Mzeno Lawanani michanja, Ngodo of Regulo Banguza

Item

Title
Mzeno Lawanani michanja, Ngodo of Regulo Banguza
Performer / Recordist
Description / content note
This Mzeno, composed in 1940, was first recorded in Durban on 21st November 1943 when I took 6 Chopi musicians from their homes to demonstrate their music in that city. This group included the two famous leaders and composers, Katini and Komukomu's early Mzeno was, at my special request, performed again. It did not appeal to me to be quite the same as the original recording in Durban so I asked Komukomu why this was so. He suggested that it might be because he sometimes played it in a different key. He thereupon played it again and both versions were recorded, the one (CP-6) in the same key as the 1943 version and the other (CP-7) a third (307 cents) lower. This proves that in their scale it is possible to change mode or key without too much distortion and both versions are reproduced here for comparision with the original recording which is to be found on TR-209. Since no recourse to a written notation is, or was, possible to the players their three versions are of great musicological importance. It will be noted that the singers do not necessarily sing the same verses or in the same order as in the original, which is printed in my Chopi musicians page 34. The scale of Komukomu's Timbila xylophone an alto Sange was:- 496, 448, 404, 364, 328, 296, 272, 248 vs. Orchestral dance with 16 Timbila xylophones.
Language
Publisher
International Library of African Music (ILAM)
Date recorded
Date issued / published
1949
Identifier
TR207
11
Is Format Of
Analog reel item
Duration (time)
00:04:59
File format
wav
Sample Rate
15 ips reel
Digitisation (original)
96000Hz 24Bit Stereo
Studer B67 Recorder
Sound Forge V.6
Rights Holder
International Library of African Music
License
CC Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
Access Rights
Public
Is Part Of
ILAM Hugh Tracey Sound of Africa Series
Format
audio/mp3
Genre
field recordings

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