The Changing Concept of Desirable Tone Quality in Samoan Choral Singing

by Robert Engle

Prominent among Pacific Island cultural groups is the Various writers who have described the choral tone utilized traditional Samoan choir. Singing is a universal activity in by Polynesian ensembles over most of this century agree on its Samoa. In addition to the functions which parallel the use essential features. Indeed, a 1932 description of it by Henry of music in American life, singing is utilized during sa Crampton could have been written today: (evening family devotions), as a source of fundraising in the villages (in a manner similar to the English and American From a little distance the music sounds as though it were Christmas caroling tradition), in lieu of cheerleading at produced by a splendid reed organ or by an orchestra of cricket and rugby games, as a focus of competition in inter­ woodwind instruments .... The youths drone out the full village festivals, as live or taped background music on the deep notes of the lowest bass, thus giving to the whole bus, and in informal concerts at the marketplace. At home, harmony the organ-point support that so impresses the at a party, or in the park, vocal music is often spontaneous hearer even at the first experience.4 and meant for self-enjoyment. Singing in Samoan culture has enjoyed far more promi­ In recent years, however, Samoan choirs have shown the nence than instrumental music throughout its history.l influence of the Italian bel canto ideal. In American Samoa Participation is universal, regardless of ability or inherited and Hawaii, this change is often linked to non-Samoan skill. Samoans believe the musical aptitude of all children directors of Samoan choirs, the choirs subsequently di­ is equal at birth and that superior ability can be linked to rected by alumni of these choirs, and the influence of non­ superior intelligence.2 Singing satisfies an important social Samoan choirs upon Samoan choirs when these groups objective for Samoans, and the group nature of this activ­ perform on shared programs. ity contributes to that end. A social commentator at the turn of the century observed: Cultural Constants The two institutions of greatest importance in Samoan Solo singing does not attract (the Pacific islander) at all; culture are the communal system and the church. Chiefs (mataz) music is above all things a social function, in his opinion, and pastors are both held in high esteem, and both wield and if he can get a few others (or better still, a few score considerable influence over their constituents.5 Adherence to others) to sit down with him on the ground and begin a the directives of the matai weighs heavily on one's opportunity chorus, he is happy for hours and so are they.3 to eat, and those in the village who do not participate in some form of religion are considered "strange and unusual." 6 A paradox of sorts exists here. On the one hand, Samoans Robert Engle is Director of Music at Kapi'olani Community have mastered adaptation. They contend, for example, that College in Honolulu, Hawaii, and is currently pursuing doctoral they have always been Christians. Before the missionaries ar­ studies at the University of Washington. rived, they practiced an older monotheistic religion that closely paralleled the philosophies of Christ; the missionaries, they

MAY 1993 PAGE 37 ANew explain, simply gave it a new name. In a respectively; when they reach a certain similar manner, other imports have been age (generally around twenty-six), they Sampler "Samoanized" to the extent that they are convert to soprano and bass. 13 considered traditions. In this way, the from culture remains contemporary.7 Priorities in Samoan Music On the other hand, there is concern Until recently, Samoan singing was en­ John Rutter: about cultural erosion. Those who leave the tirelya group endeavor.14 Nearly every tape village often return with new ideas that cause sold in music stores was released by a small "The conflict with tradition. The youth of the vocal group or a church choir. The very villages, caught between time-honored ways recent appearance of tapes by Samoan solo Cambridge and the desire to experiment with new ideas, singers is W{ely a response to the influx of react in extremes. In Western Samoa, this tapes by Hawaiian soloists. Singers has often led to suicide; in American Sa­ moa, the stress has resulted in drug use and Collection! " gang membership. This cultural dilemma, the subject of a recent feature series in the While willing to Honolulu Star-Bulletin, is of great concern 8 embrace and adapt to to older Samoans. While willing to embrace and adapt to imported ideas, Samoans are very concerned about losing traditional ele­ imported ideas, Samoans ments of their culture altogether. Samoans and other indigenous peoples are very concerned about throughout the Pacific are inclined to as­ similate the music of other cultures.9 This losing traditional borrowed music tends to emanate as much from other points in the Pacific as it does elements oftheir culture from America and Europe. Considerable exchange transpires between Polynesian, altogether. Melanesian, and Micronesian island Following last year's celebrated groups, and the resulting music is rarely appearances on the Classical Top distinguished by islanders themselves from The Samoan tradition of unaccompa­ 25 charts, John Rutter and The the older, nonacculturated forms. lo The nied singing seems to be in line with the Cam bridge Singers havereleased possibility exists, then, that outsiders who norm for Pacific island cultures, the The Cambridge Singers Collec­ mal{e distinctions between indigenous availability of instruments notwith­ tion (CSCD 501). It's a dazzling and acculturated music are promoting standing. 15 The Congregational Church sampler of eight Collegium re­ an artificial division based on their own of Fagatogo, American Samoa; uses its cordings, including tracks from value judgments. pipe organ only to begin and end the their yet-to-be-released The As early as 1934, a writer observed: service; all congregational and choir "It is no longer news to stucle.l1ts of ex­ singing is unaccompanied. Competi­ Cambridge Singers A Cappella otic musIc that some primitive peoples tions staged in guest houses, in parks, (COL 119) and Lark in the Clear make use of polyphony without having or on playing fields feature choirs sing­ Air (COL 120)! learned it from Europeans."11 Earlyex­ ing without the use of instruments. To quote one recent review, plorers documented the practice of part­ Even though the American Samoa Com­ "John Rutter and his Cambridge singing before such music could have munity College Choir tours with a full Singers have established a stan­ been influenced by Europe. It is impor­ stage band, they sing most of their dard of singing ... most other tant to note, however, that such part­ program unaccompanied. choirs can only admire and as­ singing was not quite the same as that of Throughout Polynesia, accuracy in pire to ... " the Western tradition. melody and inconsistency of pitch ap­ 16 In finer record stores. Or call: The vocal parts sung by islanders could pear to be oflittle consequence. It was, 1-800-367-9059. be considered "techniques of ornament­ perhaps, this same phenomenon that ing the tune at different levels" rather early travelers to the islands described as than independent parts per se. 12 Further­ improvisation in the songs of Samoans. 17 more, potential solos and voice place­ In fact, there is very little difference in ment are assigned for reasons of age and the melodies of most Samoan songs. Cre­ status, not on the basis of vocal range. ativity and originality in melody is When choral parts are assigned, the girls viewed by Samoans as less important and boys generally sing alto and tenor, than attention to the text. The singer

PAGE 38 CHORAL JOURNAL delights in devising variations for each made deliberate mistakes in checking Changes from the original medium verse of a song. This particular practice, in their transcriptions with native musicians also begin to alter music in a which the singer is given freedom in the in order to observe their reactions. In significant manner. Artistic ex­ use of melodic material, has been de­ cases where the melody or the harmony pression wealcens when it becomes scribed as an "art form" by Samoan music was changed, there was little, if any, reac­ generalized. 26 historian Frances Densmore.18 tion. When the rhythm or the text was In general, dynamic contrast is not a changed, the reaction was concerned and His illustration of choral tone talcen feature ofperformance which receives much immediate. The issue of rhythm was, per­ out of context is particularly relevant: attention trom Samoan choral groups. A haps, not as important as the issue of text, Hawaiian college student described the dy­ but one must remember that rhythm in Imagine, for example, a Brahms namic range of a church choir he watched vocal music is often tied to the text. To motet sung in the nasalized Balinese as having "little observable difference." The Samoans, the text overrides any other style of singing. Unless caution is hymns were all sung loudly, with exceptions musical element; they maintain that "it is continually exercised, Western made only for the hymns sung at cornmun­ what the song says that is important."25 teachers can be caught in the same ion. 19 Another student observer of a differ­ web of errors with regard to other ent service noted "one general dynamic The Matter of Authenticity musicsY level which is quite loud." He mentioned Anthony Palmer has done a thorough the prayer songs as an exception.20 survey on issues surrounding the use of This illustration describes what is hap­ Polynesian choral singing is perhaps cultural music outside the boundaries of pening to young Samoan choirs. To turn most distinguished by the quality of its its original context. He maintains that his illustration around, imagine a tradi­ choral tone. More detailed descriptions tional Samoan chant sung in a bel canto of tone quality exist than are available for when any music is removed from style by an ensemble of young Samoans. any other particular performance consid­ its native habitat, even by the This is precisely what is talcing place in the eration. A 1974 account describes the culture's practitioners, the dynamics choirs at American Samoa Community women's vocal production as high and of the live musical process of College. In many of the Assembly of God nasal, while the men "carry the lower parts communication change .... churches, both in Hawaii and in Samoa, with full, deep tones."21 Other commen­ tators have described the singing as "ro­ bust, sometimes throaty,"22 and "very straight ... no vibrato at all."23 One Get your free copy of writer advanced an interesting hypothesis regarding the vocal quality utilized by Sa­ moan women: "ABOUT MUSI~~

