Line 22. Polyphonic Type (VII)
Polyphony is the use of simultaneously produced intervals other than unison or the octave. Two part “chords” are considered polyphony, as are harmonies of greater complexity. Simultaneously produced intervals may also occur in heterophony. (See Line 4, Musical Organization: Vocal.)
Many items are preceded by illustrative examples.
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.
- Introduction.
C. Africa, Central African Republic. Mbuti, a hunting and gathering people of the Ituri Forest, Congo, sing in a hocketing, yodeling, interlocking style in celebration of a girl’s menarche. (Turnbull & Chapman, B3)
- Drone.

a. Illustration, two females.
b. W. Asia, Caucasus, Georgia, Kakheti, Shilda Region. A lullaby melody performed by a chorus of 20 women. (Former U.S.S.R. #9, 7)
- Drone.

a. Illustration, two females.
b. S.E. Europe, Balkans, Serbia. Work song with clashing seconds in a style imitative of bagpipes. Four females. (Former Yugoslavia #1, A2)
- Isolated Chords.

a. Illustration, male chorus.
b. E. Africa, Somaliland. Desert camel herders have many songs for managing their prized but temperamental animals. A male chorus sings to make the camels drink. (Schaeffner and Rouget, A7)
- Isolated Chords.

a. Illustration, two females.
b. S.E. Europe, Bulgaria, Sofia (Sofia District). Four young girls make the village rounds ritually “singing in” the spring. (Lloyd #1, A2)
- Parallel Chords.

a. Illustration, two females.
b. N. America, Mexico, Michoacan, Zamora. A mañanitas (morning serenade) by two village girls. (Hellmer, 1)
- Parallel chords.
S. Asia, India, Kerala. The Kuravans are a wandering non-Hindu tribe of basket makers, snake catchers, and day laborers. Male chorus. (Levy #1, B7)
- Harmony.

a. Illustration, two males.
b. C. Europe, Germany. Ballad of a love encounter set to a well-known German tune in diatonic harmony. Male chorus. (Wiora D3)
- Harmony.

a. Illustration, two males.
b. S.E. Europe, Balkans, Croatia. Istria harbors an antique diaphony of untempered thirds and sixths, alternating with unison and octaves. Epic song. Two males. (Former Yugoslavia #2, A2)
- Counterpoint.

a. Illustration, two males.
b. S. Africa, Zimbabwe. The Shona Karanga (Shona) are cattle herders and grain cultivators. (See Line 21.) (Tracey #2, TR-175 B8)
- Counterpoint.
W. Asia, Caucasus, Georgia. The hocketing, yodeling songs of the Caucasus, where mountain valley irrigation sustained an early civilization, could be a remote source of European counterpoint. Male chorus. (Former U.S.S.R. #10, B5)
Test
Which form of Polyphonic Type is recorded here?
For each example below, choose the feature that best fits from the following scale.
None
Drone
Isolated chords
Parallel chords
Harmoney
Counterpoint
Consult the Coding Guide as needed.
Note your answers in order to check them against the answer key.
C. Africa, Kenya. The Maasai (Masai) warriors are pastoralists and lion-hunters. A male leader and mixed chorus sing an epic narrative. (Gaisseau #1, 1) Reveal Answer
S. America, E. Brazil. The Canela Krahô (Kraho) are complementary gardeners who dwell in large, clan-segmented villages and stage daily rehearsals of ritual dance and song. Mixed chorus and rattle. (Schultz & Chiara A3) Reveal Answer
N.E. Europe. Lithuania is a Baltic enclave of ancient traditions where the most conservative Indo-European language is spoken and a contrapuntal style like that of Georgia is retained. Mixed group. (Former U.S.S.R. #11, B 1) Reveal Answer
Oceania, Melanesia, Admiralties, Mantankor (Baluan) Island. Three women perform in harmony that is remarkably close to certain Balkan examples. (Schwartz, 20) Reveal Answer
C. Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mbuti hunter-gatherers. Three women sing after a fishing trip. (Tracey #2, (TR-205), A7) Reveal Answer
Caribbean, N. Caribbean. An Andros (Andros Island) funeral anthem sung in parts, as on the sponge-fishing fleet. Three men. (Charters, A1) Reveal Answer
Oceania, Micronesia, Palau. A unified, gender-balanced culture devoted to fishing and horticulture. A female leader chants a theme that is repeated and elaborated by others. Another case of polyphony resembling that of the Balkans. Three women. (Hendricks, 2) Reveal Answer
W. Europe, Spain, N. Spain, Spanish Basque. The Basques have inherited a unified family structure in which women play an equal role in property management and inheritance. Many of their songs are performed in choral harmony, as this local male choir demonstrates. (Lomax #2, A3) Reveal Answer
Oceania, Melanesia, Admiralties. Usiai root gardeners who raise pigs sing about an orphaned child in a plaintive, backwoods Melanesian style. (Schwartz, 15) Reveal Answer
Caribbean, E. Caribbean. In Trinidad flirtatious games, like this bongo dance, were often performed at wakes for the dead. (Lomax #36, 1) Reveal Answer
Line 22 Test Answers: 1) Drone polyphony. 2) Parallel chords. 3) Counterpoint. 4) Harmony. 5) Isolated chords. 6) Harmony and counterpoint. 7) Drone polyphony. 8) Harmony. 9) Parallel chords. 10) Isolated chords or harmony.
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