African Music Vol 3 no 3(Seb)

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1 2 2 AFRICAN MUSIC SOCIETY JOURNAL

h ig h e r a n d th en in a lo w e r k e y , a lte r n a te ly o n a cad e n c e b ro u g h t a b o u t b y th e tu n e , a n d th u s w ith no d iffic u lty in th e tr a n s itio n .

T h is m o tet s h o u ld be w e ll re c e iv e d a n y w h e r e in A fric a o r o v e rs e a s , sin c e it p re s e rv e s th e A fric a n to n a lity a n d s ty le th r o u g h o u t a n d a t th e sa m e tim e satisfie s th e re q u ire m e n ts o f a Hne c o m p o sitio n fo r W e s te rn ca rs.

Br o t h e r Ba s i l.

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“ M I S S A S A N D E I ” ,

by

S T E P H E N P O N D E , 6 p a g e s , 1962, c la p p in g in d ic a te d fo r p ra c tic e o n ly ; the C a th o lic M is s io n P ress, G w e lo , R h o d e s ia . (N o p ric e g iv e n ).

T h is M ass fo llo w s th e p a tte rn o f th e “ G erm a n M a s s ” , so ca lle d b eca u se th e G erm an b ish o p s p io n e e re d th e s in g in g o f th e K y r ie , G lo r ia , C re d o , S a n c tu s a n d A g n u s D ei b y th e fa ith fu l in a sh o rte r fo rm a n d in th e v e rn a c u la r. H e re , fro m th e b e g in n in g t h r o u g h o u t, th e

cantor

a n d r

cbola

a lte r n a te w ith the

turba

in a m o re o r less c a n o n ic a l fo rm , a n d a sec o n d v o ic e a cc o m p a n ie s o n e fo u rth o r o n e fifth lo w e r.

N o a tte m p t is m ad e a t p o ly p h o n y , th e flo w o f th e A fric a n rh y th m s u p e rs c e d in g it c o m p le te ly .

T h e th e m e o f th e K y r ie is s tr o n g ly re m in is c e n t o f a G re g o ria n th e m e in th e Io n ian m o d e an d it re c u rs o c c a s io n a lly in th e C re d o , th e S a n c tu s a n d th e A g n u s D ei. T h e a d v a n ta g e o f a free tra n s la tio n o f th e L a tin tex t a llo w s th e a u th o r to lim it h is th e m e s in th e G lo ria a n d the C re d o , an d th e c o n g re g a tio n c a n n o t b u t p ro fit b y th is . T h e S a n c tu s a n d th e A g n u s D e i a re in g re a te r c o n tra s t, th e o n e e x u b e ra n t an d triu m p h a n t, th e o th e r su b d u e d , a lm o s t a p sa lm o d y .

W e re co m m en d th is s h o rt a n d e a s y w o r k to p ro s p e c tiv e c o m p o se rs o f c h u r c h m u s ic as a m o d e l o f g o o d ta ste in th e r ig h t d ire c tio n . In its m o d e st w a y it a d d s u p c o n s id e ra b ly to th e m e a g re re p e rto ire o f g e n u in e A fric a n c h u r c h m u sic .

N .B .— T h e s e n o tes w e re a lr e a d y w r itte n w h en th is r e v ie w e r w a s u n e x p e c te d ly g iv e n th e o p p o r

t u n ity to h ear “ M is s a S a n d e ” s u n g at tw o d ifferen t p la ce s n e a r F o rt V ic to ria : first, at G o k o m e rc , w h en tw o d ru m s (lo c a lly m ad e fro m the “ m u k a s h u ” tree) a n d r a ttle s w e re u s e d ; th e c o n g r e g a tio n p ac k e d in th e b ig g r a n ite c h u rc h d id n o t s h o w a n y s ig n o f b e in g a n n o y e d o r d is tr a c te d ; th e se c o n d tim e , at B o n d o lfi M is s io n , w h e re th e y o u n g c o m p o se r, u n a w a r e o f th e p resen ce o f v is ito r s , w a s le a d in g th e la r g e c o n g r e g a tio n , th e d ru m s w e re s ile n t b ecau se it w a s L en t. I f c h u rc h m u sic is m ean t to a s sist p r a y e r , as it s h o u ld , th e re la x e d y e t p ra y e rfu l a ttitu d e o f th e c o n g r e g a tio n s in b o th G o k o m e re a n d B o n d o lfi sp e ak s fo r its e lf.

