Mwiche Khumufumie

Africa's rich and varied history has been shaped by many factors, and the same could be said for Africa's captivating traditional and indigenous music styles, which in turn have influenced many other genres of music around the world.  With its early beginnings, the traditional music of Africa has walked hand-in-hand with the development of cultures and languages, each with its distinct traditions and dialects that bring a unique flavor to the African folk tunes that are so much a part of the families, clans and communities that form a music heritage within Africa.   Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Luhya community in Kenya, where we clearly see the special relationship that exists between the Samia people, and their articulate dialect, and the delightful expression of their sacred folk music and folk music style.  We could even go so far as to say that Samia folk tunes are closely tied to their art, folklore and religious practices, and also to the artistic influences within and without the Luhya community.   Notably, what makes African folk music style special is the sense of purpose and meaning that is attributed to the music--through its use in religious practices, ceremonies, and celebrations-- where audience participation is encouraged and even expected.  The techniques and forms of the music, which give this genre a voice of its own, gives us reason to pay close attention to the characteristics that define this music.  We can briefly point out the use of polyrhythmic techniques, percussion, shimmer, improvisational instrumentation, yodeling and syncopated rhythms that comprise African folk music, but none gets our attention more than the "call and response" of the singers, which shows the close connection between the language (dialect) and the music, all of which involves the singers and the audience in a musical conversation.   This arrangement by Wilson Shitandi combines two melodies commonly used in the praise of leaders or deities--depending on the culture--that typically have no specific title, and sometimes derive their name from an instrument or type of dance.  Stylistically, this arrangement successfully weaves two themes together into one, the first being a lively and upbeat expression, and the second being more meditative and contemplative, both of which alternate throughout the music.     Importantly, the text for this chorus was originally written in Swahili, and later rewritten using the Samia dialect, which the composer feels is more fitting to the melody, with words drawn from Christian traditions, which again demonstrates that music and language are indeed closely linked in the folk music of Africa, as it is in this uplifting arrangement of Mwiche Khumufumie (Come Let Us Glorify Him).

非洲豐富多彩的歷史是由許多因素形成的，非洲迷人的傳統和本土音樂風格也是如此，這些音樂風格反過來又影響了世界各地的許多其他音樂流派。 非洲的傳統音樂起源很早，與文化和語言的發展並駕齊驅，每種文化和語言都有其獨特的傳統和方言，為非洲民間曲調帶來了獨特的韻味，這些曲調是構成非洲音樂遺產的家庭、氏族和社區的重要組成部分。

這一點在肯亞的 Luhya 社區最為明顯，在那裡，我們清楚地看到薩米亞人之間的特殊關係、他們鏗鏘有力的方言，以及他們神聖的民間音樂和民間音樂風格的愉悅表達。 我們甚至可以說，薩米亞民間曲調與他們的藝術、民俗和宗教習俗密切相關，也與盧西亞社區內外的藝術影響密切相關。

 值得注意的是，非洲民間音樂風格的特別之處在於音樂的目的性和意義感--通過在宗教實踐、儀式和慶典中的使用--鼓勵甚至期望聽眾參與其中。 音樂的技巧和形式賦予了這一音樂流派自己的聲音，使我們有理由密切關注這一音樂的特點。 我們可以簡要地指出非洲民間音樂中使用的多節奏技巧、打擊樂、微光、即興樂器演奏、約德爾唱法和切分節奏，但最能引起我們注意的莫過於歌手的 "呼喚與回應"，它顯示了語言（方言）與音樂之間的密切聯繫，所有這些都讓歌手和觀眾參與到音樂對話中。

 威爾遜-希坦迪（Wilson Shitandi）的這首改編曲結合了兩首常用于讚美領袖或神靈的旋律--視文化而定--這些旋律通常沒有具體的名稱，有時其名稱來源於一種樂器或一種舞蹈。 從風格上看，這種編曲成功地將兩個主題融為一體，第一個主題表現得活潑歡快，第二個主題則更加沉思默想，兩個主題在整個音樂中交替出現。

 重要的是，這首合唱曲的歌詞最初是用斯瓦希裡語寫成的，後來用薩米亞方言改寫，作曲家認為薩米亞方言更適合旋律，歌詞來自基督教傳統，這再次表明音樂和語言在非洲民間音樂中確實緊密相連，正如這首令人振奮的《來吧，讓我們榮耀他》的編曲一樣。