Isicathamiya is a type of secular acapella choral singing.
It was developed in South Africa by Zulu communities.
Isicathamiya is a mix of a number of different traditions,
including local music, Christian choral singing and blackface minstrelsy. The
music is performed by male choral ensembles that can range between 4 and 20
singers. It incorporates all vocal ranges (soprano, alto, tenor and bass) but
more emphasis is generally given to bass with more bass singers. The group
sings in four-part harmony, led generally by a tenor vocalist. The primary
language of the performances are Zulu, however many songs contain some English
in them also.
The music gets its name from the Zulu word ‘cathama’, which
means walking lightly. It was given this name through its movement. Isicathamiya
has been nurtured predominantly through competitions where competitors are assessed
on the accuracy of their singing and the preciseness and integrity of their
appearance. With the groups performing in matching outfits usually, they sing
and perform synchronized movements with light, shuffling footwork. This is a distinct
part of the movement in Isicathamiya, hence the derived name. Like most other
traditional music, most of the songs have some sort of relation to religious or
cultural beliefs, weddings, deaths, politics etc.
Isicathamiya dates to the years following World War I, when
Zulu men from the countryside moved closer to built-up areas to find labour in
coal mines and factories, especially in Eastern South Africa. Within these
migrant populations, workers formed vocal ensembles as competitive
entertainment between the workers. For this reason, Isicathamiya can also be
linked to gumboot dance in the way that it was something that numerous migrant
workers did after a lengthy day of work in the mines, assisting in them forgetting
about their isolation and their hardships. In the late 1930s, a local choral style arose
that displayed the qualities that later became known as Isicathamiya. This
style was called Mbube. Mbube took on more of what was described to be a ‘bombing’
sound in the late 40s, but it reverted around the 60s to its more mellow expression.
It was at this time in the late 1960s and early 1970s that Enock Masina’s King
Star Brothers arose as the most prominent acapella group, with a calm style
that became known as Isicathamiya.
The music first made it to an international stage in the
1930s with Soloman Linda’s version of the Zulu song ‘Mbube’ (The Lion Sleeps
Tonight). However, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, led by Joseph Shaballala were
the musicians who really bought Isicathamiya to a broader, worldwide scale. In
the 1970s and early 1980s, the group performed in groupings of 7-13 singers and
released various enormously popular recordings, sparking interest in this type
of music. By the mid 1980s, however, this enthusiasm had lessened. It was at
this time that the ensemble received the attention of the global artist Paul
Simon. Ladysmith Black Mambazo then recorded with Simon in 1986 on his ‘Graceland’
album, and received acknowledgement with the world-music marker, even winning a
Grammy. From this, Isicathamiya has now become one of the most well-known South
African music genres.
Today, choir competitions are still occurring, mainly in
Johannesburg, with choirs gathering every Saturday to compete against each
other in back alleys and basements. These events are exceedingly competitive
now and the status gained from winning is huge.
