CAMEROON – CAMEROUN Musique Fali – Nord Cameroun – Ocora SOR 9

CAMEROON – CAMEROUN
Musique Fali – Nord Cameroun – Ocora SOR 9, recorded by Jean-Gabriel Gauthier, published 1962 (10 in, 33 RPM)

Following Musique Sacrée des Fali de Ngoutchoumi, recorded by Jean-Gabriel Gauthier* in 1966, we now present earlier recordings of Fali music (published in 1961) recorded by Gauthier in the village of Ngoutchoumi, in the arid Northern Cameroon mountains. This precious album, recorded when the Fali people were still practicing their traditional religion, rites and ancestral ways, includes call-reponse vocals, eerie polyphonic bark whistles and horns (A1, A6, B3, B6), drums (A1, A2, A4, A6, B3, B5, B6), harp (A3, A5, B2) and flutes (B1, B4).

Après Musique Sacrée des Fali de Ngoutchoumi enregistré par Jean-Gabriel Gauthier en 1966, nous présentons maintenant des enregistrements de musique Fali plus anciens réalisés par Jean-Gabriel Gauthier dans le village de Ngoutchoumi dans les montagnes arides du Nord Cameroun sorti sur disque en 1962. Ces précieuses musiques enregistrées à une époque où les Fali vivaient encore pleinement leurs traditions religieuses, leurs rites et leurs coutumes ancestrales, comprennent des chants en appel-réponse, des sifflets en écorce et des trompes polyphoniques aux sonorités éthérées (A1, A6, B3, B6), des tambours (A1, A2, A4, A6, B3, B5, B6), des harpe (A3, A5, B2) et des flûtes (B1, B4).

A1 – Friend, I’d like to accompany you to your grave (Funeral song); singers, wooden Kewal whistles and two Nonji M'Dom (female principle) and Tondji N'Dom (male principle) drums.

 

A2 – Mimed narration of a war song against the Lakka in Kangu language; singers and drums.

 

A3 – Love song; singers and Kidingding harp. 

 

A4 – Your bean leaves have a suspicious smell (Satirical song); singers and drums.

 

A5 – Love song about Daouniré, a chief’s daughter; singers and harp.

 

A6 – Work song; singers, drums and wooden whistles.

 

B1 – Straight four-hole notched Feigam flute solo.

 

B2 – A girl from my family fell into a pit (Song of the Koumbandji warrior clan); singers and harp.

 

B3. Why did you go up on the mountain? (Satirical song); singers and harp.

 

B4 – Duet of Feïgam four-hole flutes. 

 

B5 – Narration of the battle between FuriI and N'Goutchoumi; singers and drums.

 

B6 – Song for the birth of two twins; singers, drums and wooden whistles.

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*Ethnologist and archeologist Jean-Gabriel Gauthier (1929-2008) immersed himself in Fali culture over many extended trips he made to Northern Cameroon between 1956 and 2003. Gauthier studied the Fali’s elaborate funeral rites (like his brilliant recording of a funeral ceremony for a deceased chief on Side A of the 1966 album shared below).

Our other Fali music share from Northern Cameroon recorded by Jean-Gabriel Gauthier:

Musique Sacrée des Fali de Ngoutchoumi – ETHNO-DOCUMENTS ED 01 – 1966 here

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