stability and variation in a hopi lullaby - list
TRANSCRIPT
8/13/2019 Stability and Variation in a Hopi Lullaby - List
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/stability-and-variation-in-a-hopi-lullaby-list 1/18
Stability and Variation in a Hopi LullabyAuthor(s): George ListReviewed work(s):Source: Ethnomusicology, Vol. 31, No. 1 (Winter, 1987), pp. 18-34Published by: University of Illinois Press on behalf of Society for EthnomusicologyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/852289 .
Accessed: 06/07/2012 13:37
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp
.JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of
content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms
of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].
.
University of Illinois Press and Society for Ethnomusicology are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve
and extend access to Ethnomusicology.
http://www.jstor.org
8/13/2019 Stability and Variation in a Hopi Lullaby - List
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/stability-and-variation-in-a-hopi-lullaby-list 2/18
Stabilityand Variationn a Hopi Lullaby1
George List
T he changing nterestsof scholarsare reflected n the termstheyem-
ploy. Thewordchange, tself, is now a term n frequentuse. Ina re-centissue of Ethnomusicology,he editornoted thatall fourarticlesn the
issuewereconcernedwithchange Rice1983:v). Total andabrupt hange nany aspectof culture s, of course,uncommon.Thus,changeor variationmustbe discussed imultaneouslywithits obverse,continuityor stability.
Inthisstudy,I examineelevenperformances f a songof theHopiIn-dians of NorthernArizonaandpose the followingquestions: f one asksa
Hopito singthelullabyabout theblackbug,howis thisperformanceikelyto differ fromthosewhichwererecordedn thepast, andthosewhichmaybe recordedn the future?What s stable,whatis varied,and whatarethe
parametersf such variation?Whatdoes a Hopimeanwhenhesaysthathe
will singthe lullabyabout the blackbug?Sincewhatis beingexamineds asong, I shallconsiderboth the wordsandthe melody.
Most Hopis live in three clustersof villagessituatedon the southernrim of the greatBlackMesa. From east to west, thesepopulationareasareknownas FirstMesa, SecondMesa, and Third Mesa. They displaysome
slightculturaldifferences uch as dialect.The bulkof Hopi songsarecomposedby individuals or a particular
occasion.This is true, for example,of the songsperformedat publiccere-
monies,suchasthekachinadance,andthosesungbywomenwhilegrinding
corn. Before nexpensive, attery-operatedaperecorders ecameavailable,such songs wereusuallyknownonly in the areain whichthey were com-
posedand had a relatively hort life. To this, the black beetleor stinkbuglullaby s an exception.It has been known hroughouthe Reservation ur-
ingthecentury,at least,and its composer s not known.It is primarily ungby women,but is also occasionally ungby mento theirchildren.
In the pastit wasthe customof Hopimothers o straptheir nfantstocradleboardswhichtheythen tied to theirbacks.Bythismeanstheycould
carry heir nfantsfromplace o placeastheyworked.The childwassungto
sleepwhile on thecradleboard r, by bothsexes,whileheld in the arms.Inthe lattercase the child's back wassimultaneouslyubbed.Thelullabyhasno pulseand no coordinationof kineticand musicalrhythm s involvedasthere wouldbe, for example,whenrockinga child to sleepin a cradle.
18
8/13/2019 Stability and Variation in a Hopi Lullaby - List
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/stability-and-variation-in-a-hopi-lullaby-list 3/18
Hopi Lullaby 19
This study is based upon eleven recorded performances of this lullaby
by six informants, three men and three women. A list of recordings studiedand the provenience of each is given in Figure 1. Their sources are given at
the end of the article. In figure 1 the informants are representedby capital
letters and the chronological sequence by Arabic numbers. When the singer
has been recorded in more than one performance this is indicated by lower
case letters.
