Masters Degrees (Odeion School of Music)

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Browsing Masters Degrees (Odeion School of Music) by Author "Huyssen, Hans"

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    The Chewa art of drumming and its influence on modern Malawian music
    (University of the Free State, 2009-05) Nthala, Grant Macloly Moloko; Huyssen, Hans
    English: Traditionally appropriate Chewa dance performances require specialized performers: singers, hand-clappers, organizers, dancers and drummers. As performers of Chewa dances grow into the necessity of surviving rival challenges and presumably malicious mysterious attacks Chewa music and dance is strongly associated with ritual, mystery, and enigmatic expression. While various dances often share common features – for example, songs are sometimes transferred from one dance to another with only slight changes in tempo; dance movements may be similar in a related family of dances; and the basic Chewa hand-clapping pattern is a general characteristic – it is the accompanying drumming rhythms that determine each dance‟s unique identity. Since the drumming is thus the key distinguishing factor it is regarded as the essence of the dance in Chewa communities. It helps articulate the purpose for which dance music is made; it contributes to the expression of cultural values through its performance; and it contains intrinsic dogmatic information on Chewa social structures, time and again bringing them home to both the performers and the audience. The drum mobilizes the people to a dancing event, unites the communities through the place that it takes, and symbolically represents the people‟s sovereignty. The drum is the centre of every performance and it is jealously preserved to remain such. Mystic forces and beliefs are involved in its construction, preservation and performance. According to the indigenous Chewa people this ensures success and protection of both the drumming or the drum and the dancers. Adopting the approach of musicology and ethnomusicology, this dissertation discusses the role played by indigenous music in Chewa societies with focus on drumming as an important element in the making of such music. The discussion describes the process of drum making and its application to the main Chewa dances. From personal background, experience, and a close compassionate vantage point I attempt to describe in detail and contextually the intricacies of three important Chewa dance forms – Gulewamkulu, Chimtali and Mganda – as media for the drumming expression. The study furthermore narrates the history of the Chewa ethnic group as well as its social structure, and how the drumming art is transferred both within and outside the indigenous Chewa communities. The study attempts to open up a previously rather obscure field of research and inspire and facilitate further investigation into the material. It relies on published and unpublished books and theses, field research aimed at obtaining information not covered in the publications, audio-visual recordings, and discussions with other researchers who have interest in Chewa culture and music.