The Buzz Aesthetic and Mande Music
Acoustic Masks and the Technology of Enchantment
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10958002 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Merlyn Driver (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2017 |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 95-117 |
| Publication date | 2017-11-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | African Music Journal of the International Library of African Music (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0065-4019 • E-ISSN: 2524-2741 |
| Publisher | Rhodes University (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.21504/amj.v10i3.2198 |
| OpenAlex | W2784255236 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 6 |
This article concerns the widespread preference for †̃buzzyâ€TM timbres in African traditional musics; and, in particular, the ways in which this preference has been borne out in the Mande region of west Africa. The two main types of buzzing mechanisms in Mande music are metal buzzing rattles, which are attached to the neck or bridge of various string instruments, and mirlitons (vibrating membranes), which are placed over small holes on the resonating gourds of wooden xylophones. Over the last seventy to eighty years, an older and rougher †̃buzz aestheticâ€TM within Mande music has become increasingly endangered, with buzzing largely disappearing from instruments such as the kora and the ngoni in favour of a †̃cleanerâ€TM, more †̃Westernâ€TM aesthetic. Considered in a wider cultural context, I discuss the possible origins of the Mande buzz aesthetic and attempt to explore how the incorporation of buzzing sounds within Mande music might be connected to forms of †̃esotericâ€TM, †̃supernaturalâ€TM and spiritual power
Advertising · Aesthetics · Archaeology · Art · Bridge (graph theory) · Context (archaeology) · Improvisation · Marketing buzz · Visual arts · History · Music History and Culture · Music Technology and Sound Studies · Neuroscience and Music Perception
| Citations per year | 0.25 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2022 - 2022 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |