Re Counting Knowledge Song Change by Birgit Drüppel (1 results)

Soft cover. Condition: Very Good. 324 pp., illustrations, bibliography, index. Includes audio CD. This musical ethnography that is a base study of the music traditions of the Kaulong people near the south coast of West New Britain, Papua New Guinea. It embodies the description and structural analysis of traditional Kaulong music in its vocal, instrumental, and vocal-instrumental forms, song and dance celebrations (singsing) being the largest events which establish and strengthen family and trade relationships. Historical events, such as the colonialisation by Germans and Australians, and the consequent advancement of the Catholic Mission, had a lasting influence on traditional culture and music. In particular, the mission was the most influential, facilitating the penetration of non-Kaulong cultural elements into Kaulong tradition. By adopting Christianity, the Kaulong reacted to a new, broader world view which is translated into music. Traditional singsing became less important and lost some of their meaning, while trade contacts with the neighbouring coastal area (Kaul speakers) became frequent and resulted in the adoption of local coastal singsing, as well as singsing from indirect trading partners in Kilenge (singsing tumbuan) and Siassi (singsing sia). New music genres such as kwaia (Christian choir music) developed and, after national independence, stringbands formed which play popular music at state celebrations and sosol (social gatherings).