Rhodes University: Hosted Journals

Tracey, Andrew

English

Musical Instruments of the Indigenous People of South Africa. Percival R. Kirby. 2013. (1st ed. OUP 1934, repr. 1953, 2nd ed. Witwatersrand University Press 1965), 3rd ed. Witwatersrand University Press (title updated from \u27native races\u27 ) 159 ills., map, xxxv, 400pp.

Bethke, Andrew-John

REVIEWS 149
Music in Kenyan Christianity: Logooli Religious Song. Jean Ngoya Kidula. 2013. 
Bloomington: Indiana University Press. 17 b&w illus., 53 music exs, index, 312pp.
Kidula’s extensive research into Logooli1 Christian music-making has culminated in 
a thorough study of the eff ects of western Christian missionary work on Kenyan local 
culture and music. Her book begins by introducing the reader to Logooli culture, 
drawing on research from expert scholars and her own experience of growing up in a 
Logooli village. From the beginning of the book we are presented with an “insider’s” 
voice, rather than a foreign scholar’s point of view. As a result, the text gives valuable 
background insight that informs the textual and musical analyses throughout. A 
luminous example of this is Kidula’s knowledge of traditional Logooli story-telling 
songs and their eff ect on the textual structure of Christian localised choruses (89 - 90).
Th e book is carefully structured around fi ve stages of the historical development 
of western musical genres in Africa. Th ese are the Logooli encounter with missionary 
Christianity; early Christian Logooli hymnody (also broadly termed as “book music”2); 
accommodation and adaptation of “book music”; syncretism and the development 
of local “songs of the Spirit”; and contemporary Logooli music. Broadly these fi ve 
categories seem to mirror Krabill’s six stages of musical encounter and development,3 
categories which formed a part of Music in the Life of the African Church, of which 
Kidula was co-editor.4 Th e Epilogue ties all these stands together beautifully, showing 
how, over a period of one hundred years, localisation has helped to transform Western 
hymn genres into far more palatable musical styles for the Logooli and many African 
Christians.
An important theme comes to light from the beginning of the book. Th is is the 
aesthetic and spiritual disregard the missionaries showed towards local forms of 
religion and music-making. While the missionaries’ good intentions cannot be denied, 
the devastating eff ects of their “Christianising” on cultural norms are clearly articulated. 
See, for example, the discussion on Logooli circumcision rites, a tradition rich in local 
music-making (65–66). As a result, Kidula comments, “Few indigenous songs [now] 
celebrate the rite” (page 66). One gets the impression that there is a deep sorrow for the 
loss of aspects of rich cultural traditions in the transition to Christianity. However, the 
reader is acutely aware of Kidula’s non-judgemental attitude towards the missionaries. 
Instead of adopting a negative attitude, she chooses to celebrate the tenacity and 
creativity of her people in relation to the demands placed upon them by the Christian 
foreigners. Th us, by the end of the book, the destruction of Logooli musical culture 
is actually turned on its head by systematic analyses of present practice. What Kidula 
1  Th e Avalogooli are a cultural group found in the far western region of Kenya.
2  A term directly related to Christian institutional education and the necessity to read the Bible.
3  Krabill’s six stages are: Importation; Adaptation; Alteration, Imitation; Indigenization; and 
Internationalisation. See King, Roberta, et. al. Music in the Life of the African Church. Waco: 
Baylor University Press, 2008. 
4  King, Roberta, et. al. Music in the Life of the African Church. Waco: Baylor University Press, 2008.
150 JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL LIBRARY OF AFRICAN MUSIC
shows the reader is that local culture oft en trumps its colonial dominators by gradually 
morphing foreign structures until they absorb local expressions of being.
One of the great strengths of the book is Kidula’s textual analyses. Hymnologists will 
be interested in the transformation many well-known English hymns have undergone 
in translation to Logooli. A striking example is the third verse of “Hark, my soul, it is 
the Lord” which, in the Logooli context has been understood to give teaching on the 
morality of babysitting (99). Kidula cleverly includes the original English texts, followed 
by the Logooli translation, oft en followed by a re-translation back into English. As a 
result, the full force of the contextual changes in translation quickly becomes apparent. 
Another interesting aspect of the textual analyses is when the tonal implications of 
the Logooli language clash with the melodic contours of Western melodies (171 and 
231). While this is a fairly well-known phenomenon in mission hymnody, apparent 
also in Southern African, in her analyses Kidula explains exactly how the natural 
