Folk Music of Saint Lucia

A usual Saint Lucia traditional ensemble is based through the fiddle, banjo, cuatro, chak-chak (a rattle) and guitar. The caurto and banjo are known as an especially significant in Saint Lucia culture, particularly the small four corded known as bwa poye or the skroud banjo. Some of the dances in Saint Lucian include the moulala faci and comette (an imitative of the minuet), though, the kwadril is gradually viewed as a national sign. It has highly formalize and official dance that originates from the European quadrille. The Jwe is more informal type of Lucia traditional music, and it is performed at dances, wakes and during other social occasions; artists create funny and frequently biting or lyrics. The music also have an important role in the La rose and La Marguerite custom of the two competing societies that contest in the festival and make an essential part of Lucia culture.

source of picture: audreyeclectic.blogspot.com

Jwe (play) is a type of local Lucian traditional music related with beach parties, wakes debot dances and full moon gatherings. The jwe is done as an informal social occasion that brings the opportunity for the Lucians to showcase their verbal skills and communicate their comedic both in the social and political comments without stepping other people.  The jwe comprises of the songs for both men and women, one of them can be the singers, and however most of the Lucian traditional instrumentalists are male. The performance of jwe is considered as good if the spectator involves actively by clapping and responding to the leader and singing and dancing. Some of the people from Lucian avoid the jwe altogether because of its sexually vulgar lyricism and condition; however, elements of jwe have gained mainstream Lucian culture, like the use of lang devive or by asking the opposite of what is meant.

Some of the musical elements of jwe consist of gem (which is the game song), listwa (which is the storytelling), jwe chante (which is the sung songs) and jwe danse (which is the song-play-dance). All of these forms are joined by their use of the Creole dialect, their use of call-and-response singing involving the leader and the chorus, with the exclusion of listwa and also the use of the improvisation.  This two known Listwa and Jwe chante entirely choral patterns with accompaniment, nor are any folk dance; and the other two usually followed by a ka drum or from time to time uses tibwa drumming sticks, which brings a rhythm for dancers.

The song of jwe, jwe chante and chante kont are extremely part of the funeral wake custom. The jwe chante leader uses the joke to pass scene from the story, or from time to time just use the ribal double engenders from it. The gem which is the game song is based within the leader who uses his own accompaniments on a choreographed dance and creates witty words, while the spectator takes part in the performance. Jwe danse comprises of four traditional dances. The solo is a join dance while debot, yonbot and jwe pote are all circle dances. The blotje is a musical trend seen in all the jwe danse patterns, occurring, for instance, every four sounds in the debot dance.