Listening Blog #1
Ladysmith Black
Mambazo
Shosholoza
Ladysmith Black
Mambazo was the first non-western musical group that I fell in love with. My husband did a missionary trip to Africa
when he was in high school and brought back with him a traditional african
booboo and a beautiful, hand made Kora.
He taught me all about the importance and roll of music in the African
culture.
According to the
website ethnomusicology.org, “Ethnomusicology is the study of music in its
cultural context. Ethnomusicologists approach music as a social process in
order to understand not only what music is but why it is: what music means to
its practitioners and audiences, and how those meanings are conveyed.”
The study of
"why" music is what it is, and the emotions music stimulate drives me
as an educator. The only way to truly
experience a piece, and portray those authentic ideas to your audience is to
know why, where and the history of the song that was written.
The piece,
Shosholoza, highlights the South African group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The workers there originated the song in the
mines of Africa. You can hear the
constant and easy to find beat that I imagine was used to keep the diggers in
time with each other while avoiding boredom after repeating the same motions
over and over. This song gained fame in
1995 at the Rugby world cup in which the South African team won. The word Shosholoza comes from the Zulu
language and means to go forward. (Marika, 2016)
References
Marika, M.
(2016, June 28). Shosholoza's story of good hope. Retrieved October 21, 2017,
from https://www.brandsouthafrica.com/people-culture/sport/features/shosholoza-capeReferences
Ethnomusicology.org.
(n.d.). Retrieved October 21, 2017, from
http://www.ethnomusicology.org/?page=WhatisEthnomusicol
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Ladysmith Black
Mambazo was the first non-western musical group that I fell in love with. My husband did a missionary trip to Africa
when he was in high school and brought back with him a traditional african
booboo and a beautiful, hand made Kora.
He taught me all about the importance and roll of music in the African
culture.
According to the
website ethnomusicology.org, “Ethnomusicology is the study of music in its
cultural context. Ethnomusicologists approach music as a social process in
order to understand not only what music is but why it is: what music means to
its practitioners and audiences, and how those meanings are conveyed.”
The study of
"why" music is what it is, and the emotions music stimulate drives me
as an educator. The only way to truly
experience a piece, and portray those authentic ideas to your audience is to
know why, where and the history of the song that was written.
The piece,
Shosholoza, highlights the South African group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The workers there originated the song in the
mines of Africa. You can hear the
constant and easy to find beat that I imagine was used to keep the diggers in
time with each other while avoiding boredom after repeating the same motions
over and over. This song gained fame in
1995 at the Rugby world cup in which the South African team won. The word Shosholoza comes from the Zulu
language and means to go forward. (Marika, 2016)
Hi Staci. Thank you for choosing this as your blog entry. I can hear why you fell in love with this group. Immediately, there is something very genuine about the recording, and then reading your description of its background made it so much more meaningful, which says something. I think your point on studying "why" music is what it is has strong resonance. It is such an obvious element to what we do, and is, ironically, something that seems to be taken for granted.
ReplyDelete