Tune of the Week for February 13, 2012

Some island fiddling from the Indian Ocean

From a record of field recordings from Seychelles Islands, Danses et Romances de l’Ancienne France, from the great series of field recordings on the Ocora label from Radio France. The inhabitants of the Seychelles are a Creole people, whose culture has roots in Europe, Africa and Madagascar. A map locating the Seychelles and a short description of the music and the band can be found by clicking this link to a pdf, testimony from England.

The tune given here is a tropical rendition of a 19th-century social dance in 3/4, the mazurka, that originated in Europe. The distinctive Kamtole band sound of the Seychelles was used for dances, especially to celebrate Christian weddings. In the word of one anonymous internet author: “There was a time when Seychellois married couples came out of the church with their guests and they all left in a procession with musicians- two fiddles, a guitarist, an accordion, a drummer and a triangle.”

Mazok by the Anse Boileau Kamtole Band


X:7
T:Mazok
M:3/4
L:1/8
S:Anse Boileau Kamtole Band
K:F
z2 | FAcf af | gef2 f2 | A2c2 dA | cAB2 B2 |
G3A Bc | d2e2 cd | edcB GB | dcA2 A2 |
FAcf af | gef2 f2 | A2c2 dA | cAB2 B2 |
g3e fg | af c2d2 | edcB AG | F4 |:
fe | d2de fe | d2d2 fg | a3g fe | d3e fe |
d2de fe | d3c AB | cdcB AG | F4 :|

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *