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Chapter 12
Mbuti Pygmies
Chapter at a Glance
Listen to This First
Texture: Layers upon Layers
Interlocking Rhythms
Connect Your Playlist
Form: A Call-and-Response Ostinato
Chapter Objectives
After reading the chapter and listening to the work, students should be able to:
12.2 Discuss music in the communal culture of Mbuti Pygmies.
12.4 Identify interlocking parts of heterophonic lines.
12.6 Recognize the application of the ostinato principle in global settings.
Key Concepts
Chapter Highlight: Ostinato
Ostinato the repetition of one pattern of notes and rhythms provides a unifying
Chapter Summary
Ostinato provides a simple unifying structure for melodies constructed over it. The
pattern is easy to understand and remember, making it popular and widely used in oral
musical traditions. Mbuti Pygmies use the ostinato in their communal music traditions.
Because they are nomads and survive by hunting and gathering, it is not surprising that
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their music also reflects their cooperative living. All of the lines in their songs are
distributed equally and carefully coordinated, and each part contributes to the song just
Listening Guide
and rhythm. The form divides into short cycles (a total of 10) outlined in the Time
MyMusicLab Resources
Automated Listening Guide
Chapter Audio: Chapter 12
Discussion Topics and Critical Thinking Questions
17.
polyphony?
18. What is a musical hocket? What is the aural effect of hocket? Why do you think
people would incorporate hocket in their music?
Activities and Exercises
Compile a series of videos of Pygmy singing and dancing from the Internet. Review
the files in class, noting the call-and-response structure and the heterophonic lines
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Journaling Prompt
The connection between music and social structure as demonstrated in the Mbuti