Sing an African Song
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African Sunday Marimba Mass
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This is a collection of recordings and song transcriptions by Dave Dargie, and used by him in his African music workshops. The booklet, and recordings on cassette tape, have been available for some years now. In 2001 the step was taken, of making the recordings available on CD.
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?A Selection of the Best Marimba Mass Songs from the Collections “African Sunday” and “African Sunday II”. This CD is accompanied by a handbook of the same name,containing recording notes, song scores and texts, photographs and other information.
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An introduction to Xhosa Pronunciation
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Make and Play your Own Musical Bow
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This is specifically a guide for singing songs in the African Sunday (AS) an Sing an African Song (SAAS) collections of Dave Dargie. It is not intended for general instruction in speaking Xhosa, but rather for pronouncing and singing the texts of specific songs. Some notes on pronunciation may be found in the CD leaflet.
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This CD should be used in conjunction with the booklet of the same name. The booklet was designed to take the student to the stage of playing the umqangi mouth bow by tapping on the string, and playing the uhadi calabash bow while humming the melodies of the songs.
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Nguwe Lo!
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Umngqokolo
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Issued on CD in 2001, provided examples of Thembu Xhosa musical styles and instruments recorded by me up to about 1985. This new version adds recordings of two more musical bows made in Hogsback in 1996, and three further songs. These latter include two versions of Nofinishi Dywili’s famous uhadi song Inxembula. The version from 1980 (No. 27) was first recorded in 2002, shortly before her death. Even in her old age, she had lost none of her remarkable skill and profound rhythmic ability.
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These recordings were put together as a collection to illustrate a paper I gave at the conference of the International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM) in Berlin, Germany, 1993. The paper was called “Thembu Xhosa umngqokolo overtone singing: the use of the human voice as a type of 'musical bow' ”. Copies of his paper may be obtained from me, with this CD.
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Umngqokolo II
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Umzi kaMzwandile
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The author had the great good fortune to “discover” Thembu Xhosa umngqokolo, the first documented overtone singing in African traditional music, in 1980, in a village called Sikhwankqeni, south of the town of Lady Frere in South Africa's Eastern Cape Province. Since then I have done my best to do exactly that: to document it and make it available as a tribute to the high quality of Thembu music and for the use of students everywhere.
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It's paradoxical that the Xhosa, the people with arguably the most complex uses of rhythm on the continent, should have learned to make drums by observing the British military bands in the 19th century. It's also arguable that of the Xhosa, the Thembu have the most highly sophisticated rhythms. These rhythms are built into the way they use their most important musical instruments, the musical bows: uhadi, umrhubhe and ikatari.
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Ngawol'Esiza
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Emva Ekhaya
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“Behold, they are coming! But we have God below and above! We are going to beat them up…” The boys' stick fighting song which gives its name to this CD typifies the spirit of the Thembu Xhosa people of the Lady Frere district – and the spirit of the Xhosa people as a whole. Because, from this bold beginning, the singers then turn the spotlight on themselves with typical wry humour.
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On this CD: Recordings of the Ngqoko Group in Ngqoko Village and of musicians in Hogsback (Eastern Cape, South Africa), including five types of musical bow and different types of overtone singing: a variety of songs. EMVA EKHAYA - from the Roots of the Thembu people. 1997-1999.
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Ezona Ngoma Zengqoko
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Songs of Nofinishi Dywili 1
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The people of Ngqoko are Thembu Xhosa, as is ex-president Nelson Mandela, as was the late Walter Sisulu. The Thembu are one of about twelve groups who make up the Xhosa people, the people who for centiruies have lived in the Eastern Cape. Many famous people in South Africa are Xhosas: President Thabo Mbeki, Archbishop emeritus Desmond Tutu, famous singer Miriam Makeba.
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Nofinishi kept alive an ancient tradition of profound musical skill. She was a great master of rhythm. Her rhythms are subtle, often very difficult to analyse and to imitate. In addition to being a master of the uhadi, she was also a noted leader of songs at the umngqungqo dances at girls' initiation, and of the ancestor songs used at beer dances.
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Songs of Nofinishi Dywili 2
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Ntsikana Music Collection
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Mrs Nofinishi Dywili died on the 2nd of June 2002. Officially she was born in 1925, but her family maintain that this is not correct. At the time of her death she was about 83 years of age. Unfortunately lack of records prevents us from being more precise. She was born in the village of Ngcuka, just outside the town of Lady Frere in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.
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The Xhosa of South Africa are the people of the late Nelson Mandela. Ntsikana, the first Xhosa Christian, is a fascinating figure. He died in 1821, but until today he is revered by his followers, and indeed by most Xhosa people, as prophet and saint. As long ago as the War of Mlanjeni (1850) his song was a national prayer song - call it a freedom song - of the Xhosa people.
