A SHORT STUDY ON ZUJ.U MUSIC. 257 



A Short Study on Zulu Music. 



By 

 Rov. Father Fraiix ]^Iayr. 



With Plates XLIII aiul XLIV. 



The Zulus have a great liking and a certain natural ability 

 for music, whicli rejoices the hearts of old and young alike 

 of both sexes. 



In spite, however, of the good musical ear which most 

 Zulus possess, and their great fondness for playing musical 

 instruments and for singing, it cannot be said that they have 

 reached any proficiency in either instrumental or vocal 

 music. 



At the end of this article there will be given some eight 

 examples of Zulu songs. These have been taken down with 

 care, and may be regarded as fairly accurate transcriptions ; 

 they wall clearly show the absence of art, or at least Avhat 

 Europeans would call art. Nevertheless, the study of native 

 music should prove of interest, and it discloses a considerable 

 variety of strange airs and rhythms, especially in the direc- 

 tion of dances. It is certainly high time for such a study, as 

 European music is rapidly penetrating into every part of the 

 'country, and harmonicas, concertinas, etc., are taking the 

 place of the original primitive instruments. 



I. Instrumental Music. 



The native musical instruments will now be described. 



(1) Umqangala, or stringed bow (PI. XLIII, figs. 1-3). 

 It is made of a bent stick or reed with a string of ox-tendon 

 stretched tightly across. The bows vary considerably in size. 



