Variation Procedures in Northern Ewe Song
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7768608 |
|---|---|
| Authors | V Kofi Agawu (corresponding author) |
| Year | 1990 |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 221 |
| Publication date | 1990-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Ethnomusicology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0014-1836 • E-ISSN: 2156-7417 |
| Publisher | University of Illinois Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.2307/851684 |
| OpenAlex | W2318718168 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 6 |
| References cited | 6 |
The major organizational principle of Northern Ewe song is one shared by numerous African, Oriental, and European musical traditions: a small number of models (variously described as basic shapes, archetypes, background structures, basic designs, core patterns, deep structures) is transformed in a wide variety of ways during performance. Variation takes place on different hierarchic levels both within and between songs and includes practically all of a song's dimensions (rhythm, interval, register, contour, harmony, and so on). This principle, although widely demonstrated in the literature on African song (see, among others, Jones 1976; Kauffman 1984; Schmidt 1984; and Erlmann 1985), is not restricted to vocal music. Studies of Ghanaian Kasena flute ensemble music (Koetting 1984), of Banda-Linda horn ensemble music (Arom 1984), of Southern Ewe Gahu (Locke 1987), and of Birifor xylophone ensemble music (Godsey 1984): all these reserve a central place for variation procedures. The aim of this essay is to isolate a handful of melodic and harmonic models of the little-studied Northern Ewe song repertoire and to show how they are composed in performance.1
Astronomy · Geography · Physics · Variation (astronomy · African studies and sociopolitical issues · Diverse Musicological Studies · Music History and Culture
| Unique citing works | 6 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,18 |
| Citation span | 1992 - 2023 (32) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 5 |