Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post presents information about South Africa's URCSA (Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa denomination.
This post also presents information about Khayeitsha, South Africa.
This post also showcases five YouTube videos of URCSA Khayeitsha congregation singing. Most of those videos feature members of those congregations singing and playing a musical instrument whose Xhosa name is "umpampampas", but is colloquially called "ibeat". According to https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/44f5/464c1570df0258d80affad087a77371f5782.pdf ..."umpampampas [are] (Bible-sized cushion covered with leather and beat with the palm of one hand), drums, sound pipes."...
Selected comment from the discussion threads for four of these videos are included along with the lyrics for one of these songs.
The content of this post is presented for religious, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those featured in these videos and thanks to Sivuyisiwe Lutango, the publisher of these videos on YouTube.
****
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/videos-examples-of-south-africas-urcsa.html
for a October 5, 2019 pancocojams post that showcase videos of the South African Christian congregations which are known for their use of hand held cushions that are percussion instruments.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2020/05/joyous-celebration-i-beat-south-african.html for a May 10, 2020 titled "Joyous Celebration - I Beat Medley" (South African Gospel Medley with special attention to the hand held cushion percussive instrument)".
****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE UNITING REFORMED CHURCH OF SOUTHERN AFRICA (URCSA)
From https://www.oikoumene.org/en/member-churches/uniting-reformed-church-in-southern-africa
"Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa
Church Family :
United and Uniting churches
Based in : South Africa
Present in : Lesotho, Namibia
Membership : 496,744
Pastors : 536
Congregations : 758
[...]
In 1994 the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA) was established through the union of the former Dutch Reformed Mission Church (DRMC) and the Dutch Reformed Church in Africa (DRCA). Both churches were the fruit of the mission work done by the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa. Shortly after their arrival in 1652 the Dutch introduced slavery in the Cape and started a slave school to further the Christian religion, Dutch language and culture. The Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) of the time had no organized mission activity and accommodated all racial groups. The baptism of slaves was left to the will of their masters. Very few baptized slaves were however confirmed as members of the church. In due course various mission organizations from abroad started working in South Africa, which led to a number of denominations amongst the indigenous people and slaves. This motivated the DRC to start its own independent mission work in 1824. Although the 1829 synod formally rejected discrimination on the basis of skin colour, in practice people of colour were discriminated against, particularly at worship services and holy communion. The synod of 1857 decided to allow separate services for coloured members "because of the weakness of some". The next logical step was the formation in 1881 of the DRMC as a separate church for the converts of the DRC's mission work. In each province of South Africa separate churches for blacks and coloureds were formed. All the coloured congregations eventually joined the DRMC, and the black churches the DRCA. Both remained under the control of the DRC for decades.
In 1966 the DRMC decided in favour of structural unity between the churches of the DRC family. The DRCA put a similar emphasis on unification in 1975. It took another 19 years for that ideal to be partially fulfilled. The DRC did not join the union of the DRMC and the DRCA. The name of the URCSA (in the continuous tense) and its logo (an incomplete circle) reflect the church's emphasis on and hope for the re-unification of the DRC family and the wider family of God.”...
****
INFORMATION ABOUT KHAYEITSHA, SOUTH AFRICA
From https://www.tripsavvy.com/visiting-khayelitsha-township-cape-town-south-africa-4158886 "How to Visit Khayelitsha Township, Cape Town: The Complete Guide" Written by JESSICA MACDONALD
Updated 04/09/19
"Located in the Cape Flats area of the Western Cape, Khayelitsha is the second-largest black township in South Africa (after Soweto). It’s a 30-kilometer hop from Cape Town city center; and yet, life in Khayelitsha is very different to life at the prosperous heart of the Mother City, where elegant colonial buildings rub shoulders with world-class restaurants and art galleries.
The township, whose name means “new home” in Xhosa, is one of the poorest neighborhoods in the Cape Town area. And yet, despite its problems, Khayelitsha has earned itself a reputation as a hotbed of culture and entrepreneurship. Visitors to Cape Town are increasingly drawn there on guided township tours: here are some of the best options for a meaningful Khayelitsha experience.
Khayelitsha's History
Before planning a visit to Khayelitsha, it’s important to understand the township’s history. In 1983, the apartheid government announced its decision to re-home legal black residents living in informal settlements on the Cape Peninsula to a new, purpose-built site called Khayelitsha. Ostensibly, the new township was created to provide those living in sub-standard squatter camps with improved formal housing; but in reality, Khayelitsha’s role was to give the government better control over the area’s impoverished black communities by grouping them together in one place.
Legal residents were classified as those that had lived on the Cape Peninsula for more than 10 years. Those that didn’t meet that criteria were considered illegal, and many were forcibly repatriated to the Transkei, one of several black homelands created during the apartheid regime. When apartheid ended, people living in the homelands could once again move freely throughout South Africa. Many of those that had been removed from the Western Cape decided to return, along with countless migrants who flocked to Cape Town in search of work.
These migrants arrived with nothing, and many of them erected makeshift shacks on the edges of Khayelitsha. By 1995, the township had expanded to accommodate over half a million people.
Khayelitsha Today
Today, over two million people call Khayelitsha home, earning it its status as the fastest-growing township in South Africa. Poverty is still a crippling issue, with 70% of the township’s residents living in informal shacks, and a third having to walk 200 meters or more to access clean water. Crime and unemployment rates are high. However, Khayelitsha is also a neighborhood on the rise. New brick houses are being built, and residents now have access to schools, clinics and an incredible array of social development projects (including a canoe club and a cycle club)."...
****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Video #1: URCSA Khayelitsha Hosana 65(1)
Sivuyisiwe Lutango, Mar 14, 2018
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread, with numbers added for referencing purposes only:
1. Hazel Nkosi, 2019
"So touched. AmaUniting amahle. U killing it. My church. I am a blessed CWL for 5 years"
**
2. Bessie Waller, 2018
"This is so beautiful, I wish could understand what the words they are singing in english"
**
3. Nxonxo Masixole, 2018
"Aawww nkosi yam iyandiphilisa umculo walenkonzo phambili maURCSA"
-snip-
Google translate from Xhosa to English
"Awww my lord brings me the music of this service in front of the URCSA"
**
4. Andiswa Nkabi, 2019
"Wooww am crying evry time ndimamele eliculo😢😢😢 ndicela nibhale iculo lonke please. Am blessed"
**
5. Sihle Tsengiwe, 2019
"Bhota mnqamlezo weNkos
Hlathi nqaba liwa lam
Xa uMtyholi eqhayisa
Zono xa zincamisa
Ngxonde yokusabela
Bhota mnqamlezo Nkos
2.
Khanya mnqamlezo weNkos
Gxotha ubumnyama bam
Khwezi lomso wothando
Langa lomhla woxolo
Ngqina lobulungisa
Khanya mnqamlezo weNkos
3.
Xhasa mnqamlezo weNkos
Xhasa seka qinisa
Ekulweni khaka lam
Phawu lwabasindiswa
Xhasa mnqamlezo weNkos
.4
Bhota mnqamlezo weNkos
Hlathi,nqaba,liwa lam
Xa kufika ukufa kwam
Yakuphela imihla yam
Nguwe olithemba lam
Bhota mnqamlezo weNkos
-snip-
Google translate from Xhosa to English:
"Bow the cross of the Lord
The forest is my stronghold
When the devil brags
When sins are overwhelming
A fortress of refuge
Cross the Cross Lord
2.
Shine the cross of the Lord
Cast out my darkness
The morning star of love
It's a day of peace
He is a witness of righteousness
Shine the cross of the Lord
3.
