Term | Definition |
Whisper Song/Inanga Chuchotee | a style of music unique to Burundi that involves a vocalist who whispers along with a tree zither. |
Zither | a flat wooden soundboard over which strings are stretched; the
instrument is commonly plucked, but may be strummed or bowed as well |
Inanga | the name of the concave tree zither in Burundi |
Ikivumu | the tree used for making the inanga |
Amenyo and Amano | the “teeth and toes” on the inanga used to tighten and hold
the strings |
Pitch | the location of a sound in a tonal scale dependent upon the speed of vibrations from the source of the sound |
Overtone | a pitch that is relative or perceived by the human ear to be higher than the actual source tone; overtones are related to the original pitch usually by fractions of their original frequency |
Frequency | the speed of the vibrations of a sound source |
Pygmy | small or dwarflike |
Polyphony | many sounds at once as melody |
Ethnomusicologist | a person who studies indigenous music |
Elobaye | “hello, how are you” |
Ejenji | a forest mystic who is believed to have telepathic power |
Esime | percussion break with intense dance and sparse improvised singing |
Eboka | intense polyphonic song usually accompanied by drums or clapping that calls out the Mokoondi; this form rises and falls with intensity as it blends in and out of Esime |
Elanda - | simple party music |
Lokoondo | intense polyphonic women’s song, usually involving their own Mokoondi |
Elelo | funeral singing |
Geedal | harp |
Mondume | harp zither |
Mobio | open ended four hole flute |
Earth Bow | a living sapling tied down to the ground with rope and held there with a wooden peg; the rope is plucked generating a deep resonating sound |