African Sanctus
African Sanctus is a 1972 choral Mass and is the best-known work of British composer and collector of world musics David Fanshawe.[1]
In African Sanctus the
A key moment in the conception of African Sanctus came at the beginning of Fanshawe's 1969 journey, in Egypt. Sitting in a Christian church he heard the muezzin of a nearby mosque calling the faithful to prayer, and imagined this beautiful sound in counterpoint with Western choral harmony.[2] Originally entitled African Revelations, African Sanctus was first performed in London by the Saltarello Choir in July 1972, and was later played on BBC Radio on United Nations Day.
On
Following the publication of the full score in 1977, premiere performances were given in Toronto, Worcester Cathedral in 1978, and the Royal Albert Hall in 1979, which was conducted by Sir David Willcocks.[3] The work has received over a thousand performances, from North America to the Far East, with Fanshawe himself supervising many of the performances, sometimes accompanying the work with a slideshow of the photographs of the musicians he had recorded.[2]
In 1994 Fanshawe composed an additional movement for a new recording of the work, the "Dona Nobis Pacem – A Hymn for World Peace", which completed the "Agnus Dei". Based on this new recording, the BBC commissioned the maker of the 1975 documentary, Herbert Chappell, to make a new programme, African Sanctus Revisited.
Fanshawe's work has been criticised by some. The Telegraph noted "While other adventurers returned from distant lands with lion skins or elephant tusks, the trophies from Fanshawe's odysseys were recorded ones.[4]
And The Washington Post observed:
The composer's efforts raised ethical questions from those who questioned whether his recordings were an aural sort of imperialism that exploited indigenous musicians.
"It's an extraordinary collection of music and images," said Carol A. Muller, a professor of ethnomusicology at the University of Pennsylvania. But .... "There is a level of complete arrogance, a kind of colonial mind-set, that you can go to Africa and make these recordings and use them at your own will."[5]
Movements
The work is composed in 13 movements and reflects geographically the composer's cross-shaped pilgrimage, from the Mediterranean to Lake Victoria, whereby 'Kyrie' represents Cairo and 'Sanctus' Northern Uganda.
- 1 African Sanctus
Acholi Bwala Dance, North Uganda
- 2 Kyrie: Call To Prayer
Muezzin from the Muhammad Ali Mosque, Cairo
- 3 Gloria: Bride of the Nile
Egyptian Wedding, Luxor Islamic Prayer School, East Sudan
- 4 Credo: Sudanese Dances
Courtship Dances, Kiata Trumpet Dance Koranic Recitations, Marra Mountains
- 5 Love Song: Piano Solo
Hadandua Cattle Boy with Bazenkop Harp Desert Bells, East Sudan
- 6 Et In Spiritum Sanctum
Frogs, Zande Refugees of South Sudan
- 7 Crucifixus: Rain Song
Dingi Dingi Dance, Rains & Thunder "Rain Song" by Latigo Oteng, Uganda
- 8 Sanctus: Bwala Dance
Bunyoro Madinda Xylophone Acholi Bwala Dance, Uganda
Lamentation, Lake Kyoga, Uganda The Offertory (in English)
- 10 Chants
Maasai Milking Song, Kenya Song of the River, Karamoja, Uganda Turkana Cattle Song, Luo Ritual Burial Dance, Kenya
- 11 Agnus Dei
Hadandua War Drums in the Desert, Sudan
- 12 Call To Prayer: Kyrie (Reprise)
Mu'azzin from the Muhammad Ali Mosque, Cairo
- 13 Finale & Gloria
Acholi Bwala Dance, North Uganda
- Dona Nobis Pacem (Optional)
A Hymn for World Peace (short or long version)
Charts
Chart (1974) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian (Kent Music Report) | 71[6] |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[7] | Gold | 35,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ David Fanshawe's website
- ^ a b c The Times obituary July 9, 2010
- ^ a b The 'African Sanctus' website
- ^ Obituary for David Fanshawe, The Telegraph, 14 July 2010
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
- ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1990 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 25 November 2021.