Pygmie –an outsider term applied to social groups found in the equatorial forest areas. I turi Forest, bordering on Uganda and Sudan, remains a major stronghold for Pygmies (40k).
We will focus on life and music in their forest home.
Pygmies – Life and Music
Cooperation rather than competition Egalitarianism, consensus, and unity
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Nomadic existence Ownership of goods and property is minimal
All this influences their musical activities. Instruments
Vocal music is at the core of musical life Most important is singing for collective ceremonies and occasions
Pygmies – Musical Characteristics (1of2)
Ostinato
Interlock
Call-and-response
Hocket techniques – Interlocking pitches between two or more sound sources to create a single melody or part.
Yodeling
Density – created by layered simultaneous singing of individual variations of the basic melodic parts
Pygmies – Musical Characteristics (2of2)
But once a musical performance is in motion, musical roles and leadership may shift, and different voices may move in and out of the background.
Reflects the specific egalitarian nature of social and economic life
Pygmies – Spiritual
Communication with the spirit world.
Pygmies believe they cannot see, truly comprehend, or give a single name to God.
Forest = benevolent provider of their lives and livelihood However, they associate divinity with the forest Basically good but that misfortunes caused by the forest sleeping.
Ceremonies for the forest
Communicating with the divine occurs primarily through musical sound – not words. Music provides a more direct mode of relating to and representing God Song texts are kept to a minimum