Moving to Leicester before coming to Uganda one thing I knew I would really miss was singing with the Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus. The privilege and excitement of sharing in performances of some of the greatest music ever written with such a great bunch of people was something I will always treasure. Leaving them behind was very difficult, but I knew Uganda would have its own musical tradition which I looked forward to experiencing.
And indeed Uganda does have its own musical traditions. Pictured is a band playing some traditional African instruments at a wedding we sneaked into on our present visit to Kampala. All the instruments are home-made and it was of fascinating to see the ‘xyloph
one’ type instrument being tuned before the performance by hacking bits of wood off the blocks with a machete!
In terms of tuning, the sounds these instruments produce is much closer to medieval music, nowhere near as precise as our Chorus Master, Darius, expected (and presumably still expects) from the Sheffield Phil. But the music was fu
ll of colour, drive and energy and sounded great. The bottom-waggling dancing of the ladies also added a further dramatic dimension to the performance, from which members of the Sheffield Phil. could, I am sure, learn a great deal!
We’ve met the stringed instruments (adungua) as well as the drums (ari) in the North West at weddings, fund-raising events, and in the occasional service. But sadly we have heard very little traditional African music since coming to Uganda, and in particular it isn’t generally in evidence in Anglican Church worship. Drums are used to add a beat, but little more. In worship, mostly keyboards and guitars are used to accompany western hymns, songs and choruses from old revival traditions. Sometimes these are translated into the local language (Lugbara), but poor Ugandans often have to grapple with lines like, “Perfect submission, perfect delight, visions of rapture burst on my sight.” Hard enough if English is your native language, but if it’s your second language........
The other problem is that most western hymn tunes are rhythmically not very adventurous and depend for interest on their harmony, but most guitarists and keyboard players in Arua play by ear and have a relatively small repertoire of chords. Combine with this the likelihood that that guitar is not necessarily in tune with itself, let alone the keyboard, and the results can be hard for us to live with. We feel it would be so good if the African Christians where we live, could let go some of the alien western culture they have received, and learn to worship God through their own musical traditions – like the wedding band we heard only a few days ago.
Having said all that I did end up training and conducting a small singing group in some Christmas carols at a muzungus’ Christmas Eve party at the local Catholic Radio Station in Arua – followed by 20 flavours of ice cream! But I still missed the Sheffield Phil and their sherry and mince pies!
P.S. For any Sheffield Phil readers, Anne and I will sing our way through St John’s Passion on Good Friday, albeit a few thousand miles from where you’ll be singing it.
And indeed Uganda does have its own musical traditions. Pictured is a band playing some traditional African instruments at a wedding we sneaked into on our present visit to Kampala. All the instruments are home-made and it was of fascinating to see the ‘xyloph
one’ type instrument being tuned before the performance by hacking bits of wood off the blocks with a machete!In terms of tuning, the sounds these instruments produce is much closer to medieval music, nowhere near as precise as our Chorus Master, Darius, expected (and presumably still expects) from the Sheffield Phil. But the music was fu
ll of colour, drive and energy and sounded great. The bottom-waggling dancing of the ladies also added a further dramatic dimension to the performance, from which members of the Sheffield Phil. could, I am sure, learn a great deal!We’ve met the stringed instruments (adungua) as well as the drums (ari) in the North West at weddings, fund-raising events, and in the occasional service. But sadly we have heard very little traditional African music since coming to Uganda, and in particular it isn’t generally in evidence in Anglican Church worship. Drums are used to add a beat, but little more. In worship, mostly keyboards and guitars are used to accompany western hymns, songs and choruses from old revival traditions. Sometimes these are translated into the local language (Lugbara), but poor Ugandans often have to grapple with lines like, “Perfect submission, perfect delight, visions of rapture burst on my sight.” Hard enough if English is your native language, but if it’s your second language........
The other problem is that most western hymn tunes are rhythmically not very adventurous and depend for interest on their harmony, but most guitarists and keyboard players in Arua play by ear and have a relatively small repertoire of chords. Combine with this the likelihood that that guitar is not necessarily in tune with itself, let alone the keyboard, and the results can be hard for us to live with. We feel it would be so good if the African Christians where we live, could let go some of the alien western culture they have received, and learn to worship God through their own musical traditions – like the wedding band we heard only a few days ago.
Having said all that I did end up training and conducting a small singing group in some Christmas carols at a muzungus’ Christmas Eve party at the local Catholic Radio Station in Arua – followed by 20 flavours of ice cream! But I still missed the Sheffield Phil and their sherry and mince pies!
P.S. For any Sheffield Phil readers, Anne and I will sing our way through St John’s Passion on Good Friday, albeit a few thousand miles from where you’ll be singing it.
1 comment:
Great to hear about the music. We have had a 'Boomerang' service today. Maybe our young drummers could do with some tuition!!
Also released 100 white balloons for peace. Hope one flies your way!
Love and God Bless,
Colin and Joyce
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