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New Sounds from Ngqoko 2005
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Zadeki
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For the recordings on this CD the Group had been working with (for them) new instruments: Jew's harp (isitolotolo), mouth organ (ifleyiti) and concertina (ikonsatina). This went together with their development of new combinations of instruments, traditional and western, together with their acclaimed use of traditional overtone singing, especially the two types of umngqokolo called umngqokolo nje (“ordinary” umngqokolo and umngqokolo ngomqangi (overtone singing in imitation of the mouth-bow).
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Zadeki is a person who has come from nothing to become something – that is how Maxanjana Mangaliso sees (and calls) himself. He is headman of a village not far from the town of Lady Frere in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, a few kilometres from the village of Ngqoko. Ngqoko is the home of the increasingly famous Ngqoko Traditional Xhosa Music Group, who “discovered” Mr Mangaliso in 2001, and have now got him into the Group as one of their star attractions.
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Umrhubhe Wemimangaliso
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Zenzelini Group, Mkonjana
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Back in 1976, when I was about to start work in Xhosa music, Andrew Tracey, director of the International Library of African music played a record for me: an LP called “The Poet and the Minstrel”, recorded by David Marks of Third Ear Records in Durban. The minstrel was the now famous Madosini, a Mpondo Xhosa bow player. The LP contained some songs of hers with the uhadi calabash bow, and some performances with an unspecified instrument.
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The village is in the beautiful area near the town of Bolotwa south-east of Queenstown, and south of the Lady Frere area where I have done much recording over many years, and where the noted Ngqoko Music Group is situated. It was only natural that the Ncozanas should encourage and support the Zenzeleni Music Group in Nomsa's home village. Her mother is one of the Group.
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Zionist Church Songs from Ngcuka and Tylden
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Zionist Church Service, New Crossroads
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The Zionist Churches of southern Africa, some dating back over a hundred years, were founded and developed by local people who desired to worship in more African ways than were tolerated by the white-dominated “mainline” Churches. Zionist services and songs use as models both traditional rites and music and the rites and hymns of the “mainline” Churches.
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This was a Sunday meeting of the Bantu Christian Asiria Church in Zion of South Africa, in a school classroom at New Crossroads. On this occasion only the latter part of the service was recorded, but still more than an hour of recording. The leaders were Archbishop T. Kukisi, Bishop Victor Satura, the Rev. Shepherd Qusheka and General Secretary J.V. Tshitsho. The congregation was about 20 adults, plus several children.
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Zionist Church Service, New Crossroads 3A
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Zionist Church Service, New Crossroads 3B
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This service of the Bantu Christian Asiria Church in Zion of South Africa took place a week after the service on the CD MICC 2. This time it was possible to record the entire service, which requires two CDs. The service was again in a school classroom at New Crossroads, and once again during quiet moments in the service it is possible to hear singing from the service of another Church taking place in a neighbouring classroom.
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This is the second part of the service of the Bantu Christian Asiria Church in Zion of South Africa, which was begun on the CD MICC 3A. The service leaders were Archbishop T. Kukisi, Bishop Victor Satura and Rev. Shepherd Qusheka. Please see the leaflet for the CD MICC 3A for further details, and also the booklet accompanying the MICC CD series.
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Zionist Church Songs from Kirkwood and Maseru
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Zionist Church Service, Joza, Grahamstown 1
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I was visiting my late and much missed friends Fr Rodney Abdo, then based at Kirkwood, in February 1986, and mentioned to him my interest in Zionist church music. He asked around, and learned that workers on the farm of one of his parishioners held services on that farm. We visited the small congregation, members of the Zion Apostolic Holy Church, and after their regular Sunday service I was able to record a number of their songs. They include some of my favourite Zionist songs.
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Earlier in 1985 and 1986 I had recorded songs of the Zion Apostolic Holy Church at Tylden, in Ngqoko (on video) and in Ngcuka, and also at Kirkwood. This service was led by Archbishop Robert Ntshobodi at his home in Joza, one of the townships adjoining Grahamstown. in a small house-church next to his dwelling house. Details about his diocese and the Church structure and practices will be found in the booklet accompanying this CD series.
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Zionist Church Service, Joza, Grahamstown 2
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Musical Bows of Namibia
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The previous CD (MICC 6A) covered the first part of the service of the Zion Apostolic Holy Church, led by Archbishop Robert Ntshobodi at his home in Joza, Grahamstown, on 6/4/1986. That part of the service was a typical alternation between preaching, praying and songs. The second part of the service, on this CD, was quite different. It was now time for certain ceremonies to take place.
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During the time of my work with Lumko institute (1977-1989) I had five field tours in Namibia, running church music composition workshops for the Catholic Church: in 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1988. On those trips I worked at various times with Damara, Ovambo, Herero, Kavango and Lozi musicians. Some of the best of the church songs I recorded on those trips (including many in traditional styles) are on the (Dargie) CD Missa Namibia.