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RECORDS

“ M I S S A Z A N D E ” ,

by

F n . F . G I O R G E T T I , F .S .C . D is c o te c a C o in b o n ia n a , E d itric e N ig r iz ia , v ia M e lo n c e llo 3 / 3 , B o lo g n a , I ta ly . R e c o rd e d b y th e c h o ir o f M is s io n e A fric a n e d i R e b b io , d ire c te d b y P. S . B e n e d e tti a n d (d ru m s ) P ro f. B io n d a L o n e llo . 7-in ch L .P .

“ M IS A B A B A Y E T U ” (M a ss “ O u r F a th e r ” )

by

S T E P H E N M B U N G A .

Mnsica Verba,

a v a ila b le a t the B e n e d ic tin e S e m in a ry o f P e ra m ih o , T a n z a n ia , w h e re it w a s re c o rd e d . 7 -in c h L .P .

It w o u ld be p re s u m p tu o u s to ex p e c t o f th e se s m a ll re c o rd s th e p erfe ctio n a n d fla m b o y a n c y o f s tu d io re c o r d in g s , b u t th e c o n tra s ts b e tw e e n th e tw o w o r k s re c o rd e d a re s tr ik in g ; fu rth e r, th e y a re b a s ic a lly m uch c lo s e r to o n e a n o th e r th an a first a u d itio n m ig h t le a d o n e to th in k , a n d a ls o to S tep h e n P o n d e ’s

“ M I S S A S A N D E I ” , re v ie w e d a b o v e .

In “ M I S S A Z A N D E ” , th e o v e r - a ll effect w ill b e p le a s in g g e n e r a lly to W e s te rn ea rs: th e vo ices h a v e a c r y s ta lin e q u a lity a n d th e ease w ith w h ic h th e se Ita lia n b o y s s in g

foreion

tu n es in a fo re ig n la n g u a g e is re m a rk a b le ; th e d iffic u lty in d r u m m in g A fric a n rh y th m s h as b een p a r tia lly b y -p a sse d w ith th e in tro d u c tio n o f c h im e s ; th o se w h o a re fa m ilia r w ith “ M I S S A L U B A ” fro m th e C o n g o m ig h t m iss h e re , it is tru e , th e s o m e w h a t b o is te ro u s a c c o m p a n im e n t o f th e d ru m s , b u t it s h o u ld be re m a rk e d th a t in “ M IS S A L U B A ” th e d ru m s a rc , e s p e c ia lly in th e K y r ie , u s in g rh y th m s m a r k e d ly re m in is c e n t o f rh y th m s u se d in c e rta in A fric a n d an c es w h o s e c h a ra c te r a n d s u g g e s tiv e n e s s a r e fa r fro m le a d in g to C h ris tia n w o rsh ip . A ll in a ll, th e p e rfo rm a n c e m ig h t b e a s im p le c o n firm a tio n o f th e a p p ra is a l th is r e v ie w e r m ad e o f Fr.

G io r g e t t i’s M a sse s in th is J o u r n a l so m e y e a rs a g o : “ W e re it n o t fo r th e ir a p p e lla tio n th e y c o u ld easily be m is ta k e n fo r a n y o d d p ro d u c t o f o u r tim es o r fo r a n o th e r a n o n y m o u s X -c e n tu ry a u th o r, w h ile a g r e g o r ia n is t w o u ld b e p u z z le d y e t d e lig h t e d ” . B u t w e a d d e d , “ T h e fact is th a t Z a n d e th em es a re p er

v a d in g a ll t h r o u g h ” , a n d w e c o n c lu d e d : “ . . . i f a d e m o n s tra tio n w e re e v e r n e e d e d to s h o w th e affinity o f A fric a n m u s ic w ith G re g o ria n c h a n t, F r. G io r g e t t i’s M a sse s w o u ld be i t ” . ( J o u r n a l o f A M S , V o l. 2, 1959, p. 9 1 ). S t ill, th e c r is p , s p o n ta n e o u s re n d itio n p ro p e r to an A fric a n g r o u p o f s in g e r s is m is s in g and th is d o cs n o t d o ju s tic e to th e m u s ic its e lf. If, as it h as b een so p e r tin e n tly s a id , “ to m a k e B a n tu sacred m u sic w ith o u t B a n tu rh y th m m a k e s n o sen se w h a te v e r ” , (D r. S . M b u n g a , in “ C A N O N L A W A N D B A N T U M U S I C ” , p . 157), lik e w is e to s in g o r p la y B a n tu m u s ic , sa cre d o r o th e r w is e , d e p riv e d o f its p ro p e r rh y th m is to d e p riv e it o f its e s s e n tia l c h a ra c te r.