pronunciation of particular words are changed when sung with particular melodies. 
She explains that Logooli speakers who are not accustomed to these idiosyncrasies 
need to be told which meaning is actually intended by the translators. 
Th e depth with which Kidula analyses each of her examples — musically, textually 
and theologically — is what makes this book stand out. Th e theological explanations 
behind the texts are valuable, especially in the “spirit songs” where cultural connections 
with Biblical stories may sometimes be obscure to non-Logooli readers. Th e music 
itself is carefully transcribed and discussed, highlighting signifi cant attributes. Here 
the discussions about body rhythm and movement are particularly important. Oft en 
non-sounding rhythms are not included in transcriptions nor are they apparent in 
sound recordings since they cannot be seen or heard. To counter this Kidula carefully 
explains the complexity of the rhythmic intentions of the singers. Again and again 
this component of the analyses adds a dimension of understanding which enhances 
the overall description of each song/hymn. Having the original text and music of the 
Western progenitors of certain hymns is also a helpful element of the analyses. Readers 
will be struck by just how radically both music and text have been adapted to speak 
more authentically to local people.
Kidula’s gift  is to give a human face to her meticulous work. Short anecdotes pepper 
the book and add a dimension which is not oft en discernible in academic works. Here 
the Epilogue deserves special mention. In this short chapter we are given a glimpse 
into the Logooli tradition of singing in community and just how integral it is to life 
in general. Th e reader is told of a group of participants who agree to be recorded for 
academic study. However, they become so involved in singing and praying, that they 
completely forget about the original intention of the gathering. It is, I think, what many 
ethnomusicologists dream of: permission to record, but without the barrier of self-
awareness, or the notion that the group should present only their best numbers. 
Th ere are only a couple of slightly confusing terms which could be addressed 
in future editions. Th e fi rst is the phrase “middle-of-the-road”. It appears frequently 
enough throughout the text to be of importance, and yet it is not defi ned. Clearly it 
 REVIEWS 151
denotes a moderate position, but the reader is never given an example to fully describe 
what it means in the Logooli context. It could mean any number of things to diff erent 
people. To an Anglican, it may mean that hymns and choruses are sung in worship (as 
opposed to just hymns, or just choruses). To a Pentecostal it may mean singing choruses 
and “spirit songs” (as opposed to just choruses or just “spirit songs”). Th eologically 
“middle-of-the-road” also has diff erent meanings in diff erent contexts. Another term 
which confused me slightly was “church drum” (e.g. 93). Is this a side drum (94)? Or 
is it a kidindi? I surmise that it is most likely the latter, but this is never made explicit 
in the text. Nonetheless, these are small issues in a book which is otherwise thorough 
and insightful.
Kidula’s book comes at a time when the study of Christian music in Africa is 
growing rapidly. In recent times there has been an increasing interest in the localisation 
of Western hymns and songs by specifi c cultural communities. In a sense, what seems 
to be emerging is a new voice within some communities which, while it has not 
rejected the colonial mission music, has allowed local structural, textual and musical 
elements to bubble to the surface and completely engulf the original material. What is 
unique about this particular book is that the author is from the host community. Oft en 
ethnomusicological studies are conducted by someone outside of the study’s control 
group, i.e. foreigners. While this can lend a sense of objectivity to a study, it can also lead 
to misrepresentation or misunderstanding of cultural norms. Here we are off ered a rare 
and authentic glimpse into a world which, for many of us, is inaccessible and beyond 
our capacity to fully understand. Jean Ngova Kidula has given us an authoritative study 
informed by her own experience that provides valuable information regarding the 
eff ects of the colonial encounter on church music in a specifi c cultural context. Th is 
book adds signifi cantly to existing scholarship.
Andrew-John Bethke, College of the Transfi guration
References
 2008 King, Roberta, Jean Kidula, James R. Krabill and Th omas A Oduro. 
Music in the Life of the African Church. Waco: Baylor University Press.
Krabill, James R.
 2008 “Encounters: What Happens to Music when People Meet”, in Music 
in the Life of the African Church, edited by Roberta King, Jean Kidula, 
James R. Krabill and Th omas A Oduro. Waco: Baylor University Press.


