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Music plays an important part in Malagasy people's life. One Malagasy proverb says that if you do your work with music, it will be completed in a flash. So, we always mingle everything we do with music. In Madagascar, cab drivers play music all the time in their cab, kids who frolic in the backyard habitually sing and dance together, men and women in the rice field used to finish their labor with songs, people who work in the office listen regularly to music while working, and so on and so forth.
Music is everywhere. You can always catch a mixed bag of joyful music in the very heart of Antananarivo as well as in the midst of Horombe desert, thanks to thousands of exuberant rhythms that exist all over the Island. In general, musics from provinces other than Antananarivo have fast rhythms, whereas the ones from the capital are relatively cool.
What I describe below are just two types of Malagasy musics. For more information about the others, please refer to the suggested links at the bottom of this page.
Salegy
It is the most popular music from Madagascar. It comes from the northern region of the Island--Antsiranana, Mahajanga, Nosy Be--in which the Sakalava and Antakarana tribes live. Salegy has vivacious rhythm that makes it totally uplifting. Afropop worldwide describes it as a rich, harmonized vocals and chiming guitar lines locked, restless, animated 12/8 rhythms.
As a Malagasy folk music, salegy was traditionally played during moonlight festivities with homemade instruments. Now, scores of artists play it with modern instruments like guitar, drums, keyboard, bass, etc.
If you attend a soirée in Madagascar, or go to any pub or night club, you'll always hear some salegy music. It was first recorded in the 1950s and has been improved and exported since then. There exist today countless first-class locally made and International salegy CD records.
Famous bands that play salegy include Jaojoby--the King of salegy, Mily Clément, Ninie, lego, Din Rotsaka, and Tianjama just to name a few.
Horija
Horija originated among the Betsileo tribe of Fianarantsoa. The music is called horija, whereas the kind of dance that goes with horija is known as kidodo--pronounced kidood. It was traditionally played by the mpiarakandro--the men who watch zebu cattle--without instrument. Although numerous bands play it now with modern instruments, there exist some prominent artists that keep on using typical Malagasy ones like kabosy, korintsana, and jejy voatavo.
The lyrics which accompany the music play a major role in horija since it's a rhapsodic type of music that conveys a sense of joy, sadness, or nostalgia. It also narrates historical or folk tales replete with Malagasy proverbs, making it a source of muse backed by melody.
Horija always has breezy rhythm whether it expresses joy or sadness. This music has not yet achieved international fame like salegy. Nevertheless, you can find some sterling CD records of horija on the market.
Famous bands that play horija include, among others, Senge, Tsivahiny, Jean Emilien, and Niraina.
Music Samples
Below are two samples of Malagasy music in mp3 file format. Check also these video clips (taken from YouTube). Enjoy!
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Likegnana [ MP3 ] (Sample 634 KB)
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Namana [ MP3 ] (Full Length 5 MB)
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Lyric (Sample)
Band: Senge
Album Title: Fatedra
Year: 2003
Type: Horija
Instruments: Kabosy and korintsana
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Lyric (Complete)
Band: Tsiakoraka
Album Title: Namana
Year: 2001
Type: Folk Song
Instruments: Guitar and drums
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Special Thanks
I would like to give a very special thanks to the Tsiakoraka band for generously allowing me to post their marvelous song on Tranofalafa. Thank you guys!
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A Kabosy Player