1939 NIGERIA TRIBAL MUSIC BINI TRIBE WEST AFRICAN EXPEDITION FIELD MUSEUM 78

Pricing & History

Sold for
Start Free Trial or Sign In to see what it's worth.
Sold Date
Source eBay

WEEK 1 of 3 weeks of great auctions, until Dec 18. Some great collectible HOLIDAY GIFTS for yourself your friends and family. IMPORTANT: Per US Postal Service, the following dates for Christmas shipping have been posted: Parcel Post - Media Mail - December 15 2011 Priority Mail - December 21 2011. If you would like to receive your parcel for Christmas, pls let me know by email. PLS READ BELOW for INCREASED SHIPPING CHARGES due to Ebay Policy I AM HAPPY COMBINE MULTIPLE SHIPMENTS. IF YOU WIN MULTIPLE ITEMS DO NOT USE EBAY CHECK OUT in order for me to get you low combined postage. Send me an invoice request instead. A series of great Personality Records, with Shakespearean Actors, Presidents and Kings and great performances: Recorded by LAURA C. BOULTON on the Straus West African Expedition of Field Museum of Natural HistoryNIGERIA Ifon, Undo Province, Bini Tribe Record 89-A. SECRET SOCIETY DANCE Sono, 5 Drums. / SECRET SOCIETY DRUMS, 5 Drums.REad her notes about the recordings below10" Victor 78 rpm record Condition: EXCELLENT MINUS, unworn but rubbed, plays greatNIGERIA Ifon, Undo Province, Bini Tribe Record 89-A. SECRET SOCIETY DANCE Sono, 5 Drums. Secret societies are common in West Africa. In Nigeria they exist for religious, medical,economic, and social purposes. Some of them actually have the power of life and death overthe people. This song belongs to the Ashiko society. It is an old song used to call the society togetherfor a meeting or dance. There are seven singers and they sing, “We are ready, brothers.Adimzgo, adinago." The song is accompanied by ﬁve rectangular tambourine-like drums, called bcbe, samba, briz, jiagban, dadu. The playing and manufacture of these drums are special professions. Thedrumhead of vellum is attached by pegs or nails to a frame of the heavy resonant wood known asAfrican mahogany. An inner frame, which may be pushed against the drumhead by means ofwedges at the ends of a crossbar provided for holding the drum, controls the pitch. The psychological effect of the drums upon the Africans is frequently spectacular. Dancersare sometimes borne writhing away. Even in the brief dance song recorded here one feels thetempo increasing and the intensity building up. On the reverse side of this record, these identical drums are recorded without song, and itis not difficult-‘to imagine the hypnotic and stimulating effect produced by the continuation,hour after hour, of the drum performances. Record 89-B. SECRET SOCIETY DRUMS, 5 Drums. The drum beat is the pulse of Africa. The native is born to it, dies to it, works to it, worships to it, dances to it for days and nights on end. It brings the spirit world close to man. T-hrough the aid of the drum, ordinary routine may become a devout act of worship.Drum rhythms frequently accompany communal activities and at the same time give them anemotional signiﬁcance all but inconceivable to the Western world. The drum, aside from its musical qualities, is the chief means of communication. It istelephone and radio, village newspaper and regional telegraph all in one. The signalling drumsare still used to communicate many types of messages throughout great distances in Africa.But the drum functions primarily as a musical instrument, rather than as radio and telegraph. The Africans, with their extraordinary sense of rhythm, have elaborated the drum morefully than any other people in the world. Nowhere has the drum such varied forms and somany uses. There are whole orchestras of drums alone which produce symphonies of rhythmand melody that make our modem composers envious. Rhythms too complicated to bedescribed in words are combined with deep resonant tones to produce a bewildering beauty ofperformance. As with our silving bands, so with the Africam dance orchestra, the drums stir the dancersto such a point that an ordinary dance frequently becomes a marathon. Not only are thedrums the motive force of dances, but t... read more

Items in the Price Guide are obtained exclusively from licensors and partners solely for our members’ research needs.

Flag item for content or copyright

If this item contains incorrect or inappropriate information please contact us here to flag it for review.

If you are the originator/copyright holder of this photo/item and would prefer it be excluded from our community, contact us here for removal.