Vuvuzela

The Vuvuzela [ vuvuzɛla ] ( Zulu) (on Setswana sometimes called lepatata ) is a wind instrument and is considered a symbol of South African football.

Because of their tone, the Vuvuzela is among the brass instruments. The originally made ​​of sheet metal, but now mostly plastic instrument consists of a tapered, up to one meter long tube, which is provided at its narrow end with an integrated funnel mouthpiece. The scale length of the tube, which approximates a Exponentialtrichter, and the scale length of the mouthpiece are designed to be able to play the root note of the harmonic series with very high volume.

With Vuvuzelas can be achieved at a distance of one meter sound pressure level of 120 dB ( A) and right on the horn even up to 131 dB ( A). Some sold on the European market three-part Vuvuzelas are fitted with a silencer that reduces the sound pressure level by about 13 dB (A). Measurements of TÜV Nord on a stadium tribune yielded a maximum value of 103.8 dB ( A). The noise reduction is realized by a several -centimeter-long reduction in cross section directly behind the mouthpiece. However, these mufflers can be expanded.

The overblowing to higher natural tones is possible in principle, however, is complicated by the scale length of the tube and mouthpiece. Therefore, can usually only a few notes on the Instrument, which also does not always intone consistently. When played on the Vuvuzela the root, whose sound is similar to the trumpet sound of an elephant. Often used in stadiums, they will sound the same as a " Hornet Swarm ".

The origin of the name is disputed. It could come from the Bantu language isiZulu and " make noise " mean or vuvu of the sound that is produced or from a slang of the townships, where the word for "shower" he - here meaning " shower someone in music " or would be derived - for the shower head - form of the instruments.

History

A precursor of the vuvuzelas were in South Africa of the 1990s Blashörner of sheet metal. The South African company Masincedane Sport claims for itself to have begun in 2001 with the mass production of plastic. Later the production was funded by a collaboration with the South African Football Association. In another presentation, a Chinese entrepreneur from the small town of Ninghai south of Shanghai in 2001 while reading a South African comics for the production of plastic horns was inspired. A South African businessman ordered on the Internet platform Alibaba.com the first instruments.

In addition to the Makarapa she became a symbol of South African football as well as official merchandise. While initially only a few fans took the trumpet as Einpeitsch and rhythm instrument in accompaniment to dancing and singing, she became a mass phenomenon in particular the South African Fußballfankultur.

Former President Nelson Mandela had hundreds of vuvuzelas take to Zurich, as there was a decision on the award of the Football World Cup 2010. The price of a vuvuzela in South Africa was, until recently, about 30 rand (approximately 3 euros ), but by the Football World Cup in the tourist regions 100-200 edge ( about 10-20 euros ) increased.

At the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa Vuvuzelas have been used extensively. Some TV channels and players appealed to FIFA to the " loud [n ] use of plastic trumpets " to criticize. The Notorious background noise at the Confederations Cup made ​​sure that was widely reported on the phenomenon of the vuvuzela in the media and an intense discussion among TV viewers broke out, because you feel annoyed by the continuous noise. The strong background noise, especially in games of the South African team, superimpose the voices of the commentators. Is characteristic that vuvuzelas in contrast to Fansongs and chanting completely independent of the gameplay and the voltage are used. FIFA President Sepp Blatter still spoke out against a ban on the vuvuzela at the World Cup stadiums and said, "I do not know if we can stop this sound. Africa is loud, it's full of energy, rhythm, music, dance, drums. This is Africa, we must assume this is so. " On 18 June 2009, FIFA decided against a ban, so that the vuvuzelas could also be used at the Soccer World Cup 2010. In addition, a dispute broke out about the trademark rights of the vuvuzela.

According to Neil van Schalkwyk, the exclusive license holder during the football World Cup, until June 2010, about 800,000 vuvuzelas were sold in South Africa and a further 1.5 million in Europe. The German Gerd sweeping mountain secured with a partner the right to manufacture the instrument in Germany and distribute in all 27 EU countries. By his own account he had until June 2010 about five million vuvuzelas produce in its specially formed company, as well as companies from Bad Kreuznach and Gummersbach. So vuvuzelas are produced from plastic in many national colors in Germany and marketed. The German Vuvuzelas consist of three parts, while the South African are in one piece. The European Football Union UEFA imposed on 1 September 2010, a vuvuzela ban on all games under its aegis. It justified this step with the " European football culture and tradition " - the atmosphere at the games would change by vuvuzelas.

For the World Cup 2014, the Brazilian musician and songwriter Carlinhos Brown created the " Caxirolas ", which sound like maracas.

Scientific review

After Max Peter Baumann, former Chair of Ethnomusicology at the University of Bamberg, the vuvuzela is a natural trumpet, which produces only the notes of the harmonic series without valves or flaps. The pitch will vary by the blowing pressure and a different voltage of the lips on the mouthpiece. Such simple natural trumpets were among many peoples occupied, such as in India or Tibet. In Africa, there are many variants that are " intended for use in the great outdoors " and " now once very, very loud " are.

Reinhard Kopiez, Professor of Music Psychology at the University of Music and Theatre in Hanover, speaks of a broad frequency spectrum of the Vuvuzelas by masking effects. Other instruments have a smaller range of frequencies, while the vuvuzela is strongly represented in a very wide range, from the strongest first partial tone at 220 Hz to 15000 Hz, this leads to Störempfindungen and overlays other signals, since the necessary frequency spectra are covered. The pitch depends solely on the length of the instrument, so called by the interplay of different lengths Vuvuzelas resulting clusters are perceived as sound. He criticized the instrument as "pure marketing invention that is sold to us as traditional culture " and the fan culture destroy. In anthropology we call such as " invention of tradition ".

Gero Erdmann from the Leibniz Institute of Global and Area Studies also said: " The vuvuzela is still very young and was invented nine years ago. " From Pan-African culture one could hardly speak when the spread was limited to the last year alone in South Africa. Also, is the traditional instrument to which the inventor relies in marketing, barely present in the culture. The ethnomusicologist Bernd Clausen of the University of Würzburg called the connection to traditional music instruments largely out of thin air " signal instruments such as hollowed antelope horns come in many African cultures, and they began about shamanism. " However, the are hardly any instruments with the sound- amplifying funnel opening Vuvuzela "and certainly no plastic devices". Rather, as Clausen, the instrument is a good example of how globalization does not make stop at musical instruments: "Especially the media and the global transport systems drove the spread like wildfire on, and it quickly was also producer outside South Africa. " That the instrument for tradition in world football, is he considers it unlikely.

Controversy surrounding noise

From the Department of Environment and Conservation, Agriculture and Consumer Protection of North Rhine -Westphalia was issued a recommendation to all municipalities in May 2010 to ban the use of vuvuzelas at public events ( Public Viewing ) to a hearing hazard for other visitors and the possible overtones to avoid emergency announcements. While some German cities followed this recommendation, the use is still permitted in others.

The state-owned airline, South African Airways, however, has pointed out that the noise with a vuvuzela during a domestic flight by South Africa against the law and therefore could even be punished with up to six months in prison.

To critics of the vuvuzela include various prominent players of the World Cup, who feel disturbed by the piercing noise during the game. The reporters also feel hampered in their work by the soundscapes. In South Africa itself, there are controversial discussions. To reduce the sound pressure level of 131 to about 100 dB ( A) in South Africa earplugs - so-called Vuvu stopper or Tulazela - offered that were due to high demand during the World Cup often sell out.

Clubs in the football league in Bremen, Mönchengladbach, Stuttgart, Freiburg, Nuremberg and Dortmund have the driving and the use of Vuvuzelas banned in its stadiums.

With demonstrations

After the FIFA World Cup 2010 Vuvuzelas were also a popular instrument noise during demonstrations. So the French CFDT trade union federation ordered 3000 of these instruments for his rallies. José Pecci, chief of a southern French company that imports them over Germany from China, thanked the unions after the first paragraph successes at rallies in June 2010 and stated that he was prepared for additional orders. "I have 10,000 pcs in stock "

In Germany, 21 in addition to other noise instruments often used inter alia in protest against Stuttgart vuvuzelas. The formal adoption of Christian Wulff from the office of president to the military ceremony of the Great military tattoo was accompanied in March 2012 of protesters in front of the Bellevue palace with the noise of vuvuzelas.

Trivia

The South African Church Nazareth Baptist Church claimed that the vuvuzela would go back to their customs. The South African also Kuduzela is modeled on the antlers of the Great Kudu and is produced by an automotive supplier. First introduced in 2009 was the instrument by David Mabunda, head of the Natural Park Authority of South Africa ( " SANParks " ) in Pretoria. During the World Cup so-called " Vuvuzela Filter " were offered. In addition to the notch, comb filters or more complex methods of signal analysis based filtering, in which the audio signal of the TV is passed through special computer software, there were also fraudulent offers. Here, for example, MP3 files are available, which should wipe out the vuvuzela noise by anti-sound - a process that can never work without constant dynamic adjustment phase. When playing the MP3 of the noise on the contrary is louder.

In Germany, a similarity of the pronunciation of the vuvuzela and the name of the former international's Uwe Seeler was discussed in some media. At the concert of the Berlin Philharmonic in Berlin forest stage trumpeters exchanged in 2010 and 2011 during the traditional end cap in Berlin on " air air air " their instruments against black -red-gold vuvuzelas and a Union Jack. The country trombone waiting Reinhard grams composed a fanfare for World Cup vuvuzela trumpets under the title " German footballer tempo ".