Affects and effects of musical attributes and    cultural usage of indigenous Tanzanian music traditions in church worship in Dar es salaam, Tanzania

Mkallyah, Assomo Athanas

Affects and effects of musical attributes and cultural usage of indigenous Tanzanian music traditions in church worship in Dar es salaam, Tanzania

Date

2011

Authors

Mkallyah, Assomo Athanas

Publisher

University of Dar es Salaam

Abstract

This study examines the affects and effects of indigenous Tanzanian music traditions used in church worship in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It was conducted to determine the specific musical and cultural attributes that make indigenous Tanzanian music traditions effective when employed in church worship in Dar es Salaam. The study proposes that the power of indigenous Tanzanian music traditions in creating a heightened religious experience is inherent in the music itself and in its cultural affiliation. The study adopts the ‘Arousal Theory’ and the ‘Anthropological Perspective on Aesthetics’ in examining how these musical attributes and cultural usage are deployed to arouse emotions in people during contemporary church worship. The findings of the study reveal that the affect and effect of church music in Dar es Salaam stems from the musical attributes and cultural usages of the indigenous Tanzanian music traditions. Indeed, the power of indigenous Tanzanian music to arouse deep and demonstrable emotions among church members is attributable to the characteristics of the music and its cultural usage. The strength of these culturally-rich indigenous Tanzanian music traditions can be traced to their African origins and the traditional attributes and aesthetics that make them deeply religious and emotional. This strength allows Tanzanian churchgoers to experience a heightened religious experience during worship. The study concludes that the heightened enthusiasm and energy the congregation members demonstrated during the research was a result of a combination of both the music attributes and cultural identification of the music.

Description

available in print form

Keywords

Church music, Tanzania

Citation

Mkallyah, A.A (2011)Affects and effects of musical attributes and cultural usage of indigenous Tanzanian music traditions in church worship in Dar es salaam, Tanzania, master dissertation, University of Dar es Salaam(http://41.86.178.3/internetserver3.1.2/detail.aspx)