"Zvichapera"



This song is entitled "Zvichapera," and was performed by Chiwoniso Maraire, a cover of the song written by Thomas Mapfumo. She was a singer/songwriter from Zimbabwe, and learned to play the mbira from her father, a master with the instrument. In this song, three mbiras are played in accompaniment of the vocals, along with hosho (shaken gourds). This was Chiwoniso's last studio recording before her death at age 37 in 2013. It is in the Shona language native to the Shona people in Zimbabwe.



I have listened to this multiple times since discovering it, and I find it hauntingly beautiful. I am intrigued by the polyrhythms, and the timbre of the mbira set against the voices. I sense a melancholy mood, probably from the minor setting and the acoustic sound. When I looked for a translation, the title comes up as Shona for "it comes to pass." Other lyrics appear to be about walking alone on a quiet street, with only my shadow. Based on the course readings, I wonder why I feel a strong connection with this song, as I have never studied the music of the Shona people. Nettl (2005) said that ethnomusicologists compare music of a culture to "the world's music" to gain insight. Elliott (1990) states that prior experience of a music concept or pattern of sound is necessary to find meaning or purpose. I must assume then that I feel a connection to the song because of the comparisons that I make between this song and music of the world with which I am familiar. I am able to glean from prior experiences with music meaning in this song. I hope to be able to provide a multitude of experiences with music for my students so that they, too, may find meaningful connections with music of other cultures.

References
Elliott, D. (1990). Music as culture: Toward a multicultural concept of arts education. Journal of
            Aesthetic Education, 24(1), 147-66.

Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 22, 2017 at 8:12 AM

    Hi Lisa,

    Thank you for sharing this music. I also found it very intriguing and enjoyable. I'm not sure exactly what I expected to hear before listening, but I was surprised at how tonal this piece was. The blend of instruments and the repeated polyrhythms you mention are almost hypnotic as they lure you in to this piece, adding more instrumental voices to help the music build in intensity. The voices are beautiful and although I'm not sure of what is being said, the use of unison, solos, and harmony all seem carefully calculated, also providing an almost hypnotic pull. The quote you shared from Elliott and your interpretation of it seem logical to me. You stated earlier in your explanation that the minor setting had suggested a melancholy mood to you which I think can be construed as evidence of what Elliott was suggesting.

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    Replies
    1. Betty WeissSeptember 23, 2024 at 4:26 PM

      The lyrics "Zvinotanga riniko, zvichapera seiko" mean "Where did it start, where will it end?" I have been told (by Jacob Mafuleni who plays drum and mbira on the recording) that it refers to suffering (due to famine or war).

      Delete
    2. max aronowNovember 3, 2024 at 8:38 PM

      "zvakatanga riniko" ... "zvinotanga" is a Shona word, means "where is it starting?" - but it's not in the song, wrong verb tense ...

      Delete

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