Support the cross of the Lord
Support and strengthen
In fighting my shield
The sign of the saved
Support the cross of the Lord
.4
Bow the cross of the Lord
A forest, a stronghold, my rock
When my death came
When my days are over,
You are my hope
Bow the cross of the Lord"
****
Video #2: URCSA Khayelitsha
Sivuyisiwe Lutango, Aug 22, 2018
Hosana 184: Vuthelani Ixilongo
-snip-
Google translate from Xhosa to English: "Blow the Trumpet"
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread, with numbers added for referencing purposes only:
1. Athenkosi Mandlendoda, 2019
"Sizoyishaya ngempel'iKhayelitsha Aw Heshe Ntsizwaaa.... Looool, awu madoda yhiiini yhiiini yhiiiini.... iza!!! Watching these videos just revives me. Siyabulela!!!"
-snip-
Google translate from Xhosa to English:
"We are going to hit it off on a real day. Watching these videos just revives me. Thanks !!!"
**
2. Nelly Shange, 2020
"Ai,ai,ai, lesembatho singkhumbuza umama wami ai,ai,ai ukbe kukhona okwenziwayo ukvusa asebalala ngabe ngyakwenza"
-snip-
Google translate from Xhosa to English:
"Ai, ai, ai, this dress reminds me of my mother ai, ai, ai if something was done to wake her up she would have done it"
****
Video #3: URCSA Khayeitsha Hosana 106
Sivuyisiwe Lutango, Aug 22, 2018
Nkosi Ndive Ngezibele
-snip-
Google translate from Xhosa to English -"Lord Hear Me About Mercy"
****
Video #4: URCSA Khayelitsha Hosana 76
Sivuyisiwe Lutango, Aug 22, 2018
Kukho Umnqamlezo
-snip-
Google translate from Xhosa to English - "There is a Cross"
****
Video #5: URCSA Khayelitsha Hosana 353(2019 Easter Friday)
Sivuyisiwe Lutango, Apr 25, 2019
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread, with numbers added for referencing purposes only:
Hellen Kekana, 2019
"I dont understand the words but joh! The synchronization and the boy with the bell moves me!!! Its electrifying 2🙌🙌"
**
malakia solomon lekgothoane, 2019
"The little boy with the bell yoooooh he blesses me"
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Showing posts with label umpampampas (ibeat) musical instrument. Show all posts
Showing posts with label umpampampas (ibeat) musical instrument. Show all posts
Monday, May 11, 2020
Sunday, May 10, 2020
Joyous Celebration - I Beat Medley" (South African Gospel Medley with special attention to the hand held cushion percussive instrument)
Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post showcases a 2015 video of South African Gospel choir Joyous Celebration singing a Gospel medley entitled "I Beat".
The lyrics to this song are included in this post along with selected comments from that video's discussion thread. Special attention is given to comments about the yellow cushions that the choir and congregation are holding in one hand and beating with the palm of the other hand.
The Addendum to this post showcases an example of these cushions being played during a Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa religious service.
The content of this post is presented for religious, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Joyous Celebration and all those associated with this video and this medley of songs.
****
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/videos-examples-of-south-africas-urcsa.html
for a October 5, 2019 pancocojams post that showcase videos of the South African Christian congregations which are known for their use of hand held cushions that are percussion instruments.
Also, click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2020/05/five-videos-of-south-africas-urcsa.html for additional videos of a congregational singing by URCSA Khayelitsha.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: Joyous Celebration - I Beat
joyousVEVO Oct 19, 2015
-snip-
Statistics as of May 19, 2020 as of 1:39 PM EDT
Total # of views-1,770,929
Total # of likes -9.5K
Total # of dislikes-363
Total # of comments -506
****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
This South African Gospel medley is titled "I Beat". "ibeat" is one colloquial name for the cushions that are held by the Joyous Celebration choir and their congregation in this video.
The comment that I added (given as #13 below) quotes a South African pdf which provides the isiXhosa term "umpampampas" (also given as "mpampampas") for the yellow cushions that are held and played by the Joyous Celebration choir and their audience. However, in the YouTube videos of Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA), the Christian congregations that are known for playing these hand held instruments), the ibeat (mpampampas) are entirely white or entirely red, or entirely black. I also have seen a blue mpanpampas in the video of the South African church congregation that is embedded below. However, I've only seen yellow i beats in Joyous Celebration videos and it appear to me that those yellow i beats are somewhat smaller than many of the umpampampas that are featured in videos of URCSA church services such as the video that is embedded below.
****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THIS VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREAD
(with numbers added for referencing purposes only)
1. winiswa nxele, 2015
"This song gives me life (literally)..I find healing in this song on so many occasions. It empowers me in such a way, words are not enough to describe how I feel listening to this guy.. Khaya has the anointing..The harmonies are on fleek."
**
REPLY
2. Melesha Williams, 2015
"I totally agree with you, even tho I do not know what is being sung."
**
3. Bernadette Bethel, 2015
"Verse 1:
Sithi Oh Msindisi (We say, Oh Savior)…
Oh Msindisi, oh Msindisi Nguwe olithemba lam
(Oh Savior, oh Savior; You are my hope)
(Repeat)
Verse 2:
Ithemba lam Baba (My hope Father)
Ithemba lam ndonyuka nalo (I will rise with my hope)
Ndingene endumisweni (To enter the place of praise)
(Repeat)
Verse 3:
Ndingene, ndingen’ endumisweni Baba (To enter the place of praise Father)
Oh ndingene endumisweni, (Oh To enter the place of praise)
(Repeat)
Verse 4:
Ngena, oh ngena ngob’ indawo isekhona (Come in because there’s still a space left)
Ngena, ngena, indawo isekhona (Come in, come in there is still room)
Ngena nawe mama, Ngena nawe Baba (Come in you mother, come in you Father)
Ngena, ngena, indawo isekhona (Come in, come in there is still room)
Verse 5:
Ngonyama kaJuda, Wanqob’uSathane (Lion of Judah You defeated Satan)
Xa simi ngakuwe sonqotshwa ngubani (If we stand by you who will defeat us)
(Repeat)"
**
4. Kandice Long, 2016
"What is that instrument they have on their hands?"
**
REPLY
5. Msmadam msmadam, 2016
"Kandice Long we call it a beat"
**
6. glorious n, 2017
"The bass at 1:29 though 😍😍 , I literally don’t understand anything but blessed"
**
REPLY
7. Thando Ndwandwe, 2017
"Its a mix of hymns sung in IsiZulu
https://africangospellyrics.com/2013/03/16/i-beat-lyrics-by-joyous-celebration-16/"
**
8. Tafae Machimbiz, 2017
"I'm kinda confused 😁 Can someone please explain to me why this song is called I Beat? I mean how does it fit into what they are saying? What do they beat?"
**
REPLY
9. nobubelo moyo, 2017
"Tafae Machimbiz Cause they all beating that thing in their hands"
**
10. debo adediran, 2017
"seen this video a million times. brings joy to my heart.
please this yellow thingy what is it call? where can i get it?"
**
REPLY
11. Thando Ndwandwe, 2017
"The back of a hard cover bible will give the same effect, grew up watching the elder men in the church using that as a means to get the beat because back then, there were no keyboards and drums in the church, or we just simply clap our hands till they go numb hahaha. South African gospel hymns will get you going lol..."
**
12. adaeze okoye, 2019
"Please can someone tell me what that yellow bag they are all holding is."
**
REPLY
13. Okay then, 2020
"adaeze okoye it’s called a beat"
**
REPLY
13. Azizi Powell, 2020
"Here's a quote from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/44f5/464c1570df0258d80affad087a77371f5782.pdf
"The emergence of amakhorasi as an art form did not replace hymns, but is rather a functional evolution in Christian Xhosa music...
The following instruments are sometimes used in some mainline churches and in most independent churches: tambourines/rattles, triangles, cowbells, umpampampas (Bible-sized cushion covered with leather and beat with the palm of one hand), drums, sound pipes."...
