One of the most renowned musical genres in South Africa is gospel music. It is not uncommon for gospel artists to achieve extremely high sales of albums within South Africa. This tradition came with the missionaries who came to Africa in the 19th century. Within the gospel genre there are several styles of music. These styles range from old-time, classic gospel to a more 21st-century version, featuring more pop rhythms. Many of the modern professional singers credit their start in music with singing in a church choir.
The Zulu of South Africa have a strong history of music. Their prowess with melody and rhythm has allowed them to forge a distinctive style between western music and very traditional African music. The Zulu people formed a unique method of playing a guitar known as ukupika. This playing method combined with more time-honored instruments such as the mouth bow gave the Zulu music a very distinctive sound. The basic form of this type of playing has the beginning and end of the song filled with choral singing. The middle of the song utilizes ukubonga, which is a form of rapping about one's family or clan. This style of music was formed in the 1950s in the city of Durban.
In the 1920s South Africans began to develop a style of music called marabi. This was a keyboard style of music that was often played on an organ. This style was bar music and kept the bar crowds entertained. This style is comparable to the United States' Charleston music. It was not always viewed in a positive light because it was associated with bars and drinking. By the 1930s some larger swing bands had picked up on marabi's melody and a new African music tradition was born.
South Africa also has a jazz influence. Each year in Cape Town a large jazz festival is held. The Cape Town International Jazz festival, also known as Africa's Grandest Gathering, attracts thousands of jazz enthusiasts each year. What makes this festival so special is that it features a collection of international and local South African jazz players. There are five stages that are used to help keep a continuous flow of melody ringing in spectator's ears.