Ł< *Research ReportVocal Styles Accompanying Mbira DzaVadzimuP. F. BerlinerDepartment of Music, State University College, Geneseo, New YorkThe mbira dzavadzimu (mbira of the ances-tral spirits) is a Shona instrument closelyassociated with religious worship in Rhodesia.Mbira ensembles perform at all-night religiousceremonies which culminate in the possessionof spirit mediums. In both religious and secularcontexts, listeners report that the mbira dzava-dzimu makes a person 'think deeply' or 'thinktoo much'. Through the vocal styles, performersinterpret the instrumental music and expresstheir deep thoughts and feelings.The complexity of patterns which mbiramusic presents to the ear approximates to whata 'kaleidoscope' presents to the eye.1 Different'tunes' can be heard in the music even whenthe musician does not introduce new variationsinto his playing.2 Throughout the performanceof a mbira piece, interwoven melodic lineschange and interact with one another. Whilelistening to inner parts of the mbira music,the singer selects melodic-rhythmic patternswhich become the basis for the vocal parts.These patterns themselves 'suggest' the vocalparts to the performer. Thus, in the process ofsinging, the performer interprets the mbiramusic and accompanies the instrument, ratherthan vice versa.Three vocal styles are used to accompanythe mbira: Mahoriera (lit. humming) is a non-verbal style sung in response to the low melodicparts of the mbira music; it makes use ofsuch vocables as wha-huwha-huwha-whu. Incontrast, huro (lit.throat) in a high syllabic stylein which the voice is 'moulded' to the uppermelodic parts of the mbira music; it uses suchvocables as wo-i-ye ... i-ye .,. iye, as well as astylized form of Shona yodelling. The thirdvocal style is kudeketera, an improvised poetrywhich accompanies the mbira music. Althoughthis is primarily a sung poetry, singers periodic-ally shift into more of a talking mode (kutaura)during their performances. Kauffman has re-ported the use of kudeketera for the 'expressionof personal troubles'.3 Additionally, my own re-search indicates that the kudeketera 'texts' dealwith a wide range of subjects. Similar to mbiramusic itself, the kudeketera lines do not followa continuous thematic development. Rather,they present a mosiac of texts dealing withaspects of the total life experiences of thoseparticipating in the music. The themes ofkudeketera range from humour and social com-mentary to proverbs and the mourning of theancestral spirits, reflecting the world view ofthe Shona people. In performing this style,the singer's choice of words is governed largelyby the melodic-rhythmic patterns which he orshe hears in the mbira music at the time of theperformance.103During a religious ceremony at which thembira dzavadzimu is played, the kudeketeratexts are alternated and intermixed with theperformance of huro and rnahon' era. Eachparticipant adds his or her own parts to thelarger musical event. The kudeketera contri-butes greatly to the mood of pathos whichprevails throughout the evening. The catharticeffect of the music is enhanced by song 'texts'about known people and common plights. The'texts' frequently use proverbs and religiousor historical themes which serve to perpetuaterespect for traditional Shona values and tointensify the effect of the music as a social forcewithin the community.REFERENCESIG. Kubik. 'The phenomenon of inherent rhythms in East and Central African instrumental music'. AfricanMusic, 1962 3, i, 42.zA. Tracey. How to Play the Mbira (Dza Vadzimu). Roodepoort, International Library of African Music, 1970,3R. A. Kauffman, 'Multipart relationships in the Shona music of Rhodesia', University of California. LosAngeles, Ph.D. thesis, 1971, p.132.V »*-]104