An Introduction to Ethnic Musical Traditions of South AfricaIn a country with a dizzying patchwork of cultures and 11 o� cial languages, it is not surprising that South Africa also boasts a rich and diverse set of ethnic musical traditions. Carnegie Hall’s UBUNTU festival provides an introduction to some of the varied traditions of this nation with Zankel Hall performances by up-and-coming and established South African artists.

On Saturday, October 11, Madala Kunene and Phuzekhemisi—two masters from South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province—headline a double-bill program that showcases spiritual aspects and high-energy styles in contemporary Zulu maskandi music. The Zulu, a Bantu ethnic group, are the largest ethnic group in South Africa with estimates of more than 10 million people—living mainly in KwaZulu-Natal, as well as in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, and Mozambique. The Zulu genre of maskanda or maskandi is a type of storytelling folk music and is distinguished by a guitar fl ourish that sets the tone at the beginning of each song. Often referred to as “the Zulu blues,” songs are performed with a picked guitar style and rapidly spoken sections of Zulu praise poetry called izibongo. Traditionally, a maskandi singer had one long song that evolved as the story of the musician’s life grew.

On Saturday, October 25, the Young Stars: Traditional Cape Malay Singers—a 15-voice male choir led by Moeniel Jacobs—perform songs with colorful infl ections and ornaments from vocal traditions as far afi eld as Malaysia, Arabia, and East Africa as part of the double-bill concert with the David Kramer Band. Cape Malay people are part of an ethnic group that descends in large part from slaves imported from the Indian Ocean basin to South Africa’s Cape region from the 16th to 18th centuries. Cape Malay choirs perform energetic, up-tempo secular folk songs in both Afrikaans and Dutch. One typical type of song is called the nederlandslied, which refl ects the complicated history of the Cape region. It combines the harmony and language of Dutch folk songs with ornamental singing style from the East.

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Young Stars: Traditional Cape Malay Singers

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Dizu Plaatjies and Ibuyambo

Madala Kunene

On Saturday, November 1, traditional-instrument maker and master Dizu Plaatjies and his group Ibuyambo perform music of the Xhosa people and of other Southern African traditions. The Xhosa are a Bantu ethnic group and the second largest group in South Africa. Traditional music of the Xhosa people often features drums, rattles, whistles, fl utes, mouth harps, and stringed-instruments in addition to group singing and hand clapping. Popular Xhosa songs include a wedding song, “Qongqothwane,” performed by Miriam Makeba as “Click Song #1,” and “Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika (God Bless Africa),” a hymn written in 1897 by Enoch Sontonga, which was later adopted by the liberation movement, eventually becoming the national anthem of a democratic South Africa.

Saturday, October 11 at 9 PMZankel Hall

Madala KunenePhuzekhemisi

Sunday, October 12 at 3 PMVenue to be announced

Neighborhood ConcertPhuzekhemisiCarnegie Hall’s Neighborhood Concerts are sponsored by Target®.

Saturday, October 25 at 9 PMZankel Hall

David Kramer BandYoung Stars: Traditional Cape Malay SingersMoeniel Jacobs, Music Director

Saturday, November 1 at 9 PMZankel Hall

Dizu Plaatjies and Ibuyambo

Phuzekhemisi