-snip-
Given this quote, I believe the Xhosa name for those yellow bag is "umpampampas" (also given as mpampanpas). In certain YouTube discussion threads of videos of Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA) services, some people refer to these bags or cushions as "ibeat", "a beat" or "pillows".
****
ADDENDUM- VIDEO OF URCSA church service with umpampampas (ibeat)
URCSA Khayelitsha Ndikhangele Ngobubele 334
Sivuyisiwe Lutango, Mar 14, 2018
-snip-
About 5:03 in this video notice a man seated playing a djembe drum.
Also, click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWmVBke_450&t=21s for a video that shows the metal percussive instruments that make the tingling sound that is heard in this video.
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This pancocojams post showcases a 2015 video of South African Gospel choir Joyous Celebration singing a Gospel medley entitled "I Beat".
The lyrics to this song are included in this post along with selected comments from that video's discussion thread. Special attention is given to comments about the yellow cushions that the choir and congregation are holding in one hand and beating with the palm of the other hand.
The Addendum to this post showcases an example of these cushions being played during a Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa religious service.
The content of this post is presented for religious, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Joyous Celebration and all those associated with this video and this medley of songs.
****
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/videos-examples-of-south-africas-urcsa.html
for a October 5, 2019 pancocojams post that showcase videos of the South African Christian congregations which are known for their use of hand held cushions that are percussion instruments.
Also, click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2020/05/five-videos-of-south-africas-urcsa.html for additional videos of a congregational singing by URCSA Khayelitsha.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: Joyous Celebration - I Beat
joyousVEVO Oct 19, 2015
-snip-
Statistics as of May 19, 2020 as of 1:39 PM EDT
Total # of views-1,770,929
Total # of likes -9.5K
Total # of dislikes-363
Total # of comments -506
****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
This South African Gospel medley is titled "I Beat". "ibeat" is one colloquial name for the cushions that are held by the Joyous Celebration choir and their congregation in this video.
The comment that I added (given as #13 below) quotes a South African pdf which provides the isiXhosa term "umpampampas" (also given as "mpampampas") for the yellow cushions that are held and played by the Joyous Celebration choir and their audience. However, in the YouTube videos of Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA), the Christian congregations that are known for playing these hand held instruments), the ibeat (mpampampas) are entirely white or entirely red, or entirely black. I also have seen a blue mpanpampas in the video of the South African church congregation that is embedded below. However, I've only seen yellow i beats in Joyous Celebration videos and it appear to me that those yellow i beats are somewhat smaller than many of the umpampampas that are featured in videos of URCSA church services such as the video that is embedded below.
****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THIS VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREAD
(with numbers added for referencing purposes only)
1. winiswa nxele, 2015
"This song gives me life (literally)..I find healing in this song on so many occasions. It empowers me in such a way, words are not enough to describe how I feel listening to this guy.. Khaya has the anointing..The harmonies are on fleek."
**
REPLY
2. Melesha Williams, 2015
"I totally agree with you, even tho I do not know what is being sung."
**
3. Bernadette Bethel, 2015
"Verse 1:
Sithi Oh Msindisi (We say, Oh Savior)…
Oh Msindisi, oh Msindisi Nguwe olithemba lam
(Oh Savior, oh Savior; You are my hope)
(Repeat)
Verse 2:
Ithemba lam Baba (My hope Father)
Ithemba lam ndonyuka nalo (I will rise with my hope)
Ndingene endumisweni (To enter the place of praise)
(Repeat)
Verse 3:
Ndingene, ndingen’ endumisweni Baba (To enter the place of praise Father)
Oh ndingene endumisweni, (Oh To enter the place of praise)
(Repeat)
Verse 4:
Ngena, oh ngena ngob’ indawo isekhona (Come in because there’s still a space left)
Ngena, ngena, indawo isekhona (Come in, come in there is still room)
Ngena nawe mama, Ngena nawe Baba (Come in you mother, come in you Father)
Ngena, ngena, indawo isekhona (Come in, come in there is still room)
Verse 5:
Ngonyama kaJuda, Wanqob’uSathane (Lion of Judah You defeated Satan)
Xa simi ngakuwe sonqotshwa ngubani (If we stand by you who will defeat us)
(Repeat)"
**
4. Kandice Long, 2016
"What is that instrument they have on their hands?"
**
REPLY
5. Msmadam msmadam, 2016
"Kandice Long we call it a beat"
**
6. glorious n, 2017
"The bass at 1:29 though 😍😍 , I literally don’t understand anything but blessed"
**
REPLY
7. Thando Ndwandwe, 2017
"Its a mix of hymns sung in IsiZulu
https://africangospellyrics.com/2013/03/16/i-beat-lyrics-by-joyous-celebration-16/"
**
8. Tafae Machimbiz, 2017
"I'm kinda confused 😁 Can someone please explain to me why this song is called I Beat? I mean how does it fit into what they are saying? What do they beat?"
**
REPLY
9. nobubelo moyo, 2017
"Tafae Machimbiz Cause they all beating that thing in their hands"
**
10. debo adediran, 2017
"seen this video a million times. brings joy to my heart.
please this yellow thingy what is it call? where can i get it?"
**
REPLY
11. Thando Ndwandwe, 2017
"The back of a hard cover bible will give the same effect, grew up watching the elder men in the church using that as a means to get the beat because back then, there were no keyboards and drums in the church, or we just simply clap our hands till they go numb hahaha. South African gospel hymns will get you going lol..."
**
12. adaeze okoye, 2019
"Please can someone tell me what that yellow bag they are all holding is."
**
REPLY
13. Okay then, 2020
"adaeze okoye it’s called a beat"
**
REPLY
13. Azizi Powell, 2020
"Here's a quote from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/44f5/464c1570df0258d80affad087a77371f5782.pdf
"The emergence of amakhorasi as an art form did not replace hymns, but is rather a functional evolution in Christian Xhosa music...
The following instruments are sometimes used in some mainline churches and in most independent churches: tambourines/rattles, triangles, cowbells, umpampampas (Bible-sized cushion covered with leather and beat with the palm of one hand), drums, sound pipes."...
-snip-
Given this quote, I believe the Xhosa name for those yellow bag is "umpampampas" (also given as mpampanpas). In certain YouTube discussion threads of videos of Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA) services, some people refer to these bags or cushions as "ibeat", "a beat" or "pillows".
****
ADDENDUM- VIDEO OF URCSA church service with umpampampas (ibeat)
URCSA Khayelitsha Ndikhangele Ngobubele 334
Sivuyisiwe Lutango, Mar 14, 2018
-snip-
About 5:03 in this video notice a man seated playing a djembe drum.
Also, click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWmVBke_450&t=21s for a video that shows the metal percussive instruments that make the tingling sound that is heard in this video.
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Saturday, October 5, 2019
Videos Examples Of South Africa's URCSA Denomination (with focus on uMpampampas)
Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest Update: October 22, 2019
This is Part IV of a four part pancocojams series that showcases brief excerpts about certain forms of Black church music in Southern Africa and showcases a few YouTube video examples of South Africa's amakhorasi music.
Part IV showcases videos of URCSA services. Special focus in these videos is on some members of that denomination playing uMpampampa (hand drum) and other indigenous musical instruments as an integral part of their church services.
Selected comments from one of these video's discussion thread are also included in this post.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/black-church-music-in-zambia-excerpt.html for Part I of this series. Part I presents a brief excerpt of a 2015 doctoral thesis for the University of the Western Cape written by Kapenwa Kondolo. The thesis is entitled "The Ministry of Music: A Case Study On The United Church of Zambia And The New Jerusalem Church".
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/information-about-south-africas.html for Part II of this series. Part II is divided into two sections. Section A presents a summary of a 2016 social science book by Austin C. Okigbo entitled Music, Culture, and the Politics of Health: Ethnography of a South African AIDS Choir Section A also presents a brief excerpt from that book which provides information about certain forms of Black South African church music.
