- The Social and Cultural Background
- The Musical Traditions of Africa
- Music in Community Life
- Performing Groups and their Music
- Recruitment and Training of Musicians
- Musical Instruments
- Instrumental Resources
- Idiophones
- Membranophones
- Aerophones
- Chordophones
- Structures in African Music
- Organisation of Instrumental Ensembles
- Melody and Polyphony in Instrumental Music
- The Rhythmic Basis of Instrumental Music
- Organisation of Vocal Music
- Melody and Polyphony in Vocal Music
- Rhythmic Structures in Vocal Music
- Music and Related Arts
- Speech and Melody
- The Role of Song Texts
- Interrelations of Music and Dance
- The Dance Drama
- The Conventions of Musical Practice
- Summary
Appendices
- Selected Discography
- Location of Ethnic Groups Mentioned in the Text
- African Terms used in the Text
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This is the opening to Chapter 13, and (although I haven’t read chapters 1-12 in full), it seems strange to me that vocal music is not addressed specifically until this far through the book. I don’t know whether that is because of Kwabena Nketia is an instrumentalist himself, rather than a vocalist, or from a (Ghanaian?) background which favours instrumentalism, or whether I need to just fundamentally adjust my own received opinion about the primary of vocalism (at least a primacy in terms of origins) in the case of African music.
Chapter 17 “The Role of Song Texts” very good on topics of African songs. E.g. “Cradle Songs” (cf. e.g. “Sometimes I feel like a motherless child”). Also “Reflective Songs” and “Historical Songs”.
p. 203 “Repertoire of songs: