Structure and Strategy in Azorean-Canadian Song Duels
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DigitalResources SIL eBook 32 ® Structure and Strategy in Azorean-Canadian Song Duels Thomas L. Avery Structure and Strategy in Azorean-Canadian Song Duels Thomas L. Avery SIL International ® 2011 SIL e-Books 32 2011 SIL International ® ISBN: 978-1-55671-275-3 ISSN: 1934-2470 Fair-Use Policy: Books published in the SIL e-Books (SILEB) series are intended for scholarly research and educational use. You may make copies of these publications for research or instructional purposes free of charge (within fair-use guidelines) and without further permission. Republication or commercial use of SILEB or the documents contained therein is expressly prohibited without the written consent of the copyright holder(s). Editor-in-Chief Mike Cahill Volume Editor Doris Blood Managing Editor Bonnie Brown Compositor Margaret González Dedicated to the memory of Chester Mills 1889 – 1983 “Gramps,” my wife’s grandfather, was a model of integrity and charity to his family and and to the community in which he lived. Contents Preface and Acknowledgments Abstract 1 Theory and Method Structural-strategic theory Characteristics of the phenomenon Focus Structure Strategy Contribution to Ethnomusicological Theory The Argument Research Method Technique and Data Base 2 Ethnographic and Generic Contexts Ethnographic Context of Azorean-Canadian Desafios Geography and History Emigration and Demography Language Sponsoring Institutions for Social Occasions at which Desafios are Performed Generic Context of Azorean-Canadian Desafios Variations of the Desafio Sex of the Singers Activity of the Audience Improvisation Other Dialogic or Improvisational Genres Generic Antecedents of the Desafio Contemporary Forms Analogous to the Desafio Non-European Song Dueling Conclusion 3 Performance Context and Content Social Occasions Occasions with more than one Desafio Occasions with one Desafio Informal Contexts Adjudicated Contests Audio Recordings Participants Arrangement of Participants Singers Players Audiences Moderators Content of Song Duels Performance Context, Content, and Structure iv v Performance Context versus Content General Nature of the Occasion Unique Circumstances of the Occasion Moment by Moment Interactions Performance Context versus Structure 4 Structure Tagmemic Theoretical Principles Perspective Unit Hierarchy Context Structure of the Desafio Macrostructure Level I: The Cantoria Level II: The Performance Level III: The Desafio Level IV: The Sung Portion Microstructure Level I: The Strophe Level II: The Stanza Harmonic Structure of the Stanza Level III: The Line Verbal Structure of the Line Musical Meter Melodic Structure of the Line Intermediate Structure Trimodality of Structure Some Contrasts between the Phonological, Grammatical, and Referential Structures of the Desafio Technique Significance of the Structural Analysis 5 Strategy Goals Goals and Esthetic Derivation of Goals Goals: Competitiveness Apparent Conflict as an Aspect of Competitiveness Argumentative Stance as a Means of Enhancing Apparent Conflict Criticism as a Means of Enhancing Apparent Conflict Cooperation to Maintain Apparent Conflict Competition in the Desafio Goals: Conversationality Spontaneity as an Aspect of Conversationality Contextualization as an Aspect of Conversationality Dialogue as a Characteristic of Conversationality Meaning and Coherence as Essential Elements of Conversationality vi Maintenance of Proper Social Relations in Conversation Degrees and Limitations of Conversationality Goals: Quality of Thought and Expression A “High Culture” View of Quality of Thought and Expression Verbal Strategies Tone and Verbal Strategies Theme Management as a Verbal Strategy Verbal Strategies which Display Critical Faculties Insult and Criticism Maintaining Proper Social Relations Compliment Self Appraisal Argument Metaphor and Double-Entendre Verbal Strategies Which Display Improvisatory Skill Appropriateness of Response and Improvisatory Skill Following the Metaphor of the Interlocutor and Improvisatory Skill Following the Structural Precedent of the Interlocutor References to Context Themes Which Display Knowledge, Depth of Thought and of Sentiment Treatment of Themes Themes The Use of Poetic Devices as a Verbal Strategy Humor as a Verbal Strategy Non-Verbal Strategies Musical Strategies Temporal Strategies Gesture and Demeanor Conclusions and Future Research Appendix References Preface and Acknowledgments Note on Portuguese Quotations and Translations In the Portuguese texts quoted from published sources, I have used the orthography given rather than modernizing it. Inconsistencies in the Portuguese texts reflect the changes in orthographic practice that have taken place over the years. In the Portuguese texts that I