Trevor Wiggins Ghana Music Collection

Cape Coast Bine xylophone

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  • Type

    sound

  • Duration

    00:37:47

  • Shelf mark

    C791/26

  • Subjects

    Xylophones

  • Recording date

    1999-12-05

  • Is part of (Collection)

    Trevor Wiggins Ghanaian Music Collection

  • Recording locations

    Ghana, Central Region, Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly, Adisadel

  • Recordist

    Wiggins, Trevor

  • Abstract

    Item note: Bine xylophone recorded at Adisadel, Cape Coast 5th December 1999. Bine is funeral music for the xylophone. The player uses the fact that Dagaare is a tonal language to play phrases telling a known parable which may be applicable to the deceased person. Adisadel is the area of Cape Coast where a number of Dagaba people live, although there are significant numbers in other locations around Cape Coast. The Dagaba Dance group meets at Adisadel for rehearsals etc. The Adisadel group leader (Joe Kuunuo) comes from Kosire (behind Nandom church) and the Kpielekuu brothers from Fielmon about 15km north-east of Nandom. Song titles: (1) D kalli yang nisaalE inkyEm Naangmin bbre suur detiru. (Without a woman a man’s life is halved [useless]. Similarly, if you are a man and you don’t forgive others it is useless to God.) (2) Ninang bEtEr ba e; fu saa tEr libie E baa tEr nebE a fu bEtEr ba e. (A poor man is without family. If you have money and don’t have many brothers, it is nothing. People are better than money; without help you can do nothing.) (3) NisaalE bE idong nisaalE san dong fuu saa bEnyErE a fuu saa bEwone a, nisaalE san dong. (A human being is more important than any animal. No matter if they are rich,poor, useless, you do not tie up a person to kill like an animal. So a person cannot be just killed like an animal.) (4) Duugli kyaakyampile adug ziEr ata beru pie. Duugli kyaapile adug ziEr ata bempie. (In a very small cooking pot you can prepare food for maybe 1000 people, or a small boy may build a very big house for many people to live in. Even though you are small, you can still be useful and may be able to things things that a very big [wealthy, important] man cannot do. [This is a proverb for individuals and would be expressed in different ways to suit the circumstances]) (5) Nir buor soba na bEr omega bie Ekaa otosob bie. (A reasonable person cannot care for someone else’s child more than their own. If you take care of your son, one day he will look after you. If you choose to feed someone else’s child, that is your decision.) (6) Fu dndmE konto bang fu gaaziE yEle e. (The enemies of your family cannot know where you sleep or what you think unless your brother tells them and helps them attack you.) (7) Fuu ne nir natuo na nnE taar EkyE ona tu kob. Fuu ne nir na tu na langdirE EkyE ona tu kob. (Your friend can kill you without notice. You may be sitting with him eating, drinking, relaxing, but one day he may resort to magic and kill you before you are aware of his intent.) (8) DndmE te I Naangmin fu koo menyE koe. (If your enemies were God, they would not give you water to drink. They don’t like you and would not give you food or drink so that you would die.) (9) Yangtuo yele ko yang fu tome kyere I. (If you are married, and your woman is lazy and doesn’t want to work and help you, you will have wasted your money [dowry] for nothing. It will be as if you have thrown your money away.) (10) Several parables, Not identified.

  • Description

    Bine music (funeral music) for xylophone.

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