Section B presents a brief excerpt from a 2005 doctoral thesis that includes information about certain forms of music in South African churches.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/information-about-south-africas-urcsa.html for Part III of this series. Part III provides information about Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA) and showcases videos of URCSA services.
The content of this post is presented for ethnomusicology, cultural, and religious purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are featured in these selected videos and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
Part III of this pancocojams series lists indigenous musical instruments that are played for Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa church services. One of these instruments is what Americans call "cow bells", and the other is the uMpampampa hand drum (also called "iBeat"). Also, in at least two of the videos which are featured in this pancocojams post show a djembe drum being played (in one video a woman bends down and plays the djembe and in another video a man stands, holding the djembe between his knees).
****
UPDATE: October 12, 2019
Here's a portion of a 2005 South African dissertation that I found online that refers to an instrument that appears to describe the hand drum known as "uMpampampa":
From https://researchspace.ukzn.ac.za/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10413/5102/Malembe_Sipho_S_2005.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
South African popular Gospel Music
In the Post-Apartheid Era: Genre, Production, Mediation and Consumption.
Sipho S. Malembe
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the degree Masters in Music (MMus),
At the School of Music at the University of KwaZulu-Natal
Howard College
..."A number of early artists/groups stood out remarkably, in clearly demarcating and defining the genre of local 'Gospel'. Without going into depth with their music, I want to highlight a few such artists/groups. One of the very early 'Gospel' groups is Amodadana aseWesile. This group began in the mid 70's. Their music is hymnal, which is a direct influence of the missionaries' music. Their music is also characterised by translating well-known missionaries' hymns into local indigenous languages, as pointed to by Muwowo, in Table
2.1.
As he suggested, this translation alters the rhythm into a more African-oriented one. The music also has a forward-driving, danceable rhythm. The very use of the percussive sounds, like 'tshiiif called 'isifutho', and 'isqamelo', a small hand-held pillow like instrument; to emphasise certain beats of the bar in a phrase, emphasises and strengthens the rhythm of the musIc."
-snip-
I've added italics to highlight sentences in this passage.
-end of 10/12/2019 Update-
****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Example #1: URCSA Khayelitsha Ndikhangele Ngobubele 334
Sivuyisiwe Lutango , Mar 14, 2018
-snip-
Here's some comments from this video's discussion thread (with numbers added for referencing purposes only.)
1. Obakeng Boshielo, 2018
"i don't know what the lyrics are but i can feel the energy through the phone 😀 I love the way they hitting the pillows"
**
REPLY
2. sihle mabombo, 2019
"It's called umPhafphaf"
**
REPLY
3. Des, 2019
"its not the pillows, Its their Bibles or Worship books"
**
REPLY
4. Thandeka Malinga, 2019
"It's not a pillow nor a worship book but we call it a Beat"
**
REPLY
5. OBAKENG MICHAEL, 2019
"Ke beat...or bithi😂😂"
**
REPLY
6. Sanelisiwe Lurai, 2019
"😂😂😂 I'm dead ngu "Mpampampa" sis or iBeat"
-snip-
Here’s what I think this comment means: “I’m dead” is a colloquial American expression that means “I’m dying of laughter”. I don’t know what “ngu” means. After writing that word it appears to me that Sanelisiwe Lurai then wrote the two names that are used for what was referred to as a “pillow”. The word “sis” in that sentence is a referent for the female commenter (i.e. “sis” as a short form of the word “sister”.)
**
REPLY
7. Phiwe Mpahlwa, 2019
"Lol as Xhosa's we call it umpampampa"
**
REPLY
8. Veronica Tlhoni, 2019
"Reebitsa beat love"
**
UPDATE: October 22, 2019
[This comment is in response to several requests for the name of this song (including a request that I made in that video's discussion thread.]
9. Sihle Ntlabati, 2019
"The name of the hymn is Sikhangele ngobubhele English translation is We seek with kindness"
****
Example #2: URCSA Khayelitsha
Aug 30, 2017
-snip-
Notice that throughout this video a man stands playing a djembe. This video and the video given below as #3 in this post are both from URCSA Khayelitsha. I don't know how common it is to play one or more djembes along with uMpampampas and other indigenous African instruments during that particular church's URCSA church services and/or during other URCSA church services. Please share information about this topic if you are familiar with these church services. Thanks!
Here's information about the very popular djembe drum:
"The djembe drum is said to have been invented in the 12th Century by the Mandinke tribe in what is now Mali, in West Africa. It has been played by West Africans for generations forming an integral part of ritualistic life in Mali, Guinea, Senegal and other neighbouring West African countries." http://www.drumafrica.co.uk/articles/the-djembe/
****
Example #3: URCSA Khayelitsha
Siphesihle Butumelo TsengiweAug 8, 2018
Hosana 154
-snip-
Notice that around 4:16 a woman can be seen bending down playing a djembe.
****
Example #4: Re rata ha rekabona Jesu
Letsatsi Mohlomi, Feb 4, 2018
URCSA CFM Johannesburg Presbytery at Tembisa Wes
-snip-
This video shows part of the church's collection [of money].
****
Example #5: MBB BODIBE AT LITCHTENBURG NOORD
makwati jaftaphello, Feb 8, 2017
URC LITCHTENBURG NOORD REVIVAL
****
This concludes this five part pancocojams series.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Latest Update: October 22, 2019
This is Part IV of a four part pancocojams series that showcases brief excerpts about certain forms of Black church music in Southern Africa and showcases a few YouTube video examples of South Africa's amakhorasi music.
Part IV showcases videos of URCSA services. Special focus in these videos is on some members of that denomination playing uMpampampa (hand drum) and other indigenous musical instruments as an integral part of their church services.
Selected comments from one of these video's discussion thread are also included in this post.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/black-church-music-in-zambia-excerpt.html for Part I of this series. Part I presents a brief excerpt of a 2015 doctoral thesis for the University of the Western Cape written by Kapenwa Kondolo. The thesis is entitled "The Ministry of Music: A Case Study On The United Church of Zambia And The New Jerusalem Church".
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/information-about-south-africas.html for Part II of this series. Part II is divided into two sections. Section A presents a summary of a 2016 social science book by Austin C. Okigbo entitled Music, Culture, and the Politics of Health: Ethnography of a South African AIDS Choir Section A also presents a brief excerpt from that book which provides information about certain forms of Black South African church music.
Section B presents a brief excerpt from a 2005 doctoral thesis that includes information about certain forms of music in South African churches.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/information-about-south-africas-urcsa.html for Part III of this series. Part III provides information about Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA) and showcases videos of URCSA services.
The content of this post is presented for ethnomusicology, cultural, and religious purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are featured in these selected videos and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
Part III of this pancocojams series lists indigenous musical instruments that are played for Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa church services. One of these instruments is what Americans call "cow bells", and the other is the uMpampampa hand drum (also called "iBeat"). Also, in at least two of the videos which are featured in this pancocojams post show a djembe drum being played (in one video a woman bends down and plays the djembe and in another video a man stands, holding the djembe between his knees).
****
UPDATE: October 12, 2019
Here's a portion of a 2005 South African dissertation that I found online that refers to an instrument that appears to describe the hand drum known as "uMpampampa":
From https://researchspace.ukzn.ac.za/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10413/5102/Malembe_Sipho_S_2005.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
South African popular Gospel Music
In the Post-Apartheid Era: Genre, Production, Mediation and Consumption.
Sipho S. Malembe
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the degree Masters in Music (MMus),
At the School of Music at the University of KwaZulu-Natal
Howard College
..."A number of early artists/groups stood out remarkably, in clearly demarcating and defining the genre of local 'Gospel'. Without going into depth with their music, I want to highlight a few such artists/groups. One of the very early 'Gospel' groups is Amodadana aseWesile. This group began in the mid 70's. Their music is hymnal, which is a direct influence of the missionaries' music. Their music is also characterised by translating well-known missionaries' hymns into local indigenous languages, as pointed to by Muwowo, in Table
2.1.
