THE FOLKLORE AND F K MUS

cures

VOL. IV, NO. 2 INDIANA UNIVERSITY BLOOMINGTON SUMMER, 1961

THE INTERNATIONAL LIBRARY OF AFRICAN MUSIC

Hugh Tracey

Historical and Descriptive: the financial capacity of the organisation to complete 7 the analysis of all the recordings it houses, the bulk The International Library of African Music (I. L. of which is music collected by the Director from 1928 A. M. ) came into being in 1953 as a direct outcome of onwards. the preliminary discoveries and research work of Hugh Tracey, its Director. Six years previously, in 1947, Classification System Now in Use: he had established the African Music Society, and it was ---- considered essential that practical work on collecting In the early days of the African Music Society, no the music of Africa should be undertaken by a properly adequate classification system was available in Africa. constituted body. The International Library was, there- Consequently, the Director devised a decimal classifi- fore, registered as a nonprofit organization and set up cation which has so far proved adequate for the Library's its headquarters 12 miles out side the city of Johannes- relatively wide African experience in this field. The burg in the buildings previously used by Mr. Tracey classification system is based upon the use of a printed I during his preparatory work to this end. four-color card index in which all items are identified by language, by type of material, by instruments , and After many years of private study Mr. Tracey ob- numerically by published number. The details printed tained the support of Mr. Eric Gallo of Johannesburg on the cards make complete indentification possible in undertaking a preliminary survey of the music of for future students. African territories from the Sudan southwards. This occupied six years, from 1947 to 1953, much of which 1. Language (White cards): Mr. Tracey spent in the field, and which enabled him, After many years of experience it was when the time came, to call for the necessary financial found that musical changes invariably fol- support upon practical knowledge of the situation over lowed linguistic ones. It was decided, a large proportion of the African continent. ! therefore, to base the linguistic classifi- cation upon the work of recognized experts The Nuffield Foundation and the Mining Industries in this study, and the first lists of lan- of southern Africa between them made a start possible, guages were specially compiled for the and at once the Library began to publish the results of Library by the University of the Witwaters- its work in the form of pressed phonograph discs, under rand. Subsequent development has made the title of "The Sound of Africa" Series. Eighty long- it possible to follow the classification playing (12") discs have been published so far. undertaken by the International African Institute without in any way detracting from A considerable body of recorded matter is also the value of the original arrangement. The housed in the Reference Library section, the product decimal system adopted is based upon the of work which had its beginnings in the 1920's. Over use of a figure for the language district, 170 tribes are represented. Most of the early record- followed by numerals indicating the group ings are technically inadequate for modern reproduc- or cluster of the language and finally the tion but are invaluable as reference data. dialect. This system offers no difficulties to anyone familiar with the complex African Much work remains to be done in the Reference Library itself, where the collection has far outstripped (Continued on third page) THE INTERNATIONAL LIBRARY OF The collection is housed in a special building AFRICAN MUSIC (cont. ) which was erected by Mr. Eric Gallo during the period of close co-operation with Mr. Tracey. The I. L. A. M. linguistic position and pinpoints the source of now rents this building from Mr. Gallo's phonograph every musical item of authentic origin. The record company, which also undertakes to press the system also has the advantage of dovetailing Library' s recordings at favorable prices, having the into the work of recognized African linguists most modern and efficient equipment to do so within and can continue to be guided by their findings. a few yards of the Library itself.

2. Types (Yellow cards): Naturally, as with so many institutions, the available space is already proving inadequate, and A second decimal classification was de- any future development will have to be met with new vised to discriminate between items by their wings to the present building. function in society. Thus musical items as- sociated with all stages of life in an African The staff has varied during the years with the setting are adequately listed. available funds at the Library's disposal. At present a minimum staff is employed, including, in addition 3. Musical Instruments (Red cards): to the Director, a Library Manager, a Shorthand The third decimal classification deals Typist/Secretary, a Recording Engineer, and three with the various kinds of musical instruments African assistants. Translators are engaged where- set out after the original classification of Dr. ever possible in the field. Curt Sachs into four sections: Chordophones, Aerophones , Idiophones, and Membranophones . A small amont of the Library's collection has Here again the detail is such that any student been sponsored in part by the territories in which the would find no difficulty in relating the Library's collections have been made. It is hoped to follow up system to any similarly devised scheme. this possibility as the work of acquiring knowledge of African personality through their music and other 4. Numerical (Blue cards): arts is now recognized as a valuable branch of human- istic studies. The fourth card index is intended to enable the student fo file his collection numerically Owing to the great distances involved and the or, if he wishes, alphabetically, without hav- possible damage to recordings, there is little pos- ing to write or type out an additional catalogue sibility of an effective exchange system being put in- in book form. It also serves as a detailed to operation at present. Adequate financial support guide to the physical presence or absence of would, however, make such a scheme practical. records on the collector's shelves and their contents. This four-color card index has The Library, together with the African Music proved invaluable in the Library's work and Society, publishes an annual Journal under the title provides a sound basis for future study at African Music, seven editions of which have already universities, teacher training colleges, and appeared. other institutions which offer courses in Afri- can studies . Correspondence with the Library should be ad- dressed to: Maintenance --and Use: The Director, The Budget of the Library is mostly dependent International Library of African Music, upon grants, both on account of the fact that the demand P. 0. Box 138, for African recordings by Africans themselves, who Roodepoort, possess few phongraphs for their reproduction, is Transvaal, quite inadequate to cover Library costs in the discovery, SOUTH AFRICA. recording, and reproduction of discs, and from the fragmentation of African languages which limits the It will be noted that although the headquarters circulation of music to within relatively small tribal of the I. L. A. M. are situated in South Africa on ac- units. Although the overall collection demonstrates count of its developed technical resources which the most clearly the outlines of an established and general operation of printing and the processing and pressing African musical culture, the isolationism of the indi- of phonograph records demands, the Library itself is vidual dialects restricts African musical horizons to a continent-wide organization with no political affilia- within strict parochial limits. tions, and is concerned with the musics of all Africa south of the Sahara. As mentioned before, the Nuffield Foundation and various generous benefactors in Africa have so far provided the funds. Future financial aid is at the CONTRIBUTOR TO THIS ISSUE present moment [May, 19611 a serious pre-occupation. The sale of records accounts for approximately a HUGH TRACEY is the Director of the International quarter to one-third of Library revenue. Library of African Music.