|
|
Article: The Big Drum Ritual of Carriacou: Praisesongs in Rememory of Flight. (Reviews).
- Article from:
- Latin American Music Review
- Article date:
- March 22, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 University of Texas at Austin (University of Texas Press). This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
MCDANIEL, LORNA. The Big Drum Ritual of Carriacou: Praisesongs in Rememory of Flight. Gainesville, Fl.: University Press of Florida, 1998. 198 pp., bibliography, notes, appendices, index. $39.95 (hardback).
The inspiration for this work (as well as many of its chapter titles) is taken from Paule Marshall's outstanding novel, Praisesong for the Widow. Marshall's novel also provided McDaniel with a useful and appropriate jumping-off point for her detailed analysis of Big Drum. Throughout her analysis, the author traces the impact of music on the collective memories of Caribbean peoples. She convincingly argues that Big Drum songs offer a body of social evidence ...