The Soul of Mbira: Music and Traditions of the Shona People of Zimbabwe

This sensitive, scholarly portrayal of Shona musicians and the African Musical tradition is highly engaging and comprehensive in its range of data. Paul Berliner provides the complete cultural context for the music and an intimate, precise account of the meaning of the instrument and its music. "Paul Berliner's The Soul of Mbira is probably the best ethnography ever written about an African musical tradition.

CONTENIDO:

List of Figures and Tables
List of Musical Examples
Note on Orthography
Preface
Acknowledgments
1. Introduction
2. African Mbira and the Music of the Shona
3. An Overview of Shona Mbira
4. The Nature of Mbira Music
5. In Performance: The Shona Mbira Ensemble and the Relationship Between the Mbira Player and the Mbira
6. Learning the Mbira
7. The Poetry of the Mbira
8. Music and Spirit Possession at a Shona Bira
9. The Law of Mbira: Mbira in the Lives of Performers and the Changing Status of Mbira Music
Notes
Appendix I: Kudeketera Song Texts
Appendix II: Absolute Tunings (c.p.s.) of Five Mbira DzaVadzimu
Appendix III: Building and Playing a Shona Karimba
Bibliography
Discography: Shona Mbira Music
Films
Index
Plates