Music in Kenyan Christianity: Logooli Religious Song. Jean Ngoya Kidula. 2013. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. 17 bw illus., 53 music exs, index, 312pp.

Thram, Diane

166 JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL LIBRARY OF AFRICAN MUSIC
CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE
 George Worlasi Kwasi Dor, PhD, Pittsburgh, is associate professor of music and 
McDonnell Chair of Ethnomusicology at the University of Mississippi and widely 
recognized as a composer, performer, teacher, and as a director and advocate for African 
(Ghanaian) art music. He has published numerous journal articles and chapters in 
festschrift s and is the author of West African Drumming and Dance in North American 
Universities: An Ethnomusicological Perspective, 2014.
Ian Eagleson, PhD, Wesleyan University, has researched and published on the 
development of the benga musical style in Kenya. Since 2004 he has performed, toured 
and recorded with the Kenyan-American group Extra Golden, releasing albums with 
Th rill Jockey Records. He currently performs with the US-based benga group LV Benga 
Africa.
Francesca Inglese, M.A. University of Toronto, doctoral candidate in Ethnomusicology 
at Brown University, is the 2013 SEM African Music Section Student Paper Prize 
winner. Her dissertation research explores contemporary  Kaapse Klopse  (minstrel 
troupe) practice and performance in Cape Town, South Africa. Her research interests 
include global circulation of black popular music and dance, transnational blackface 
minstrelsy, dance and the body, and critical race and gender studies. 
Damascus Kafumbe, PhD Florida State University, teaches ethnomusicology 
and directs an African music and dance ensemble at Middlebury College, VT.  An 
accomplished performer of Ugandan indigenous musical instruments, his current 
research focuses on the royal and clan musics of Buganda, Uganda. He is in the Society 
for Ethnomusicology (SEM), African Studies Association (ASA), African Th eatre 
Association (AfTA), and International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM). 
Allan Mugishagwe, PhD University of California, Berkeley, is currently a visiting 
lecturer in the Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology at Indiana University, 
Bloomington. His research interests include music in Africa, Ugandan musical 
practices, music in African diaspora communities, issues of identity, globalization, 
music and faith, and cultural politics.
Austin Okigbo, PhD Indiana University, teaches ethnomusicology and Africana studies 
at the University of Colorado, Boulder. His research focuses on music in African religious 
experiences, black diaspora, global health, and inter-religious dialogue. Okigbo directs 
the CU World Vocal Ensemble. He has conducted church, community, and college 
choirs in the USA, Nigeria, and South Africa, and has collaborated with Ladysmith 
Black Mambazo.


Contributors to this issue

168 JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL LIBRARY OF AFRICAN MUSIC
newbooks!International Library of African Music |  South Africa
email ilamsales@ru.ac.za | www.ru.ac.za/ilamTO ORDER
“This in depth, beautifully illustrated 
exposition of the music practices and 
thinking of sub-Saharan Africa will be a rich 
resource. Mandy Carver has assimilated and 
presented the cultural material in accessible 
language and presents an impressive 
selection of recordings from across the 
continent, drawn from ILAM’s collection of 
field recordings. — Emily Akuno, The Kenya 
Polytechnic University College, Nairobi
“There is nothing like it in the field.”
“Understanding African Music is a splendid 
volume of musical treasures from cultures 
and countries of sub-Saharan Africa. The 
book successfully accomplishes its aim 
to orient readers to the vast expanse of 
music and musicians, to ways of thinking 
and behaving musically and to the human 
capacity for cultural-artistic-social 
expression. 
There are critical lessons to be learned 
about African music and culture through 
the activities carefully framed by the 
author in the reading and listening that 
leads to them. There is nothing like it in 
the field. It is a textbook, a guide to deep 
listening, a study of the innovative musical 
ways of the human mind and body. The 
book is a shining realization of ILAM’s 
hope to fulfill Hugh Tracey’s 1960s vision 
for repatriating the music he recorded 
to its communities of origin by creating 
textbooks designed to teach African music 
in the schools.”  — Patricia Shehan Campbell, 
University of Washington, Seattle
PUBLICATIONS OF ILAM 169
Listen and Learn – 
Music Made Easy has been 
designed to guide teach-
ers and learners through 
the musical content of the 
South African Creative Arts 
programme for Grades 
aimed at directing teachers 
without musical experience 
through the fundamentals 
of music and music-theory 
they are expected to teach 
using listening examples 
-
chived at the International 
Library of African Music 
(ILAM). 
By publishing a textbook that 
teaches using African  music, 
ILAM is giving the music re-
corded by its founder Hugh 
Tracey back to learners 
throughout South Africa and 
beyond through the schools. 
recordings made in Southern Africa.  Also included are several video clips produced by 
ILAM to illustrate certain lessons.
The book offers:
  Easy step-by-step lessons for music content, Creative Arts curriculum for Grades 7 
and 8  Insight into African music  68 audio tracks and several video clips to enhance 
the learning experience  Relevant activities and assessments  A teachers’ handbook
email ilamsales@ru.ac.za | www.ru.ac.za/ilamTO ORDER
newbooks!International Library of African Music |  South Africa
170 JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL LIBRARY OF AFRICAN MUSIC
For Future Generations
Hugh Tracey and the International Library of African Music
Th is exhibition catalogue features 
superb quality ethnographic 
photographs from Hugh Tracey’s 
photo collection taken during 
his fi eld excursions throughout 
sub Saharan Africa (1930s-60s) 
and articles relating to the Tracey 
legacy for African music. For 
Future Generations presents a 
richly illustrated portion of the 
manuscript of Hugh Tracey’s 
1932 scientifi c research report 
to the Carnegie Foundation, 
an article by Andrew Tracey 
relating to the 20 instruments 
chosen from the 350 in the 
Tracey collection to be featured 
in the exhibit, with an image of 
each instrument and a CD with 
a Hugh Tracey fi eld recording of  each of the 20 instruments being played. It also 
includes informative articles on Hugh Tracey’s research techniques and legacy 
