Isicathamiya

      Isicathamiya music is a type of a cappella choral singing style that was developed in South Africa by migrant Zulu communities and does not have instrumentation supporting the vocals.  The word "Isicathamiya" comes from the Zulu word meaning "to walk or step on ones toes lightly."  The style of Isicathamiya music is derived from traditional call-and-response vocal music and is combined with an open church-like sound.  Isicathamiya music is a combination between Christian choral singing, and blackface minstrelsy, a form of entertainment that flourished in the United States and England in the mid-to late 19th century. The music is performed in call-and-response fashion by male choral ensembles that range in size from 4 to more than 20 singers. Although all vocal ranges—soprano, alto, tenor, and bass—are represented, Isicathamiya music features more bass vocalists. Typically, Isicathamiya groups sing in four-part harmony, which is usually led by a tenor soloist.  Zulu is the principal language of isicathamiya's performances, although many songs contain an admixture of English.
      Isicathamiya song repertoire spans a wide range of styles and orientations, ranging from Zulu wedding songs to renditions of Beach Boys hits.  However, basic to the performance genre is an underlying Christian commitment - expressed not only in frequent references to biblical texts and Christian hymn texture but also in the ritual action.  Isicathamiya has survived for almost a century, and it provides a cultural space for Zulu migrant workers who have suffered dehumanization and dislocation from home, family, and community. In a biography of Joseph Shabalala, the leader of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Christopher Ballantine remarks, “Poorly housed and paid worse, [the migrant workers] would entertain themselves, after a six-day week, by singing songs into the wee hours every Sunday morning."  People of African heritage have used the style of Isicathamiya music to express their hardships and struggles. Through performance they have been able to dramatize and temporarily discard loneliness, nostalgia, and hardship, the beginnings of Isicathamiya musical styles.
      The style of Isicathamiya music became popularized in the United States with the release of Paul Simon’s 1986 multi-platinum record, Graceland, which included isicathamiya by Ladysmith Black Mambazo.  But before Graceland, Soloman Linda's adaption of a traditional Zulu melody,“Mbube,” (more commonly known as “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”) was an international hit in the 1930s.  
      
      One of the most recognized Isicathamiya groups is Ladysmith Black Mambazo and their rendition of "Wimoweh" or "The Lion Sleeps Tonight". (Adapted by Soloman Linda from "Mbube")

   
This song is an example of how Isicathamiya music focuses on it's African roots and heritage.  

"Mambazo" is also another example of Isicathamiya music traces back to it's African roots.


Here is an example of other choir groups singing in a style of Isicathamiya