Culture of Haiti - Music

Music

Haitian Compas (sometimes written as Compas Direct, konpa direk, konpa, or kompa) is a musical genre, as well as a dance that originates from Haïti. It was named «Compas Direct» by Nemours Jean-Baptiste, on a recording released in 1955. The name derives from compas, the Spanish word meaning rhythm or tones. It involves mostly medium-to-fast tempo beats with an emphasis on electric guitars, synthesizers, and either a solo alto saxophone, a horn section or the synthesizer equivalent. Unlike zouk (which derives from compas of the French Antilles), the lyrics are mostly in Haitian Creole.

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Famous quotes containing the word music:

    Have you ever been up in your plane at night, alone, somewhere, 20,000 feet above the ocean?... Did you ever hear music up there?... It’s the music a man’s spirit sings to his heart, when the earth’s far away and there isn’t any more fear. It’s the high, fine, beautiful sound of an earth-bound creature who grew wings and flew up high and looked straight into the face of the future. And caught, just for an instant, the unbelievable vision of a free man in a free world.
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    The music stopp’d, and I stood still,
    And found myself outside the Hill,
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    To go now limping as before,
    And never hear of that country more!”
    Robert Browning (1812–1889)

    The great challenge which faces us is to assure that, in our society of big-ness, we do not strangle the voice of creativity, that the rules of the game do not come to overshadow its purpose, that the grand orchestration of society leaves ample room for the man who marches to the music of another drummer.
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