musical instruments, instruments, tantsa

From the General Catalogue: Tsantsa with 11 keys, eljest ss 284. General text about musical instruments at shokwe, from the catalogue: Musical instruments may first mention the tall and narrow, completely hollow skinned tensioned drums, usually adorned with carvings or reliefs. They have Pflockspannung. Playing standing on the ground and the musician himself standing. If he is sitting, the drum is laid against his knees. Membran of antelope or goat skin. A stain of kautchuk is always applied to the skin and is heated under that barrel, which takes place more. The hourglass dual-drum strips are skinned in both ends, and have on the middle handles, as well as pea adorned with carvings or reliefs. In the narrower center piece there are round openings in which are inserted calebass necks with membranes of spider web (See Baumaan p.212 and Livingstone, Missionary Travels, p 293). According to Bauman, this type of drumming was probably the Lunda Duchy. The king’s drum was killed at his death (the skin was torn). The large flat, tapered non-skinned wooden barrel, one of which is in collection, was used as well as the other drums at parties. Drum orchestras occur. Signal drums were present before, but had different shape (such as lying cylinders). Tsantsan or Negro piano is very popular, but an individual instrument, not used in dances. Large gourd, often used as a resonant base. See Bauman pr. 212. Iron or tube keys. Scallers play a great role in shokwe, and have more or less to do with cult and magic. Ordinary, they are honoured on a stick with the seeds of the fruit peel. Several such are connected to serve as a shaft, used exclusively for cult purposes. (See Bauman p. 214-15). The whistleblowers are usually beautifully worked and ornate. Elderly ones in particular elegant, mostly adorned with a sculpted head.