Zimbabwean Music
During the time of white colonization and Christian missionary work in Zimbabwe, therewas a significant decline in traditional music. Then, in the 1960s, along with emergingZimbabwean nationalism and world-wide recognition of black culture, there was a newrecognition and valuing of traditional Shona and Ndebele music (the two main tribal groups in The classic instrument of Zimbabwe is the mbira. The mbira has been in use by the Shonapeople since at least the Monomotapa dynasty of the 16th and 17th centuries. It usually consists of22 metal keys or lamellas, which are fastened at one end to a wooden resonator body, thoughnumber of keys can vary from 8 to over 50. The free protruding ends of the lamellas are pluckedwith the thumb of the left hand and the thumb and index finger of the right hand. An entire genreof music developed around the mbira, which includes subtypes based on instrument variations,customs of playing, song texts, and musical functions. A major characteristic of mbira playing is similar to that of other musical genres in otherparts of Africa - an artistic technique called "interlocking" of parts by individual players. Themusical product is such that individual parts cannot be separa
" The ancestors are believed to serve as mediators between humans and God (Mwari). However, since most of thesongs were in Shona or Ndebele, the authorities apparently had trouble understanding the deepermeaning of many lyrics, so few arrests were made. Black Evening Follies (a double bass, three guitars, asaxophone, and drums), and later Mashonaland Melodians, Wood Woodpeckers, Gold RhythmCrooners, and Jazz Revelers. By the mid 1980s the Bhundu Boys, The RealSounds, John Chibadura, Four Brothers, Marxist Brothers, and Stella Chiweshe had all releasedalbums which were distributed outside of Zimbabwe, and were touring worldwide. In 1953, the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyassaland was formed, and alcoholic beveragesbecame available to Africans in the townships for the first time. After 1980, the production of African records experienced a tremendous boom, limitedonly by strict currency exchange regulations, since many recording materials have to be imported. Other traditional instruments include the marimba (a xylophone), the nyanga or horn, thechipendani or one-string fiddle, the madare or ankle bells, and the ngoma or drums. ------------------------------------------------------------------------**Bibliography**The World of African Music: Stern's Guide to Contemporary African Music, by Ronnie Graham,Chicago: Research Associates, 1992. From a technical point of view,his music might be considered modern, but Africans classify it as traditional music, since manytraditional styles of singing and playing are maintained in the music. Thesegroups helped influence instrumentation patterns of dance bands: three electric guitars, drums,saxophone, trumpet, voices, and occasionally an electric organ. Music groups were formed to perform in the dance halls. There are many instrument variations of the mbira, each with its own name and function,but all are called mbira for simplicity. Another characteristic of mbira music is its "cyclic character.
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