MUSIC 0311 1st Edition Lecture 14Outline of Last LectureI. AfricaII. Sub-Saharan AfricaIII. Colonized AfricaIV. Ethno-Linguistic Map of AmericaV. General Characteristics of Sub-Saharan African MusicVI. Ewe Dance-DrummingVII. EweOutline of Current LectureI. MbiraII. ShonaIII. BiraIV. HoshoV. MbubeVI. ZuluCurrent LectureMbiraMbira is a lamellophone of the Shona ethnic group, from Zimbabwe. It is a thumb piano, which is an African musical instrument that consists of a wooden board with attached staggered metal tines. It is played by holding it in one’s hands and plucking the tines with one’s thumbs. This instrument is considered an idiophone. ShonaShona is the name collectively given to two groups of Bantu people in the east and southeast of Zimbabwe. Shona is the largest ethnic group in Zimbabwe. These people are divided into Western Shonas and Eastern Shonas.BiraThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.Bira is a Shona spirit possession ritual. It is an all night ritual in which members of an extended family call on ancestral spirits for guidance and intercession. The attendees at this ceremony participate in singing, dancing and hand clapping. There are two mbira players who are joined by a player on a pair of gourd shakers, called a hosho. The mbira playing and singing are all improvised off the familiar basic patterns. In a Bira, music that was favored by the ancestors when they were alive is used to summon the spirits to possess living mediums. HoshoThe hosho are Zimbabwean musical instruments consisting of a pair of maranka gourds with seeds. The hosho typically contain hota seeds inside them. The hosho are used to accompany Shona music, especially mbira music. They make a rattling sound that western ears may not be used to hearing. MbubeMbube is a form of South African vocal music that was made famous by the South African groupLadysmith Black Mambazo. In Zulu, mbube means “lion”. This music is traditionally performed acappella. The members of the group are male; however, a few groups have a female singer. In this form of music, groups of voices singing in unison are employed to create intricate harmonies and textures. ZuluThe Zulu are a Bantu ethnic group of Southern Africa and the largest ethnic group in South Africa. Their language, Zulu, is a Bantu
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