SESUTO SOXXtS and MUbiC. 



By Rev. Father Norton, S.S.M. 



Having made a collection of the words of some forty or 

 fifty Bantu songs, I endeavoured to do what has not been done 

 so often, namely, to get the tunes recorded. I have not had 

 the advantage of a phonograph, and my ear is not as good as 

 T could wish, but constant checking of my results by other 

 people has led me to the conclusion that I can safely depend 

 on them to establish the main theme of this note, namely, that 

 Sesuto tunes are largely pentatonic or in the old Scotch scale 

 d' 1 S m r d, in which is written, for example, the older and 

 most lovely tune of " Auld Robin Gray." In other words, 

 there is no interval smaller than a tone, and tonal intervals are 

 varied with minor thirds, but nothing so small as a semi- 

 tone. This is, of course, only a rough description of the in- 

 tervals, and an examination of the tunes, as sung, with proper 

 apparatus for scientific calculation of vibrations, would pro- 

 bably reveal that the intervals (as usually sung, whether so in- 

 tended or not) do not correspond very closely to ours. So little, 

 however, is done for Bantu music that I venture to submit my 

 results, in hope that musical experts may throw light upon 

 them, and that others more qualified may take the matter up. 



I have always felt that a comparative study of the Bantu and 

 neighbouring oriental systems might throw great light on the 

 provenance of the race, and I should hope that some one with 

 an adequate knowledge of comparative music be appointed by 

 this association to receive tunes from the various missionaries 

 and others who are in a position to collect them.* 



The tunes I have collected are twenty-three Suto, two 

 ■Chwana, one Xosa, one Zulu; but I have also examined care- 

 fully four Xosa of Bishop Callaway, nine Zulu of Father Mayr, 

 three from Mr. Kidd's books, and four Bushman tunes from 

 Stow. As for the latter, not one is Pentatonic; a long speci- 

 men of Mr. Kidd's. however, from Gazaland is; also the Zulu 

 and three of the five Xosa, not counting an evidently modern 

 one of boys searching for work, which says with amusing 

 impartiality, '^ Aikona zvhitcman, aikona hlackman : mina ham- 

 bile funa skaf." As we come nearer to the Basuto we find the 

 Pentatonic character much more widespread. The Barolong 

 of this district do not seem to know many Becoana songs, of 

 which, however, I have secured two examples, both pentatonic. 

 One is a lullaby of a nurse asking the child why he cries, and 

 complaining to him that she is starved by his mother. This 

 very charming Suto lullaby with a delightful rocking tune re- 

 minding one of " Rockaby baby," apparently contains a semi- 

 tone in one of its fioriture, but I doubt whether it was originallv 

 sung so. I think my version is right, for it was made with 

 the help of an accomplished musician and authority on old 

 music, Mr. Frere, as also some of the other records. There 

 is another version of this lullaby confessed to be modern bv 

 mention of the sixpence refused by the baby's father. Of the 



* I have to acknowledge the kind loan by the Baroness Posse of Oscarherg, 

 Rorke's Drift, of her valuable collection of Zulu songs. (Note. — This collec- 

 tion was placed on the table for inspection.) 