As he suggested, this translation alters the rhythm into a more African-oriented one. The music also has a forward-driving, danceable rhythm. The very use of the percussive sounds, like 'tshiiif called 'isifutho', and 'isqamelo', a small hand-held pillow like instrument; to emphasise certain beats of the bar in a phrase, emphasises and strengthens the rhythm of the musIc."
-snip-
I've added italics to highlight sentences in this passage.
-end of 10/12/2019 Update-
****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Example #1: URCSA Khayelitsha Ndikhangele Ngobubele 334
Sivuyisiwe Lutango , Mar 14, 2018
-snip-
Here's some comments from this video's discussion thread (with numbers added for referencing purposes only.)
1. Obakeng Boshielo, 2018
"i don't know what the lyrics are but i can feel the energy through the phone 😀 I love the way they hitting the pillows"
**
REPLY
2. sihle mabombo, 2019
"It's called umPhafphaf"
**
REPLY
3. Des, 2019
"its not the pillows, Its their Bibles or Worship books"
**
REPLY
4. Thandeka Malinga, 2019
"It's not a pillow nor a worship book but we call it a Beat"
**
REPLY
5. OBAKENG MICHAEL, 2019
"Ke beat...or bithi😂😂"
**
REPLY
6. Sanelisiwe Lurai, 2019
"😂😂😂 I'm dead ngu "Mpampampa" sis or iBeat"
-snip-
Here’s what I think this comment means: “I’m dead” is a colloquial American expression that means “I’m dying of laughter”. I don’t know what “ngu” means. After writing that word it appears to me that Sanelisiwe Lurai then wrote the two names that are used for what was referred to as a “pillow”. The word “sis” in that sentence is a referent for the female commenter (i.e. “sis” as a short form of the word “sister”.)
**
REPLY
7. Phiwe Mpahlwa, 2019
"Lol as Xhosa's we call it umpampampa"
**
REPLY
8. Veronica Tlhoni, 2019
"Reebitsa beat love"
**
UPDATE: October 22, 2019
[This comment is in response to several requests for the name of this song (including a request that I made in that video's discussion thread.]
9. Sihle Ntlabati, 2019
"The name of the hymn is Sikhangele ngobubhele English translation is We seek with kindness"
****
Example #2: URCSA Khayelitsha
Aug 30, 2017
-snip-
Notice that throughout this video a man stands playing a djembe. This video and the video given below as #3 in this post are both from URCSA Khayelitsha. I don't know how common it is to play one or more djembes along with uMpampampas and other indigenous African instruments during that particular church's URCSA church services and/or during other URCSA church services. Please share information about this topic if you are familiar with these church services. Thanks!
Here's information about the very popular djembe drum:
"The djembe drum is said to have been invented in the 12th Century by the Mandinke tribe in what is now Mali, in West Africa. It has been played by West Africans for generations forming an integral part of ritualistic life in Mali, Guinea, Senegal and other neighbouring West African countries." http://www.drumafrica.co.uk/articles/the-djembe/
****
Example #3: URCSA Khayelitsha
Siphesihle Butumelo TsengiweAug 8, 2018
Hosana 154
-snip-
Notice that around 4:16 a woman can be seen bending down playing a djembe.
****
Example #4: Re rata ha rekabona Jesu
Letsatsi Mohlomi, Feb 4, 2018
URCSA CFM Johannesburg Presbytery at Tembisa Wes
-snip-
This video shows part of the church's collection [of money].
****
Example #5: MBB BODIBE AT LITCHTENBURG NOORD
makwati jaftaphello, Feb 8, 2017
URC LITCHTENBURG NOORD REVIVAL
****
This concludes this five part pancocojams series.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Information About South Africa's Amakhorasi (Gospel) Music (From An Excerpt Of A 2016 Book & A 2005 Doctoral Thesis)
Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part II of a four part pancocojams series that showcases brief excerpts about certain forms of Black church music in Southern Africa.
The text sources for this series are one doctoral thesis from Zambia, an excerpt from a South African social science book, and an excerpt from a South African article that was published online as a pdf file by semanticscholar.org.
Part II is divided into two sections. Section A presents a summary of a 2016 social science book by Austin C. Okigbo entitled Music, Culture, and the Politics of Health: Ethnography of a South African AIDS Choir Section A also presents a brief excerpt from that book which provides information about certain forms of Black South African church music.
Section B presents a brief excerpt from a 2005 doctoral thesis that includes information about certain forms of music in South African churches.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/black-church-music-in-zambia-excerpt.html for Part I of this series. Part I presents a brief excerpt of a 2015 doctoral thesis for the University of the Western Cape written by Kapenwa Kondolo. The thesis is entitled "The Ministry of Music: A Case Study On The United Church of Zambia And The New Jerusalem Church".
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/information-about-south-africas-urcsa.html for Part III of this series. Part III provides information about Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA) and showcases videos of URCSA services.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/videos-examples-of-south-africas-urcsa.html for Part IV of this series. Part IV showcases videos of URCSA services. Special focus in these videos is on some members of that denomination playing uMpampampas (a Bible-sized cushion covered with leather. It is held in one hand and beaten with [the palm of] the other and other indigenous musical instruments as an integral part of their church services.
The content of this post is presented for ethnomusicology, cultural, and historical purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Austin C. Okigbo for this research and writing and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
I present excerpts of online books, thesis, articles, discussion forums etc on pancocojams as a means of raising awareness about the subject matter that is found in those sources. I encourage visitors to this blog to read these sources in their entirety. That said, I confess that I've not read the entire content of these showcased sources.
These excerpts are given on this blog "as is" except for citations/notes. I've added ellipses in brackets [...] to indicate the content that I've not quoted.
Page numbers are given at the bottom of each page and refer to the content that is found on that page.
****
PART A: ONLINE SUMMARY OF THIS BOOK
From https://books.google.com/books?id=R1gDDQAAQBAJ&dq=Amakhorasi&source=gbs_navlinks_s "Music, Culture, and the Politics of Health: Ethnography of a South African AIDS Choir" by Austin C. Okigbo
Lexington Books, Aug 3, 2016 - Social Science - 236 pages
"This book is an ethnographic study of a HIV/AIDS choir who use music to articulate their individual and collective experiences of the disease. The study interrogates as to understand the bigger picture of HIV/AIDS using the approach of microanalysis of music event. It places the choir, and the cultural and political issues addressed in their music in the broader context of South Africa’s public health and political history, and the global culture and politics of AIDS."
-snip-
Here's a quote from that book: "Members of Siphithemba made me understand that they preferred to be designated a gospel choir, rather than a HIV/AIDs chorus."... [page 83; Google Books]
****
PART A - BOOK EXCERPT
From Google Books:
"[page 81] Chapter 5
In South Africa, two recognizable forms of singing are commonly called gospel music. The first is the gospel chorus (in Zulu, amakhorasi). Amakhorasi are short songs of usually one to two verses, plus a refrain. A gospel chorus is led by a soloist, who improvises on a few verses and may introduce
[page 82]
several more in any given performance event by simply manipulating the theme and existing texts of the song while cueing the choir and congregation into the refrain, which is easy to memorize. The style is consistent with an African oral medium of performance, and the theme often speaks to individual and community experience, a personal relationship with God, repudiation of sin, rejection of Satan, salvation and peace with God, and eschatological vision. Lead soloists tend to reinforce these themes by inserting sermonettes and/or brief prayer formularies (discussed in details below). The style of singing is generally accompanied with handclapping and dance and it resembles the indigenous form of vocal music.
