Hugh Tracey

Hugh Travers Tracey (29 January 1903 – 23 October 1977) was an English ethnomusicologist. He and his wife collected and archived music from Southern and Central Africa. From the 1920s through the 1970s, Tracey made over 35,000 recordings of African folk music. He popularised the mbira (a musical instrument of the Shona people) internationally under the name kalimba. The kalimba is most similar to the mbira nyunga nyunga, but varies substantially from the more popular mbira dzazadzimu which is a fundamentally different instrument.

Hugh Tracey in South Africa, 1960.
A Hugh Tracey treble kalimba.

Life and career

Tracey was born in Willand, Devon, in 1903.[1] In the late 1920s Tracey was a farmer in rural Devon, when he decided to travel to Southern Rhodesia, current Zimbabwe. There he continued to work as a farmer, but became deeply interested in the local music. In 1934, he left farming to work in the South African Broadcasting Corporation.[1] In 1947, he established the African Music Society in Roodepoort, South Africa.[1]

Kalimba
Main article: Kalimba

He was particularly interested in the mbira,[2] the national instrument of Zimbabwe, which has been part of the music of the Shona people for hundreds of years. In his efforts to spread awareness of the Africa’s vast musical heritage, he created an adaptation of the mbira known as the kalimba. The kalimba, which literally translates as "little music", was designed so that it could be learned and appreciated internationally. Today, kalimbas continue to be handcrafted in a family run workshop in Grahamstown, South Africa. They come in several different models: the treble and celeste treble (17 notes, 2+ octaves), the alto and TM alto (15 notes, 2 octaves), 11-note pentatonic kalimba, the African-tuned karimba, and an 8-note beginner's kalimba.

International Library of African Music

In 1954, Tracey founded the International Library of African Music (ILAM) and became its director. ILAM publishes the African Music Society Journal. As part of the ILAM, Tracey made over 35,000 recording of African folk music during multiple recording tours throughout Africa. Notable tours include:

Hugh's sons, Andrew and Paul, also became well known ethnomusicologists and musicians specializing in African music. Andrew took over ILAM as director following his father's death. Paul and his wife Barbara composed several songs for the Muppet Show.

Death

Tracey died on 23 October 1977 and is buried at the Saronde Valley Farm, near Krugersdorp, South Africa.[1]

Recordings

Tracey's recording were published in 210 LPs by the International Library of African Music. Although commercially available, his Music of Africa series (also known as the Sound of Africa series) can be mostly found in University libraries.[8] Many of his recordings were also issued by other record labels such as Decca, London and Gallo, and have been made available on CD and digitally. He also edited the Wild Life series, which encompasses animal recordings made in Africa.

Publications
  • The Evolution of African Music and its Function in the Present Day, Johannesburg: Institute for the Study of Man in Africa, 1961a
  • "The Mbira class of African Instruments in Rhodesia (1932)". African Music Society Journal. 4 (3): 78–95. 1969.
  • Chopi musicians: their music, poetry, and instruments. London: Oxford University Press. 1970 [1948].[lower-alpha 1]
  • African music research: transcription library of gramophone records : handbook for librarians. Gallo (Africa). 1961.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • "Towards an Assessment of African Scales". African Music. International Library of African Music. 2 (1): 15–20. 1958. JSTOR 30249468.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • "A Case for the Name Mbira". African Music. International Library of African Music. 2 (4): 17–25. 1961b. JSTOR 30249527.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • "The state of folk music in Bantu Africa". African Music: Journal of the International Library of African Music. 1 (1): 8–11. 1954. ISSN 0065-4019.
  • "The future of music in Basutoland". African Music: Journal of the International Library of African Music. 2 (2): 10–14. 1954. ISSN 0065-4019.
  • "The International Library of African Music". African Music: Journal of the International Library of African Music. 1 (1): 71–73. 1954. ISSN 0065-4019.
  • "Recording African music in the field". African Music: Journal of the International Library of African Music. 1 (2): 8–11. 1955. ISSN 0065-4019.

See also

Notes
  1. Describes the Timbila of Mozambique
  1. Jones 1977, pp. 96-99.
  2. Tracey 1961b.
  3. Tracey, Hugh (1957). "Recording in the lost valley". African Music: Journal of the International Library of African Music. 1 (4): 45–47. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  4. Tracey, Hugh (1958). "Report on the I.L.A.M. Nyasaland recording tour (May 7th to June, 1958)". African Music: Journal of the International Library of African Music. 2 (1): 65–68. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  5. Tracey, Hugh (1958). "I.L.A.M. recording in Swaziland (May 24th to April 3rd)". African Music: Journal of the International Library of African Music. 2 (1): 64. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  6. Tracey, Hugh (1959). "Recording tour of the Tswana tribe: Western Transvaal and Bechuanaland Protectorate, October - November, 1959". African Music: Journal of the International Library of African Music. 2 (2): 62–68. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  7. Tracey, Hugh (1959). "Basutoland recording tour, November 19th to December 3rd, 1959". African Music: Journal of the International Library of African Music. 2 (2): 69–76. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  8. Tracey, Hugh (1973). "Catalogue: the Sound of Africa series: 210 long playing records of music and songs from Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa". Roodepoort, South Africa: International Library of African Music.

References
Library resources about
Hugh Tracey
By Hugh Tracey
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.