Song 159 Ndecikwele ci

Foreign instruments were extremely rare in Chibale. Apart from a guitar, we encountered a concertina, called kodeoni. It was hexagonal in shape, had a chromatic scale with 8 chord buttons, and was bisonoric, in and out: I/V.

In 1966, it was taken along from South Africa by Lazaro Musonda’s uncle who gave it to him as a present. Lazaro learned to play the instrument without any instruction. His kodeoni playing was always accompanied by the cisekele, as on the recording.

Song 159

A song sung and accompanied on kodeoni by Lazaro Musonda and accompanied on the cisekele by Basil Chisonta, 1981.

Text of Song 159 ∵ Pulling the kodeoni

Lazaro ndecikwele ci
Bama ndecikwele ci

Lazaro, I am pulling this here
Mother, I am pulling this here

‘This’ refers to the kodeoni (concertina).