Nga, nga, nga, nda reka (Lift and drop)
- Authors: Bauleni Zhuau , Hugh Tracey
- Date: 1958
- Subjects: Folk music--Africa , Field recordings , Arts, Malawi , Songs, Nyanja , Nyanja (African people) , Folk music , Africa Malawi Chipwembwe, Fort Herald f-rh
- Language: Nyanja/Mang'anja
- Type: sound recordings , field recordings , sound recording-musical
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/155829 , vital:39921 , International Library of African Music, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa , TR088-03
- Description: The drum leader was not satisfied with the pitch of the drums and stopped playing to adjust the amount of wax on two of the drums and then started again while the girls continued to sing. The wax is made of caster oil beans pounded up, it sticks onto the drum heads in spite of the continual beating of sticks and hands. The addition of wax or paste lowers the note of the drum and the removal of quite a small amount of wax raises the note. Thus the drums can be tunned with reasonable accuracy. The players brought more paste on the drum heads than they needed, no doubt because a certain amount is lost in playing and then tuned by removing a certain amount on each head with a curved piece of tin shaped like a spoon. Note the stress upon the final syllable of Reka NdaReka. Likhuba dance with 9 tuned drums.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 1958
Likhuba (Drum Rhythm)
- Authors: Bauleni Zhuau with 3 other drummers , Hugh Tracey
- Date: 1958
- Subjects: Folk music--Africa , Field recordings , Arts, Malawi , Songs, Nyanja , Nyanja (African people) , Folk music , Africa Malawi Chiphwembwe village, Port Herald District f-rh
- Language: Nyanja/Mang'anja
- Type: sound recordings , field recordings , sound recording-musical
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/156108 , vital:39952 , International Library of African Music, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa , TR089-12
- Description: The leader plays five and sometimes six drums, the next plays numbers' six and seven, and two players the bass drums numbers' eight and nine. The tuning of the drums was as follows; Nduisi 162, Usonjo 132, Ntewe 118, Ngunte (pitch uncertain, possibly 97 vs.) 9 tuned Likhuba drums. Conical, pegged, weighted.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 1958
Ndiribe m'mbale (I have no neighbour)
- Authors: Boys of Dedza Secondary School , Hugh Tracey
- Date: 1959
- Subjects: Folk music--Africa , Field recordings , Ngoni (African people) , Arts, Malawi , Folk music , Africa Malawi Dedza, Ncheu District, Central Nyasaland f-mw
- Language: Ngoni
- Type: sound recordings , field recordings , sound recording-musical
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/154929 , vital:39794 , International Library of African Music, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa , TR084-14
- Description: The song refers to a court case taken by the chief of the village. "I have no neighbour to rescue me at the court. Those without witnesses stay behind. Ae aia." Ngoma dance.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 1959
Amalume (Uncle)
- Authors: Boys of Dedza Secondary School , Hugh Tracey
- Date: 1958
- Subjects: Folk music--Africa , Field recordings , Arts, Malawi , Songs, Nyanja , Nyanja (African people) , Folk music , Africa Malawi Dedza f-rh
- Language: Nyanja/Mang'anja
- Type: sound recordings , field recordings , sound recording-musical
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/155948 , vital:39934 , International Library of African Music, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa , TR088-15
- Description: "Uncle, uncle, uncle, drink your beer carefully. They who hate me, Eyae! They would put poison in my beer. Uncle drink your beer carefully." Drinking song.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 1958
Panzi paweni mayo (At other peoples village)
- Authors: C. Thipha , Hugh Tracey
- Date: 1958
- Subjects: Folk music--Africa , Field recordings , Arts, Malawi , Songs, Nyanja , Nyanja (African people) , Folk music , Africa Malawi Dedza f-rh
- Language: Nyanja/Mang'anja
- Type: sound recordings , field recordings , sound recording-musical
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/155966 , vital:39936 , International Library of African Music, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa , TR088-17
- Description: At another peoples villages it is better when you are alive. There used to be a house here. Why was it taken away? It is because you are too talkative." There seems to be some sound common sense about this song but somehow it escapes the singers whose minds have receded towrds the pleasures of trivialities. It is a good thing to have your wits about you when drinking away from home or you may be tempted to make such observations as I am sure there used to be a house here. Old boy, what has happened to it? And as the song implies make a fool of yourself. Drinking song with clapping.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 1958
Kulera mwana (Looking after the baby)
- Authors: Chiko Phiri , Hugh Tracey
