Music of Tuvalu

The music of Tuvalu, an island nation in the western Pacific Ocean, since the end of the 19th century under the influence of the Samoan musical styles and by missionaries who introduced from the same period the polyphonic singing of folk and hymns after European models. The former native chants are advised virtually forgotten since the second half of the 20th century. As traditional music is now mostly the vocal accompaniment of fatele dance, which came fakanau and fakaseasea the place of the older dances. In addition to songs with Christian texts mostly hymns are recited for deserving personalities.

History

Consisting of nine small atolls archipelago was in the British colonial period until independence in 1978 Ellice Islands. Seven of the nine islands had probably the same musical tradition of the Polynesian population before European influence in the 19th century. Exceptions are the southernmost island Niulakita, which was first settled in 1949 by residents of the island Niutao, and Nui, a conquered Micronesians of the Gilbert Islands in the 17th or 18th century island on which lives a Polynesian - Micronesian mixed population. The Tuvaluan language was first mentioned in 1846 by the American philologist Horatio Hale, the archipelago in 1841 as part of the United States Exploring Expedition visited. Tuvalu is one of the Polynesian languages ​​, their diversification began about 2000 years ago. On the islands several dialects are distinguished. The island group is probably permanently inhabited since the 16th century. For further east Polynesian islands Samoa and Tonga probably landed by trade winds aborted Fischer and disputes over land inferior and simple exiled populations who brought little material culture. The collective memory does not go back so long. Like the music looked mid-19th century before the arrival of Europeans, can only be guessed.

In the 1860s first began individual missionaries to spread Christianity. On Nukulaelae the first, dating from Manihiki Polynesian missionary scored success in 1861. From 1869 two missionaries from Samoa preacher among the then 417 inhabitants of the island Niutao so successful that in 1872, all islanders to Christianity known to 42. In the same year British missionaries of the London Missionary Society visited the island Nanumaga that already for ten months a Samoan preacher worked, and on the other hand found the traditional culture currently almost unchanged. The ruler had forbidden his subjects to become Christians, and had surveys on this topic an oracle. With music and dances while the gods were invoked, which eventually announced that foreign gods and missionaries should keep away from the sacred land. The Australian missionary William Wyatt Gill saw little later on Niutao a house, at the central, the roof -supporting wooden posts daily Gods statue with offerings and invocation chants was worshiped. What were the songs not describe Gill.

There was at that time on the island of Funafuti certain songs ( taanga ) for the nightly worship before a stone of the family deity, the spirit Foilape. Taanga songs were also sung for the aliki that certain of the clan elders Island Guide. The aliki brought the islanders in a ceremony turtles heads, while a choir sang in front of him and some dancers aufführten the tele tele. If the turtles head of a male gorilla had danced with the Handing over the oblation man, it was a female head, danced a woman. More songs with magical significance were the songs solo set of house and boat builders and the Ruflieder of fishermen. There were birth and death associated with songs and those who served for entertainment only.

The work of the missionaries had a drastic effect on the culture of the islands. Their goal was to suppress all forms of expression that were related to old beliefs and did not correspond to their puritanical worldview. In their place, they led in the second half of the 19th century, a European dance songs, polyphonic Christian hymns and the Samoan pentatonic antiphonal singing. This style had urged in 1910 the old recitative style in the background and competed with the purely European melodies. The "old style" cultivated in the early 20th century mainly only old people. 1870 were sung on Niutao the first hymns, from 1928 sang a chorus rehearsed polyphonic songs in the Samoan - European style. Such songs were rehearsed in the government schools based on all the islands since 1930, except in the mission schools.

In 1900, an employee of the Pacific Islands Company discovered from Sydney on the island of Banaba phosphate deposits, from which fertilizers could be prepared. Banaba became the main destination for emigrants to the residents of Tuvalu. 35 young men from Nanumea and Niutao allowed themselves to be as phosphate workers in the first year. 1902 collected the British the entire archipelago under the protectorate of the Gilbert and Elliceinseln to secure the mining rights of the Company. The phosphate mining took - under particularly before and during the Second World War harsh conditions - to 1979 average 200 workers from Tuvalu were employed. . When the men returned after several years of work to Tuvalu, they brought with the current Euro-American musical styles.

In the mid-20th century, European-influenced entertainment dances from Samoa siva popular, also widespread in all of Polynesia " Hawaiian music " with guitar and ukulele. 1960 knew only a few elderly remains of a pre-European tradition. Radio stations with hits from Australia, Samoa, Fiji and Hawaii made ​​for an internationalization of musical taste.

Music and dance styles

Musical Instruments

The ancient music of Tuvalu consisted of various forms of singing with economical rhythmic accompaniment. Musical instruments, there was little, as is generally the western Polynesia is traditionally a poor area of material culture. On the Tuvalu Islands suitable wood was always just for carving. Because of the poor soil, the flora is poor in species. The occurring on other Polynesian islands paper mulberry for making Baststoffen is entirely absent here. Snails trumpets (on Niutao: pu) and slit drums were once used primarily as a signal instruments, bamboo flutes or mouth arcs were unknown. It may have been only patented the slit drum once also used in dances and parties, end of the 19th century, the faithful were called to the church with her. A patented (on Niutau and Funafuti ) was 55 inches long and about four inches wide and tall, she was with two 30 -inch-long wooden rods ( kauta ) beaten. On Nanumaga measured a nafa 126 inches in length and 18 × 26 inches in width and height. Previously, there should have been much larger Logdrums as signal instruments. With a coconut palm-leaf fan ( ili ) in the right hand every singer haute in the left palm and thus generated a little precise rhythm. Earlier, the men beat the rhythm with the hands flat on their seat mats, from the 1960s they began to drum loudly stronger wooden boxes.

