An overall rhythmic “ground plan” serves as a point of reference for the varieties of rhythmic detail possible within the scheme. Although many formats are possible, here five categories are applied to the overall rhythm of the voices.
Read the Coding Guide for this Line. Listen to each example at least twice. Once you have listened to all the examples, take the Test which follows.
Middle East, Dervish. One-beat meter is rare in the vocal part except in children’s songs, stadium chants, or ritual. (Levy #2, B5) S.E. Asia, Thailand. Kai Chai Son. The Maniqa, a hunter-gatherer people of southern Thailand, were formerly known as the Negritos of the region. A woman sings a song to banish evil spirits. (Cambridge Expedition, B.B.C., A4) N. America, Southeast U.S. Georgia Sea Islands. Bessie Jones sings a traditional Southern lullaby to a regular, simple meter typical of farming societies where regular routines are essential. (Lomax #16, B12)N. W. Europe, Scotland, N.E. Hebrides. A Gaelic work song for waulking (fulling and shrinking) the tweed. Female leader and mixed group. (Lomax #33, B1) W. Europe, Portugal. Portuguese children’s carol announcing the birth of Jesus. (See Line 6, Test #2, and Lines 4 & 7, #6.) (Boulton #2, B1) S.E. Europe, Bulgaria. A Bulgarian trained chorus sing a koledarski, a pre-Christian midwinter carolling song. Young men go from house to house singing themes from the Bible and the harvest and wishing luck and health to the household. (Lloyd #1, B32) N. Europe, Norway. A topical song about the 1852 revolt of W. Sámi (Lapp) religionists against the Norwegian church, in which the Sámi drove their knives straight into the hearts of their enemies as if slaughtering reindeer. (Laade and Christiansen, A4.26) S. Asia, India. Oriya tribal song about Sita and Ravana of the Ramayana epic. (Sweden #1, B3) S.E. Europe, Bulgaria. A Bulgarian woman in Rhodope with gaida (one-drone bagpipe) and kaval (seven-hole flute) performing a wedding song in the aksak, or additive rhythm, common in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. (Lloyd #1, A17) Roswell Rudd demonstrates irregular meter. W. Europe, Spain. Extremaduran shepherd villages preserve many old romances (ballads). This one is about the amorous adventures of Don Carlos, son of Philip II. Female group. (Lomax #26, B12) N. America, Southwest U.S. The Nʉmʉnʉʉ (Comanche), known to be hunters and fierce warriors of the Texas prairies, perform a Christian hymn in their own language. Irregular meter occurs frequently in pre-farming economies. (Rhodes #4 A2) E. Africa, Sudan. The Pari, one of many Nilotic herding tribes of Eastern Sudan, present a praise song to their chief. Their musical style lies somewhere between sub-Saharan Africa and Melanesia. Twenty to 30 women with female leader. (Carlisle #3, 9) S.E. Asia. Malaysia, Borneo, Sarawak. An embellished Iban (Sea Dayak) song re-recorded from radio broadcast. Female solo. (Maceda #2, 5) N. Africa. A Saharan Tuareg man accompanied on a one-string fiddle sings: “All day I have been in pain. / I am like a child who hates even his mother’s breast. / I deserve the tall girl whose beauty surpasses the stars in the Southern Cross.” (Nikiprowetzky #2, B3)Which form of Overall Rhythm — Vocal is recorded here?
For each example below, choose the feature that best fits from the following scale.
None
One-beat rhythm
Simple meter
Complex meter
Irregular meter
Parlando rubato
Consult the Coding Guide as needed. Note your answers in order to check them against the answer key.
W. Asia, Caucasus, Georgia, Sidili. Twelve farmers, fresh from work, lay down a varying polyphonic drone while two male soloists sing a heroic duet. (Lomax #37, 1) Reveal Answer Oceania, Melanesia, New Guinea Highlands, Dani. The accelerating rhythm of this performance renews the singers’ courage and prepares them to attack a nearby group that has slain one of their tribe. This canonic polyphony is a reminder that the Dani were traditionally gatherers. (Rockefeller & Gardner, 51) Reveal Answer C. Asia, Kazakhstan. The Turkic Kazakhs were formerly nomadic pastoralists whose extended family clan confederacies, known as hordes, occupied vast territories. Their bards performed epics and engaged in contests of sung poetry to lute accompaniment. (Former U.S.S.R. #8, A1) Reveal Answer S. Africa, Ndau. A composer-bard of an African farming and cattle-herding people sings elegant syncopation against the rippling polyrhythms he thumbs on his mbira. (Tracey #2 (TR-205), B5) Reveal Answer N. America, Southwest U.S. Tohono O'odham (Papago) farmers and gatherers without cattle in the arid Rio Grande country sing simple strophes in cohesive unison. Male group. (Boulton #1, B6) Reveal Answer S. America, Interior Amazonia. Asháninka, Amahuaca. A banana festival dance. These hunter-cultivators live in tiny homesteads scattered through the mountainous jungle, with little or no political organization. Male group. (Dole, 9) Reveal Answer C. Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Pende (Bapende) children, whose tribal economy is based on root crops, small animals, and gardening, sing in parallel chords in an overlapped, unified, liquid-voiced style. (Verwilghen #1, B7) Reveal Answer S. America, Interior Amazonia, Shipibo-Conibo (Conibo). Women of this leaderless fishing tribe wail over a corpse. Custom requires that after the wake the body be sealed up in an old canoe and hidden in the forest. Female group. (Tschopik, B13) Reveal AnswerS. Asia, India, Assam. Adi (Abor) hill tribes have a polyphonic song style similar to those of both Polynesia and Africa. They are organized in small, independent, communal villages practicing extensive agriculture to which both men and women contribute. Mixed group. (India #4, A2) Reveal Answer S. Asia, India, Kerala. Nyar women circling a lamp, clapping and singing a song in which the wives of a prince praise their husband, a custom during summer planting. (Levy #1, B3) Reveal AnswerLine 11 Test Answers: 1) Parlando rubato. 2) One-beat. 3) Irregular meter. 4) Simple meter. 5) Irregular meter. 6) One-beat. 7) Complex meter. 8) Parlando rubato. 9) Complex meter. 10) Simple meter.