- Date: 1958
- Subjects: Folk music--Africa , Field recordings , Arts, Malawi , Songs, Nyanja , Nyanja (African people) , Folk music , Africa Malawi Tengani, Port Herald District f-rh
- Language: Nyanja/Mang'anja
- Type: sound recordings , field recordings , sound recording-musical
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/156130 , vital:39953 , International Library of African Music, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa , TR089-13
- Description: "To look after the child while the mother goes to the river to fetch water." The father of this seven months old child took his baby in his arms and sang two lullabies, which he said his wife did not know how to sing. The child was as good as gold during the first, but cried all through the second. In spite of the words of the second song, the child was in fact his own. He called himself "Extra Zambezi" for some private reason. Lullaby.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 1958
Mwanaya (This child)
- Authors: Chiko Phiri , Hugh Tracey
- Date: 1958
- Subjects: Folk music--Africa , Field recordings , Arts, Malawi , Songs, Nyanja , Nyanja (African people) , Folk music , Africa Malawi Tengani, Port Herald District f-rh
- Language: Nyanja/Mang'anja
- Type: sound recordings , field recordings , sound recording-musical
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/156135 , vital:39955 , International Library of African Music, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa , TR089-14
- Description: "The child cries because it is not mine." The father of this seven months old child took his baby in his arms and sang two lullabies, which he said his wife did not know how to sing. The child was as good as gold during the first, but cried all through the second. In spite of the words of the second song, the child was in fact his own. He called himself "Extra Zambezi" for some private reason. Lullaby.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 1958
Thu ndangalinga (The slain child)
- Authors: Chinamali and young children , Hugh Tracey
- Date: 1958
- Subjects: Folk music--Africa , Field recordings , Arts, Malawi , Songs, Nyanja , Nyanja (African people) , Folk music , Africa Malawi Njolomole, Ncheu f-rh
- Language: Nyanja/Chewa/Chichewa
- Type: sound recordings , field recordings , sound recording-musical
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/155635 , vital:39901 , International Library of African Music, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa , TR086-13
- Description: A certain man had gone to another district to get married. While he was still there his wife had a child. He decided to return to his own country, but on the way they found it difficult to carry the child. They killed him and put him in a basket. The blood of the child turned into a bird. It flew off and perched on a tall grass and started singing, "You man and woman, you are evil, you have killed a child! Hear the child crying for milk." Story (Nthano).
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 1958
Ndoto (I am full)
- Authors: Chintuta Banda and group of Ngoni men and women , Hugh Tracey
- Date: 1959
- Subjects: Folk music--Africa , Field recordings , Ngoni (African people) , Arts, Malawi , Folk music , Africa Zambia Bancroft Mine, Norther Rhodesia f-za
- Language: Ngoni
- Type: sound recordings , field recordings , sound recording-musical
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/154888 , vital:39790 , International Library of African Music, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa , TR084-10
- Description: Drinking song with clapping
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 1959
Chilungulungu madje (The water snake)
- Authors: Chintuta Banda and group of Ngoni men and women , Hugh Tracey
- Date: 1959
- Subjects: Folk music--Africa , Field recordings , Ngoni (African people) , Arts, Malawi , Folk music , Africa Zambia Bancroft Mine, Norther Rhodesia f-za
- Language: Ngoni
- Type: sound recordings , field recordings , sound recording-musical
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/154900 , vital:39791 , International Library of African Music, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa , TR084-11
- Description: Drinking song with clapping
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 1959
Nkosi wotolera (The false chief)
- Authors: Chiwandira Mvula , Hugh Tracey
- Date: 1959
- Subjects: Folk music--Africa , Field recordings , Ngoni (African people) , Arts, Malawi , Folk music , Africa Malawi Dowa, Mzimba District, Central Nyasaland f-mw
- Language: Ngoni
- Type: sound recordings , field recordings , sound recording-musical
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/154938 , vital:39795 , International Library of African Music, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa , TR084-15
- Description: Some words are in Ngoni and some in the local Chewa. The apparent meaning of the words refers to some old dispute about a chieftsmanship, the false chief having died and the rightful chief re-instated. The player was very old and it seems his song refers to some event in past history of his early days or even before. Ngoma dance with Kalimba Mbira.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 1959