Performance/ Sex Date Place Collector
Informant
1A Man 1903 Oraibi, First Mesa Natalie Curtis
2B Man 1941 Fort Wingate School Willard Rhodes
3C Man 1956 Shipaulovi, Second Mesa Robert Black
4D Woman 1960 Sichomovi, First Mesa George List
5Ea-d Woman 1960 Sichomovi, First Mesa George List
6Fa-c Woman 1960 Sichomovi, First Mesa George List
Figure 1. List of Recordings
There is at least one recording from each mesa area, and the recordings
span the period from 1903 to 1960. Singer E was recorded on two different
days in a total of four performances of the lullaby. Singer B was a Navaho
who sang Hopi songs.2
My preference would be to make all the data upon which my conclu-
sions are based available to the reader. In a short study this is not usually
possible. However, the reader will find below two pages of text transcrip-tions and five pages of transcriptionsof melody and text of the lullaby. I am
aware that this amount of transcription is rarely offered in a study of this
length. My purposesin
offering itare
1) toallow the reader as much
oppor-tunity as possible to check my conclusions against the data upon which theyare based, and 2) to offer data which might be used in comparative studies
or the development of theories concerning musical change.I am of the opinion that in recent years ethnomusicological studies
have overemphasized the presentation of theory at the expense of that of
data. I find this unfortunate. In writing concerning trends among ethnomu-
sicologists who consider themselves anthropologists, Alan Merriam seemed
of a similar opinion. "While I always find it useful to attempt to generalize
on the basis of the data at hand, it would be reassuringto have more data."(Merriam 1975: 64-65)
I first shall be concerned with the text of the lullaby. In Figure 2 I offer
the text of the lullaby and its translation into English. This is the text as it is
spoken, not as it is sung. It will be seen later that the text differs in some
particulars when it is sung. I am indebted to Ekkehart Malotki for as-
8/13/2019 Stability and Variation in a Hopi Lullaby - List
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/stability-and-variation-in-a-hopi-lullaby-list 4/18
20 Ethnomusicology, Winter1987
Puwva Puwva (etc.) Hohoyaw'u supoopave
Go to sleep Go to sleep Beetle. Right on the road.
naa'iikwi'ukyang'u Puwva Puwva (etc.)
While carrying each other on the back. Go to sleep Go to sleep
Figure 2. Text of Lullaby as Spoken
sistance in the preparation of the spoken text and its translation, and to
Douglas Parks for assistance in the preparation of the sung texts.
In the Hopi language there is a contrast between long and short vowels.When the vowel is long, it is doubled in transcription, as aa. For ease in
printing, the u represents the i (the barred i, high, back, and unrounded
vowel). The glottal stop is indicated by a raised comma.
The actual meaning of puwva, which in repetition forms the refrain, is
"he falls asleep" or "he slept." "Go to sleep" is the English equivalent
given to me by the Hopi who acted as my translator.
In this song, an anology is made between the Hopi mother carryingan
infant on a cradleboard and the posture of indigenous beetles who are fre-
quently seen one carrying the other on its back. This beetle is known col-loquially as the "stink bug" since it produces a foul odor when crushed.
The capital letters placed to the left of the text represent formal analy-sis. IR and FR symbolize initial refrain and following refrain respectively.The three central phrases are given in the spoken version of the text in the
order in which they most frequently occur and are identified as A, B, and C.
In Figure 3, I offer transcriptions of the text as sung in a number of perfor-mances of the lullaby. As before, the formal analysis is given at the left of
the text.
In Figure 3, V. representsa section of vocables or meaningless syllablesand the apostrophe, the breath accent. The breath accent is produced by ac-
tion of the diaphragmand is applied here to the repetition of the final vowel
of a syllable. Two versions of phrase B are in common use. I have indicated
them as B' and B2. Hopi words are usually combinations of more than one
Performance 4Da.
IR. Puwva ha puwva 'ha'ha puwva
A. Hohoyaw'uB.' shup6bpave'eC. naaiikwi'ukyang'uFR. Puwva 'ha puwva puwva 'ha puwva
Figure 3. Illustrative Sung Texts
8/13/2019 Stability and Variation in a Hopi Lullaby - List
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/stability-and-variation-in-a-hopi-lullaby-list 5/18
Hopi Lullaby 21
Performance 5Ea.
IR. Puwva puwva 'a puwvaA. Hohoyaw'uB.2 pbopave'eC. naaiikwi'ukyang'uFR. Puwva 'a puwva puwvaV. ha yaw lo lo ha yaw o lo lo o o o
Performance 3Ca
IR.
A. Hohoyaw'uB.' shupoopave'e
C. naaiikwi'uchang'uFR. Puwva puwva ye puwva puwva
Performance 3Cb
IR.
A. Hohoyaw'uB.' shupoopave'eC. naaiikwi'uchang'uFR. Puwva puwva ye puwva puwva puwva (Spoken) "he puwva"
Performance 6Fa.