transcribed from tape recordings of song duels and interviews, I have used modern standard Portuguese orthography. The reader will note the frequent use of ellipsis (…) in the quotes from the interviews. This ellipsis indicates that a portion of the speech of the person interviewed has been omitted, either because it was incomprehensible to me from the tape recording, or because it was not pertinent to the point at hand. I have tried to transcribe these words as literally as possible, and when ellipses have been used, to remain true to the original intention and meaning of the speaker. Significant pauses and interruptions are indicated by the dash (—). Most of the translations in the text from Portuguese to English are my own. I have, in almost all cases, also included the original Portuguese either alongside the translation, within parentheses after it, or in a footnote below. Because the original is usually provided, I have been somewhat free in the translation offered, depending on the particular text involved. Especially in the translation of poetry I have exercised freedom in order to achieve phrasing of a similar emotional impact or equivalent rhetorical function to the original Portuguese. The translations were checked for accuracy by members of my dissertation advisory committee, one of whom, Dr. Martins, is a native speaker of Portuguese. They provided numerous suggestions and corrections for which I am grateful, but I had the final say in these decisions and therefore take responsibility for any infelicities that might be found. Acknowledgments A very large number of people have contributed to the research for and writing of this dissertation, too many to name them all individually. Of course, I must mention the singers who allowed me to record their public performances and spent many hours with me in interviews and conversations concerning their art. They showed a great deal of patience in allowing me to intrude upon their homes and their time, explaining to me the meaning and technique of song dueling. They are artists with creative and poetic abilities for which I have profound admiration. These persons were extremely kind to me. They displayed not only a great enthusiasm for their art, but also often a remarkable skill at articulating to me the various facets of desafio . You will see the names of these singers in the text that follows, but I would like to mention them by name here: the great Charrua, his gracious wife Turlu, Vasco Aguiar, José Fernandes, João Plácido, Manuel Antão, António Tabico, Gil Rita and Manuel Rebolo. I must also mention António Cardoso, who, though not a singer of desafio himself, has organized vii viii performances of desafio and took the time to share his rich knowledge with me. To these kind folk I owe a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid. I would like to especially thank José Fernandes, who took me into his confidence and introduced me to the other singers, even though he had never met me before. He encouraged me and gave to me many of the insights that are found in the text that follows. In many ways this dissertation is really his, and it belongs also to all of the singers because it describes the products of their imaginations and is filled with insights from their minds. I would also like to thank the other members of the Portuguese community who let me, a foreigner to their group as well as to Canada, attend their festivals and gatherings, and even record the proceedings. I would especially like to thank Manoel de Melo for allowing me to tape-record the Festivals of the Holy Spirit sponsored by the brotherhood of which he was president. I thank also Padre Melo of the St. Agnes parish, along with António Tabico and other leaders of the Holy Spirit brotherhood from that congregation, who allowed me to accompany the traditional music group, the foliões , and to record their music. I would also like to express my gratitude to the University of Toronto, and particularly Timothy Rice, Associate Professor of Music and Greg Allen of the Media Centre, for the video taping equipment that I used to record some of the performances of desafio . Copies of portions of the recordings I made have been deposited in the audio-visual library of that institution. Of course, many thanks are due to the members of my dissertation committee, Drs. Ruth Stone, Anya Peterson Royce, Heitor Martins, John McDowell, and Merle Simmons. Each member contributed in a unique way to this document. I would especially like to express my gratitude to Dr. Stone, whose view of musical performance as a “music event” has greatly influenced my thinking. Her encouragement has spurred me on to finish the project. I would also like to mention my former professor, Dr. Vida Chenoweth, who first introduced me to the idea of applying tagmemics to music. A number