Twoubadou
| Twoubadou | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | Méringue combined with Cuban guajiro traditions |
| Cultural origins | Early 20th Century, Haiti |
| Typical instruments | |
| Regional scenes | |
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| Music of Haiti | |
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| General topics | |
| Related articles | |
| Genres | |
| Media and performance | |
| Music awards | Haitian Music Award |
| Music festivals | |
| Nationalistic and patriotic songs | |
| National anthem | La Dessalinienne |
| Regional music | |
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Twoubadou (Haitian Creole pronunciation: [twubadu], French: Troubadour) music is a popular genre of guitar-based music from Haiti that has a long and important place in Haitian culture. The word comes from troubadour, a medieval poet-musician who wrote and sang songs about courtly love. Like the troubadours of old, the Haitian twoubadou is a singer-composer who accompanies himself on songs that tell about the bitterness and humor of love, often using risqué or suggestive lyrics.
Twoubadou was developed in the early 20th century. It combined music derived from the guajiro traditions of Cuba, (which is related to the jibaro musical tradition of Puerto Rico) with a Haitian musical style called méringue. Twoubadou was brought back by Haitian migrant laborers who went to work as cutters on sugar plantations in Cuba who traveled back and forth to harvest the seasonal crop at the turn of the century. The instruments in the ensemble are portable, since most twoubadou had to carry all of their possessions back and forth between Haiti and the sugarcane fields abroad. It is characterized by the use of the following acoustic instruments such as an acoustic guitar or two, an accordion, and percussion instruments. It also features a pair of maracas or a graj (scrapper), a tanbou (barrel drum), and a large lamellophone, with three to five keys called manibula, maniba, or malimba, (depending on the geographic region) that provides the sound of a bass guitar. True to the original Spanish troubadours, the music and its lyrics usually conjured up images of true love and lasting relationships.
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