IR. Puwva puwva puwva puwva puwva puwva
A. Hohoyaw'uC. naaiikwi'ukyang'uFR. Puwva 'a puwva
Performance 6Fb.
IR. Puwva puwva puwva puwva puwva puwva
A. Hohoyaw'uC. naaiikwi'ukyang'uB.2 poopave'eFR. Puwva 'a puwva
Performance 2Ba
IR.
A. Hohoyaw'uC. naaiikwi'ukyang'uFR. Puwva puwva puwva puwvaV. Zei zei zei zei zei zei zei zei zei zei zei zei zei
zei zei zei zei zei zei zei zei zei zei zei zei zei
Performance 2Bb
IR.
A. Hohoyaw'uC. naaiikwi'ukyang'u
B.' shupoopave'eFR. Puwva puwva puwva puwvaV. Zei zei zei zei zei zei zei zei zei zei zei zei zei
zei zei zei zei zei zei zei zei zei zei zei zei zei
Figure 3. Continued
8/13/2019 Stability and Variation in a Hopi Lullaby - List
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/stability-and-variation-in-a-hopi-lullaby-list 6/18
22 Ethnomusicology, Winter 1987
grammatical element, such as a noun plus a possessive pronoun. Some lin-
guists refer to these combinations as "free forms." The word or prefix sumay be translated as "exactly." When it is present, the beetles are found
right in the middle of the trail or road. When it is absent, the meaning is that
the beetles are found elsewhere on the trail or near it.
As can be seen, there is considerable variation in the sung texts. Some
of these are minute and consist only of the addition, repetition, or substitu-
tion of phones. In all performances of B' or B2the final vowel e is repeatedas a breath accent. Similarbreath accents are found following the final a of
puwva and can be seen in both the initial and following refrains of perfor-
mances 4D and 5E. In performance 4D the aspiration h is added to thebreath accent. Thus in 5E one finds puwva'a and in 4D puwva'ha'ha. In
five cases sh is substituted for s. These substitutions are found in the initial
syllable of phrase B, performances 4D, 3Ca, and 3Cb, 2Bb, and 2Bc. Final-
ly, in performance 3C, in the last free form of phrase C, ch is substituted forthe ky commonly spoken or sung.
For the purpose of our analysis, I need to first establish the parametersof a single statement of the song. I shall consider this to consist of a mini-
mum of two phrases, one of which is C, plus one group of puwvas in the
form of a refrain. In some performances, only one statement of the lullabyis heard. In others, as many as four may be sung in a continuous flow.These repetitions may or may not be exact. Five of the six singers sang the
song more than once, either in one or several performances. Of these five,
only singer A sang the same text throughout, both refrain and phrases. The
greatest variation is seen in the refrain. Of the five, only two, singers A and
B, consistently sing the same number of puwvas in each refrain. Figure 4
lists the various forms of the refrain and number of times each occurs.When there are two groups of puwvas in the refrain, they are connected
with a plus sign.
Repetitions of puwva Occurrences2 3
2+2 2
2+3 1
2+4 1
3 6
3+3 73+4 1
4 4
5 1
Figure 4. Numbers of "puwvas" in Refrain, and Their Groupings
8/13/2019 Stability and Variation in a Hopi Lullaby - List
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/stability-and-variation-in-a-hopi-lullaby-list 7/18
Hopi Lullaby 23
Order of phrases Occurrences
AB' C 7
AB2C 5
ACB' 1
ACB2 1
AC 3
B' C 1
Figure 5. Variation in Non-refrain portion of Text
Variation in the formal organization of the non-refrain section of thetext is not as great. It should be remembered that the three phrases were
assigned the letters A, B, and C, since this is the most common order in
which they occur, and that the two forms of phrase B are alike except for
the presence or absence of the initial prefix, su. In figure 5, I list the various
forms taken by the non-refrain section of the text and the number of occur-
rences of each.
The interchange of phrases B and C seems very common. After record-
ing performances 4D and 5E, I asked each singer to speak rather than sing
the text of the song. In doing so, both singers spoke the three centralphrases in the order A, C, B, ratherthan A, B, C. I asked the Hopi who was
translating for me to listen to performance 4D and then to speak the words
of the song. In so doing, he also reversedthe order, speaking the phrases in
order A, C, B, ratherthan A, B, C. Obviously, it is important to know that
the creaturereferredto is a beetle and that it is carryinganother on its back.
