dundun ensemble

E55737

The dundun ensemble is a traditional Yoruba musical group centered around hourglass-shaped talking drums that mimic speech tones and accompany ceremonies, dances, and praise singing.

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Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
dundun talking drum 1

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Yoruba musical ensemble
drum ensemble
traditional musical group
associatedLanguage Yoruba language
associatedWith Yoruba ceremonial music
Yoruba dance music
Yoruba praise poetry
communicationMedium tonal patterns imitating Yoruba language
culturalContext Yoruba people
culturalSignificance marker of status at events
symbol of Yoruba identity
definingFeature use of talking drums that mimic speech tones
ensembleLeader master drummer
ensembleStructure hierarchy of drums with different sizes and pitches
instrumentType hourglass-shaped drum
materialCulture drums with tension cords to change pitch
musicalFunction accompany ceremonies
accompany dances
accompany praise singing
musicalRole communication of speech through drum tones
rhythmic accompaniment
support for vocalists
performancePractice call-and-response patterns
improvisation based on speech tones
performanceSetting outdoor gatherings
palaces and courtyards
religious shrines
primaryInstrument dundun ensemble self-linksurface differs
surface form: dundun talking drum
region Western Nigeria
surface form: Southwestern Nigeria

Western Nigeria
surface form: Yorubaland
rhythmicFeature polyrhythmic patterns
socialFunction community entertainment
praise of important persons
ritual support
transmission of oral history
soundCharacteristic highly variable pitch
speech-like intonation
tempoRange variable tempo depending on dance or ceremony
traditionType oral tradition
transmissionMode apprenticeship
usedFor announcing messages to a community
honoring deities and ancestors
royal court music
usedIn chieftaincy events
festivals
religious ceremonies
social celebrations
weddings

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Yoruba musicTradition dundun ensemble
dundun ensemble primaryInstrument dundun ensemble self-linksurface differs
this entity surface form: dundun talking drum