Polynesian culture is so reliant upon the very different conformity that there are very few catalog of audio and situations in which encouragement or even grudging permission is video cassettes from given to innovation, but an Audio-Forum exception is made for women while Here are just a few of the hard-to-find or never-before­ they are singing-then they are free available programs in our all-new ABOUT MUSIC catalog: to be themselves. Typically, the Samoan woman's voice is soft and • History of Music of • A Musical Evening with Jane the Western World Austen and Emily Bronte mellow. However, when she is • Authenticity of Performance • Learning to Read Music singing, it takes on a shrill, harsh • The Singing Bowls of Tibet • Krishna in Spring (video) quality. One gets the impression • America's Musical Past • Chinese Instruments and that, in attempting to fulfill their • Nansi Richards: Queen Music (video) needs for exerting their indi­ of the Triple Harp • Musicality and Personality vidualism, Samoan women have ... and hundreds more, including an extensive list of developed this unique and special authentic ethnic music from around the world. way of singing. 24 The catalog is a musical treasure trove. You'll enjoy browsing through its exceptionally diverse offering of audio and video 41i1i..... Experiments have been conducted by tape selections. ethnomusicologists to determine the pri­ Call 1-800-243-1234 for free catalog or write: Contemporary orities Samoans assign to the various ele­ sketch of Schubert ments of their music. Vernon Williams aUDla-,:aaum® reports cases in which researchers have Room K 519, 96 Broad Street, Guilford, c.t 06437

MAY 1993 PAGE 39 the choirs work to cultivate the sound and new tone still Polynesian? These are issues issues (intonation, balance, blend, and style of African-American church choirs. At that will be decided not by ethnomusicolo­ tone quality) would not receive priority Brigham Young University's Hawaii campus, gists, but by Polynesians themselves. either. Many of the Samoans interviewed Tongan choirs mimic the sound ofAmerican As mentioned earlier, fidelity in text for this project did not understand the college choirs; at Kamehameha Schools, Ha­ and rhythm assume high priority over concept of tone quality at all. Their an­ waiian students sing Hawaiian choral litera­ melody and harmony in Samoan music. swers indicated a confusion between this ture with a highly developed Western tone. In fact, the more variation a performer area and the issues of style, choral ar­ Are these performances no longer au­ brings to the melody, the more artistic he rangement, and function. thentic? Or has the authenticity changed? or she is perceived to be. With so little Most Samoan and Polynesian choirs At what point in the development of ethnic attention given to precision in melody now utilizing a Western tone quality are music is authenticity determined? Is the and harmony, it would seem that related directed by a non-Polynesian (or were at some time in the past). In some cases, the directors are Polynesians who have stud­ ied with non-Polynesian directors. A very interesting case is the sixty-voice Moanalua Samoan Congregational Youth Choir, which existed between 1978 and 1981. Their Samoan director, "Ike" SataralGl, decided to seek a new director for the group. His choice was a Japanese-American music major from the University of Hawaii. The new conductor transformed the choral tone ofthe group from the typical Samoan sound to a tone more similar to a very good West­ ern high school choir. This group was one of the first Samoan choirs in Hawaii to malce this change. The results were not only well-received by the Samoan community; but demand for performances by this group among non-Samoans escalated. The Methodist Church Choir of Pava'ia'i, American Samoa, has a spec­ tacular sound by Western standards. Their director, Arona Nagaseu, has been influ­ enced by Robert Lewis, the director of the American Samoa Community Col­ lege choral program. Lewis, a non-Sa­ moan, has directed the college program for the past fifteen years. The E Himeni Kalwu Choral Festival for Hawaii's college and university choirs has included the American Samoa Com­ munity College Choir on two different occasions. Choral tours around the Pacific by this Samoan group, by Kamehameha Schools (Honolulu), and by the Maile Aloha Singers of Kapi'olani Community College (Honolulu) have stimulated mu­ tual interest between touring groups and host groups in the areas of repertoire, per­ formance practices, and choral tone. One venture of particular interest was the 1989 production of an all-Samoan music recording by non-Samoans, the Maile Aloha Singers. The ensemble, desirous of thanking the Samoan commu­ nity for an outstanding reception in 1987,