In South Africa, the African independent churches were the earliest Christian groups to perform amakhorasi - which explains its proximity to indigenous forms of vocal music. The advent of the American Pentecostal movements since the 1960s saw the popularization of this style of singing, but the mainstream denominations, such as the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Presbyterian, and Dutch Reformed churches, which had built the mission churches of the colonial era, frowned on this style of music until recently. Although they have become more open to the performance of amakhorasi) in their spaces, the style has yet to be fully integrated into their liturgical activities.
A second form of gospel music found its way into the soundscape of South Africa again via the presence of Black American churches, including the African Methodist Episcopal Church and other evangelical groups. Mega churches modeled after those of the likes of Bishop T. D. Jakes are now part of the urban culture, drawing in especially the younger generation of Black urban dwellers between the ages of 18 and 45. [...] The music of these Pentecostal churches, like their Black American models, make use of instruments of contemporary popular music, including drum sets, electric bass, synthesizers, electric guitars, and heavily amplified sound systems. Trained musicians often arrange the songs, though their arrangements are often not written down, but are performed by talented artists.
On another level, South Africa has seen streams of Black American gospel artists and their secular (especially soul) counterparts come and go, leaving their sonic imprints on the nation’s soundscape. These artists have influenced numerous emergent gospel artists in South Africa. For example, Rebecca Malope, host of SABC’s Gospel Time, celebrated in South Africa as the queen of South African gospel, discussed with the Sunday Times the
[page 82]
formative years of her career as a gospel singer and the inspiration she drew from American soul singers: “I wanted to sing. I wanted to sing like Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder, Anita Baker. But using my own voice. (Sunday Times 2008)
The emergent gospel including Rebecca Malope, Deborah Fraser, Sipho Makhabane, Mthunzi Namba, and Benjamin Dube, have successfully created a South African version of Black American soul by combining elements of Black American soul with their indigenous amakhorasi style.
[...]
The most commonly heard gospel tunes in South Africa, either on the radio waves or in churches, are those with repetitive refrains set to call and response patterns, but with room for elaborate solo improvisations.
[...]
[page 83]"....
****
PART B: EXCERPT
From https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/44f5/464c1570df0258d80affad087a77371f5782.pdf
"Echoes of orality in Christian Xhosa songs
M.M. Somniso
School of Language, Media and Communication
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
PORT ELIZABETH
[...]
Abstract
Echoes of orality in Christian Xhosa songs
This article is an attempt to investigate and explore certain patterns in traditional Christian Xhosa songs as found in Xhosa music.
[...]
3. Types and nature of Christian Xhosa music
According to Somniso (2002:123), Christian Xhosa music is a subtype of Xhosa music, and can further be divided into specific genres such as hymns, amakhorasi (music phrases), gospel and Zionist music. The sketch below illustrates a general classification of Xhosa music:
[...]
[134]
In this illustration it is clear that there are four types of Christian Xhosa music: hymns, amakhorasi, gospel and Zionist music. This article will focus particularly on amakhorasi and Zionist music, and will also use Ntsikana’s hymns as references when necessary.
[...]
According to Hodgson (1980:1-2) Ntsikana was the son of Gaba who was a hereditary councillor to Ngqika. Ntsikana is linked to the beginnings of Christianity among the amaXhosa. He is remembered for preparing the way for the gospel among the amaXhosa during the early nineteenth century, and is revered by many Africans as a prophet and a saint. Ntsikana composed four hymns which were woven into the liturgy used in his services. Singing Ntsikana’s hymns was accompanied by traditional dances. The reason for using Ntsikana’s hymns in this article is that they lend themselves to the traditional style when they are sung. Amakhorasi and Zionist songs are oral by nature and simple to use in worship services.
They are also meant to be sung by everybody in church during church gatherings. These songs are very popular among the amaXhosa and some of these Christian Xhosa songs have been recorded by the Department of African languages at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.
The themes of amakhorasi and Zionist songs are religious in nature and express, among other things, the love of God/Jesus, hope, happiness, healing and praising. These songs are sung during Christian gatherings, whether formal or informal. Preachers also use these songs during their sermons to raise the spirits of their followers. When these spiritual songs are sung, the aura of traditional songs is prevalent within them. It is therefore important to discuss the influence of traditional songs upon Christian music.
4. The influence of African traditional songs on Christian music
Independent churches such as the Zion Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church of Southern Africa have long ago terminated their relations with their colonial masters. It is against this background that these churches no longer adhere to the European style of singing. Other churches, such as the Zion Church of Christ, compose their own church music that reflects African elements. The music used in these churches is accompanied by instruments and dance. Some mainline churches, among others the Uniting Presbyterian Churches and the African Evangelical Church, have also adopted the African style of singing. The African style of singing finds to a great extent expression in the way in which amakhorasi
[135]
are sung. The nature of amakhorasi is similar to that of traditional music. [...]
Even among amaXhosa there are still those who believe that the incorporation of traditional musical elements into Christian music reduces the solemnity of the service. Forms of worship are also extensively expressed in music. For the amaXhosa the nature of music need not contain Western elements in order to be relevant for today. According to Courlander (1963:35) Afro-American Christian songs include a wide range of styles, idioms and substance. Amakhorasi and Zionist songs have also been altered to conform to the nature of African traditional music. Amakhorasi adapted as Christian songs include elements of traditional music and are sung purely in a traditional way. Traditional songs are concerned, among other things, with social practices such as marriage and initiation. Amakhorasi and Zionist songs, on the other hand, express the feeling of the society in which these songs have been created from a Christian angle. Amakhorasi and Zionist songs reflect the attitudes and aspirations of Christians, whilst traditional songs mark and celebrate social change.
[...]
[136]
[...]
5. The composition of Christian Xhosa songs
[...]
The art of composing traditional songs among amaXhosa is guided by social customs. Any person can, for instance, compose songs, but these songs are not written down and do not accommodate dancing. Similar characteristics can also be indicated in amakhorasi and Zionist songs as they are also not written down by their composers. Both types of songs developed very quickly, as many Xhosa people have the ability to compose. The umhlabeli (lead singer) could also introduce a new khorasi or a Zionist song which he/she may have heard in another congregation. When amakhorasi are sung they are accompanied by instruments.
[...]
6. The use of accompaniment
The emergence of amakhorasi as an art form did not replace hymns, but is rather a functional evolution in Christian Xhosa music. Amakhorasi serve a practical function in the sense that they are sung in church, but carry the banner of Xhosa traditional songs. When these spiritual songs are sung, percussive effects such as clapping hands, stamping feet, and the use of instruments are incorporated. The use of instruments is very common among amaXhosa. The aim is to add sound to the human voice or the stamping of feet. For example, in traditional societies instruments such as iimpempe (whistles), iifluthi (flutes) amaphondo (horns), amahadi (bows), ikatari (guitar) and iikloko (rattles) are used by boys when they are dancing. Igubu (drum) and whistle are commonly used by diviners. Traditional women play uhadi (bow) and wear ankle rattles when they sing and dance. Some of the instruments mentioned previously can be used in churches and will be discussed briefly below. The aim is to highlight the overlapping use of some of these instruments.
The following instruments are sometimes used in some mainline churches and in most independent churches: tambourines/rattles, triangles, cowbells, umpampampas (Bible-sized cushion covered with leather and beat with the palm of one hand), drums, sound pipes.
[140]
Tambourine/rattle: A tambourine has a horseshoe shape and contains metal rings which produce the sound. Rattles have the same function, but are different from a tambourine, because rattles can be worn around the ankle, for example, by boys. Rattles are given different names by amaXhosa, for example ikloko, oonokhenkce or oonokroxo. In Zionist churches worshippers also make their own rattles/tambourines by making holes in a polish tin, and putting small stones inside it in order to make a sound when it is shaken. According to the Good News Bible a tambourine is a small drum with pieces of metal in the rim, held in the hand and then shaken. Tambourines were also used by women. To support this notion Judges 11:34 serves as an illustration: when Jephthah went back home to Mizpah, his daughter came out to meet him, dancing and playing the tambourine.