by Diane Th ram and Noel Lobley, a tribute to Hugh Tracey by Gerhard Kubik, a 
tribute to Andrew Tracey by Christopher Ballantine, and a touching memoir of 
Hugh Tracey written by his son Andrew.
TO ORDER email: ilamsales@ru.ac.za OR go to www.ru.ac.za/ilam
PUBLICATIONS OF ILAM 171
Generations of Jazz
Th e Generations of Jazz exhibition 
catalogue contains articles on 
local jazz legends, saxophonists 
Dudley Tito and Patrick Pasha 
and the late composer, pianist 
Erroll Cuddumbey. Eminent 
jazz scholar, Prof Gerhard Kubik 
contributes an article on New 
Brighton and South Africa’s place 
in the overall history of jazz. A 
visually stunning repository of 
information on New Brighton 
jazz artists, it features biographical 
information about local vocalists, 
the legendary Soul Jazzmen’s 
 drummer, late Lulu Gontsana and  
bassist, late Big T Th ami Ntsele. 
Feya Faku honours a mentor of his 
youth, the late Erroll Cuddumbey. 
Dudley Maloi eulogizes the late 
Zim Ngqawana, a New Brighton 
icon of South Africa jazz who 
passed before his time.
Th is catalogue is a collector’s item.
A documentary ‘Generations of Jazz’ concert DVD recorded live at the 
exhibition opening featuring 7 groups is also available.
TO ORDER email: ilamsales@ru.ac.za OR go to www.ru.ac.za/ilam
Cover image: Saxophonists Patrick Pasha (left ) and 
Dudley Tito (right) taken from a newspaper clipping
in the D.Tito collection. Photographer unknown.
172 JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL LIBRARY OF AFRICAN MUSIC
Visit: www.ilam.ru.ac.za
To order via email contact: ilamsales@ru.ac.za
The Music of Africa Series was produced by Hugh Tracey in 
the early 1960s as an off-shoot of his 218 LP Sound of Africa 
Series, in order to present African music to a general 
audience.  ILAM has re-issued, without modifications, the 
original 25 LP series in CD format (The numbering, cover 
images and liner notes of the original LPs has been 
retained).
Hugh Tracey presented the music on these albums 
according to instrument type, geographic region, and in 
the case of Princess Magogo, to feature an exceptional 
musician. The original LPs are true collector's items. Enjoy 
the storytelling of African folktales by Hugh Tracey himself 
on Music of Africa 17, 33, 34, & 35.
International Library of African Music
African dances of the
 Witwatersrand Gold Mines
Parts 1 and 2
Osborne Awards
Parts 1-3
The Lion on the Path
and other African stories
as told by Hugh Tracey
The Bird of the Valley
and other African stories
as told by Hugh Tracey
Down by the River
African Stories
as told by Hugh Tracey
More African Stories
as told by Hugh Tracey
The Zulu Songs of Princess
Constance Magogo KaDinuzulu
Music from the roadside 1
South Africa
Music from the roadside 2
Zimbabwe and Neighbours
Music of the Northern Congo 1
Sudanic Languages
Music of the Northern Congo 2
Bantu Languages
Uganda 1
Tanzania 1
Zimbabwe 1
Musical Instruments 1
Strings
Musical Instruments 2
Reeds (Mbira)
Musical Instruments 3
Drums 1
Musical Instruments 4
Flutes and Horns
Musical Instruments 5
Xylophones
Musical Instruments 6
Guitars 1
Musical Instruments 7
Guitars 2
Musical Instruments 8
Drums 2
ILAM Rhodes University PO Box 94 Grahamstown 6140 SOUTH AFRICA
Tel: +27 046-6038557  Fax: +27 046-6224411
Africa
Music 
of 
by Hugh Tracey
PUBLICATIONS OF ILAM 173
Historical Recordings by Hugh Tracey is a new series, not a 
re-release of previous LP albums on cd. It also includes 
many tracks never published before, and all previously 
released items can be heard in their unexpurgated entirety 
for the first time.  
The series is a reappraisal of Hugh Tracey's lifework, 
finding itself somewhere in between his more populist 
