The Music of Central Africa: An Ethnomusicological Study Former French Equatorial Africa the Former Belgian Congo, Ruanda-Urundi Uganda, Tanganyika

286 Pages·1961·12.34 MB·English

by  Rose Brandel (auth.)

THE MUSIC OF CENTRAL AFRICA
THE MUSIC
OF CENTRAL AFRICA
An Etbnomusicological Study
FORMER FRENCH EQUATORIAL AFRICA
THE FORMER BELGIAN CONGO, RUANDA-URUNDI
UGANDA, TANGANYIKA
by
ROSE BRANDEL
MARTINUS NIJHOFF / THE HAGUE / 1961
ISBN 978-94-015-0396-9 ISBN 978-94-015-0997-8 (eBook)
001 10.1007/978-94-015-0997-8
Copyright I96I by Martinus Nijhott, The Hague, N etherlands
All rights reserved, including the right to translate or to
reproduce this book or parts thereof in any form
PREFACE
Under the inspiring guidance of my mentor, Curt Sachs, this work was conceived,
planned, and executed. It gained in dimension under the acute and patient perusal of
Gustave Reese to whose brilliant propensity for clarity of thought and of style I owe a
huge debt.
Furthermore, the helpful suggestions made by Martin Bernstein and by J an LaRue
are gratefully acknowledged.
If Jaap Kunst had not kindly gone to the trouble of ordering, supervising the con
struction of, and mailing to me from Amsterdam his personally designed monochord,
an important section of this work could not have taken form.
This preface is not complete, of course, without final thanks to my husband, Harvey
B. Natanson, for his sustained interest and encouragement.
R.B.
Note
As the present work goes to press, the political map of Africa is flowing into a new mold.
Several countries have obtained independence, and new names and data should be con
sidered: French Equatorial Africa has become (November 28-December I, 1958) four
independent countries - Republic of the Congo: Brazzaville (formerly Middle Congo),
Gabon Republic (formerly Gabon) , Central African Republic (formerly Ubangi-Shari),
and Republic of Chad (formerly Chad). The Belgian Congo has become (June 30,1960)
the Republic of the Congo: Leopoldville. The tribes listed in the present work under
French Equatorial Africa are from the new Republic of the Congo: Brazzaville, and
those listed under Belgian Congo are from the new Republic of the Congo: Leopold
ville. (The city- after the country-name is at present appended by the United Nations
delegations from Central Africa for distinction between the two Congos.)
CONTENTS
Preface v
Note VII
PART ONE
I. Introduction: Geographical, cultural, and language areas outlined 3
11. The Music and Some Preliminary Considerations 8
Terminology defined: "primitive," "simple," "complex," "high civilization" 8
Harmony: parallel thirds as precursors of functional harmony; comparison with
protoharmony of European gymel and European folk music; chronology of intervals
of third, fourth, fifth 13
Rhythm: misconceptions concerning African rhythm; the African hemiola style and its
relationship to the traditional European hemiola; relationship to additive rhythms
of Orient; Western offbeat syncopation versus the African hemiola style 14
Scale Make-up and Terminology: "diatonic" as indicating a scale comprising only tones
and semitones; "chasmatonic" as indicating a scale comprising one or more intervals
greater than a tone; "pentatonic" as a special species of chasmatonic, within the
octave span 17
Antiphonal and Responsorial Singing: c1arification of terminology 18
Names of Instruments: the significance of similar names in different areas 18
IH. Musical Ethnology of Central Africa 20
Music for the Ceremonial: healing; initiation (puberty circumcision, secret society,
royal); birth; marriage; hunting; new year and new moon 20
The Work Song 32
Music for Entertainment: group participation; professionalism 35
Music for Litigation: vocal music as a vehic1e for criticism and airing of grievances 39
The Dance: realistic, entrovert versus abstract, introvert 40
Speech Melody and the "Talking" Drum 47
x CONTENTS
IV. The Music-Analysis and Discussion SI
Melody Types (diatonie, chasmatonic, short-Imed, long-lined): one- or two-step nu
c1eus; descending tetrachord; rising pentachord fanfare; hexachord; minor seventh
with tritone effect; octave (descending and ascendmg; zig-zag thirds); supra-octave
ladder of thirds; non-tempered intervals 51
Rhythm: the Afriean hemiola style; horizontal hemiola (close-paced; sectional);
vertieal hemlOla (instrumental, vocal, vocal-instrumental); tempo (rapId gamut) 72
Polyphony and Form: parallelism (thirds, fourths, fIfths); overlapping antiphonal and
responsorial smging (canon at fIfth and at unison; elongated cadence); ostinato and
drone-ostinato; contrapuntal movement (dual- or tnple-melody type; interjection
variation type); "hanging chords"; combination of polyphonie devices; raised
