The original African mbira?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21504/amj.v5i2.1421Keywords:
Mbira -- South Africa, Mbira -- Zimbabwe -- Mbira -- MozambiqueAbstract
It may be possible to show, one day, that all the different mbiras of Africa are descended from one another, and that all stem from one particular type, which can then be assumed to be the form of the instrument as it was originally invented. I would like to present here some evidence to show that in one large part of Africa at least all the many types of mbiras can be traced back, with greater or lesser degrees of probability, to one type which must, at least, be very ancient, and at most, if connections with, or distribution to other mbira areas of Africa can be proved, may be the nearest we will get to knowing the earliest form of the mbira in AfricaReferences
John Blacking: “Patterns of Nsenga Kalimba musicâ€, African Music, 11, 4, 1961.
Marjor y Davidson : “A Lunda kalendiâ€, African Music, III, 2, 1963, and III, 3, 1964. “Some music for the Lala kankobeleâ€, African Music, IV, 4, 1970.
A. M. Jones: African music in Northern Rhodesia and some other places, Rhodes-Livingstone Museum, 1943;
“The Kalimba of the Lala tribe, Northern Rhodesiaâ€, Africa, XX, 4, 1950;
“Venda note-namesâ€, African Music, III, 1, 1962;
Africa and Indonesia, E. J. Brill, Leiden, 1964.
P. R. Kirby : The musical instruments of the native races of South Africa Witwatersrand University Press, Johannesburg, 1953.
Gerhard Kubik : “Generic names for the mbiraâ€, African Music, III, 3, 1964 and III, 4, 1965.
Carl Mauch : The journals of Carl Mauchy ed. E. E. Burke, National Archives of Rhodesia, 1969.
A. A. Mensah : “The music of Zumaile village, Zambiaâ€, African Music, IV, 4, 1970.
G. T. Nurse: “Cewa concepts of musical instrumentsâ€, African Music, IV, 4, 1970.
Andrew Tracey : “The mbira music of Jege A. Taperaâ€, African Music, II, 4, 1961;
“Three tunes for mbira dza vadzimuâ€, African Music, III, 2, 1963;
“The tuning of mbira reedsâ€, African Musicy IV, 3, 1969;
“The matepe mbira music of Rhodesiaâ€, African Music, IV, 4, 1970;
How to play the mbira d%a vadzimu, International Library of African Music, Roodepoort, South Africa,
1970.
Hugh Tracey : “A case for the name mbiraâ€, African Music, II, 4, 1961;
“The mbira class of instruments in Rhodesia (1932)â€, African Music, IV, 3, 1969.
Marjor y Davidson : “A Lunda kalendiâ€, African Music, III, 2, 1963, and III, 3, 1964. “Some music for the Lala kankobeleâ€, African Music, IV, 4, 1970.
A. M. Jones: African music in Northern Rhodesia and some other places, Rhodes-Livingstone Museum, 1943;
“The Kalimba of the Lala tribe, Northern Rhodesiaâ€, Africa, XX, 4, 1950;
“Venda note-namesâ€, African Music, III, 1, 1962;
Africa and Indonesia, E. J. Brill, Leiden, 1964.
P. R. Kirby : The musical instruments of the native races of South Africa Witwatersrand University Press, Johannesburg, 1953.
Gerhard Kubik : “Generic names for the mbiraâ€, African Music, III, 3, 1964 and III, 4, 1965.
Carl Mauch : The journals of Carl Mauchy ed. E. E. Burke, National Archives of Rhodesia, 1969.
A. A. Mensah : “The music of Zumaile village, Zambiaâ€, African Music, IV, 4, 1970.
G. T. Nurse: “Cewa concepts of musical instrumentsâ€, African Music, IV, 4, 1970.
Andrew Tracey : “The mbira music of Jege A. Taperaâ€, African Music, II, 4, 1961;
“Three tunes for mbira dza vadzimuâ€, African Music, III, 2, 1963;
“The tuning of mbira reedsâ€, African Musicy IV, 3, 1969;
“The matepe mbira music of Rhodesiaâ€, African Music, IV, 4, 1970;
How to play the mbira d%a vadzimu, International Library of African Music, Roodepoort, South Africa,
1970.
Hugh Tracey : “A case for the name mbiraâ€, African Music, II, 4, 1961;
“The mbira class of instruments in Rhodesia (1932)â€, African Music, IV, 3, 1969.
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Published
1972-08-01
How to Cite
Tracey, Andrew. 1972. “The Original African Mbira?”. African Music : Journal of the International Library of African Music 5 (2):85-104. https://doi.org/10.21504/amj.v5i2.1421.
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