Interpretation of music in Zambia: variation introduction

Interpretation of music in Zambia: variation, introduction.

What variation exists in the interpretation of the same song text?

Song texts are not only created or transferred but also received. Do all recipients infer the same from the text? No, different people infer different things from the same text. Moreover, a song text does not convey an already meaningful message. The interpretation depends on the level of context knowledge that the interpreter has. And the intention of the interpreter may play a role as well.
Nevertheless, consensus is often implicitly assumed when it comes to the interpretation of a song text. The interpretation by the composer or producer or by another person who apparently specialises in the interpretation of song texts is then presented as the meaning of the song text. The persons just mentioned are not the only recipients of the song text. Therefore, it is relevant to find out what interpretations other recipients make of it. These interpretations then can be contrasted with the interpretations of specialists.

Studying the variation in the interpretations of song texts

In the 1980s, hardly anyone in Chibale claimed to be the maker of a song or full song text. Therefore, we can’t compare the interpretation of the maker with the interpretations of the general public. For that reason, we will compare the latter with those of exegetes.
It was not possible to obtain information about the actual song text interpretation by the general public during a ritual or other gathering. Therefore, we interviewed people who had just listened to a recorded song, to obtain some, partial, knowledge about the ‘encoding’. It is partial because the context of application of the song text was only partially evoked by the recording.

Did people’s tacit or individual knowledge ‘filled the gaps’ or re-framed the meaning of the texts? And, did this lead to divergent interpretations of the same text? The intelligibility of the texts plays a role in this. The object is not to generalise on this issue but to give some examples. Every song text sings its own historical, educative and situational story.¹In Verbeek (1992, 1993 and 2001) and Verbeek & Mutambwa (1997) numerous examples can be found of the interpretations by a small number of non-specialists of the texts of the same, or variants of the same, popular dance, girls’ initiation, mourning and possession song. Verbeek’s aim is to provide the texts, their translation and their interpretation, not to analyse the differences in interpretation.

Five examples

Interpretation of music in Zambia: variation, introduction. In Survey 1987, we asked people to give their opinion about the main subject (ilyashi) of the song they had just heard. The answers represent a broad interpretation of the text. We collected a more detailed interpretation of the text via a specific question about the text of each song.

Variation in song text interpretation of music in Zambia introduction. We present the variation in song text interpretation through five songs.

Who is jealous of whom?

A cisango, a women’s critical song. One fifth of the people say not to know what the metaphor in the song is about. The others give various interpretations of this metaphor and of who is addressing whom. Agreement exists between the interpretations of the general public and those of the exegetes.

An omen, god and witchcraft

A cinsengwe of the cinsengwe ing’omba Susa brought around 1940. Almost one third of the people say not to know what the song is about. There are three main interpretations. Some agreement exists between the interpretations of the general public and those of the exegetes.

Good music and sorrow

A cinsengwe of the cinsengwe ing’omba Chitelela brought in the 1930s.²It plays an important role in the development of a theory about music. Around one third of the people say not to know what the song is about. There are two major lines of interpretation. Some agreement exists between the interpretations of the general public and those of the exegetes. However, the first are less detailed than the latter.

Pounding, mourning and witchcraft

A pounding song. Almost everybody says to know what the song is about. There are three main interpretations. Little agreement exists between the interpretations of the general public and those of the exegetes.

Healed, not yet healed or abandoned

A healing song brought during a Kubuka. More than a quarter of the people say not to know what the song is about. There are various interpretations. Little agreement exists between the interpretations of the general public and those of the exegetes.

Conclusion

In the Conclusion we will look at the similarities and differences between song text interpretations by the public and by exegetes.

See the series of articles Fighting with songs, for a large number of examples of the interpretation of song texts in relation to the actual context in which they are brought.

Continue to the first example in the article series on the variation in song text interpretation.