"leading-tone"; litany form; rondo form; sequence or lai form; development in
melody or in overall form 83
V. Singing Style 93
Problem of Identifying Factors Comprising a Vocal Style: structure of music; voice-
production components 93
Physio-Acoustical Terms Defined: registration (use of the two groups of musc1es,
arytenoid and thyroid, controlling the vocal cords); upper register (timbre resulting
from the functioning of the arytenoid group of musc1es); lower register (timbre
resulting from the functioning of the thyrOld group of muscles); isolated register
(tImbre resulting from the functlOning of one group of laryngeal musc1es without the
other); resonance (amphfication of sound in a tuned cavlty, notably the pharynx) 94
Afriean Female Singing: combined registration with lower regIster predominating;
high mtensities; lower pitch range; result equals typieal stndency of low register
at maximum 95
Afriean Male Smging: combined registration with upper register predominating; high
intensities; upper pitch range; result equals typical hoarse-guttural "tenor" quality
of upper register at maximum 96
Gutturalness: especially in men's voiees; resulting from upper register at high intensity,
from pressure of neck constrictor-musc1es on larynx, and from tongue hyoid-musc1e
pressed towards rear of oral pharynx 96
Resonance: non-pharyngeal; mouth resonance (in both men and women) 97
Absence of Vibrato: occasional tremolo 98
Emphatic, Outdoor, Group Style: shouting and screaming; dynamie and timbre
accents (points of excessive breathiness, gutturalness, nasality) 98
Ornaments: not common except in Arab-style singing; different-pitched and same
pitched grace note before the beat; "Scotch-snap"; mordent; double-mordent; note-
clusters between two tones; double grace-notes before beat 99
Special Effects: yodelling; humming; Sprechstimme; hocket; glissando; whistling;
drum duplication of vocal melody 99
Syllabic, Non-melismatie Style 99
CONTENTS XI
VI. Conclusion IOO
Possibility of "Musical Map": common, widespread style elements; sporadic elements 100
Symmetry and Asymmetry in Central African Art Forms 101
PART TWO
Preface to Transcriptions 107
Transcriptions
1. Mangbetu choral song III
2. Babira choral song II9
3. Babira choral song 120
4. Babira circumcision drums 121
5. Babira circumcision dance 122
6. Babira circumcision dance 123
7. Bapere circumcision dance 125
8. Bapere circumcision bird 127
9. Bapere circumcision flagellation 129
10. Bapere horns (Cent-Frequency Chart I) 131
I!. Baperex ylophone (Cent-Frequency Chart 2) 133
12. Mambuti Pygmies elephant feast 135
13. Mambuti Pygmies dance; flutes and drum (Cent-Frequency Chart 3) 140
14. Mambuti Pygmies hunting song 142
15. Batwa Pygmies dance 145
16. Batwa Pygmies dance 148
17. Bahutu dance 150
18. Watutsi royal drums 152
19. Watutsi royal drums 157
20. Watutsi epic song of war 162
21. Watutsi epic song of war 163
22. Babunda new year song 164
23. Bambala drum telegraphy 166
24. Baya dance 167
25. Mboko mouth bow (Cent-Frequency Chart 4) 169
26. Mboko riddle song; zither (Cent-Frequency Chart 5) 171
27. Porno perambulating song 174
28. N'Gundi humorous love song; sanza (Cent-Frequency Chart 6) 176
29. N'Gundisong 180
30. Babinga Pygmies elephant-hunt ritual 182
31. Babinga Pygmies social dance 184
32. Yaswa xylophones (Cent-Frequency Chart 7) 187
33. Kukuya ivory horns (Cent-Frequency Chart 8) 191
34. Kuyu shaman's alligator-song; horn (Cent-Frequency Chart 9) 193
XII CONTENTS
35. Kuyu birth-of-twins dance I97
36. Bongili banana work song I99
37. Baduma paddlers' song 200
38. Baduma paddlers' song; sanza (Cent-Frequency Chart IO) 202
39. Okandi women's dance 206
40. Banyoro xylophone (Cent-Frequency Chart II) 208
4I. Banyoro royal horns (Cent-Frequency Chart I2) 2II
42. Batoro dance 2I3
43. Bamba flutes (Cent-Frequency Chart I3) 2I6
44. Baganda historie song; harp (Cent-Frequency Chart I4) 2I8
45. Baganda historie song 220
46. Baganda royal xylophones (Cent-Frequency Chart I5) 22I
47. Wasukuma wedding song 225
48. Wanyamwezi chief installation 229
49. Wanyamwezi wedding tune on sanza (Cent-Frequency Chart I6) 235
50. Wachaga chief-praise song 238
SI. Wameru spell-breaking party song 24I
52. Wahehe elephant hunting song 243
Melody Type Chart 247
Cent-Frequency Charts 249
I. Bapere horns 249
2. Bapere xylophone 249
3. Mambuti flutes 250
4. Mboko mouth bow 250
5. Mboko zither 25I
6. N'Gundi sanza 25I
7. Yaswa xylophones 252
8. Kukuya horns 252
9· Kuyu horn 253
IO. Baduma sanza 253
I!. Banyoro xylophone 253
I2. Banyoro royal horns 254
I3. Bamba flutes 254
I4. Baganda harp 255
I5. Baganda royal xylophones 255
I6. Wanyamwezi sanza 256
Numerical-Territorial Index of Transcriptions 257
Tribai Index 260
Bibliography 26I
Index-Glossary 267
Illustrations following I04
PARTONE