By Dr. Tony Michel Monda
The history Mbira is closely linked to the sovereigns at the courts of Munhumutapa.
Once featured by Google as its logo, the mbira is Zimbabwe’s Shona heirloom musical instrument.
Though globally recognised and celebrated, the potential of mbira music is still to be plumbed.
The Mbira, and its music, has played a part in human socio-religious life from the earliest times in Zimbabwe.
This magical Shona musical instrument still touches the core of our musical senses. Its mesmerising melody, haunting undertones and soothing rhythms have enthralled audiences the world over.
The famous America Soul Funk band – Earth, Wind and Fire, whose label was known as Kalimba Productions, incorporated the sound of the mbira in their music.
Mbira music is instrumental and visionary.
The polyphonic nature of the instrument allows for the composition of multiple simultaneously sounding rhythmic harmonies, rhythmically independent parts. This combination of sounds is produced in a manner pleasing to the ear, but expressing life in all its facets through the medium of sound and orature.
Though mbira’s traditional repertoire peaked in medieval Zimbabwe of Munhumutapa, the tradition will never end as new Gwenyambiras are born every day
The mbira’s sound board was traditionally made from the hardwood of the Mubvamaropa tree,
which was also used in the artistic creation of ceremonial, military, agricultural and domestic
material culture. The Muvanga tree that grew at Great Zimbabwe was also used to make mbira
sounding boards, due to its acoustic qualities
Speaking during a biannual mbira recital held at Springstone Art Gallery based at 5, Idlehurst Way in Avondale, my co-director and proprietor Michelina Andreucci, said: “Certain indigenous woods were selected for their durability and hard-wearing ability and thus served as the raw material for the creation of heirlooms that were manufactured for indigenous agrarian and cultural industries.
Musical instruments such as Hosho, mbira, marimba, pan pipes, Chipendani, mbiras and zithers, have all been made from specific indigenous hardwoods chosen for their acoustic and sonorous qualities, portability and longevity. The dry season (winter) being the most suitable for their manufacture”.
All materials are natural, derived from the earth. The iron sites along the Great Dyke provided the iron that was forged to make the tines/keys for the instruments.
Mbira music reflecting the spirit of the age developed rapidly with Chiwoniso Maraire where the
sacred and secular mbira was fused together in jit or soul music. For example, ‘Nhamamusasa’ is the infusion of three compositions. In many instances, she revamped traditional chants.
Classical mbira of Zimbabwe is noted as one of the historic achievements of polyphony from Africa.
Polyphony involves the sounding together of different notes each with its own character. However, in mbira and other polyphonic instruments it concerns melody instead of words.
Played by gentle thumbing and under rhythmic plucking of fingers, the instrument became known as a thumb piano in the English and western world. Music scholars are awed by how it is pleasant, meaningful and ordered sequence despite its innovatory qualities.
The Mbira is a principal Shona instrument – Mitemo ye Mbira. It is sacred in Shona culture.
Ancestors were propitiated with mbira and song. In the ancient Shona world, nature was considered God’s creation and mystical links were established between the granite boulders, caves (mapako), enchanted sacred forests (masango ano yera), and rocky misty mountains (makomo ano rura).
The lyrics of mbira songs bear upon the mysteries of life and nature. For the Shona people mbira music contains exalted lyrics about their origins, the past, present and future. It is a language of Shona philosophical meditations.
The priestly monarchy of Great Zimbabwe encouraged mbira music, which naturally played a central role in the lives of the inhabitants of MaDzimbahwe. For them the mbira was not just an instrument, or mere music, but a language and a ceremony.
It became a national culture. The making of the mbira instrument was in itself a sacred act and was created by the blacksmiths artists and musicians of MaDzimbahwe. Gwenyambiras (princely mbira players) were held in high office in ancient Zimbabwe – privy to the king’s court playing for various royal families, spirit mediums, clairvoyants and healers.
They lived in the homes of noble families and entertained their guests with songs accompanied by Ngoma ne hosho – instruments central to Shona life.
Rainmakers, healers, high priests and royal artisans – mhizha, played the mbira prior to carrying out their practices, crafts and rituals.
In fact, many traditional healers evoked their own ancestors through a trance inducing mbira recital.
Mbira was used to accompany working songs in the fields. Ploughing, harvesting and celebrations of an agrarian nature were celebrated in song. Mbira served a triple purpose – worship, work and recreation and for behavioural reflections. Reflections of life, oratorial songs, work songs; meteorological songs and futuristic appeals; incantations and prayers were all voiced through mbira compositions, appellations, incantations, and celebrations.
Weather and water were vital for sound production and creation.
The sounds of nature – the earth, wind and water were often emulated in mbira tunes. The thud of pestle and mortar, the trumping feet of warriors, the ripple of water, bird songs are some of the sounds replicated in mbira tunes, hence its holistic organic sound.
The shape of the earth – the echoing, the cyclic sound waves are captured in the gourd/calabash resonator.
Storytelling, call-to-arms, appeals for peace or rain, or for sunlight after deluges were all subjects for mbira lyrics – an instrument of healing; an instrument of regeneration, peace and harmony.
Winter was peak hunting time; gourds were dried and new instruments were made. Their manufacture heralded the commencement of spring – zhizha, a peak time for mbira performance.
It was also a time when seeds were dried and natural sound was at its optimum.
The intrinsic worth of its musical qualities transcends history, religion, geography. Its lyrical content covers the entire gamut of creation with geographical references to the caves, mountains, forests and other spaces inhabited by the ancestors.
From sonorous soliloquies to the ancestors to invocations to God – mbira is spiritual and secular. It serves as a barometer to Shona idealism. Its trance inducing qualities, its meditative virtues were used for joyous celebrations and the socio-religious teachings of Shona spiritual healers. The ancient oracles of bards –griots , are also found in the oeuvre of mbira music.
The clarity and brightness of mbira music is punctuated by cadences in a purposeful progressive cycle of chords. Major and minor scales with their associated harmony flow in a cycle of cross rhythms.
Sophisticated Shona musical techniques with polyphonic notes; voices in different notes sing the same words at the same time.
Typical of Mbira music vocal patterns are the resonating shrills and ululations above key, normally emitted in media-res by elderly female vocalists which are interspersed by male voices in baritone and soprano-sung in a call and response format.
Organically made, proudly Zimbabwean, our children, like Google, should celebrate its global influence and the fame of Zimbabwe’s Mbira music.
Dr. Tony Monda holds a PhD. in Art Theory and Philosophy and a DBA in Post-Colonial Heritage Studies. He is a cultural diplomat, practicing visual artist, critic and musician. He is founding president of ZAAC. Contact him on 0773 805 700 or email on tonymichelmonda93@gmail.com
or tonym.MONDA@gmail.com
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