SIMHA AROM THE MUSIC OF THE BANDA-LINDA

Fieldwork with the aim of recording the overall repertoire of a Banda-Linda horn ensemble led me to the study and analysis of the shapes in which this particular type of orally-transmitted multipart music functions. Among the Banda-Linda – about 27,000 people residing in a wooded savanna region in the heart of the Central African Republic – horn orchestras are associated with the rites of passage of young boys. They comprise from 10 to 18 instruments whose sizes vary from 30 to 180 cm., and one pair pellet-bells (see Figs. 1 and 2 in the appendix). The 6 highest-tuned instruments, made of antelope horn, have a lateral mouthpiece while the rest, made of wood, are end blown. The repertoire of such orchestras includes about 15 pieces, all of which correspond to traditional folk songs current in the Banda-Linda community. In order to highlight the musical principles underlying this particular repertoire I propose to submit one of its pieces, the 18-part “ndereje balendoro”,2 to a detailed analysis of all its constituent elements. The purpose of this analysis is to uncover the code underlying a certain message, i.e., to proceed from one of the possible varian