Where it and the beetle it is carryingare located in relationship to the trail or
road can be added later, as in the form A, C, B, or omitted, as in the form
A, C. I doubt that the form B, C would occur unless phrase A had been
sung earlier in the performance, as in performance 2B.I now turn to the melody of this song. In the first decade of this century
Benjamin Ives Gilman published an extensive study of Hopi melodies. After
employing several methods of transcription, including that of attempting to
establish microtones, he came to the conclusion that Hopi melody is with-
out a scale. (Gilman 1908:4-16, 69-226). In a previously published study of
Hopi song I advanced the hypothesis that the Hopis conceive melody as a
series of contours rather than as a series of discrete pitches (List 1985: 144).I shall employ here the same method of transcription I used in the previous
study. In this diatonic pitches represent a pitch band a whole tone in widthrather than specific, discrete pitches. Although no clef is employed in the
transcriptions, the lines and spaces are those of the treble clef, the pitches
sounding an octave lower than written. In pitch band notation, for exam-
ple, a note written on the second line may representa G, a G sharp, a G flat,
8/13/2019 Stability and Variation in a Hopi Lullaby - List
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/stability-and-variation-in-a-hopi-lullaby-list 8/18
24 Ethnomusicology, Winter 1987
or any pitch within a band a whole tone in width. I have indicated the dia-
tonicpitch
nearest to what I hearsung.
In some cases the selection of the
pitches is somewhat arbitrarysince what is being representedis more a de-
scending or ascending glide than a specific pitch.As indicated previously, performances of this lullaby display no easily
discernible pulse. In this they differ from Hopi announcement chants,neither being associated with a kinetic activity. The durational values found
in the transcriptions were determined by establishing an artificial pulse an
eighth note in value. This produced tempi of MM 108to MM 144. For ease
in reading as well as in determining melodic contours, I have employed the
following procedures in writing durational values:1) Wheneverpossible I have used only one note to representa sustained
pitch, tying it to a subsequent note of the same pitch only when necessary.
2) When two notes are tied or two rests follow each other, the longerhas been placed before the shorter.
3) Groups of notes sung to the same syllable arephrased together. Thus
the first note of such a group is not beamed to a previous note.
In Figure 6 I offer transcriptions of both text and melody of one state-
ment of the lullaby by each of the six informants. In all but one case the
transcription is of the first statement by the particular singer, and is thusidentified by a, as in lAa. In the case of singer F it is her second statement
which is transcribedand it is therefore identified as 6Fb. What is offered in
Figure 6 is a comparative score, that is, the renditions notated do not occur
simultaneously but are placed one above the other for purposes of compari-son. Singers B and C do not sing an initial refrain. The transcriptions of
their renditions therefore begin on the second page of Figure 6. In some
statements of the lullaby only two central phrases are sung rather than three
and the following refrain is sung immediately after the second central
phrase. Such an omission of a third phrase is indicated on page 3 of Figure6by an arrow. Only singersB and E add a section of vocables to the statement
of the lullaby. Thus they are the only singersrepresentedin the fifth page of
Figure6. In the comparative score phrases of dissimilarlength must be writ-
ten within a similar horizontal space. For this reason it was at times
necessary to omit the hyphens between the two syllables of puwva (e.g.,
puw-va).The capital letters found above the staff represent a simple form of
contour analysis of the musical phrases. H represents the highest pitch of
the phrase; L the lowest pitch. M represents any pitch found at the begin-ning or end of the contour which is neither its highest nor its lowest pitch. If
the designation M is given to two pitches, and they are not the same, the
higher is marked M2 and the lower M'.
In the statements of the lullaby transcribed, each singer employs the
same contour in singing the phrases A, B, and C. SingerA employs the con-
8/13/2019 Stability and Variation in a Hopi Lullaby - List
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/stability-and-variation-in-a-hopi-lullaby-list 9/18
Hopi Lullaby
n L M HL
M
J L U j n l . . n̂ u Bj_p1W-vvvq V
p.w puKa4 p. a- Lvf,
H LH H L M
VWV PNiw -'ha4PUw-
H L L H
puw-va.G H t
pW_H LPW LVK-VW
sfzn m8X nt̂
PDAW pw_uys puwl p(W S _- p^iX
Figure 6. Illustrative Transcriptions of the Melody
tour M-H-L and the other five singers the contour L-H-L. Although all
singersbut A make use of the same contour, the intervallic relationships are
not necessarily the same. In Figure 7 I offer transcriptions of the melody of
all performances of phrase A. Singer D sang only one statement of the
lullaby. The other five singers sang two to four statements of the lullaby,either in continuity or in separate performances.
