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LINER NOTES[Notes from the African Music Transcription Library catalogue published by Gallo Records in 1952. These notes are probably penned by Hugh Tracey, who was often notoriously paternalistic.] The Twsana Group is related to the Sotho, but is found largely in Bechuanaland and in the North Western districts of South Africa. Gallotone GB 994 T "Godumaduma gwa mosadi" "Kgokong" The Slow movement and the fast movement of a flute dance, with 16 single pipes. By Tswana flute dancers, led by Modiseng. Note—The simple flute ensemble dances of a simple people. To the tune of the pipes the men dance slowly round a circle. |
FLUTE ENSEMBLE DANCE BY TSWANA MEN
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NOTESEthnomusicologist, Hugh Tracey joined Gallo Africa, Ltd. in 1946. At the time, Gallo saw the relationship as a lucrative way to compete with Trutone Records who in 1947 began dispatching field-recording units into rural areas. Tracey would do the same for Gallo (from 1948-1963), and while building on his own research into African music, would provide Gallo with many gems for commercial use. Tracey's mobile recording unit was called African Music Research (AMR) and the archive he began building became the African Music Transcription Library (AMTL)—the precursor to ILAM. Many of the Tracey recordings published by Gallo on their Gallotone label usually make reference to "African Music Research" on the label; and the catalogue number often, though not always, contains a single "T" at the end. In 1947 Tracey and others formed the African Music Society (AMS) an organisation dedicated to researching African Music. The AMS published a series of newsletters from 1948 to 1953. In July of 1951 Gallo published the first catalogue of Tracey's African Music Transcription Library which featured information on 357 (78 rpm) records. In July of 1952 a second catalogue was published this time with 577 records. Many of these recordings would form the basis of Tracey's 210 LP Sound of Africa series. In 1953 Tracey formed The International Library of African Music (ILAM) in Rhoodepoort, outside Johannesburg. The building housing the ILAM collection was erected by Eric Gallo with Tracey renting it from Gallo Records. ILAM was registered as a non-profit organization. After Tracey's death in 1973, ILAM was re-located to its present home at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa. |
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