“Waka” and “Ku Mai Ka Kali’a” may be from separate musical
cultures, continents, languages, and styles; however, the structure of both
pieces center around a basic imitative pattern. In the Hawaiian mele, the vocal
structure is very simple – a male soloist sings a full line, and as he hits the
last pitch the chorus (here, the other two male vocalists) repeats the same
line, using the same rhythms and pitches as the first presentation of the line
save for a split (of an octave, achieved through use of falsetto) at the end of
each line, which creates a slightly thicker texture. Each of the four lines
which are repeated in this manner are separated by instrumental break and the refrain
(with the exception of the first two lines, which are not separated by the
refrain). The refrain here is sung by all three vocalists, making it slightly
louder, and the rhythm differs slightly from the non-refrain lines. The lyrics
of the refrain are stated below:
“Liko ka pua kukui, i
ka ula hiwahiwa, kahi e moe ai ke kumupa’a, he aloha, he aloha e”
If each line was considered a new “theme” and the refrain
was labeled “R”, the structure of the piece would appear A-B-R-C-R-D-R-R.
“Waka” uses this same structure of imitation between a male
soloist and male chorus. Both imitation and call-and-response techniques are
very common in sub-Saharan African music, and it is exactly these techniques
that make up the structure of “Waka”. First, the soloist introduces a long
phrase, which is chant-like but also has definite rhythm and pitch. As soon as
he finishes, a large male chorus repeats it with very little to no variation. This
is used throughout the piece, much like the Hawaiian mele. However, unlike the
mele, the same phrase is repeated back and forth many times before moving to
the next phrase (anywhere from two to six times), and there is no “refrain”
that is returned to. Towards the end of
the piece (beginning at 5:32 and at 6:27 in the provided recording), this
imitation gives way to an overlapping call and response, but this remains
between the same soloist and chorus.
The same imitation structural technique used in both the
Hawaiian piece and African piece give similar affects, as if there is a leader
and a group of followers singing/chanting together. Easy to follow and catch on
to, this technique also allows some freedom for variation, improvisation, or
creation of new lyrics or rhythms for the soloist. Because it is they who “introduce”
each phrase, the chorus will simply follow and repeat whatever they produce. This
structure is a salient link between these two pieces and cultures.