The begena's standard finger positioning.

The music of Ethiopia is extremely diverse, with each of Ethiopia's ethnic groups being associated with unique sounds. Some forms of traditional music are strongly influenced by folk music from elsewhere in the Horn of Africa, especially Somalia. However, Ethiopian religious music also has an ancient Christian element, traced to Yared, who lived during the reign of Gabra Masqal. In northeastern Ethiopia, in Wollo, a Muslim musical form called manzuma developed. Sung in Amharic, manzuma has spread to Harar and Jimma, where it is now sung in the Oromo language. In the Ethiopian Highlands, traditional secular music is played by itinerant musicians called azmaris, who are regarded with both suspicion and respect in Ethiopian society.

Music theory[link]

The music of the highlands uses a fundamental modal system called qenet, of which there are four main modes: tezeta, bati, ambassel, and anchihoy, the later three have originated from Wollo.^[1] Three additional modes are variations on the above: tezeta minor, bati major, and bati minor.^[2] Some songs take the name of their qenet, such as tizita, a song of reminiscence.^[1] When played on traditional instruments, these modes are generally not tempered (that is, the pitches may deviate slightly from the Western-tempered tuning system), but when played on Western instruments such as pianos and guitars, they are played using the Western-tempered tuning system.

Highland music is generally monophonic or heterophonic.^[1] Outside of the highlands, some music is polyphonic; Dorze polyphonic singing (edho) may employ up to five parts, Majangir four parts.^[1]

Musical instruments[link]

Chordophones[link]

In the highlands, traditional string instruments include the masenqo (also known as masinko), a one-string bowed lute; the krar (also known as kirar), a six-string lyre; and the begena, a large ten-string lyre.^[3] The dita (a five-string lyre) and musical bows (including an unusual three-string variant) are among the chordophones found in the south.^[3]

Aerophones[link]

The washint is a bamboo flute that is common in the highlands.^[3] Trumpet-like instruments include the ceremonial malakat used in some regions, and the holdudwa (animal horn; compare shofar) found mainly in the south.^[3] Embilta flutes have no finger holes, and produce only two tones, the fundamental and a fourth or fifth interval.^[3] These may be metal (generally found in the north) or bamboo (in the south).^[3] The Konso and other people in the south play fanta, or pan flutes.

Idiophones[link]

In the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, liturgical music employs the senasel, a sistrum.^[3] Additionally, the clergy will use prayer staffs, or maqwamiya, to maintain rhythm.^[3] Rural churches historically used a dawal, made from stone slabs or pieces of wood, to call the faithful to prayer.^[3] The Beta Israel use a small gong called a qachel as liturgical accompaniment, though qachel may also refer to a small bell.^[3] The toom, a lamellophone, is used among the Nuer, Anuak, Majangir, Surma, and other Nilotic groups.^[3] Metal leg rattles are common throughout the south.^[3]

Membranophones[link]

The kebero is a large hand drum used in the Orthodox Christian liturgy.^[3] Smaller kebero drums may be used in secular celebrations.^[3] The nagarit, played with a curved stick, is usually found in a secular context such as royal functions or the announcement of proclamations, though it has a liturgical function among the Beta Israel.^[3] The Gurage and other southern peoples commonly play the atamo, a small hand drum sometimes made of clay.^[3]

Popular music[link]

Tilahun Gessesse, one of the most popular artists in Ethiopia during the local music scene's "Golden Age" in the 1960s.

Ethiopia is a musically traditional country. Of course, popular music is played, recorded and listened to, but most musicians also sing traditional songs, and most audiences choose to listen to both popular and traditional styles. A long-standing popular musical tradition in Ethiopia was that of brass bands, imported from Jerusalem in the form of forty Armenian orphans (Arba Lijoch) during the reign of Haile Selassie. This band, which arrived in Addis Ababa on September 6, 1924, became the first official orchestra of Ethiopia. By the end of World War II, large orchestras accompanied singers; the most prominent orchestras were the Army Band, Police Band, and Imperial Bodyguard Band. Most of these bands were trained by Europeans or Armenians.

From the 1950s to the 1970s, Ethiopian popular musicians included Bizunesh Bekele, Mahmoud Ahmed, Alemayehu Eshete, Hirut Bekele, Ali Birra, Ayalew Mesfin, Kiros Alemayehu, Muluken Melesse and Tilahun Gessesse, while popular folk musicians included Alemu Aga, Kassa Tessema, Ketema Makonnen, Asnaketch Worku, and Mary Armede. Perhaps the most influential musician of the period, however, was Ethio-jazz innovator Mulatu Astatke. Amha Records, Kaifa Records, and Philips-Ethiopia were prominent Ethiopian record labels during this era. Since 1997, Buda Musique's Ethiopiques series has compiled many of these singles and albums on compact disc.

