ch. 1: music of small-scale societies

Question 1

mabo

Answer 1

dance form of the BaAka people

Question 2

where do the BaAka people live

Answer 2

Central African Republic, a huge rainforest along the Congo River basin

Question 3

when + how is mabo sung

Answer 3

before, during, and after hunts; accompanies dancing led by men but including women

Question 4

vocables

Answer 4

nonlexical syllables (like i yay i oh)

Question 5

what is BaAka society like, and how is that reflected in their music?

Answer 5

• egalitarian, no hierarchy -> everyone can sing, no one leads performance
• men start and lead the hunt but women help as well -> help w/ both the hunting and singing
• they own very few things -> they make temporary drums from rotting longs/animal skin, or borrow from villages
• yodeling and polyphony resemble forest sounds

Question 6

polymeter

Answer 6

the simultaneous presence of two meters, such as the hand motions of BaAka people

Question 7

inherent polyphony

Answer 7

an experience of polyphony that results from a monophonic line or part played by the drummers

Question 8

ostinato

Answer 8

a short, repeating pattern

Question 9

describe Tuva’s geography + population

Answer 9

• Tuva is a republic in south-central Russia on the northern border of Mongolia
• Tuvans speak a Turkic language
• they herd goats, sheep, yaks, and reindeer across the souther stepps of Siberia

Question 10

describe Tuvan throat-singing / overtone singing

Answer 10

involves a single singer producing a drone pitch, and simultaneously using their mouths to amplify the set of overtones in the drone that results in the high-pitched melodies

Question 11

Borbangnadyr

Answer 11

a genre of Tuvan throat singing associated with the sound of water

Question 12

how does it work? (Borbangnadyr with Stream Water)

Answer 12

p. 26

Question 13

how does it work (Bisengo Bwa Bole)

Answer 13

p. 21

Question 14

how is the environment of Tuvan pastoralists connected to their music?

Answer 14

• environment has sounds of animals, rivers, wind, echoing caves and cliffs -> they mimic these sounds
• they make sounds to soothe their domesticated animals
• they believe the animals + things in environment have a spirit -> they sing to honor and appease the spirits
• they sing for fun and to entertain the spirits
• they sing songs ab their experiences in the natural world

Question 15

where do the ‘Are’are people live?

Answer 15

the solomon islands; small villages in the interior mountains and near the coast; gained independence from Britain in 1978

Question 16

panpipe

Answer 16

a type of flute that consists of a set of tubes of unequal length, each of which plays one pitch

Question 17

what is an ‘Are’are panpipe ensemble called?

Answer 17

‘au tahana; consists of 4 panpipes, 2 small ones playing high pitches, 2 large one playing an octave lower

Question 18

how does it work (“Pisi Ni Tootora”)

Answer 18

p. 31

Question 19

octave

Answer 19

the interval between 2 pitches whose frequency of vibration has a ratio of 2:1

Question 20

scale

Answer 20

the set of pitches in a melody arranged from low to high

Question 21

heptatonic scale

Answer 21

7 pitches

Question 22

interval

Answer 22

the distance b/w any 2 diff pitches

Question 23

ritardando / ritard

Answer 23

slowing down

Question 24

how does ‘Are’are society influence its music?

Answer 24

• sedentary horticulturalists, so they have time to make permanent musical instruments
• hierarchical social system -> hierarchical music specialists

Question 25

what do the ‘Are’are call bamboo and musical instruments made of bamboo?

Answer 25

‘au

Question 26

half step

Answer 26

the distance/interval b/w 2 adjacent keys on the piano

Question 27

whole step

Answer 27

the distance/interval b/w every other key on the piano

Question 28

who recorded the BaAka people singing “Bisengo Bwa Bole” and when?

Answer 28

• ethnomusicologist Michelle Kisliuk
• recorded in the 1980s

Question 29

who sings “Borbangnadyr with Stream Water”, and where was it sung?

Answer 29

• Tuvan throat-singer Anatoli Kuular
• was sung along the banks of a river

Question 30

who recorded the ‘Are’are panpipe ensemble and when?

Answer 30

• Hugo Zemp
• 1970s

Question 31

what does “Pisi” mean?

Answer 31

it is the name of a sacred bush used to attract an abundance of people, food, and shell money. when this piece is played for a ritual feast, the musicians hope it will have this effect.