The Fifth International Symposium on Traditional Polyphony ...

Lithuanian and Ainu Vocal Polyphony: Certain Parallels
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Some of the analogies I’ve differentiated undoubtedly could be universal, equally characteristic of
the Lithuanian and Ainu vocal polyphony as well as of the polyphonic traditions of other nations (e.g.,
predominance of singing by women, ritualistic origin of songs, synchronisation of music-dance-poetry,
singing like the piping of birds and the like). Actually there are even more mysterious similarities, e.g., 5-string
cittern-type of instruments are known in the traditions of both countries: the Lithuanian kanklės (used only to
play polyphonic sutartinės (fig. 11, 12) and the Ainu tonkori (fig. 13, 14). <strong>The</strong>refore today’s observations are
merely the beginning of further, in-depth studies.
Clearly, despite the differences in the Lithuanian and Ainu vocal traditions (especially in the production
of sound and the area of articulation), certain ancient principles of creativity in common unifies them (of which
some are undoubtedly universal, found in numerous cultures with archaic traditions). <strong>The</strong> major similarity is
the canonical (imitative) organisation of the voices. <strong>The</strong>refore I would like to return to the concept of canon
itself. <strong>The</strong> literature on ethnomusicology usually refers to the Lithuanian sutartinės (trejinės) as canonical
or simply as canons (this term is also valid for Ainu polyphony). Meanwhile canon is a rather late term in
musicology; its current usage did not prevail prior to the 15 th -16 th century. <strong>The</strong> genesis of the canon concept
is rather complex and it reflects various stages of evolvement. <strong>The</strong> idea of canon-perpetual imitation in
European professional polyphony had entirely different names for the genre – rota, rondel in English; radel or
“wheel” in German; rotula, caccia in Italian and chasse, chase in French. <strong>The</strong> last two terms can mean ‘hunt’,
‘chase’, ‘persecution’ or ‘race’. Such names are a picturesque depiction of the principle for the structure of the
canon (one voice seemingly “hunts” another). Folk singers described the canon of the sutartinės analogically:
“No. I says, ‘Aš vedziāsiu (I’m leading [dialect])’, and No. II says, ‘Aš paskui tavi (I’m after you [dialect])” 26 ;
“Voice II starts from the beginning and, up to the end, chases after the first voice” 27 and similarly. <strong>The</strong>
canon principle is told in similar words in Southern Russia, which is noted for its strong tradition of vocal
and instrumental polyphony. <strong>The</strong> terminology of overtone flute players reflects the principle of following
(imitating): “Watch and follow me. Repeat the same!” (Ivanov, 1993: 63–64). Here the teaching tradition
conforms to the logic of canon: “<strong>The</strong> ‘followers’ repeat after the ‘leader’, following from behind (Ivanov,
1993: 52). This reminds of the principle of the entry in stages by skudučiai ‘pan pipe-type flutes’ in Lithuanian
polyphonic music 28 . Quite frequently, the first one following behind the following party is the duplication in
canon of its rhythm motifs (in either the simple or “crab” canon).
<strong>The</strong> canon principle is distinguished as essential to the peliani ‘woodwind type’ playing tradition of the
Komi (USSR Republic) people of Perm. <strong>The</strong> roles of the peliani player pairs are strictly delineated: “ötik
posššo – möbik vötö ‘one runs – the other chases’”, one starts blowing – the other one ‘chases, persecutes’
from behind and one ‘talks, says’ – the other one ‘replies’” 29 . <strong>The</strong> canon principle of “pursuit” is also cha–
racteristic of the kugikli ‘pan pipe-type flute’ playing tradition of Southern Russia: “the priduval’nye ‘the ones
blowing’ follow those playing a set of 5 pipes who lag behind by a polšaga ‘half-step’, and their breathing
is in opposition to the breathing of the main blowers” (Velichkina, 1993: 80). An analogical principle can be
distinguished in African music as well. For example, in Uganda (East Africa), the playing of two xylophonists
is based on duple-division interlocking - the second musician enters lagging a “half a part” behind the first one
(Kubik, 1988: 28) 30 . This principle of kreutzrhytmik ‘rhythmical intertwining’ is characteristic of playing both
“percussion” and “woodwind” instruments in Africa and, at times, even of “singing” music 31 .
<strong>The</strong>se last cases of polyphony indicate that manifestations of canon (constant chasing, learning from the
“elder”, imitating and the like) accomplish the organisation for different voices parts in numerous polyphonic
music traditions, i.e., the function of coordinating amongst one another (though, actually, the latter does not