During the 1980s, the Derg controlled Ethiopia, and emigration became almost impossible. Musicians during this period included Ethio Stars, Wallias Band and Roha Band, though the singer Neway Debebe was most popular. He helped to popularize the use of seminna-werq (wax and gold, a poetic form of double entendre) in music (previously only used in qiné, or poetry) that often enabled singers to criticize the government without upsetting the censors.

Contemporary scene[link]

Alemayehu Eshete, a prominent contemporary Ethio-jazz artist.

One of the most popular musicians from Ethiopia is the Los Angeles–area expatriate Aster Aweke.

More recently, music from Tigray and Eritrea has become popular in Ethiopia and among exiles, especially in Italy. One of the biggest new trends, however, has been the rise of bolel, a sort of blues-like music, played by sarcastic azmari playing in parts of Addis Ababa, especially Yohannès Sefer and Kazentchis. Bolel musicians include Tigist Assefa, Tedje and Admassou Abate.

Currently the most prominent Ethiopian singer internationally is Gigi. Through her performing with top jazz musicians such as Bill Laswell (who is also her husband) and Herbie Hancock, Gigi has brought Ethiopian music to popular attention, especially in the United States, where she now lives.

Neway was very popular among the youth of the 1980s and early 1990s with such songs as "Yetekemt Abeba," "Metekatun Ateye," "Safsaf," and "Gedam," among others. Abatte Barihun has exemplified all four main qenets on his 2005 album Ras Deshen.^[2]

Ethiopiques producer Francis Falceto criticizes contemporary Ethiopian music for eschewing traditional instruments and ensemble playing in favor of one-man bands using synthesizers.^[4] Harvard University professor Kay Kaufman Shelemay, on the other hand, maintains that there is genuine creativity in the contemporary music scene.^[5] She further points out that Ethiopian music is not alone in shifting to electronically produced music, a point that Falceto acknowledges.^[4][5]

Notable Ethiopian musicians[link]

Scholarship[link]

Ashenafi Kebede studied much in the area of Ethiopian music, history, instrumentation, and composition as a leading ethnomusicologist.

Source[link]

• Falceto, Francis. "Land of Wax and Gold," 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Diane, Orfi (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe and the Middle East, pp 480–487. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-02-828636-0

References[link]

External links[link]

• Listen to Eshet Eshet, a compilation of rare Ethiopian 45s
• (French) Audio clips: Traditional music of Ethiopia. Musée d'Ethnographie de Genève. Accessed November 25, 2010.
• Addis Music
• Ethiopian Music Channel (EthioTube)
• Ethiopian Music Site (Azmari Bet)
• afrosong.com is a website for Ethiopian Music, mezmur, orthodox song, protestant or christian song, oromo song, tigre song, instrumental
• ADDIS LIVE! Ethiopian Music Internet Radio, Video, Interview with famous Ethiopian artists and short stories
• Ethio-Jazz: Mulatu Astatke
• Buda Musique's Ethiopiques series
• Band of 40 Armenian orphans in Ethiopia (French)
• Ethiog - New and classic Ethiopian musics provided in different players
• Ethiopian Music Video Channel ZedClips Ethiopian Music
• BBC Radio 3 Audio clip (60 minutes): Music of Ethiopia. Accessed on November 25, 2010.

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Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia የኢትዮጵያ ፌዴራላዊ ዲሞክራሲያዊ ሪፐብሊክ ye-Ītyōṗṗyā Fēdēralāwī Dīmōkrāsīyāwī Rīpeblīk
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Wodefit Gesgeshi, Widd Innat Ityopp'ya ("March Forward, Dear Mother Ethiopia")
Capital (and largest city)		Addis Ababa 9°1.8′N 38°44.4′E / 9.03°N 38.74°E / 9.03; 38.74
Official language(s)		Amharic[1]
Recognised regional languages		Other languages official amongst the different ethnicities and their respective regions.
Ethnic groups		Oromo 34.5% Amhara 26.9% Somali 6.2% Tigray 6.1% Sidama 4.% Gurage 2.5% Welayta 2.3% Hadiya 1.7% Afar 1.7% Gamo 1.5% Gedeo 1.3% Other 11.3%[2]
Demonym		Ethiopian
Government		Federal parliamentary republic1
-	President	Girma Wolde-Giorgis
-	Prime Minister	Meles Zenawi
Legislature		Federal Parliamentary Assembly
-	Upper house	House of Federation
-	Lower house	House of Peoples' Representatives
Establishment
-	Kingdom of Axum	980 BC
-	Empire of Ethiopia	1137
-	Current constitution	1991
Area
-	Total	1,104,300 km2 (27th) 426,371 sq mi
-	Water (%)	0.7
Population
-	2011 estimate	82,101,998[3] (14th)
-	2007 census	73,918,505
-	Density	74/km2 (123rd) 194/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2011 estimate
-	Total	$94.878 billion[4]
-	Per capita	$1,092[4]
GDP (nominal)		2011 estimate
-	Total	$31.256 billion[4]
-	Per capita	$360[4]
Gini (1999–00)		30 (medium)
HDI (2010)		0.328 (low) (157th)
Currency		Birr (ETB)
Time zone		EAT (UTC+3)
-	Summer (DST)	not observed (UTC+3)
Drives on the		right
ISO 3166 code		ET
Internet TLD		.et
Calling code		251
1	According to The Economist in its Democracy Index, Ethiopia is a "hybrid regime", with a dominant-party system led by the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front.
2	Rank based on 2005 population estimate by the United Nations.

