PRIMARY MUSIC FOCUS:
POLYRHYTHM
This was introduced in
lecture with mbira (instrument name) music of the Shona (cultural group).
In addition to the textbook
on reserve, more information about this instrument, music and culture can be
found at http://www.mbira.org/.
PRIMARY INTERPRETIVE FOCUS
Do musical practices
correlate with social & economic structures and practices?
LARGE-SCALE HEIRARCHAL
SOCIETY: Mande, in
SMALL-SCALE EGALITARIAN
SOCIETY: BaMbuti, in central
MEDIUM-SCALE CO-OPERATIVE
SOCIETY: Ewe, in
Components of Some African Sound-Cultures
I. Musical Specifics
A. Pitch –
1. scales – no consistent generalization applies
across the continent; about 7 scales and scale-regions have been identified.
2. melodic tendencies – downward melodic contour; a very
reliable and sturdy generalization.
Does not apply so much to the BaMbuti.
Mande praise song clearest example.
B. Rhythm –
generally steady tempos underlie polyrhythms.
C. Form --
call-and-response common; repetition of rhythmic patterns and shifting those
patterns a key process heard in our Shona and Ewe examples
D. Texture – layered polyrhythm (Shona, Ewe);
call-and-response block texture
E. Timbre --
1.
instrumental
preferences: complex, noisy, buzzy; typical,
emblematic instruments: Shona, mbira; Mande, kora; Ewe, the bell as
time-marking instrument; BaMbuti, often no instruments used. Visit this terrific website to learn about
the individual instruments and their roles in an Anlo-Ewe ensemble: http://www.dancedrummer.com/trad.html
2.
vocal preferences:
complex, noisy, buzzy, nasality
F. Sound
intensity – Ewe drumming can be very loud and sustained; Shona, BaMbuti, Mande
praise song more intimate or soft; dynamic range static
II. Social
Organization of Music
A. Who can
participate (play, listen, make instruments) in this music? Who is excluded? The opportunity to be a Mande jali (praise singer) is a hereditary right limited to certain
families. This is an perfect example of
social limitations on participation in musicking. At the other end of the spectrum, everyone is expected to
participate in BaMbuti musicking.
B. How many
musicians are appropriate for an ensemble?
Mande praise singing is mostly associated with solo performers; Ewe drum
societies range from 10-20 participants.
There is definitely a distinction between audience and solo performer in
Mande praise singing. In fact, one
could conceive of a third category, that of the person to whom the praise song
is directed. There may not be a clear
distinction between musician and audience in many performance contexts in Ewe
and drumming. If people standing around
the drummers are clapping, they are making sound and are definitely part of the
musicking; if dancers have rattles attached to their costumes, they are also
adding to the sound construct; dancers or other people may be adding shouts of
encouragement or expression; these two could be considered to be part of the
musical texture. In BaMbuti performance
contexts, if most everyone is participating, there is no "audience"
other than the participants themselves.
Some interesting words have been proposed to try to describe these
various roles. "Musicians"
are participants using instruments or singing as a core part of the activity,
people that are less central but nevertheless involves in making sound and
music, are "musicants.” If a
musical ceremony is being performed on behalf of or being directed at someone
who is ill, that person is said to be the "musicated,” similar to being
"medicated." This could apply
more broadly, for example; the girls being initiated in the BaMbuti sound
example on the CD could be considered to be the "musicated” subjects of
the ceremony. The Shona mbira music is
used to induce trances and invite possession by ancestral spirits; those to be
possessed are "musicated.” Is the
person receiving the praise of a praise song "musicated”? These terms have not become standard.
C.
Transmission -- how is the music learned and passed on to others? Usually through direct participation and
hands-on teacher-student relationships.
D. Social
status of musicians: a Mande jali, by the nature of his socially restricted
status, has a relatively high level of prestige, especially since music confers
a special type of political legitimacy.
In BaMbuti societies, "musician" probably is not a distinct
social role or identity, so would not have any particular status. Similarly, it is perceived to be a good
thing to be a musician in Ewe culture, but it is not necessarily
prestigious. Certain roles, such as
lead drummer, are high in prestige.
III. Ideas
about Music
A. Music and
the belief system -- the relationship of music to spiritual, social, and cosmic
order. The Shona use of mbira in the
bira ceremonies is an example of the vital role music plays in many African
cultures. Music’s role in validating
the social order is clear in the Mande praise song genre. Similarly, music has a role in maintaining
the co-operative social order in traditional Ewe societies. Some musicologist interpret the polyphonic
interlocking texture as reflecting pygmy societies’view of their relationship
with the forest, and the spare music reflects a view on the environment and
cosmic order. See the note on song
texts.
B. Contexts
for use of music – Shona bira are
religious ceremonies. The political
function of Mande praise songs can be on display at a variety of social
gatherings. Work songs are important
contexts, although we did not cover that directly. Ewe drumming can be for social-religious ceremonies such as
funerals, but it can also be for entertainment and enjoyment.
C. History of
music -- not covered in class.
D. Composition -- what is a "piece" and how
does it come to be? In Ewe culture,
identifiable pieces are usually collections of ideas or formulas that can be
drawn on in an improvisatory way. Mbira
pieces are composed to be an interesting physical pattern as much as for their
melodic characteristics.
E. What is the contribution or role of
improvisation? Essential in many types
of African music. Perhaps less so in
BaMbuti songs. But improvisation draws
on well-established vocabularies of musical rhythms and melodic gestures.
F. Genres – what categories exist? What defines them?
What maintains them? We did not
distinguish between particular genres in African music. Though he described an example of the genre
of praise singing, but we did not get into other kinds of music that are in
Mande culture. Similarly, the many
types of Ewe drumming could be compared and differentiated.
G. Theory – there is very little verbalized theory about
most African musicking. For example,
there is no system of note names in the jali or griot tradition.
IV. Allied
Arts
A. Texts –
words to a song – A praise song usually
features indirect praise of a leader by praising his family. As the practice has evolved to include
praise directed to God. In fact, the
example on the reserve CD is praise directed to Allah. Pygmy song texts are usually quite simple,
often just a short phrase that is repeated throughout the entire song. An example is "forest good."
C. Theater -- generally not distinguishable from
dance narratives.
V. Listening
& Personal Response
A.
1st hearing
reaction
B.
After repeated hearings
and discussion?
C. What would the “ideal” trained & sympathetic
listener-participant find in this music?