F a th e r M b u n g a ’s “ M I S A B A B A Y E T U ” fo llo w s th e p a tte rn o f th e “ G erm a n M a s s ” , w h e re the c o n g re g a tio n s in g s , in re sp o n se fo rm a n d in th e v e r n a c u la r , th e p a r a p h ra s e o f th o se p arts w h ic h in a M is s a C a n ta ta a re u s u a lly le ft to th e s c h o la . A lth o u g h it is a n te r io r to h is b o o k , th is M a s s seem s m eant

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REVIEWS 123

to illu s tr a te th e a u t h o r ’s c r e d o as ex p re s s e d in h is “ C A N O N L A W A N D B A N T U M U S I C ” w h e re he w r ite s , in p a r t, . . a lth o u g h p o ly p h o n y h as its b asis a n d o r ig in in th e G re g o ria n c h a n t it w a n d e rs a w a y fro m it to w a rd s th e d ire c tio n o f m o d e rn W e s te rn m u sic . F o r th is reaso n a sp e c ia l B a n tu p o ly p h o n y w o u ld be e a s ie r fo r th e m . B y th e term “ B a n tu p o ly p h o n y ” w e m ean th e c o m b in a tio n o f tw o o r m o re m e lo d ic s tra n d s o r ig in a t in g fro m G re g o ria n c h a n t d e v e lo p in g to w a rd s a B a n tu tin g e w ith o u t e m p lo y in g a n y m u s ic a l in s tru m e n t a n d a c c o r d in g to th e re q u ire m e n ts o f sacred p o ly p h o n y ” , (p . 136). T h e a u th o r is fa ith fu l to th e re s tr ic tiv e n o rm s he e s ta b lis h e d a n d so , th e s in g e rs s in g

a capella

a n d th e “ m e lo d ic s tra n d s o r ig in a t in g fro m G re g o ria n c h a n t” a re m a n ifest, s p e c ia lly w h en th e s ec o n d v o ic e fo llo w s in h o riz o n ta l th ir d s , a n d in s e v e ra l c a d e n c es; n o less e v id e n t is th e “ B a n tu t in g e ” : th e fre sh n ess o f th e tre b le v o ic e s , th e ry th m ic d e v e lo p m e n t, tro c h a ic c a d e n c es a n d , w h a t m a y so u n d in a n o th e r p itc h to a W e s te rn e a r, th e d u p lic a tin g m e lo d ic lin e in th e m e n ’s v o ic e s o n e fo u rth lo w e r th an th e tre b le v o ic es.

T h e “ G erm a n M a s s ” fits a d m ir a b ly w e ll th e A fric a n m e n ta lity , a n d D r. M b u n g a m a k es th e m o st o f it as a ls o d o es S tep h e n P o n d e in “ M I S S A S A N D E I ” , b u t in a fre e r v e in . It m ig h t b e d iffic u lt fo r th e c o m p o se r to “ fo r g e t” a b o u t G re g o ria n c h a n t an d g iv e m o re co n fid e n c e to h is in n a te o r ig in a lit y b u t w ith a ll h is t r a in in g b e h in d h im a n d a p p ly in g th e n o rm s o n sa cre d m u sic he k n o w s so w e ll, th e o u tc o m e w o u ld be th e re al c o n trib u tio n A fric a n M u s ic can m a k e to th e tre a s u re o f e x is tin g C h u rc h M u s ic .

T h e tex t a n d m u s ic o f th e se tw o M a sse s b e in g a v a ila b le a t th e a d d resses g iv e n a b o v e , s tu d e n ts o f A fric a n m u s ic e s p e c ia lly s h o u ld n o t m iss th e o p p o rtu n ity to liste n to th e re c o rd in g s sco res in h an d .