Only singers B and C reasonably maintain both contour and pitchlevel. Singers A and F constantly raise their pitch levels as they progressfrom one statement of the lullaby to another, and this is reflected in the
pitch level of the transcribed phrases. In most cases it is only the melodic
contour which is stable.
1Aa.
4-D
5E.
6Fb.
25
8/13/2019 Stability and Variation in a Hopi Lullaby - List
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/stability-and-variation-in-a-hopi-lullaby-list 10/18
26 Ethnomusicology, Winter 1987
Aa
L
1Aa.hU
ho-ho#W
, e L L.
S- poo-pa-vI'e
L H
IL H L
28a. 7 ? Ja I
ho-hoydR nawiilim&ky
L H H I.
3Ca. 7lo-P-r' sh''e
ho-ho-#R sh6pobpave'e
SE.
6Fb.
L H L L L
w L J _____
hoo-~ t su-p0oo-pave'
UL F LL HI L
ho-ho-yalJ' pooav'e
L H L I. L
1 L _
ho-hoigr nriio'-knti
Figure 6. Continued
-
)e
8/13/2019 Stability and Variation in a Hopi Lullaby - List
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/stability-and-variation-in-a-hopi-lullaby-list 11/18
ML
IAa. TTi~~~~ ~.. K 1 >m i r r n
pvU-vo, puH^waPkttW
H L M
fiR~&. -------5•,~~~~~~~~IZBO"~~~~~i
iiiiiiii 4I
puf)va wVQ_
L W LH
i-m:.-^t
i^ -41 T -
' F"V J[t WWI_
a -ikv,'u har_ pu^-l puw-mye
L H L H_ L M
. . b r "
x- .. ..... aw-va pu
Ln->to ymM P?k-l
L H H L H
niFL AyM n,,,, ?l 1
Lo&' p -- i ''
-W- - - -
poo pq-vee ph_'a-e
Figure 6. Continued
Hopi Lullaby
3Ca.
4D.
5E.
- r00-13A a0
-
27
8/13/2019 Stability and Variation in a Hopi Lullaby - List
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/stability-and-variation-in-a-hopi-lullaby-list 12/18
28 Ethnomusicology, Winter 1987
- t # 4 J . j . r
pu4-v ,ava( puw-VO
H LHm i i * -b.~~~~~~~I
I
tt
3Ca.
i.J jJ :r-~.~:',~,J4 J JJ JpAAW-vwLV(ZeireiIzZEQiZeij - i zeia6ei Z( 4el
pL- v puw
-H L M- - - - ~ L Z L4-D
pW- a 'raJ-vapuw- a ha_ pud-ua
SEo IoIo oo
haFiw go o h.lo lo io0 lo
Figure 6. Continued
1Aa.
I
wpa .
8/13/2019 Stability and Variation in a Hopi Lullaby - List
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/stability-and-variation-in-a-hopi-lullaby-list 13/18
z zei izeFzeize zef rei r zef zefet e
F._-.j. _t_ . ,f ..e ..'-- LA. r r 4 r 7 r ri 7 I) I I 1.
yv U Y L. y6) L
lo lolo si a r ha e ee heyheyFigure 6. Continued
Although the Hopis may conceive their melodies as a series of con-
tours, this does not mean that they do not recognize melodic differences.After singer D had sung the lullaby, I played for her the recording of per-
formance 1A. I then asked her if she had sung the same words and the samemelody. She replied that the words were the same but that her melody was alittle different from that sung by the other singer. The two transcriptions in
question are 1A and 4D given in Figure 6. It can be seen that the words she
sang are indeed the same except for the number of repetitions of puwva in
the refrain. However, the contours of both the phrases and the refrain dif-
fer in the two performances. In Figure 8 I offer totals of the various con-
tours employed in the eleven performances of the lullaby.The two occurrences of L-H-M are caused by the singer runningout of
breath before she finishes the phrase. It can thus be said that this contour isnot produced intentionally. Thus, in reality, only two contours are em-
ployed in singing phrases A, B, and C. These two, of course, are very muchalike.
