Two main types of
French antillean biguine can be identified based on the instrumentation in contemporary musical practice, called the
drum biguine and the
orchestrated biguine. Each of these refers to characteristics of a specific origin. The drum biguine, or
bidgin bèlè in Creole, comes from a series of bèlè dances performed since early colonial times by the slaves who inhabited the great sugar plantations. Musically, the bidgin bèlè can be distinguished from the orchestrated biguine in the following ways: its instrumentation (cylindrical single-membraned drum (bèlè) and the rhythm sticks (
tibwa); the call-and-response singing style; the soloist's improvisation, and the nasal voice quality. According to a study by Rosemain (1988), the biguine figured in fertility rituals practiced in West Africa, but its ritual significance has since disappeared in Martinique.
Drum biguine, or bidgin bélé Bidgin bèlè originates in
slave bèlè dances and is characterized by the use of bèlè drums and
tibwa rhythm sticks, along with
call and response, nasal vocals and improvised instrumental solos. It has its roots in West African dances. The
bèlè is also the name of medium size
tambour drum. Players sit astride the drum. It is characterized, in its rhythm, by the "
tibwa" (two wooden sticks) played either on a length of bamboo mounted on a stand or on the sides of the tambour bèlè. Added to the tambour bèlè and tibwa are the
maracas, more commonly referred to as the
chacha. The
cinquillo-
tresillo is beat out by the tibwa, but it translates very well to the
chacha when the rhythms are applied for playing biguine.
Orchestrated biguine By combining the traditional bèlè music with the
European dance genres, the black musicians of Martinique created the biguine, which comprises three distinct styles: • the
biguine de salon • the
biguine de bal • the
biguine de rue. In the 1930s several biguine artists from Martinique and Guadeloupe moved to
France, where they achieved great popularity in Paris, especially in the wake of the colonial exhibition in 1931. Early stars like
Alexandre Stellio and
Sam Castandet became popular in
Paris. Between the 1930s and 1950s, the dance biguine was popular among the islands' dance orchestras. Its popularity abroad died relatively quickly, but it lasted as a major force in popular music in Martinique and Guadeloupe until Haitian
Cadence and
Compas music took over in the 1950s. In the later part of the 20th century, biguine musicians like
clarinet virtuoso
Michel Godzom helped revolutionize the genre.
Biguine and jazz of Louisiana Biguine is one of the ancestors of the musical genre
jazz that was created by the
Creoles of
New Orleans,
Louisiana. ==Evolution of biguine==