Folk Music Styles in British Virgin Island

The quadrilles is a traditional dance that was formerly a significant part of the Virgin Islands culture, it is now commonly performed except on St. Croix, there, local people dance the quadrilles at the public performances venues, like St. Gerard’s Hall or as educational audiences for schools, festivals, and holidays, or as entertainment for tourists, the educational and entertainment quadrilles troops both wear the traditional patterned of cloth reminiscent of authentic dress.

 

source of picture: www.vinow.com

 

The Virgin Islands tea meetings, the David and Goliath play and masquerade jig all possibly came from elsewhere in the Caribbean. The masquerade jig uses the elements of theatre, dance, music and oratory, and other functions as simple entertainment with improvised jigs alternated with humorous speeches. The tea meetings are recently performed as reconstructions in folkloric groups; they were evenings of speech-making, feasting and the singing of hymns and parlour songs. The David and Goliath play a feature of music, dance, theatre, as well as dramatic and witty speeches, all based around the biblical plot of David and Goliath.

The Afro- Virgin Islander bamboula tradition is recently only performed in a rebuilt fashion, this was pattern of song, drumming and folk dance, and it is performed by two drummers on one drum, one drum used his hands and heel, and the other two sticks, the African patterned dance and group song with refrains were a constant part, with verses frequently improvised by a soloist.

Virgin islanders traditional folk music festival were performed until the late 1950’s, the masquerading (mas’ing) was a significant tradition, and comprises of groups wearing costumes based around a theme, and playing melodies and rhythms that suggest their identity. The instruments which includes a fife and drum collective that featured a cane fife, double- headed bass drum (which is known as keg or boom- boom) and snare drum (which is also known as kettledrum).

The Virgin Islander cariso tradition is extinct in a true folk context, but remains a significant sign of Crucian culture, and is performed by folkloric collectives for educational and holiday activity. The Carisos were still performed as late as the 1990’s by many elderly composers. Mainly well-known Ethel Mclntosh and Leona Watson, it is similar in some ways to quelbe, cariso is more African in its melodic pattern, frequently sustained syllables and traditional performance competition, namely women composers in groups in call-and-response. The cariso such as quelbe, remember the historical events, and spread news and idea about the significant issues. One particularly well-known cariso traces from 1848 and the documents the freedom of the slaves, the first part in the refrain, sung by a chorus, which is followed by a verse performed by a soloist composer.

The French Virgin Islander, the early 1900’s small bands left the small French island of St. Barths and travelled to St. Thomasm VI in the search of work in St. Thomas as Frenchies many played instruments like the accordion, harmonica and guitar and made instruments like the Wee or Guiros out if dried squash from their farms and cowbells from their livestock. The combination of French and Caribbean culture and French Creole language gave this music a very important sound known as Cadance. Cyril Querrad of the Mountain kings was a forerunner in promoting the music and the sound of the French Virgin Islander. He had his own weakened show at the Luau Club on the St. Thomas where he sang and also played a guitar for the military personnel, tourists and the local alike. He also was introduced as the king of the mountain and the mountain kings group was soon formed. Also, other local French decent groups later followed like the originals, obsession groups and the under pressure group. These groups continued to have their unique sound as a result of this joint culture.