PAGE 40 CHORAL JOURNAL LYRIC CHOIR GOWNS released Pese Paia (Sacred Songs), a tape of loss of the traditional Pacific tonal ideal from $25.95 "Professionally tailored gowns of twelve, newly composed pieces based on would be very sad. lasting beauty: ' texts from the Samoan Bible. Their return trip in 1989, during which they hoped Attitudes FREE to distribute and market the recording, of Non-Samoan Directors catalog and was undertaken with some degree of ap­ James Smith of Brigham Young Uni­ • .L\.oI..I.I.U."" samples. versity-Hawaii participates actively in the Write today. prehension. How would Samoans react to Since 1955 ... this music based on American melodic Ethnic Club's Competition and some­ LYRIC patterns and performed by non-Samoans times recruits singers from that activity with a Western tone quality? The reaction for his concert choir. He expresses admi­ was uniformly positive. The Samoans ex­ ration for the effective breathing tech­ pressed delight in the degree of interest nique that Polynesian singers customarily shown in their culture by non-Samoans utilize in singing music of their own cul­ and made several positive comments on tures. The Tongan and Samoan singers language proficiency. Many people who then learn to alter their tonal production Madison Boychoir heard the recording were surprised to find in his concert choir. The Polynesian stu­ Music Director The Madison Boychoir is now accepting out that the group was not Samoan. This dents who experience this change attach applications for Music Director. Responsibilities last expression of approval makes a sig­ little importance to it. They often express include overall artistic direction of over 80 nificant statement regarding the tone a preference for the new sound and teach it choristers(age 8-14) inthree choirs, two evening rehearsals per week, three major concerts, a quality that is acceptable to Samoans. The to their own ethnic groups. summer camp, a winter weekend, an annual tone quality of the Maile Aloha Singers Dale Noble, one of the choral direc­ tour, and other appearances. Qualifications was not at all similar to the tone which tors at Kamehameha Schools, maintains includeeclucation and experience in choral music, with emphasis on boychoir, knowledge of had been the norm in Samoa for many that the Hawaiian choral tradition as it literature, and teaching experience. Applications years, yet this Western sound was not nec­ exists today is based on a Western model. should be sent to: Madison Boychoir Search essarily linked with non-Samoans. To seek out a different tone for Hawai­ Committee, P.O. Box 326, Madison WI 53701. Recent interest in Western tone quality ians, therefore, is a senseless exercise. For additional information, call 608/256-5709. is evident in other areas of Polynesia as well. Kamehameha School is a private in­ stitution in Honolulu restricted to students of Hawaiian ancestry. AB the school's cho­ The "World~ Most Beloved ral groups traveled to various Pacific is­ lands, host directors became interested in and Enduring Musical Classic novv in a unique and unforgettable draIn.atic the Western tone quality produced by the presentation froIn. Wodd Wide Pictures Hawaiian students. Cook Islanders asked Kamehameha director Randie Fong in a Ten years ago, western Canada's television interview why the Hawaiian stu­ George Frederick Handel's dents were able to sing Rarotongan music largest cosmopolitan church, Calvary Temple, in Winnipeg, "better" than Rarotongan youth could. Manitoba, began an experiment. An interesting and significant meeting They added drama and original took place in Rarotonga in May 1992. _.ESSIAH narration to the Messiah-resulting The Kamehameha Schools Concert Glee in six sold-out performances Club had prepared a number of Cook annually in their 2,500-seat Islands songs to perform during a visit to The Life of Christ Rarotonga. The Cook Islands Minister of YOUR PACKAGE INCLUDES: . Culture and the Arts was so talcen by the • A IOO-minute full-color VHS video cassette recorded live tone quality exhibited by the young Ha­ at Calvary Temple, featuring over 300 musicians and waiian singers that he invited their direc­ dramatists. (,ug. rerail $29.95) tor to coach Cook Island singers in • A 90-minute Dolby-stereo audio cassette of the live preparation for their performance at the performance, complete with original narration. (,ug. retail $9.95) upcoming South Pacific Festival of the • A 72-page Production Manual includes--narration, lyrics, LB Arts. He was interested in having the drama notes, stage layouts, costuming, cues, set designs, prop Rarotongan singers emulate the sound of suggestions and more. Spiral-bound for easy use with abundant space for notes. (,ug. retail $29.95) the Kamehameha choir. WlJRlD WIDE PICTUR£S.INC. While flattered, Fong was not abso­ Make il Happen lor You Today! Call: lutely sure how to define his own position with regard to altering a traditional tone. He expressed the feeling that a complete ~ 1-800-745-4318 ~

MAY 1993 PAGE 41