James Burney in Polynesia - the 1770's
from With Captain James Cook in the Antarctic and Pacific, page 84:
They sing in parts, keeping the Same time and varying the 4 notes without ever going beyond them. So many singers & so few notes you always hear the whole together. The difference of Words and Voices make some variety. The Singers (that I heard) were all women. One confined herself entirely to the Lower Note which acted as a Drone. They sing slow and ended with the minor Chord
MUSIC NOTATION GIVEN
cite as
James Burney, With Captain James Cook in the Antarctic and Pacific (Canberra, 1975), p. 84. https://led.kmi.open.ac.uk/entity/lexp/1394295202764 accessed: 5 December, 2024
Listeners
Listening to
hide composersfolk song |
Experience Information
Date/Time | the 1770's |
Medium | live |
Listening Environment | in the company of others, outdoors |
Notes
episode observed during Cook’s 2nd voyage 1772-75
Originally submitted by Ivan Hewett on Sat, 08 Mar 2014 16:13:23 +0000