Triangle: The triangle is an instrument of steel bent into a threesided form. It is usually held by a string on the left hand and struck with a small bar of iron or steel with the right hand (Stainer,
1989:447).
Umpampampa: An umpampampa is a Bible-sized cushion covered with leather. It is held in one hand and beaten with the other. This is done to produce more sound and to regulate the rhythm.
Drums: There are many kinds of drums. The type of drum depends on the people themselves. Ugandan drums, Tanzanian hand drums, and Atumpan drums can for instance be used. Among the amaXhosa a similar drum is called igubu. The drum is open on both sides and these sides are covered by animal skin. Two sticks are used to beat the drum on the sides. Among amaXhosa this drum is mostly used by Zionist and diviners. Boys use it as well.
Sound pipes: It is an instrument which is blown, and is similar to a trumpet. To improvise sound pipes a pool pipe is sometimes used to make this instrument. According to Hamm (1975:111) African
(Hamm uses the term “native”) instruments are sometimes used to perform Westernised music, but the instrument utilised for the widest range of music styles is the valiha (tube zither) of Madagascar. South Africans sometimes use home-made instruments such as the igubu (drum). Listening to the sound of these instruments can evoke the spirit of oral tradition and one can experience the richness of Xhosa oral songs. In some churches Christians have gone further in blending
[141]
Christian songs with traditional music. The use of instruments differ from church to church. The Methodist Church of Southern Africa, for example, sing the same khorasi as the Uniting Presbyterian church, but in their case they are not allowed to use instruments.
[...]
Amakhorasi as a type of Christian Xhosa songs, should be seen as filling a vacuum in Xhosa churches. These songs represent the African spirit that has been missing. Some Xhosa people left their mainline churches and joined independent churches, the reason being that independent churches allow Xhosa traditional music. Amakhorasi and Zionist songs are typically African. [142]...”
****
This concludes Part II of this four part pancocojams series.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This is Part II of a four part pancocojams series that showcases brief excerpts about certain forms of Black church music in Southern Africa.
The text sources for this series are one doctoral thesis from Zambia, an excerpt from a South African social science book, and an excerpt from a South African article that was published online as a pdf file by semanticscholar.org.
Part II is divided into two sections. Section A presents a summary of a 2016 social science book by Austin C. Okigbo entitled Music, Culture, and the Politics of Health: Ethnography of a South African AIDS Choir Section A also presents a brief excerpt from that book which provides information about certain forms of Black South African church music.
Section B presents a brief excerpt from a 2005 doctoral thesis that includes information about certain forms of music in South African churches.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/black-church-music-in-zambia-excerpt.html for Part I of this series. Part I presents a brief excerpt of a 2015 doctoral thesis for the University of the Western Cape written by Kapenwa Kondolo. The thesis is entitled "The Ministry of Music: A Case Study On The United Church of Zambia And The New Jerusalem Church".
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/information-about-south-africas-urcsa.html for Part III of this series. Part III provides information about Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA) and showcases videos of URCSA services.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/videos-examples-of-south-africas-urcsa.html for Part IV of this series. Part IV showcases videos of URCSA services. Special focus in these videos is on some members of that denomination playing uMpampampas (a Bible-sized cushion covered with leather. It is held in one hand and beaten with [the palm of] the other and other indigenous musical instruments as an integral part of their church services.
The content of this post is presented for ethnomusicology, cultural, and historical purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Austin C. Okigbo for this research and writing and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
I present excerpts of online books, thesis, articles, discussion forums etc on pancocojams as a means of raising awareness about the subject matter that is found in those sources. I encourage visitors to this blog to read these sources in their entirety. That said, I confess that I've not read the entire content of these showcased sources.
These excerpts are given on this blog "as is" except for citations/notes. I've added ellipses in brackets [...] to indicate the content that I've not quoted.
Page numbers are given at the bottom of each page and refer to the content that is found on that page.
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PART A: ONLINE SUMMARY OF THIS BOOK
From https://books.google.com/books?id=R1gDDQAAQBAJ&dq=Amakhorasi&source=gbs_navlinks_s "Music, Culture, and the Politics of Health: Ethnography of a South African AIDS Choir" by Austin C. Okigbo
Lexington Books, Aug 3, 2016 - Social Science - 236 pages
"This book is an ethnographic study of a HIV/AIDS choir who use music to articulate their individual and collective experiences of the disease. The study interrogates as to understand the bigger picture of HIV/AIDS using the approach of microanalysis of music event. It places the choir, and the cultural and political issues addressed in their music in the broader context of South Africa’s public health and political history, and the global culture and politics of AIDS."
-snip-
Here's a quote from that book: "Members of Siphithemba made me understand that they preferred to be designated a gospel choir, rather than a HIV/AIDs chorus."... [page 83; Google Books]
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PART A - BOOK EXCERPT
From Google Books:
"[page 81] Chapter 5
In South Africa, two recognizable forms of singing are commonly called gospel music. The first is the gospel chorus (in Zulu, amakhorasi). Amakhorasi are short songs of usually one to two verses, plus a refrain. A gospel chorus is led by a soloist, who improvises on a few verses and may introduce
[page 82]
several more in any given performance event by simply manipulating the theme and existing texts of the song while cueing the choir and congregation into the refrain, which is easy to memorize. The style is consistent with an African oral medium of performance, and the theme often speaks to individual and community experience, a personal relationship with God, repudiation of sin, rejection of Satan, salvation and peace with God, and eschatological vision. Lead soloists tend to reinforce these themes by inserting sermonettes and/or brief prayer formularies (discussed in details below). The style of singing is generally accompanied with handclapping and dance and it resembles the indigenous form of vocal music.
In South Africa, the African independent churches were the earliest Christian groups to perform amakhorasi - which explains its proximity to indigenous forms of vocal music. The advent of the American Pentecostal movements since the 1960s saw the popularization of this style of singing, but the mainstream denominations, such as the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Presbyterian, and Dutch Reformed churches, which had built the mission churches of the colonial era, frowned on this style of music until recently. Although they have become more open to the performance of amakhorasi) in their spaces, the style has yet to be fully integrated into their liturgical activities.
A second form of gospel music found its way into the soundscape of South Africa again via the presence of Black American churches, including the African Methodist Episcopal Church and other evangelical groups. Mega churches modeled after those of the likes of Bishop T. D. Jakes are now part of the urban culture, drawing in especially the younger generation of Black urban dwellers between the ages of 18 and 45. [...] The music of these Pentecostal churches, like their Black American models, make use of instruments of contemporary popular music, including drum sets, electric bass, synthesizers, electric guitars, and heavily amplified sound systems. Trained musicians often arrange the songs, though their arrangements are often not written down, but are performed by talented artists.
On another level, South Africa has seen streams of Black American gospel artists and their secular (especially soul) counterparts come and go, leaving their sonic imprints on the nation’s soundscape. These artists have influenced numerous emergent gospel artists in South Africa. For example, Rebecca Malope, host of SABC’s Gospel Time, celebrated in South Africa as the queen of South African gospel, discussed with the Sunday Times the
[page 82]
formative years of her career as a gospel singer and the inspiration she drew from American soul singers: “I wanted to sing. I wanted to sing like Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder, Anita Baker. But using my own voice. (Sunday Times 2008)
The emergent gospel including Rebecca Malope, Deborah Fraser, Sipho Makhabane, Mthunzi Namba, and Benjamin Dube, have successfully created a South African version of Black American soul by combining elements of Black American soul with their indigenous amakhorasi style.
[...]
The most commonly heard gospel tunes in South Africa, either on the radio waves or in churches, are those with repetitive refrains set to call and response patterns, but with room for elaborate solo improvisations.
[...]
[page 83]"....
