal and social functions, encouraging group participation and maintaining a dialogue between leader and community. The technique can also appear in purely instrumental music, where one instrument or group of instruments "calls" and another "responds."
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