Songs

The entertaining traditional song lyrics are from fishing and subsistence farming, both of which still play a major economic role. Be sung large schools of fish, sowing and harvesting, bird hunting, mostly of women caught or dug out of their holes land crabs ( Paikea ), previous famines, mythical figures, Matt lichens, other events of everyday life and songs of praise to deserving men. Songs about death are hardly represented at a this-worldly attitude. The melodies and lyrics were predominantly composed of men in addition to their daily work. They enjoyed it in the community, a particularly high reputation. Most of Gerd Koch 1960/61, recorded songs are of men who were born shortly before or after 1900.

The songs can be divided into the group of dance songs and game songs ( Niutao, Nukufetau: mako tafao ) that are sung by men, women and children to countable or fishing games, categorize. In Rufliedern ( Niutao: tangi, Nukufetau: fakalangilangi ) try fishermen to attract fish and at night to sing to her fatigue, earlier they called the sea gods. The previous work songs have virtually disappeared; to 1960 could be recorded a work song that was sung in turning the coconut fiber cord. In price songs ( Niutao, Nanumaga viki, viiki; Nukufetau: taungafatu ) are respected men who have rendered outstanding services to the community, sung with European melodies, and occasionally dances to be performed. At Sunday services include European church chorales ( Niutao: pese fatu; Nanumaga: Pehe lotu ). A special praise of a deceased person, which was accompanied by lamentation, called kupu. The gods were asked when kupu to gracious receiving of the deceased.

The stylistic classification begins with the old recitative, a chant that is chorisch presented in a fixed meter and occasionally supplemented by rhythmic clapping of hands or a slotted drum. The pitch is sometimes consistently, usually it runs regularly in a straight or wavy motion down. Often 6/8el- or 2/4tel-Takte whose tempo is gradually increased.

A second, smaller group of old melodies, which consist of three sound stages will be carried forward in a two- part choir. The melodic phrases are strophic and correspond to lines of text. These songs are assigned to the old dances.

With the missionary and influences from Samoa spread the pentatonic antiphonal singing, the tonal range (usually a major sixth ) is over one fifth, and is characterized by melismatic stretched syllables. Each line of verse contains an average of 16 syllables that Verslänge can be 14 to 20 syllables. Each row corresponds to a melodic phrase that consists of four bars. The texts must be subordinated to the strict four-bar form. The type of polyphony arises from the antiphonal singing between soloist upper part and the lower part of the choir. In general, the cantor begins with a melody phrase that descends from the upper sixth to the root, it is a sequence of notes includes close to above the root. The chorus responds already within this second half of the phrase, by approaching the root of the lower fourth. In contrast to the upper part of the choir does not use melisma. The end regularly occurs abruptly when the upper voice stops after a repetition of the last line of text and the chorus breaks in the middle of this line on the root. The rhythm follows equally two votes, only waiving the fine melismas in the upper voice, often by syncopation accents.

From the radio penetrates pop music as it is consistently audible on all Polynesian islands to the music of New Guinea. A corresponding band on the main island of Funafuti is led by singer and guitarist Aselu Apelu.

Dances

There was no special dance floor, dances for every occasion were listed before the houses or in the meeting house. On Niutao and Nukufetau the seat dance was popular fakanau where mostly men participated. This sat in a circle around an old man in the middle, who acted as a clock. A common modification of the seat dance is generally performed on the knees or standing up, the dancers make the same movements with the upper body and arms, without moving away from the spot. A woman dance where sometimes men participated, was named Onga. Just as the fakatapatapa the Onga was a dance for joyous occasions. The fakanu however, was listed at every feast, even at sad occasions: at a funeral, for returning fishermen or the birth of a son.

The slower mako fakaseasea ( Niutao and Nukufetau ) danced slightly more women than men. Of the approximately 40 to 50 attendees only moved a few arms and upper body in a standing dance, while the rest formed the choir and the clock struck. A synchronous act is not required for this dance. Presumably similar were the dances mako fakatangitangi ( Niutao and Nukufetau ), mako fakalangilangi ( Nanumaga ) and mako saka ( Nukufetau ). On the island Nanumaga the short dance song putu tanga was sung at the end of another dance. The tradition of standing dances fakanau fakaseasea and is today maintained only by a few elders.

Another ancient dance style called fatele ( Niutao and Nanumaga ). Five or six women sat or knelt and moving arms and hands, several men and women in the area formed the choir. A modern form of the fatele represents today the most famous dance dar. His melodies are European influences, the lyrics have a Christian content. Unmarried girls in bamboo skirt will stand in two or more rows. Before that, the young men sitting on the floor, singing in the choir and clap or beat the rhythm with your hands on mats. There are essentially standing dances, in which the hands and arms are wavy and long time (several hours) moves in sync as possible. The rhythm can be generated by intrusive drums on a wooden box.

Also featured is the Samoan siva ( in Samoa generally "dance", Nanumaga: hiva ) enforced. For this, the South Seas cliché corresponding movement dance for boys and girls includes a polyphonic sung siva song, often with a Samoan text.