The sample is too small to permit the definite establishment of stylisticdifferences in the performance of this lullaby in the three different areas ofthe Reservation or the changes which have occurred over time. However,there is some evidence concerning such differentiation and change whichshould be considered. The versions of the lullaby sung by the three women
from the First Mesa, singers D, E, and F, have one characteristic in com-mon. This might be described as the performance of a melodic circumflex
extending the second syllable of the word puwva. Three examples are givenin Figure 9.
26a.
Hopi Lullaby 29
tFr
8/13/2019 Stability and Variation in a Hopi Lullaby - List
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/stability-and-variation-in-a-hopi-lullaby-list 14/18
30 Ethnomusicology, Winter 1987
IAo e _i.a M3e 3hcffb
hohokhh hohok
I b c : ~ i b : b
ho o~ov,
ho o9k
1 - A r c ~ i f jZ r J
oho,#jt/M
hohytn hoho/9ohoh)u'h
5Ecb 6CFc.orh#AU hoho&'
hohoya hohoRu
hofo)auM hohoymdL
Figure 7. Performance of Phrase A Compared
8/13/2019 Stability and Variation in a Hopi Lullaby - List
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/stability-and-variation-in-a-hopi-lullaby-list 15/18
Refrain Phrases
H-L-M 26
M-H-L 12
L-H-L 36
H-L-H 12
H-L 6
L-H-M 2
Figure 8. Contour Variations
Lullaby 2B was sung by a Navaho rather than a Hopi, and at a site off
the Hopi Reservation. Nevertheless, performance 2B is similar in a number
of respects to performance 3C from Shipaulovi, Second Mesa. The charac-
teristics the two performances have in common are:
1) No refrain precedes the first statement of the phrases.
2) The following refrain consists of one group of four or five puwvas.
3) A tremolo-like effect is employed in singing the firstpuwva of the re-
frain.
Figure 10 offers examples of this.
One might conjecture that the Navaho learned the song from a Second
Mesa Hopi.There remains the 1903recording from the Third Mesa. This is primar-
ily differentiated from the other lullabies by the contour with which the
phrases are sung. Since I have only one example from the Third Mesa, andthere is a fifty-three year lapse of time between this recording and the next
recording of a Hopi in 1956, it is impossible to determine whether this is a
stylistic characteristic of the Third Mesa or a form which has been modified
in later use.
Contour
Hopi Lullaby 31
8/13/2019 Stability and Variation in a Hopi Lullaby - List
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/stability-and-variation-in-a-hopi-lullaby-list 16/18
32 Ethnomusicology, Winter 1987
I
pOw-v ha ha pw-v
puw-A Ia puWQ-
A- Jk JHF. M~^~~~A
.FE.
fOF5.
PA v6 'a PV - vc
Figure 9. Puwva Configuration
What conclusions can be gained from the preceding analysis? Which
elements are stable, which are variable, and what are the acceptable param-eters of variation? In determining this, I have distinguished four levels, the
first the most stable, and the last the least.
At the first level I list those elements of text and melody which are
always present in any statement of the song. Textwise, two phrases are al-
ways present, one of which is C. To this is added a refrain consisting of not
less than one group of puwvas. Melodically, the initial motion of the phrasecontours is ascending. In contrast, the initial motion of the refraincontours
is descending.The second level consists of melodic elements which are always present
in one or more alternative forms. Thus the melodic contour to which a
group of puwvas is sung may continue to descend or may ascend to the ini-
tial pitch, or to an intermediate pitch. Three alternative contours are pro-duced. In contrast, the pitch contours of the phrases after leaping upwardsreturn to the pitch at which they began or to that just below it. Thus, two al-
ternative contours are produced.At the third level are meaningful textual elements which may or may
not be present in any statement of the song. Phrase A is almost always pres-
8/13/2019 Stability and Variation in a Hopi Lullaby - List
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/stability-and-variation-in-a-hopi-lullaby-list 17/18
z3a.
3Ca
Hopi Lullaby 33
.... n ... Ij~~~~f n n/n^y
FU - VL plW- Vt ye pu-vA pQ/-v
Figure 10. Puwva Configuration
ent, phrase B is frequently present in one of two alternative forms. An ini-
tial refrain is also more often present than not.