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Missa Namibia
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New World, Ancient Harmonies
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Of the many church music composition workshops which I ran while working for Lumko institute in the period 1977-1989, the workshops in Namibia included some of my best experiences. Until then African Catholics in that country had used almost exclusively mission hymns in church: mostly European melodies with African words stuck on, or new melodies composed in European style.
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Xylophones and mbiras ("finger" or "thumb pianos") are among the most famous African instruments. Their sound is sometimes powerful, sometimes delicate, the traditional music which uses them is almost always beautiful and of high quality. These instruments, however, are scarce in the area south of the Kunene-Okavango-Limpopo line, in South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Botswana and Swaziland.
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Zulu Bow Songs - I
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Zulu Bow Songs - II
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The songs and praise-poems in this collection have long texts. They are important for the historical and cultural information they carry, as well as for their poetic creativity and linguistic interest. In a booklet like this, it is not possible to deal fully with such texts. It is to be hoped that in time Brother Clement will be able to make as complete transcriptions, translations and explanations as may be possible, so that they can be compiled together into a further book.
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The songs and praise-poems in this collection have long texts. They are important for the historical and cultural information they carry, as well as for their poetic creativity and linguistic interest. In a booklet like this, it is not possible to deal fully with such texts. It is to be hoped that in time Brother Clement will be able to make as complete transcriptions, translations and explanations as may be possible, so that they can be compiled together into a further book.
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Zulu Bow Songs - III
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Tsonga Xitende, Swati Makhoyane
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The people of Nongoma - AbakwaNongoma - originated during the time of the Zulu King Ndwandwe Zwide, after a period of intense fighting among small clan groups. This was before the time of Shaka. Zwide was a powerful ruler. Before fighting, his warriors performed war dances at Nongoma (ingoma means a song and also such a dance, which gave the name to the place).
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The middle-braced calabash-resonated percussion musical bow has a deep tradition with the Tsonga and Tonga peoples of Mozambique and bordering areas of that country in South Africa. From these peoples it found its way into use among the Zulu and Swati peoples, who call it respectively umakhweyane and makhoyane. The Tsonga (Shangaan) people of South Africa call it xitende (pronounced shi-tende), and the Venda call it dende.
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Magical Musical Bows
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Drums and Dances
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A CD with accompanying handbook, to introduce the wonderful musical bows of southern Africa. The handbook includes an article which first appeared in the journal Talking Drum, September 2001.
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During the time I worked for Lumko pastoral institute (1977-1989) I travelled the length and breadth of southern Africa, south of (roughly) the Cunene-Okavango-Limpopo line, promoting new church music in African styles for the Catholic Church. I covered a lot of ground in Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland, Lesotho and of course in South Africa. During this period I conducted scores - maybe hundreds - of church music workshops: composition workshops, teaching workshops, marimba workshops and so on. Whenever possible I recorded the local traditional music, but often I was given very little time or opportunity for this.
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Brother Clement Sithole
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Morena Ke Thebe
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In the 1970s Clement Sithole was a young Brother of the Order of Saint Benedict established at Vryheid in Kwazulu-Natal. The order served various missions in the northern part of the province. I first heard about him and his church music compositions in 1978, and was able to visit him the following year at Twasana, and later several times between 1980 and 1983, when he was based at Nongoma. On one occasion he was able to visit us at Lumko Institute, then based near Lady Frere in the Eastern Cape, when we were having a church music workshop.
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During the period 1977-1989 I worked for the Lumko pastoral institute of the Catholic Church in South Africa, promoting the composition and distribution of new church music in African styles. This work took me also into neighbouring countries. It was a wonderful experience, becoming acquainted with many African musicians and many styles of African music. There are many language groups in the region, and each language group has its own musical styles. These include the old, traditional styles, which have come down through generation after generation, and also new styles (neo-African styles) which have developed under outside influence.
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How long, How long
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Freedom Fort Hare
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The songs on this CD range over more than a century of indigenous South African resistance to colonisation and apartheid. Fuller information on the songs, with texts etc., will be included in the handbook accompanying the CD. Here are some brief notes.
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University of Fort Hare Music Department
Celebrates Ten Years of Democracy in South Africa with Marimbas, Freedom Songs, Traditional Songs, Church Songs, Piano pieces and uhadi musical bow.
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Fort Hare Celebration
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This CD is dedicated to the memory of Rev. Henrik Frederiksen, late pastor of the Evangelical parish of Frederiksberg in Copenhagen, Denmark, who gave Fort Hare music students their first ever chance to perform overseas. It was when the group of students were on tour in Copenhagen in 2004 that we learned that Henrik was ill. To our great sorrow he passed away in February 2005. This CD includes many songs from that tour, including Henrik's favourite – no. 10. We will remember you, Henrik.
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The Rev. Dr Paul Thembayona Manci is a man of many skills and talents. Ordained priest in 1983, he has recently taken up the position of administrator of St Joseph's Cathedral at Mariannhill, in KwaZulu-Natal. His priestly work has seen him carrying out some difficult tasks, including being for a time the administrator of the Diocese of Umzimkulu.
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