Michael Doughty

4/8/20
Music of the English Speaking Caribbean
Trinidad and Tobago Articles Reflection
A quotation from Lord Kitchener in the article “100 Years of Calypso” intrigued me. He
says, “I believe if I stop composing I’d fade away so I keep working all the time.” I think that this
is illustrative of many great composers’ mindset when it comes to their careers - They do what
they do because they cannot conceive of a life in which they do not write music. Given this
sentiment, it is not surprising that Lord Kitchener takes his work seriously. He has a respect for
calypsonian tradition and treated his fame with integrity - Kitchener refused to accept Trinidad’s
second highest national award after he concluded that the image of calypsonians as poor
musicians exempted him from the highest award. In addition, musicians like Montano approach
the culture in a holistic way: by innovating on what came before while paying respect to the
traditions that they come from. I think this cultural attitude towards music is the reason why
Calypso Rose was able to get her first international breakthrough at the age of seventy-six. This
cultural connection in the music is what made it popular. In Carribean music, musicians seem to
have a staying power when it comes to popularity within the culture. This is very different from
the pop industry of the US which maintains primarily young stars without much worry over
musical tradition or culture. Rapso is another genre which illustrates the cultural attitude towards
music. It is a combination of two genres - rap and soca - which also adapts the tradition of the
griot for storytelling and social commentary in music. For rapso musicians such as Brother
Resistance, the music is tied to spiritual and philanthropic lifestyles. Resistance claims that
Rastafarianism is what has kept him going while working in music. In addition, his message
advocates for social change and he has founded organizations for outreach and empowerment
in Trinidad. This protest poetry music is similar to the dub poetry music of Jamaica, however,
Resistance claims that this development in Jamaica and the development of rap in the US were
unknown to most Trinidadians. Despite this, the movements ended up in similar places because
of their similar source material.
Similar to the role of music in other Caribbean islands, live music is vital to calypso's
place in Trinidadian culture. All the articles open by describing scenes from live music events or
carnival celebrations. Altogether, the music seems to be viewed as more of a social experience
than perhaps in the US. Furthermore, to many listeners outside the Caribbean, the rhythm of the
music and its danceability are what draws them to it even if the lyrics do not reflect a party
atmosphere. This was at least the case with some of Calypso Rose’s French fans.