Malilima (The story of the woman and the lightning eggs)
- Authors: Constable B. Kunje and Nyanja men , Hugh Tracey
- Date: 1958
- Subjects: Folk music--Africa , Field recordings , Arts, Malawi , Songs, Nyanja , Nyanja (African people) , Folk music , Africa Malawi Zomba f-rh
- Language: Nyanja/Chewa/Chichewa
- Type: sound recordings , field recordings , sound recording-musical
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/179037 , vital:39887 , International Library of African Music, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa , TR086-04
- Description: There was once a man who came from Fort Johnson and married here in Zomba and after a while his wife became pregnant. So she told her husband, "I do not want any food, I will only eat the eggs of the lightning". Her husband was lucky enough to find the eggs of the lightning and she used to have them fresh every day. She would even find them herself, break the eggs, drink them up and bury the shells. Afterwards she would tell her husband to sit on the ground where she had buried the eggs. When he found them broken she would blame him saying she had absolutely nothing to eat all day. "You had better go get some more", she would say. In the end the man was struck by lightning as he was collecting eggs, and the lightning started singing, "I am coming". So it came and struck the man dead. Her brother fetched his body and brought it to the wife saying "noe because of your asking the impossible you have killed your husband." Then he killed his sister because he was so angry with her. Story song (Nthano).
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 1958
Matete (Matete, the greedy man)
- Authors: Constable B. Kunje and Nyanja men , Hugh Tracey
- Date: 1958
- Subjects: Folk music--Africa , Field recordings , Arts, Malawi , Songs, Nyanja , Nyanja (African people) , Folk music , Africa Malawi Zomba f-rh
- Language: Nyanja/Chewa/Chichewa
- Type: sound recordings , field recordings , sound recording-musical
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/178995 , vital:39886 , International Library of African Music, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa , TR086-03
- Description: There was once a man Matete who had a wife who died and he had a daughter called Kunyeka. He came from Mlanje to marry another woman in Zomba. She had a big garden and her husband used to eat a lot, far more than most men. When coming back from the farm the father Matete used to be called by his daughter to come and have food. He asked, "who calls me" and she would reply "It is mother who is calling. At lenght people began to remark that her husband was eating far too much and advised the wife to get rid of him. So she took a bottle, broke it and put it in the food. The daughter called the father from the farm for his meal as usual, he ate it and died. Story song (Nthano).
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 1958
Wanijalila kuwaya (He has pushed out to a bad place)
- Authors: D. Phiri , Hugh Tracey
- Date: 1958
- Subjects: Folk music--Africa , Field recordings , Arts, Malawi , Songs, Tumbuka , Tumbuka (African people) , Henga (African people) , Folk music , Africa Malawi Dowa, Mzimba District f-rh
- Language: Tumbuka/Henga
- Type: sound recordings , field recordings , sound recording-musical
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/156291 , vital:39972 , International Library of African Music, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa , TR090-10
- Description: "A bad place, he had trapped me in a bad place. Men have given me disease. Men deceive, they have deceived me with money. They gave me a venereal disease. It has finished the children in my home. I sit down and dream of Miliam." This lament is perhaps a strange basis for a dance except as an extension of the thought in dance drama, the equivalent of religious dancin, the extension of the music into movement. Dance song.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 1958
Amai, Amai, ndikunene eleli (Mother, mother, I will say much to you)
- Authors: Daliya Kafaniza and Manganja women , Hugh Tracey
- Date: 1958
- Subjects: Folk music--Africa , Field recordings , Arts, Malawi , Songs, Nyanja , Nyanja (African people) , Folk music , Africa Malawi Chikwawa f-rh
- Language: Nyanja/Mang'anja
- Type: sound recordings , field recordings , sound recording-musical
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/155802 , vital:39918 , International Library of African Music, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa , TR087-15
- Description: "My mother, mother, I will say much to you. You have taken my child. I myself am only small. You have taken my child. No, you have taken my child, as I say." Chitsukulumwe dance with gourd rattles and clapping.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 1958
Ndarira (I cry)
- Authors: Dawusi Chirongo , Hugh Tracey
- Date: 1958