This article contains Ethiopic text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Ethiopic characters.

Ethiopia ( /ˌiːθiˈoʊpiə/) (Ge'ez: ኢትዮጵያ ʾĪtyōṗṗyā), officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants,^[3] and the tenth largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km². Ethiopia is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Djibouti and Somalia to the east, Sudan and South Sudan to the west, and Kenya to the south. With its capital at Addis Ababa, it is also the most populous landlocked nation in the world.

Ethiopia was a monarchy for most of its history, and the Ethiopian dynasty traces its roots to the 2nd century BC.^[5] Ethiopia is also one of the oldest sites of human existence known to scientists today, having yielded some of humanity's oldest traces.^[6] It may be the region from which Homo sapiens first set out for the Middle East and points beyond.^[7][8][9] Alongside Rome, Persia, China and India^[10], the Ethiopian Aksum Empire was considered one of the great world powers of the 3rd century.^[11][12][13] During the Scramble for Africa, Ethiopia was the only African country beside Liberia that retained its sovereignty as a recognized independent country, and was one of only four African members of the League of Nations. After a brief period of Italian occupation, Ethiopia became a charter member of the United Nations. When other African nations received their independence following World War II, many of them adopted the colors of Ethiopia's flag, and Addis Ababa became the location of several international organizations focused on Africa.

Modern Ethiopia and its current borders are a result of significant territorial reduction in the north and expansion in the south toward its present borders, owing to several migrations and commercial integration as well as conquests, particularly by Emperor Menelik II and Ras Gobena. In 1974, the dynasty led by Haile Selassie was overthrown as civil wars intensified. Since then, Ethiopia has seen a variety of governmental systems. Ethiopia is one of the founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), G-77 and the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). Today, Addis Ababa is still the headquarters of the African Union, the Pan African Chamber of Commerce (PACCI) and^[14] UNECA. The country has one of the most powerful militaries in Africa and Addis Ababa is the headquarters of the continental African Standby Force (ASF). Ethiopia is the only African country where an indigenous alphabet is still widely used.^[15] Ethiopia also has its own time system and unique calendar, seven to eight years behind the Gregorian calendar. It has the largest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Africa.^[16]

The country is a land of natural contrasts, with waterfalls and volcanic hot springs. Ethiopia has some of Africa's highest mountains as well as some of the world's lowest points below sea level. The largest cave in Africa is located in Ethiopia at Sof Omar. Ethiopia has one of the largest number of rivers in the world while the country's northernmost area at Dallol, Afar is the hottest place year-round anywhere on Earth. Ethiopia is a multilingual, multicultural and multiethnic society of around 80 groups, with the two largest being the Oromo and the Amhara, both of which speak Afro-Asiatic languages. The country is also famous for its Olympic gold medallists in running, rock-hewn churches in Lalibela, and as the place where the coffee bean originated. Currently, Ethiopia is the top coffee and honey-producing country in Africa, and home to the largest livestock population in Africa. The Ethiopian Aksum region was the first major empire in the world to convert to Christianity and it was one of the first countries to officially adopt Christianity as a state religion in the 4th century.^[13] Ethiopia has a Christian majority and a third of the population is Muslim. Ethiopia is the site of the first Hijra in Islamic history and the oldest Muslim settlement in Africa at Negash. Until the 1980s, a substantial population of Ethiopian Jews resided in Ethiopia. The country is also the spiritual homeland of the Rastafari religious movement.

Ethiopia, which has Africa's second biggest hydropower potential,^[17] is the source of over 85% of the total Nile water flow and contains rich soils, but it nevertheless underwent a series of famines in the 1980s, exacerbated by adverse geopolitics and civil wars, resulting in the death of hundreds of thousands.^[18] Slowly, however, the country has begun to recover, and today Ethiopia has the biggest economy by GDP in East Africa and Central Africa.^[19][20][21] as the Ethiopian economy is also one of the fastest growing in the world. It is a regional powerhouse in the Horn and east Africa.^{[22][23][24][25][26]} Recently, human rights abuses have been reported in Ethiopia under Premier Meles Zenawi despite the country becoming a leading economic, diplomatic and political force in Africa.^[27][28][29]