Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors.
Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker.

Responsive image

Sebene

Franco Luambo is often credited for popularizing and revolutionizing sebene.[1]

Sebene, also spelled seben, is an instrumental section commonly played in Congolese rumba.[2][3] It is usually played towards the end of the song and is the dancing section where the lead and rhythm guitars take the lead in the dance.[4][5][6][7] It is characterized by the repetition of a specific number of notes during the passage of second chords: one major chord and one-seventh chord, which gives rise to the Lingala derivation "sebene", derived from the English numeral "seven" or its ordinal rendition.[8]

Guitarists use a combination of lead and rhythm guitar to produce a distinct sound that is accompanied by vocalists, including an atalaku who energetically engages the audience and may call out to sponsors.[9][10][11] The use of arpeggios, rapid chord changes, atalaku, and melodic embellishments is extensive in sebene and gives Congolese rumba a dynamic and energetic rhythm.[9][10][11]

  1. ^ White, Bob W. (27 June 2008). Rumba Rules: The Politics of Dance Music in Mobutu's Zaire. Durham, North Carolina, United States: Duke University Press. pp. 56–59. ISBN 978-0-8223-4112-3.
  2. ^ Ellingham, Mark; Trillo, Richard; Broughton, Simon, eds. (1999). World Music: Africa, Europe and the Middle East. London, England, United States: Rough Guides. p. 460. ISBN 978-1-85828-635-8.
  3. ^ Clark, Duncan Antony; Lusk, Jon; Ellingham, Mark; Broughton, Simon, eds. (2006). The Rough Guide to World Music: Africa & Middle East. London, England, United Kingdom: Rough Guides. p. 77. ISBN 978-1-84353-551-5.
  4. ^ Coelho, Victor, ed. (10 July 2003). The Cambridge Companion to the Guitar. Cambridge, England, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. p. 57. ISBN 978-0-521-00040-6.
  5. ^ Salawu, Abiodun; Fadipe, Israel A., eds. (31 May 2022). Indigenous African Popular Music, Volume 1: Prophets and Philosophers. Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany: Springer International Publishing. p. 352. ISBN 978-3-030-97884-6.
  6. ^ Yankah, Kwesi; Peek, Philip M., eds. (March 2004). African Folklore: An Encyclopedia. Thames, Oxfordshire United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis. p. 527. ISBN 978-1-135-94873-3.
  7. ^ White, Bob W. (27 June 2008). Rumba Rules: The Politics of Dance Music in Mobutu's Zaire. Durham, North Carolina, United States: Duke University Press. pp. 53–58. ISBN 978-0-8223-4112-3.
  8. ^ Bemba, Audifax (10 October 2023). "Le sébène dans la musique congolaise moderne" [Sébène in modern Congolese music]. Congopage (in French). Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  9. ^ a b Guitar Atlas: Guitar Styles from Around the World. Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, United States: Alfred Music Publishing. 2008. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-7390-5563-2.
  10. ^ a b Conteh-Morgan, John; Olaniyan, Tejumola, eds. (October 2004). African Drama and Performance. Bloomington, Indiana, United States: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-21701-1.
  11. ^ a b White, Bob W. (27 June 2008). Rumba Rules: The Politics of Dance Music in Mobutu's Zaire. Durham, North Carolina, United States: Duke University Press. pp. 59–61. ISBN 978-0-8223-4112-3.

Previous Page Next Page






Sebene LN

Responsive image

Responsive image