Music of the Republic of the Congo

The Republic of the Congo is a country in Africa that has close musical ties with its neighbor, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Many popular music styles from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, such as soukous, are enjoyed by people in the Republic of the Congo. Musicians from both countries often travel between the two nations, sharing and performing similar music styles. Famous musicians like Nino Malapet and Jean Serge Essous show this rich musical connection.

Brazzaville, the capital city of the Republic of the Congo, had an active music scene. Popular bands such as Extra Musica and Bantous de la Capitale helped develop soukous and other types of Congolese popular music. The hip-hop group "Bisso na Bisso" also comes from Congo-Brazzaville, showing the variety of music enjoyed in the country.

National music

The national anthem of the Republic of the Congo is La Congolaise. It became the anthem when the country became free in 1959. Later, in 1969, it was changed to Les Trois Glorieuses, but it became the anthem again in 1991. The words were written by Jacques Tondra and Georges Kibanghi, and the music was made by Jean Royer and Joseph Spadilière.

Traditional music

Folk instruments in the Republic of the Congo include the xylophone and mvet. The mvet is a type of zither-harp. It looks like instruments from Africa and Asia. The mvet is made from a long tube with one or two gourds that help make sound, called resonators.

Soukous

Soukous started with help from Kinshasa and Brazzaville. In these cities, bands played rumba, a kind of Cuban music, mixed with traditional sounds and jazz. This mix created soukous. It became popular dance music in the 1950s and 60s.