At the fourth level I place the only element in this song which is subject
to free variation, the section of vocables. In this, the singer has free choiceof vocables and melodic contours and their association.
To the above I add a number of deduced rules of order and number.
Concerning textual phrases: If phrase B is present, it may precede or
follow phrase C, but it may not precede phrase A.
Concerning the textual refrains: If there is no initial refrain, the follow-
ing refrain will consist of one group of puwvas. If an initial refrain is sung,it and the following refrain may consist of one or two groups of puwvas.
Concerning the phrase contours: A particularsinger may employ either
of the two possible contours, but not both.
Concerning the refrain contours: The following refrain must not close
with the pitch contour H-L. Either of the other two possible contours maybe employed.
Concerning the section of vocables: This must occur immediately after
the following refrain.
In sum, if a Hopi sings this lullaby we can be certain that elements from
the first and second levels will be present. Some of the elements at the third
level will probably be present and the one element in the fourth level possi-
bly be present. The occurrence of these elements in any statement of the
song will be controlled by certain rules of order and number. Assuming that
the eleven performances studied are representative, this is an excellent
example of the degree to which a song may be varied and still maintain its
identity.
8/13/2019 Stability and Variation in a Hopi Lullaby - List
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/stability-and-variation-in-a-hopi-lullaby-list 18/18
34 Ethnomusicology, Winter1987
Notes1. This article is a revised version of a
paper givenat the Conference of the Midwest
Chap-ter of the Society for Ethnomusicology, Bloomington, Indiana, 7 April 1984.2. This version was transcribedfrom a Libraryof Congress disc ( see above). The only in-
formation offered with the disc is that it is a Hopi lullaby recorded by Willard Rhodes. I ap-plied to the collector for further information, and he was kind enough to supply me with the
place and date of recordingand the name of the informant. The recordingwas not made on the
Hopi reservation, and Rhodes had no information concerning the home village of the infor-mant. I therefore applied to the Hopi Tribal Council at Kykotsmovi for the later information.After some time, I received a reply from the Council's office informing me that the individualin question was not a Hopi, but "a Navaho who sang Hopi lullabies."
Sources of the Recordings1A. Man. 13 May 1903, Oraibi. Recorded by Natalie Curtis Burlin. Archives of Tradition-
al Music accession number Pre '54-118-F, ATL No. 1554.12.
2A. Man. 1941. Village and Mesa unknown. Recorded by Willard Rhodes. Library of
Congress AAFS L43, Side B, Band 5.
3C. Man. Summer, 1956. Shipaulovi, Second Mesa. Recorded by Robert Black. ATM ac-
cession number 60-005-F, ATL No. 1806.18.4D. Woman. August 1960. Sichomovi, First Mesa. Recorded by George List. ATM acces-
sion no. 68-233-F, EC no. 2927.5E. Woman. 2 August 1960. Sichomovi, First Mesa. Recorded by George List. ATM ac-
cession no. 68-233-F, EC no. 2928.
6-8E Woman. 8August
1960.Sichomovi,
First Mesa. Recordedby George
List. ATM ac-
cession no. 68-233-F, EC no. 2931.9-1lF Woman. 8 August 1960. Sichomovi, First Mesa. Recorded by George List. ATM ac-
cession no. 68-233-F, EC no. 2932.
SingerA was recordedwith a cylinger phonograph, singersC-F with open reel tape record-
ers. I have no information concerning the apparatus used in recording singer B but at that date,1941, the recording would have probably been made on an acetate or aluminum disc.
The three women I recordedlived in Sichomovi, the central village among the three found
on the Mesa. There was no electric supply at that date in the village on the mesa. These conser-
vative Hopis had not yet accepted electricity as part of the Hopi way of life. I recorded the
singers in Polacca, the village which had been established below the mesa, at an apartmentnear
the Day School. The recordings were made with an Ampex 601, full track, 71/2IPS.
References
Gilman, Benjamin I.1908 "Hopi Songs," in Journal of American Ethnology and Archaeology, Vol. 5, pp.
4-15, 69-226.
List, George1985 "Hopi Melodic Concepts." in Journal of American Musicological Society, Vol. 38,
No. 1, pp. 143-152.
Merriam, Alan P.1975 "Ethnomusicology Today," in CurrentMusicology,Vol. 20, pp. 50-66.