Save the last music for the people!
Zenebe Bekele

Music is tasteful. The taste comes out from the coherence of rhythmical, melodically and textual arrangements. This combination had its own rules in former times. In Ethiopian music, the most common 4/4 rhymes or “yewol gitim”, the 2/2 rhymes of “Sengo megen” have their own different melodic - symmetry, in lines of structural forms and song compositions. The melodic flow of such constructions is governed by the norm of its modes. It was not accepted previously, to use a “sengo megen” poetry in the music of “Tizita”; “Ambassel” or “yewol gitim” in “Che belew” Kirar - music. But the Modern music or popular music seems to have a combination of all these characteristics. If we to “ye wofcho” (grinding) ingurguro(free rhythm) song, adds rhythm and consider as new, if “Qererto” accompanied by drum or hand clapping, obviously, changes its previous form.

A reorganization of texts and tunes for the benefit of rhythmic congruence would have been an undertaking requiring a complete revision of all previous work. Modern musicians should have to see the new ideas incorporated into an old times song tradition. For a text rich in content, it is most suitable to begin with the old characters of song principles. The sense of modernity should be based upon the old traditions, and the process involved studying the text, ensuring correct text and melody phrasing within all the units, and seeking to create a unity which preserves the balance between the old song structures. But even from the purely musical point of view, it is obvious that room must be made for native music.

Modern music performers, composers and arrangers have to be serious in saving the old music traditions, when adding new phrases, step of bringing a purified folk music into the modern music. We listen a lot of music compositions, accompanied both by traditional music instruments Kirrar, Mesenko, Washint, and modern music instruments such as synthesizers to paint a new color. Infact, modern music arrangers try to find a new focus in Ethiopian music, but it would seem to be better that we start with the Ethiopia´s own music, and treat it for what it is, an artistic medium, which proceeds according to its own rules, though these rules differ in some points from those known in the West. What a librating influence it would be on all sides, if this acknowledgement, could only be made and save the last music for the people.

Posted by the webmaster on 22 January 2006 at 21.08

 

 

 

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