Ennanga
Encyclopedia
African harp
s, particularly arched or "bow" harps, are found in several Sub-Saharan African music traditions
, particularly in the north-east. Used from early times in Africa
, they resemble the form of harps in ancient Egypt
with a vaulted body of wood, parchment faced, and a neck, perpendicular to the resonant face, on which the strings are wound.
people of Uganda
. The sound box
is made of a single piece of wood and roughly hemispherical. The top of the box is a stretched resonant membrane made of antelope
skin, tied to a piece of hide at the bottom of the box. The neck is attached to the inside of the box, exits through a small round opening on the membrane, and curves upward for about 60 to 70 cm. Seven or eight strings are attached to a piece of wood inside the box, and extend through the skin to tuning pegs inserted along the neck. Sometimes small metallic rattling pieces are attached to the pegs, to color the sound. It is usually used to accompany men's singing.
The kundi is the five-string harp of the Azande
and related people of Central Africa. It is an instrument traditionally played by young men and boys. A similar type of harp played by the Nzakara people. The instruments are well-known for their ornately-carved heads. The instrument has generally fallen from popularity, though in 1993 some older players were recorded on the album Music from the Bandia Courts.
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
s, particularly arched or "bow" harps, are found in several Sub-Saharan African music traditions
Sub-Saharan African music traditions
Sub-Saharan African music traditions exhibit so many common features that they may in some respects be thought of as constituting a single musical system. While some African music is clearly contemporary-popular music and some is art-music, still a great deal is communal and orally transmitted...
, particularly in the north-east. Used from early times in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, they resemble the form of harps in ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
with a vaulted body of wood, parchment faced, and a neck, perpendicular to the resonant face, on which the strings are wound.
Enanga
The ennanga, nanga or enanga is a type of arched harp played by the GandaGanda
Ganda may refer to:* Ganda, Tibet, China* Ganda people of Uganda** Ganda language* Ganda Sirait, one of the big ethnic groups in Indonesia* Ganda, Angola* Ganda, the ancient Latin name of Ghent, a city in BelgiumPeople with the given name Ganda:...
people of Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
. The sound box
Sound box
A sound box or sounding box is an open chamber in the body of a musical instrument which modifies the sound of the instrument, and helps transfer that sound to the surrounding air. Objects respond more strongly to vibrations at certain frequencies, known as resonances...
is made of a single piece of wood and roughly hemispherical. The top of the box is a stretched resonant membrane made of antelope
Antelope
Antelope is a term referring to many even-toed ungulate species indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelopes comprise a miscellaneous group within the family Bovidae, encompassing those old-world species that are neither cattle, sheep, buffalo, bison, nor goats...
skin, tied to a piece of hide at the bottom of the box. The neck is attached to the inside of the box, exits through a small round opening on the membrane, and curves upward for about 60 to 70 cm. Seven or eight strings are attached to a piece of wood inside the box, and extend through the skin to tuning pegs inserted along the neck. Sometimes small metallic rattling pieces are attached to the pegs, to color the sound. It is usually used to accompany men's singing.
Kundi
Azande
The Azande are a tribe of north Central Africa. Their number is estimated by various sources at between 1 and 4 million....
and related people of Central Africa. It is an instrument traditionally played by young men and boys. A similar type of harp played by the Nzakara people. The instruments are well-known for their ornately-carved heads. The instrument has generally fallen from popularity, though in 1993 some older players were recorded on the album Music from the Bandia Courts.
See also
- African music
- Kafir harpKafir harpThe Kafir harp is a traditional Arched harp used by the Kafirs in the Nuristan province of Afghanistan. It is played during social gatherings, and to accompany epic storytelling or songs of heroic tales...
- KoraKoraKora may refer to:* Kora , a stringed musical instrument of West African origin* Kora , a New Zealand reggae band** Kora , Kora album released in 2007* Kora , a type of pilgrimage in the Buddhist tradition...
- GravikordGravikordThe gravikord is an electric double bridge-harp invented by Robert Grawi in 1986.- Description :The gravikord is a new instrument developed on the basis of the West African kora. It is made of welded stainless steel tubing, with 24 nylon strings but no resonating gourd or skin. The bridge is made...