=Causeway Performing Arts=

GCSE Music AoS 2: Shared Music (vol.9)African a cappella Singingin conjunction with www.musicdepartment.info

The term a cappella describes vocal music that has no instrumental accompaniment. It can be any style of music, although the term originally referred to unaccompanied church music. We can trace the origins of the word back to the Sistine chapel in Rome. The choir of the Sistine Chapel has been present in Rome for over 600 years, and they always sung unaccompanied. So any vocal group following their example is singing a cappella which literally means in the style of the [Sistine] chapel.

There is a long tradition of a cappella singing in Africa, where unaccompanied songs have been passed down orally from generation to generation. To narrow our focus, we will look at the a cappella singing of the Zulu, who are the largest ethnic group in South Africa.

The Zulu have two main styles of a cappella singing: isicathamiya and mbube. These developed around the turn of the 20th century, as large numbers of men migrated from their villages to the cities in order to find work. They formed choirs to create a sense of community and to express their identity. Mbube (which means’lion’) is a loud and powerful style of singing, while isicathamiya is gentler and considered to create and more harmonious, refined sound.

AFRICAN A CAPPELLA SINGING

BACKGROUND

Soweto Gospel Choir

Zulu a cappella singing (in particular the isicathamiya style) has been greatly popularised by the group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. This all-male African ensemble was formed in 1960s. They have been world famous since 1986, when they collaborated with the singer Paul Simon on his album Graceland, which became one of the best selling albums of the 1980s.

Because a cappella singers do not have any instruments to support them, they have to work hard to stay in tune, stay in time and to blend together. In African a cappella singing everyone often sings in close harmony and to the same rhythm to create a tight, homophonic texture.

This means that no one in the choir can stick out by singing too loudly or distinctively. Everyone has to have an exact approach to the rhythm - especially as it is often syncopated. Ladysmith Black Mambazo have obviously worked hard to achieve a very tight, unified ensemble. For example listened to their song Kuzohlatshelelwa. To begin with the soloist is accompanied by the rest of the choir singing in homophony.

Notice how the rhythm is precise, the words (especially the consonants) are always together, and the singers die away towards the end of each phrase as if one. This ‘one-ness’ of the ensemble gives a very intimate feel to the music.

The unity of the ensemble is perhaps even more obvious in the song Uyobunenhlanhla. The song is largely made up of call-and-response phrases. The soloist sings the phrase and the choir responds as one with their own, in close harmony, all singing the same rhythm. Notice especially how the singers are exactly together on the hard consonants in each phrase.

LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO

Ladysmith Black Mambazo in concert

The term blend refers to the way in which different instruments and all voices combine in an ensemble; a good blend is achieved by the players and singers listening to each other carefully and adjusting t h e i r d y n a m i c s a n d articulation so that no one person stands out.

In concert Ladysmith Black Mambazo performs without a conductor. There is usually a soloist who stands in front of the group and leads - but he faces the audience and so has no eye contact with the choir. The fact that there is no conductor to follow along with no instrumental accompaniment to lean on, means that the ensemble has to be very close. Zulu a cappella music is performed from memory, without any notation. This allows the ensemble to really get to know each piece of music, and that makes it easier for them to listen to each other in performance - which is obviously very important in this style of music.

Now listen to the song Homeless, which was released on Paul Simon's album Graceland.

• In the first section, the distinctive voice of the soloist (with vibrato on the longer notes) contrasts with a smooth blend created by the rest of the choir.

• In the second section (beginning ‘Homeless, homeless’), listen to how each phrase dies away, as the choir leans together on the start of each word or each phrase (for example, ‘Homeless, homeless, moonlight sleeping on a midnight lake’). This shaping of each phrase, which is executed by every member of the choir, creates a subtle rise and fall in dynamics.

• You can hear the soloist lead the change into the next verse of the lyrics, as he sings ‘Nhliziyo yami’ before the rest of the choir. He does the same at the start of the following verse ‘Strong winds destroy our homes’ - here the choir follows the soloists lead.

• The third section starts with the call-and-response singing between the soloist and the choir. Notice how the choir is always together despite the more complex rhythms and added syncopation.

Test yourself

1. What does ‘a cappella’ mean?2. Explain why a cappella singers have to work hard to stay in tune, and in time.3. Give four features of African a cappella singing.

Listening Ideas

Listen to and compare as many African a cappella songs as you can. You can access many examples on YouTube. Think about the following points:

• Tempo and rhythm - do the ensemble keep a steady beat? Is there a lots of syncopation in the music?

• Language - is the song in an African language, or is it in English? Does it combine the two?

• Texture - what textures does the song contain? Is the group mostly singing homophonically?

• Call and response - is there a soloist, and do they enter into call-and-response singing with the choir?

• The ensemble - how well do the voices blend together? How effectively to the musicians work together as one? Do they incorporate the same phrasing and dynamics? Are they always exactly in time?

Resources

Watch the following videos of Ladysmith Black Mambazo on YouTube.

• N’Kosi Sikeleli (Miriam Makeba, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Paul Simon)• South Africa - Music Legends - Ladysmith Black Mambazo 4• Paul Simon and Ladysmith Black Mambazo 1.