- Subjects: Folk music--Africa , Field recordings , Arts, Malawi , Songs, Sena , Tumbuka (African people) , Sena (African people) , Nyungwe (African people) , Folk music , Africa Mozambique Pondola, Furancengo f-mz
- Language: Sena , Nyungwe
- Type: sound recordings , field recordings , sound recording-musical
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/156454 , vital:40004 , International Library of African Music, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa , TR091-04
- Description: The player was a man about 55 years. His father taught him to play the instrument as a child. Tuning of the instrument:- 440, 408, 368, 328, 276, 220. Self delectative song with Kalimiba Mbira with external resonator.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 1958
Wakwatira chchabe (You are cross about nothing)
- Authors: Dawusi Chirongo , Hugh Tracey
- Date: 1958
- Subjects: Folk music--Africa , Field recordings , Arts, Malawi , Songs, Sena , Tumbuka (African people) , Sena (African people) , Nyungwe (African people) , Folk music , Africa Mozambique Pondola, Furancengo f-mz
- Language: Sena , Nyungwe
- Type: sound recordings , field recordings , sound recording-musical
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/156459 , vital:40005 , International Library of African Music, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa , TR091-05
- Description: The player was a man about 55 years. His father taught him to play the instrument as a child. Tuning of the instrument:- 440, 408, 368, 328, 276, 220. Self delectative song with Kalimiba Mbira with external resonator.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 1958
Sesa (To sweep)
- Authors: Dzowa and 3 young Mang'anja boys , Hugh Tracey
- Date: 1958
- Subjects: Folk music--Africa , Field recordings , Arts, Malawi , Songs, Nyanja , Nyanja (African people) , Folk music , Africa Malawi Tengani, Port Herald District f-rh
- Language: Nyanja/Mang'anja
- Type: sound recordings , field recordings , sound recording-musical
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/155996 , vital:39941 , International Library of African Music, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa , TR089-01
- Description: The tunings of these xylophones was not very accurate and the two instruments were not quite in unison but enough to give a good approximation of their tuning method. The overall size of the xylophone was 64 inches. The open mirlitons were made of cigarette papers. The central octave was 252, 232, 210, 190, 174, 158, 144, 126. The performers were three young boys between the ages of seven and tweleve years. The dance which accompanied this music is a simple ring dance with little action beyond a shuffle. Ulimba dance for young boys and girls with 2 xylophones.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 1958
Sengeledo (Name of a man)
- Authors: Dzowa and 3 young Mang'anja boys , Hugh Tracey
- Date: 1958
- Subjects: Folk music--Africa , Field recordings , Arts, Malawi , Songs, Nyanja , Nyanja (African people) , Folk music , Africa Malawi Tengani, Port Herald District f-rh
- Language: Nyanja/Mang'anja
- Type: sound recordings , field recordings , sound recording-musical
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/156018 , vital:39942 , International Library of African Music, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa , TR089-02
- Description: The instruments were made in 1955. The main xylophone was played by an older boy (about seventeen years). They are very simple, frame xylophones, crudely made. The leader is called Nyanga and the other players are Anamovi. The instrument is three legged. The resonating gourds are fastened alternately up and down as they are too large to place side by side. Two legs are fixed at the bass end and one at the trebler, the structure being so constructed as to lean the instrument over towards the player. The performers were three young boys between the ages of seven and tweleve years. The dance which accompanied this music is a simple ring dance with little action beyond a shuffle. Ulimba dance for young boys and girls with 2 xylophones.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 1958
Timbenge tingaruwa (Let us sing lest we forget)
- Authors: E. A. Nkuzana , Hugh Tracey
- Date: 1958
- Subjects: Folk music--Africa , Field recordings , Arts, Malawi , Songs, Tumbuka , Songs, Tonga (Nyasa) , Tumbuka (African people) , Folk music , Africa Malawi Dowa, Mzimba District f-rh
- Language: Tonga
- Type: sound recordings , field recordings , sound recording-musical
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/156262 , vital:39969 , International Library of African Music, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa , TR090-07
- Description: "Let us sing lest we forget, we have deserted our country. Let us all remember. Let us sing lest we forget, mother. Remember our mother and father. Let us no longer stay here in Bulawayo." (Kuchona). In this foreign land (Bulawayo) the singer thinks of his home and longs to be back with his own people. Self delectative song.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 1958