Sengenya Dance Of The Digo Community: Documentation Of Social Context, Music Transcriptions And Acoustic Measurements Of Selected Instruments

This paper documents social and cultural aspects of Sengenya music which is practiced by Digo community (from the coast region in Kenya). Specifically the paper addresses (a) Background and Regional (Country) Context, (b) Social Context and Description of Sengenya Music, (c) Melodic transcriptions of Chivoti melodies, rhythmic transcriptions of the Six Drum Rhythms, and (d) Acoustic Measurement of selected chivoti Instruments and pitch registers of the drums used to accompany the dance. While there has been some documentation (Zake 1986, Darkwa 1991, Nyakiti 2007) of general social /cultural aspects of the Digo people (including other Coastal communities), scanty information exists on transcription of melodic instruments, drum rhythms, acoustic measurements and discussion of Chivoti instrument(s). Current paper is dedicated to these later areas (transcription, acoustic measurements) for purposes of information dissemination of selected Kenyan traditional music. It achieves desired objective by involving insider perspective through Mtawali, Raymond, Mackenzie (oral interview June 2013), along with transcriptions and scientific measurements of instruments used in the performance of Sengenya music. It may very well be that such documentation and scholarly treatment of this music had not been attempted before, and so this paper contributes appropriately towards preservation and promotion of Kenyan traditional music.