The Conchshell Band as Preserver of German and Papua New Guinean Lutheran Traditions
Author(s)
Title
The Conchshell Band as Preserver of German and Papua New Guinean Lutheran Traditions
Publication Type
Language
eng
Number of Pages
16
Location
Papua New Guinea
Keywords
conchshell band
Lutheran church
Relevance to ICH Safeguarding
ICH Genre
Description
European Christian missionaries entering PNG at the end of the 19th century expected their converts to learn to sing European hymns properly. However, the results were often less than desired. German Lutheran missionaries, particularly Heinrich Zahn, greatly improved such singing through the innovative use of a traditional instrument: the conchshell trumpet. Although traditionally played singly, for the multipart textures of European hymns, it was played in an ensemble, with each shell producing one pitch. Today, amidst a phenomenal transformation to a hymnody largely based on PNG music, the conchshell band preserves German Lutheran hymnody.
Book/Journal Title
Publisher
University of Bamberg
Place of Publication
Bamberg
Date of Publication
1998
Volume
40
Pages
53-68
ISBN
0043-8774
Academic Field
ethnomusicology
anthropology
Community/Ethnic Group
Jabêm
Morobe
Contributor
Active Contribution
Papua New Guinea, FY 2024