Pre-Democratic South African Choral Music

Up until 1994, South Africa was ruled by a system of institutionalized racism known nowadays as apartheid. The following video, a recording of the traditional Zulu song, "Amavolovolo," is an example of music that was created in pre-democratic South Africa. This arrangement was captured by Rudolf de Beer, a former conductor of the Drackensburg Boys Choir, the choir that is shown in the video. They are accompanied by a variety of drums and shakers.

Structurally, there is not much to discuss. The song is repeated three times, and the variation comes in the movement, though in my research I cannot conclusively say that the movement comes from traditional Zulu or South African dance or whether it was specifically choreographed. Regardless, according to the de Beer (2009), the word amavolovolo is a mutation of the English word revolver, which reflects the original fear-filled nature of the piece, which describes the attitude of South Africans who were afraid to travel to a nearby area because of its history of violence (p. 2).

Certainly, "Amavolovolo" is a piece of music that is deeply rooted in social context. Wade (2013) challenges us to perceive music beyond its musical qualities (p. 148). In this specific instance, "Amavolovolo" seems to reflect the turbulent nature of pre-democratic South Africa, and yet, this song is still widely performed today despite major social and political shifts. Interestingly enough (as alluded to in the video), "Amavolovolo" is still performed today not as a song of protest or a song of fear, but as a song for celebration, as it is frequently performed at parties and weddings (De Beer, 2009, p. 2). In this instance, this piece's cultural context has changed over time.

Context is important when it comes to looking at world music. Specifically for "Amavolovolo," the intensity in which one performs this song could alter its cultural context. If harsh, intense or abrasive, it could be perceived as reminiscent of pre-democratic South Africa (a mistake I made the first time I programmed this song). If performed in the style of the boy choir in the video, one can experience the celebratory, lighthearted nature of the piece's modern celebratory nature. While both interpretations could certainly have a time and a place, particular consideration must be paid to the concept of performance practice especially when it comes to cultural context.

Overall, cultural context helps us understand why music sounds and is performed the way it is. As Wade (2013) observes, such knowledge adds a deeper level to musical understanding that goes beyond structure itself, but to the concept of why it sounds and is performed that way (p. 159). This knowledge and understanding is crucial to being able to develop deep, as-close-to-authentic world music experiences for performers and audiences alike.

References

De Beer, R. (2009). Amavolovolo. Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard Corporation.

Wade, B. C. (2013). Thinking musically: Experiencing music, expressing culture. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.