Trevor Wiggins Ghana Music Collection
Lambussie III: Xylophone, dancing
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Type
sound
Duration
02:04:05
Shelf mark
C791/2
Subjects
Xylophones
Recording date
1994-10-05
Is part of (Collection)
Trevor Wiggins Ghanaian Music Collection
Recording locations
Ghana, Upper West Region, Jirapa/Lambussie District, Lambussie
Recordist
Wiggins, Trevor
Abstract
(30) Busiolo hampuola yei i ton la yir para li wi kuo lo nira, e ma yag la yir para, ima ton la yir para. (The young boys of Lambussie should come together and be united, and fight for Lambussie in time of need.) Yiela song and dance for funerals or anytime people want to dance. The dancers walk in line and can use any one of a variety of steps. (31) Haweri re no bason china a mome he, he! (A beautiful woman has seen her boyfriend standing over there so she laughs, in admiration, ha ha). Guola/Yiela mixed dance and song, which involves the women and the men taking it in turns to leave the line and improvise their own individual dance. Played to end a dancing session, when the people want to leave the dancing ground. (32) Traditional Guola dance music for funerals, here used for a modern-style dance devised for the Lambussie Guola group. The dancers use a variety of different steps to give interest for an audience, the men and women dancing separately (men squat while women dance). For funerals, the people would use the"correct" traditional steps, rather than these variations. (33) Kam bie zu bil ka fa a ko yuo la bula wie nya. (Put the child back in the house then come back to the funeral for you and I to discuss our things and dance the Yiela). Yiela song and dance, traditionally played in the evening or night during funerals. Anyone attending the funeral can join in Yiela, but Guola is danced by the family and in-laws only, during the previous afternoon. Guola is associated with the serious business of a funeral, whereas Yiela is for "entertaining the people" and is usually faster than Guola, with recognisable songs/tunes. The Guola dance step is distinct and needs slow music, and often the xylophone player may play in such a way that the original tune is not recognisable. (34) Busie Kabri ka vuku yei, vuku larma su lelu. (Bossie Kabri is the true soothsayer, so false soothsayers should not come near him) Kabri, the Lambussie land god, is also the best or "top" soothsayer, so fake soothsayers should not approach him. Yiela song and dance, played after harvest, the whole village joining in. (35) Fatchula Guola. Traditional funeral Guola dance music from Fatchu, near Tumu. During this Guola, the head of the funeral house will call out a mourner's grandfather's or father's name, and, on hearing this, he must go up and give a gift of money.
Description
Music for xylophone.
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