Nightsong : performance, power, and practice in South Africa / Veit Erlmann ; with an introduction by Joseph Shabalala.

Author/creator Erlmann, Veit
Format Book
Publication InfoChicago : University of Chicago Press, 1996.
Descriptionxxv, 446 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.
Subjects
Isicathamiya--History and criticism.
Zulu (African people)--South Africa. --Music. --History and criticism.
Folk music--South Africa. --History and criticism.
Folk songs, Zulu--South Africa. --History and criticism.

SeriesChicago studies in ethnomusicology
Chicago studies in ethnomusicology. ^A261178
Contents Part I: Texts. Introduction. Joseph Bekhizizwe Shabalala: a unifying force -- Performance theorized -- Isicathamiya performance represented -- The history of Isicathamiya, 1891-1991 -- The unhomely: performers and migrants -- Ekhaya: the past, the home, and the nation revived -- The home embodied: dance and dress in Isicathamiya -- Praise and prayer: the rhetoric of Isicathamiya -- Attacking with song: the aesthetics of power and competition -- "Strengthening native home life": Isicathamiya and hegemony -- Things will come right: the political economy of noncommercial performance -- "Two worlds, one heart": Joseph Shabalala and Ladysmith Black Mambazo -- Postscript, 1994 -- Notes -- A select discography of Isicathamiya -- Glossary.
Abstract First popularized by Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Paul Simon, the a cappella music known as isicathamiya has become internationally celebrated as one of South Africa's most vibrant and distinct performance traditions. But Ladysmith Black Mambazo is only one of hundreds of choirs that perform "nightsongs" during weekly all-night competitions in South Africa's cities. The author provides the first comprehensive interpretation of isicathamiya performance practice and its relation to the culture and consciousness of the Zulu migrant laborers who largely compose its choirs. In songs and dances, the performers oppose the class and racial oppression that reduces them to "labor units." At the same time, Erlmann argues, the performers rework dominant images to symbolically reconstruct their "home," an imagined world of Zulu rural tradition and identity. By contrasting the live performance of isicathamiya to its reproduction in mass media, recordings, and international concerts, the author addresses important issues in performance studies and anthropology, and looks to the future of isicathamiya live performance in the new South Africa. Featuring an Introduction by Joseph Shabalala, the lead singer and founder of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, this book will be essential reading for anyone interested in the study of music, performance, popular culture, or South Africa.
Local noteLittle-304033--305131009746$
Bibliography noteIncludes bibliographical references (pages 421-435) and index.
Bibliography noteDiscography: pages 323-418.
LCCN 94024977
ISBN0226217205 (acid-free paper)
ISBN0226217213 (pbk. : acid-free paper)

Availability

Library Location Call Number Status Item Actions
Music Music Stacks ML3760 .E76 1996 ✔ Available Place Hold