Hocket

Abstract: This paper presents a description of vocal and instrumental polyphonies of Efe pygmies from the Northeast of Zaire. According to the Efe there are three different kinds of music, ɔɓɛ, the music always accompanied by dance, owa, song without dance and ɛmū, the music and dancing of the children. Each of the three different kinds of music is divided in several categories which include a repertoire of songs and dances or songs alone. The most important of these categories are: songs and dances for collecting honey, for hunting, for rituals and for entertainment. Initiation songs belong both to ɔɓɛ and owa, this last kind of music being specific to initiation sites. Efe polyphony is mainly vocal but there are also instrumental polyphonies played on whistles (luma) and horns (tore) both being hocket music. Efe claim that they learn their songs from their ancestors in dreaming. This shows that for the Efe music is part of a coherent world in which both the living and their ancestors take an active part.

Abstract: his Messe de Nostre Dame. Yet in the Prologue to his complete works, written towards the end of his career and containing a proud survey of all the genres to which he contributed, he did not mention his masterpiece even in passing. This enigma remains unsolved in Anne Waiters Robertson's challenging book, which focuses on Machaut's ecclesiastical position at Reims cathedral as a key to the interpretation of his artistic concepts. The works under discussion are mainly those based upon liturgical tenors: the motets, the David Hocket and the Mass. For all these pieces the author proposes fresh and sometimes surprising perspectives. The discussion is divided into three parts: the history of Reims and motets connected directly with the cathedral and its liturgy and ceremonies; motets on themes of courtly love; and, again linked to the history of Reims and Machaut's biography, 'Music of war, kingship and final things' (i.e. the late motets, the David Hocket and the Mass). The first part offers a wealth of documentary evidence about the city of Reims and the cathedral; the history of the building; the iconography of its sculptures and stained glass; its rituals; and, last but not least, its books. We get a clear picture of all the facets of Machaut's daily life as a canon. The discussion of the music begins with two motets that are linked to the churches where Machaut held