Title of Piece: Darifor
Performers: Ba-Ere (L) and Anansi (R)
Culture of Origin: Accra, Ghana in West Africa
Instrumentation: Gyil with minimal vocals
The piece I chose this week is from Ghana in West Africa. This is a traditional song that is usually played at a funeral or honoring ceremony to mourn the loss of someone from their community.
As human beings, we have an inherent desire to organize things that we are learning into accessible groups of commonality. In the biological sciences, living organisms are classified by kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species. These breakdowns allow persons to better understand the interconnectedness within the world around us. The same can be said for the classification systems of instrumental music. According to The Sachs-Hornbostel system, there are four main instrument groups that are present within all musical cultures: idiophone, membranophone, chordophone, and aerophone. (Wade, 2013, pg 38) These classifications allow us to identify common threads between our musical cultures. In the musical excerpt that I have selected for this weeks blog, we can see one of these common threads. The instrument featured in this video, the Gyil, is in the same classification as the mallet percussion we are familiar with in western orchestral and band settings. By having a common thread we open the door for our students by allowing some familiarity to guide their new knowledge in worldly instruments. Not only do we provide an access point but these common classifications have led to development of the alternative instruments featured in general music classrooms by Carl Orff.
Below, I have included an example of Orff's instruments being utilized in American public schools. There is a clear commonality with the Orff xylophones featured and within the Gyil from Ghana, West Africa. I think it is safe to say that music and instruments from other cultures have had a distinct impact on music education here in the states and the classification of instruments help to breakdown and organize larger topics for students understanding and clarity. Through Orff ensembles, students are able to see various commonalities and connections among other cultures.
Wade, B. (2013). Thinking Musically. New York: Oxford University Press.
Hi Matthew. During my freshman year of my undergraduate studies, we had a West African group come and give a master class and subsequent performance. One of the instruments, which was demonstrated during the masterclass, was the gyil. The addition of the gourds to the instrument give it a very unique sound. Similar to your comment last week on my blog, I was recently trying to remember the name of this instrument, and I have found the name of it thanks to your blog post this week.
ReplyDeleteYour explanation for the uses of classification systems is spot on. I really like how you transitioned from the gyil to Orff instruments, and showing their commonalities thanks to the classification systems. Great work and thanks for sharing.
I am an Orff levels trained teacher. I appreciate how you showed the correlation between the traditional West African gyii and the xylophones we use in class. I am finding through this class that many instruments we use when teaching Western music have sister instruments in other areas of the world.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing!