Skip to main content

Kwà-àjáyámmá (Vocal Group, Agulu, 1911)

Audio Arts
Original N. W. Thomas recording of vocal group, Agulu, present-day Anambra State, Nigeria, February 1911. (NWT 449; BL C51/2334.)

An audio recording of a women's dance song recorded by Northcote Thomas in Agulu, present-day Anambra State, Nigeria, in February 1911. The performance features Kwà-àjáyámmá, which consists of an onomatopoeic sound and chorused response to the melodic calls of a soloist. The wax cylinder recording exhibits low-fidelity sound with high-frequency hiss and noise.

Community Notes

Onyeka Nwokike

Apr 23, 2026

The audio quality is a result of the mechanical nature of the recording equipment available to Northcote Thomas. As detailed in the Ikenna Onwuegbuna archives, sound was captured via a horn that funneled waves onto a membrane and cutting needle rather than electronically through a microphone. This required the sound source to be positioned very close to the horn; consequently, while soloists singing directly into the horn recorded clearly, the chorus and instrumentalists positioned further away often failed to register well.

Onyeka Nwokike

Apr 23, 2026

The term Kwà-àjáyámmá refers to a non-lexical, onomatopoeic text used to describe the syncopated rhythmic movements of dancers. The song's thematic content, as described by the Musical returns and revivals project, focuses on innovations the group introduced after traveling to distant places, celebrated through dance and choral response.

Onyeka Nwokike

Apr 23, 2026

In 2019, ethnomusicologist Dr. Ikenna Onwuegbuna of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, created a contemporary reworking of the recording to add vocal harmony and instrumental accompaniment. To adhere to traditional Igbo gender-based restrictions, he selected specific instruments—including the Álō (metal gong), Ùdù (pot drum), Ị‌chākā (beaded gourd rattles), Ọ‌kpọ‌kọ‌lọ‌ (wooden claves), Ōgénè (clapperless bells), and Ékwé (wooden slit-drum)—a process documented in Musical returns and revivals.

Log in to add context.

Previous
Portrait of a Woman Seated on a Bentwood …
Next
Palm Oil Market Scene in Akwete

You May Also Like

Discussion

No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Discussion

Guest Mode