Remains of Ritual: Northern Gods in a Southern Land (Chicago Studies in Ethnomusicology)

__Remains of Ritual__, Steven M. Friedson’s second book on musical experience in African ritual, focuses on the Brekete/Gorovodu religion of the Ewe people. Friedson presents a multifaceted understanding of religious practice through a historical and ethnographic study of one of the dominant ritual sites on the southern coast of Ghana: a medicine shrine whose origins lie in the northern region of the country. Each chapter of this fascinating book considers a different aspect of ritual life, demonstrating throughout that none of them can be conceived of separately from their musicality—in the Brekete world, music functions as ritual and ritual as music. Dance and possession, chanted calls to prayer, animal sacrifice, the sounds and movements of wake keeping, the play of the drums all come under Friedson’s careful scrutiny, as does his own position and experience within this ritual-dominated society.

Remains of Ritual, Steven M. Friedson’s second book on musical experience in African ritual, focuses on the Brekete/Gorovodu religion of the Ewe people. Friedson presents a multifaceted understanding of religious practice through a historical and ethnographic study of one of the dominant ritual sites on the southern coast of Ghana: a medicine shrine whose origins lie in the northern region of the country. Each chapter of this fascinating book considers a different aspect of ritual life, demonstrating throughout that none of them can be conceived of separately from their musicality—in the Brekete world, music functions as ritual and ritual as music. Dance and possession, chanted calls to prayer, animal sacrifice, the sounds and movements of wake keeping, the play of the drums all come under Friedson’s careful scrutiny, as does his own position and experience within this ritual-dominated society.

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This volume consists of an engaging and well-written text that incorporates layers of anthropological, ethnomusicological, and philosophical analyses of increasing complexity, augmented by extensive endnotes, which make it accessible to a wide general audience.

"Remains of Ritual, Steven M. Friedson's second book on musical experience in African ritual, focuses on the Brekete/Gorovodu religion of the Ewe people. Friedson presents a multifaceted understanding of religious practice through a historical and ethnographic study of one of the dominant ritual sites on the southern coast of Ghana: a medicine shrine whose origins lie in the northern region of the country. Each chapter of this fascinating book considers a different aspect of ritual life, demonstrating throughout that none of them can be conceived of separately from their musicality--in the Brekete world, music functions as ritual and ritual as music. Dance and possession, chanted calls to prayer, animal sacrifice, the sounds and movements of wake keeping, the play of the drums all come under Friedson's careful scrutiny, as does his own position and experience within this ritual-dominated society"--Provided by publisher Bridging The Disciplinary Divide Between Ethnomusicology And Anthropology, 'remains Of Ritual' Explores The Critical Role Of Music In African Ritual. The Book Is Based On A Study Of The Brekete/gorovodu Religion Of The Ewe People. Where Divine Horsemen Ride -- Salah! Salah! -- The Poured Gift -- Deadland -- The Rhythm Of The Crossroads -- Burials -- Opening The Door. Steven M. Friedson. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Contents 8 List of Illustrations 10 Acknowledgments 12 On Language 14 Note on Transcriptions 16 Southern Lands 18 Northern Gods 24 Brekete Pantheon 30 1. Where Divine Horsemen Ride 34 2. Salah! Salah! 62 3. The Poured Gift 88 4. Deadland 116 5. The Rhtyhm of the Crossroads 142 6. Burials 174 Coda: Opening the Door 200 Postlude 206 Notes 210 Glossary 234 Bibliography 238 Index 250