who asked the first question? - International Research Center For ...

152Afghanistan (Nuristan)One of the world’s most isolated, rich and interesting traditions of vocalpolyphony exists in high mountains of East Afghanistan, among Nuristanians.Hidden from the expansionist politics of Arabs, Mongols, and Persians by thehigh impenetrable mountains of southern slopes of the Hindukush mountains in EastAfghanistan, about 150 000 Nuristanians maintained their independence until the end ofthe 19 th century. In 1896 Afghani Amir Abdur Rahman Khan finally incorporatedNuristanians into Afghanistan, turned them into Moslems and gave their region a newname “Nuristan” (“enlightened”). Prior to this event this region was known inAfghanistan as “Kafiristan” (“Land of Infidels”). As you would expect from the peoplewho live in such isolation, Nuristanians maintain elements of pre-Moslem practices, mostnotably music with the unique polyphony and dances. About half of the Nuristanians alsolive in neighbouring Pakistan. Nuristanians speak Kafir and Dardic languages (belong toIndo-Iranian languages), are agriculturalists and physically differ from the rest of theAfghanistan population.Singing traditions of Nuristanians represent an extremely interesting and isolatedcase of vocal polyphony. I was privileged to become acquainted with over fortypolyphonic songs from Nuristan, recorded by Herman M. Pressl in 1968 and 1969 (I amgrateful to Viennese Phonorgammarchiv for making these recordings available to me).Together with the recordings made by Lennart Edelberg and Klaus Ferdinand in 1953-54(and by Lennart and Margot Edelberg in 1964 and 1970), these recordings representvariety of examples of Nuristan traditional polyphony.According to these recordings, Nuristan polyphony was (at least in the 1960s andthe 1970s) a rich and live tradition, fully functioning in Nuristan society. Both men andwomen sing traditional polyphonic style. They mostly sing separately, but sometimesthey do sing in mixed groups. Polyphony is mostly three-part. Rhythm is always precise.Metre is mostly triple (most popular being 6/8, although 4/4 and the peculiar 5/8 is alsoused). Lydian scale is one of the main scale systems in Nuristan polyphonic songs.Melodies have a small range (mostly up to fourth, or augmented fourth in Lydian scale).Polyphony is based mostly on the use of two principles: ostinato and drone. Drone ismostly rhythmic. Three-bar repetitive structures dominate. Songs are often accompaniedby drums, string instrument wadzh (bowed harp), clapping and dancing.Maybe the most important and salient feature of Nuristan polyphony is theamazing richness of dissonant chords and intervals. Nuristan vocal (and instrumental)music is a true kingdom of secondal dissonances. This abundance of seconds is oftenderived from the leading melodies “jumping” over the drone. If you think of threeindependent parts being squeezed in the space of the fourth (or augmented fourth), it isnot surprising that in some songs seconds are virtually the only interval you hear duringthe whole son g.As transcribed examples of Nuristan polyphony are very scarce, I am includinghere few examples, which I transcribed from the recordings made in Nuristan by HermanM. Pressl in 1968 and 1969. Not available on multi-microphone recordings, theserecordings are not easy to transcribe.The “typical” Nuristan polyphonic song is a three-part composition, with two leadmelodies (mil-alol and at-alol, “lead” and “support” parts) and mostly movable drone