Art Music by Caribbean Composers: Bahamas

Abstract

The cultural identity of the Bahamas owes much to its West African and British colonial heritages and to its physical proximity to the United States. A combination of African and European elements - rhyming spirituals, anthems, rushin' music at watch-night services, wake and setting-up songs; ringplays, fire dance, jump-in-dance, quadrille music (rake-‘n’-scrape music), goombay, and junkanoo - can be seen in musical traditions throughout the Caribbean, including art music.