Music of Africa series of 25 LPs and his more academic 
Sound of Africa series of 218 LPs. In this series we are able to 
present many of the foremost musicians of the 20th 
century from this part of Africa, and that is a gift. It is 
especially a gift to the peoples involved, for the legacy as 
played by their forebears belongs to them.
Michael Baird 2006
SWP Records and t
International Library of African Music
he
Historical Recordings
 by Hugh Tracey 
Visit: www.ilam.ru.ac.za
To order via email contact: ilamsales@ru.ac.za
At the Court of the Mwami
Rwanda 1952
Royal Court Music from Uganda
1950 & 1952
On the Edge of the Ituri Forest
Congo 1952
Kalimba & Kalumbu Songs
Zambia 1952 & 1957
Kanyok and Luba
Congo 1952 & 1957
Other Musics from Zimbabwe
Southern Rhodesia 1948-'63
Southern and Central Malawi
Nyasaland 1950-'58
Northern and Central Malawi
Nyasaland 1950-'58
Origins of Guitar Music
Southern Congo & Northern Zambia, 1950-'58
Forest Music
Northern Congo, 1952
Tswana and Sotho Voices
Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho, 1951 '57 '59
The Nguni Sound
South Africa & Swaziland 1955 '57 '58
Southern Mozambique
Portuguese East Africa 1943 '49 '54 '55 '57 '63
Tanzania Instruments
Tanganyika 1950
Tanzania Vocals
Tanganyika 1950
Secular Music from Uganda
1950 '52
Forgotten Guitars from Mozambique
1955 '56 '57
The Legendary George Sibanda
Zimbabwe 1948 '49 '50 '53
Kenyan Songs and Strings
1950 & 1952
Colonial Dance Bands
1950 & 1952
Bulawayo Jazz
1950, '51, '52
The Very Best of Hugh Tracey
ILAM Rhodes University PO Box 94 Grahamstown 6140 SOUTH AFRICA
Tel: +27 046-6038557  Fax: +27 046-6224411
174 JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL LIBRARY OF AFRICAN MUSIC
ALSO
Limited edition 
in vinyl format 
available from 
Ubuntu Publishing
To order email: ilamsales@ru.ac.za    OR   ubuntu.publishing.nl@gmail.com
ILAM and Ubuntu Publishing
 JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL LIBRARY OF AFRICAN MUSIC 175
The Dhow Countries Music Academy
ZANZIBAR
Short-term study programs 
The Dhow Countries Music Academy 
(DCMA) in Stone Town, Zanzibar is known 
for its promotion of music traditions 
of the dhow countries surrounding the 
Indian Ocean from which dhows (Arab/
African sail boats) carried commodities 
to the East African coast. Performed on 
instruments such as the oud, qanun and 
dumbak, Dhow Countries music includes 
singing and instrumental traditions of 
the famous taarab, poetry-song genre.
The Dhow Countries Music Academy 
is an academic institution offering 
music instruction on Arab/African 
instruments and singing styles, as well 
as Certifi cate and Diploma Courses in 
Music. The Academy emphasizes music 
‘performance’ and has a regular series of concerts, outreach projects and seminars.
Located close to the old harbor of Zanzibar in what was the Old Customs House, 
the Academy has facilities for group lectures and performances, practice rooms and 
administrative offi ces. It is a perfect location for short-term study programs focusing on 
Dhow Countries music, other African traditions, special lectures and performances of 
all sorts.
The Dhow Countries Music Academy offers lectures, concerts, instrumental and vocal 
instruction, accommodation and food for student groups for any period of time at any 
time of the year. Charges for facilities and short courses are very reasonable. Programs 
for Columbia University, University of Washington music education projects, students 
from Norway and Tanzania outside Zanzibar and other locations have enjoyed great 
success.
● For programs designed to match your interests contact Prof. Mitchel Strumpf, 
Academic Director, strumpfmitchel@yahoo.com, +255786094543.