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PART B: EXCERPT
From https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/44f5/464c1570df0258d80affad087a77371f5782.pdf
"Echoes of orality in Christian Xhosa songs
M.M. Somniso
School of Language, Media and Communication
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
PORT ELIZABETH
[...]
Abstract
Echoes of orality in Christian Xhosa songs
This article is an attempt to investigate and explore certain patterns in traditional Christian Xhosa songs as found in Xhosa music.
[...]
3. Types and nature of Christian Xhosa music
According to Somniso (2002:123), Christian Xhosa music is a subtype of Xhosa music, and can further be divided into specific genres such as hymns, amakhorasi (music phrases), gospel and Zionist music. The sketch below illustrates a general classification of Xhosa music:
[...]
[134]
In this illustration it is clear that there are four types of Christian Xhosa music: hymns, amakhorasi, gospel and Zionist music. This article will focus particularly on amakhorasi and Zionist music, and will also use Ntsikana’s hymns as references when necessary.
[...]
According to Hodgson (1980:1-2) Ntsikana was the son of Gaba who was a hereditary councillor to Ngqika. Ntsikana is linked to the beginnings of Christianity among the amaXhosa. He is remembered for preparing the way for the gospel among the amaXhosa during the early nineteenth century, and is revered by many Africans as a prophet and a saint. Ntsikana composed four hymns which were woven into the liturgy used in his services. Singing Ntsikana’s hymns was accompanied by traditional dances. The reason for using Ntsikana’s hymns in this article is that they lend themselves to the traditional style when they are sung. Amakhorasi and Zionist songs are oral by nature and simple to use in worship services.
They are also meant to be sung by everybody in church during church gatherings. These songs are very popular among the amaXhosa and some of these Christian Xhosa songs have been recorded by the Department of African languages at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.
The themes of amakhorasi and Zionist songs are religious in nature and express, among other things, the love of God/Jesus, hope, happiness, healing and praising. These songs are sung during Christian gatherings, whether formal or informal. Preachers also use these songs during their sermons to raise the spirits of their followers. When these spiritual songs are sung, the aura of traditional songs is prevalent within them. It is therefore important to discuss the influence of traditional songs upon Christian music.
4. The influence of African traditional songs on Christian music
Independent churches such as the Zion Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church of Southern Africa have long ago terminated their relations with their colonial masters. It is against this background that these churches no longer adhere to the European style of singing. Other churches, such as the Zion Church of Christ, compose their own church music that reflects African elements. The music used in these churches is accompanied by instruments and dance. Some mainline churches, among others the Uniting Presbyterian Churches and the African Evangelical Church, have also adopted the African style of singing. The African style of singing finds to a great extent expression in the way in which amakhorasi
[135]
are sung. The nature of amakhorasi is similar to that of traditional music. [...]
Even among amaXhosa there are still those who believe that the incorporation of traditional musical elements into Christian music reduces the solemnity of the service. Forms of worship are also extensively expressed in music. For the amaXhosa the nature of music need not contain Western elements in order to be relevant for today. According to Courlander (1963:35) Afro-American Christian songs include a wide range of styles, idioms and substance. Amakhorasi and Zionist songs have also been altered to conform to the nature of African traditional music. Amakhorasi adapted as Christian songs include elements of traditional music and are sung purely in a traditional way. Traditional songs are concerned, among other things, with social practices such as marriage and initiation. Amakhorasi and Zionist songs, on the other hand, express the feeling of the society in which these songs have been created from a Christian angle. Amakhorasi and Zionist songs reflect the attitudes and aspirations of Christians, whilst traditional songs mark and celebrate social change.
[...]
[136]
[...]
5. The composition of Christian Xhosa songs
[...]
The art of composing traditional songs among amaXhosa is guided by social customs. Any person can, for instance, compose songs, but these songs are not written down and do not accommodate dancing. Similar characteristics can also be indicated in amakhorasi and Zionist songs as they are also not written down by their composers. Both types of songs developed very quickly, as many Xhosa people have the ability to compose. The umhlabeli (lead singer) could also introduce a new khorasi or a Zionist song which he/she may have heard in another congregation. When amakhorasi are sung they are accompanied by instruments.
[...]
6. The use of accompaniment
The emergence of amakhorasi as an art form did not replace hymns, but is rather a functional evolution in Christian Xhosa music. Amakhorasi serve a practical function in the sense that they are sung in church, but carry the banner of Xhosa traditional songs. When these spiritual songs are sung, percussive effects such as clapping hands, stamping feet, and the use of instruments are incorporated. The use of instruments is very common among amaXhosa. The aim is to add sound to the human voice or the stamping of feet. For example, in traditional societies instruments such as iimpempe (whistles), iifluthi (flutes) amaphondo (horns), amahadi (bows), ikatari (guitar) and iikloko (rattles) are used by boys when they are dancing. Igubu (drum) and whistle are commonly used by diviners. Traditional women play uhadi (bow) and wear ankle rattles when they sing and dance. Some of the instruments mentioned previously can be used in churches and will be discussed briefly below. The aim is to highlight the overlapping use of some of these instruments.
The following instruments are sometimes used in some mainline churches and in most independent churches: tambourines/rattles, triangles, cowbells, umpampampas (Bible-sized cushion covered with leather and beat with the palm of one hand), drums, sound pipes.
[140]
Tambourine/rattle: A tambourine has a horseshoe shape and contains metal rings which produce the sound. Rattles have the same function, but are different from a tambourine, because rattles can be worn around the ankle, for example, by boys. Rattles are given different names by amaXhosa, for example ikloko, oonokhenkce or oonokroxo. In Zionist churches worshippers also make their own rattles/tambourines by making holes in a polish tin, and putting small stones inside it in order to make a sound when it is shaken. According to the Good News Bible a tambourine is a small drum with pieces of metal in the rim, held in the hand and then shaken. Tambourines were also used by women. To support this notion Judges 11:34 serves as an illustration: when Jephthah went back home to Mizpah, his daughter came out to meet him, dancing and playing the tambourine.
Triangle: The triangle is an instrument of steel bent into a threesided form. It is usually held by a string on the left hand and struck with a small bar of iron or steel with the right hand (Stainer,
1989:447).
Umpampampa: An umpampampa is a Bible-sized cushion covered with leather. It is held in one hand and beaten with the other. This is done to produce more sound and to regulate the rhythm.
Drums: There are many kinds of drums. The type of drum depends on the people themselves. Ugandan drums, Tanzanian hand drums, and Atumpan drums can for instance be used. Among the amaXhosa a similar drum is called igubu. The drum is open on both sides and these sides are covered by animal skin. Two sticks are used to beat the drum on the sides. Among amaXhosa this drum is mostly used by Zionist and diviners. Boys use it as well.
Sound pipes: It is an instrument which is blown, and is similar to a trumpet. To improvise sound pipes a pool pipe is sometimes used to make this instrument. According to Hamm (1975:111) African
(Hamm uses the term “native”) instruments are sometimes used to perform Westernised music, but the instrument utilised for the widest range of music styles is the valiha (tube zither) of Madagascar. South Africans sometimes use home-made instruments such as the igubu (drum). Listening to the sound of these instruments can evoke the spirit of oral tradition and one can experience the richness of Xhosa oral songs. In some churches Christians have gone further in blending
[141]
Christian songs with traditional music. The use of instruments differ from church to church. The Methodist Church of Southern Africa, for example, sing the same khorasi as the Uniting Presbyterian church, but in their case they are not allowed to use instruments.
[...]
Amakhorasi as a type of Christian Xhosa songs, should be seen as filling a vacuum in Xhosa churches. These songs represent the African spirit that has been missing. Some Xhosa people left their mainline churches and joined independent churches, the reason being that independent churches allow Xhosa traditional music. Amakhorasi and Zionist songs are typically African. [142]...”
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This concludes Part II of this four part pancocojams series.
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