The musical arts of Vanuatu remain largely undocumented – whether in the detail of their instruments, melodies and rhythms, or the poetic forms and styles used in the songs themselves. And yet, these artistic practices include treasures worthy of being brought to light.
This album aims to recreate the various musical atmospheres experienced by Vanuatu people in their lives. After listening to nature and the music it inspires (Jew’s harp, water games), this musical journey meets daily life at the village with wedding and end-of-mourning ceremonies with dances, singing and drumming. The pace goes slower with lullabies, children rhymes, or quiet moments listening to the musical bow or to interlocked whistles; but the celebration starts again as villagers dance along the gems of Vanuatu’s oral literature, the ‘titi’ songs based on colourful and elliptic poems.
The secular world of the village contrasts with the closed circles of important chiefs and Big Men, whose solemn grade-taking ceremonies are marked by the large slit gongs.