New books! International Library of African Music

Onani, Adero

Yawuoyi Moa Nairobi

Ngoye, ca, Dick

Robinson Olago

Mengo, Ochieng Nelly

Jazz, Tausi

Sabina Ya Neli

On October 2 and 3, 2013 Middlebury College hosted Grammy Award-winning artist and social advocate Angelique Kidjo to give the 2013—14 John Hamilton Fulton Memorial Lecture in the Liberal Arts and to perform a concert

Kafumbe, Damascus

Middlebury College 2013-14 John Hamilton Fulton Lecture in the Liberal Arts: a public conversation with Angelique Kidjo

164 JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL LIBRARY OF AFRICAN MUSIC
Asante Ntahera Trumpets in Ghana: Culture, Tradition and Sound Barrage. Joseph 
S. Kaminski. 2012.  Farnham, UK and Burlington, VT: Ashgate. CD, 37 b&w ills., 27 
music transcriptions, appendix, index, 226pp.
Th e fi rst questions that come to me on reading this book are: Is this music? and How 
can there be sets of untuned trumpets in Africa, when there are so many of the tuned 
variety? By the end of the book, however, the reader is fully reconciled, persuaded 
by the author’s detailed and thorough-going descriptions, which are aided by the full 
documentation on the CD. In fact his subtitle  already gives more than a clue with his 
choice of the words ‘sound barrage’, the loud, combined, un-coordinated mix of any 
number of diff erent instrumental groups all within earshot of each other, which is felt 
to give a spiritually protective ambience to the Asantehene, the king of the Asante. 
Th e recordings of royal occasions on the enclosed CD indeed reveal a tumultuous 
‘noise’ that calls out for sense to be made of it. Th is Kaminski has certainly done here. 
Th e important fact to be remembered is that the Asante language is tonal. Th erefore 
Ntahera has to be approached as speech, not as music (whatever this word might 
mean in Africa). Certainly it cannot be described as tonal, and it seems to me only 
barely rhythmic. Much of the book deals with the texts ‘spoken’ by Ntahera groups. 
Kaminski himself is a trumpeter and was able to participate fully on royal occasions 
for the Asantehene, the implication being that he must have attained a level of fl uency 
in the language. His confi dent writing gives the impression of quiet thoroughness and 
believability.
Many ensembles exist, particularly at the court of the king, and are described in 
admirable detail. Within the limitations of an ivory tusk with only two holes — the 
blow-hole and a tone-hole at the tip — the lead player reproduces the speech tones of 
the language, oft en ‘speaking’  praises and proverbs, while the six other trumpets in 
an ensemble repeat characteristic, recognisable one- or two-note rhythmic patterns 
behind him. Interestingly, the lead trumpeter opens the tone-hole for the lower sounds 
of his patterns, as these are easier to lip down when the hole is open. When blown 
fi rmly, the high open note is used only for cueing signals. Another valuable point 
is Nkofe, the name of one of the Asantehene’s ivory tusk groups, nko (horn) + fe (to 
blow); fe links with the phoneme used for blowing in some southern African languages 
such as Nyungwe and Shona, related to the vu of the infamous South African football 
trumpet vuvuzela.
Th e ‘barrage’ is obviously considered important in Asante society for the protection 
and support of royalty, but the recordings would certainly not win any prizes for the 
beauty of the sound alone!  “Intentional dissonance dispels evil spirits, and the greater 
the clangor, the greater the sound barrage”. Th e barrage is reminiscent of many other co-
sounding group events around Africa where musicians have the ability to concentrate 
on their own group’s sound even when close-by unrelated groups sound much louder, 
especially to musicians who are on the outside edges. “Th e simultaneous performance 
of diff erent songs ... is related to energy level and increasing intensity as each entry 
 REVIEWS 165
comes in.” Ntahera is “not  cacophony”, but is communal and spiritual, a “whirlwind ... 
leading to reuniting the ancestors with the living.”
However, the recordings are not necessarily quite as dissonant to all ears as the 
author makes out, partly because of the preference for thirds, which recur commonly 
between the two lower backing parts. Th ese oft en move in parallel, at an indeterminate 
interval of between 300 and 500 cents, i.e. between a minor third and a fourth, with 
c.400 cents predominating. Th e author does not seem to mention this apparent 
preference, which is typical in the vocal music of southern Ghana and reminiscent of 
other parts of Africa where thirds are prominent.
Kaminski talks about “strong beats”. He is concerned with fi tting the Ntahera 
sound into a metric frame, but how certain is he that it really exists? He might equally 
well have ascribed it to natural speech rhythm. Th ere are no accompanying metric 
instruments inherent to a Ntahera group, but what about the players’ movements while 
they play? His concern reminds me of the Western musician’s constant need to “fi nd 
the one” in an African cycle. I believe ‘Where’s the One?’ is even the name of a New 
York café! Without seeing the movement, I could not judge the real metricality from 
the recorded sound alone.
Andrew Tracey, ILAM


Asante Ntahera Trumpets in Ghana: Culture, Tradition and Sound Barrage. Joseph S. Kaminski. 2012. Farnham, UK and Burlington, VT: Ashgate. CD, 37 bw ills., 27 music transcriptions, appendix, index, 226pp.

Kings, Victoria \u27B\u27

Kwe Eber Budho,

Not a member yet