Gongola Traditional Musician Painting

Gongola Traditional Musician Lutes are of two main types, those with trough-shaped resonators usually carved from a block of wood, and those with ovoid or circular resonators made from gourds. These are typically spike-lutes, in other words the neck is a stick that passes into the body of the resonator and the strings are looped over it once they pass the bridge, which is held to the skin soundboard by the pressure of the strings. More recently, small instruments with resonators from sardine tins or even plastic bottles can be seen. The strings were typically gut or tendons, but are now usually made of nylon. Historically, these instruments seem to be associated with the northern regions and are typical of Hausa and Kanuri, but it seems they were long ago absorbed into the traditional music of many peoples of the Plateau.The musical bow is found west of the Plateau proper, in the region of Southern Zaria. Shaped like a hunting bow, the string is held between the open lips so that the mouth acts as a resonant cavity. The performer holds a short stick in one hand and presses it against the string to divide it at intervals to produce different harmonic series. Another longer and thinner stick then strikes the string directly; by altering the shape of the mouth cavity, the different harmonic can be emphasized in the same manner as a Jews’ harp. The musical bow is associated with the agricultural year and can be played together with a singer for songs of social comment. The earliest record of Nigerian music appears to be Day (1892) who analysed some musical instruments and transcriptions brought back by the Mockler-Ferryman expedition up the Niger. Some of his material is clearly form the Igbo areas, but instruments such as the arched harp are typical of Central Nigeria, along with the cruciform whistle and the transverse horn. Traditional music in Nigeria is strongly associated with its oral culture and with the subsistence agriculture typical of village communities. In larger ethnic groups such as the Hausa and Yoruba, a thriving urban culture has allowed various musical genres to make the transition to cities and to be taken up by radio and television. However, for minority ethnic groups, this division does not exist; when households migrate to towns they find it difficult to maintain their language and still more village music. For example, among the Eten it is called iŋgaŋgoŋ and may only be played from June to January, when the crops are growing and up to harvest.

Painting:Oil on Canvas

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:40 W x 40 H x 1 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.