Bobby Lambudju Lane (1941–1993) was one of the two leading songmen at Belyuen in the late 1980s and early 1990s (the other being Barrtjap, see chapter 4). The character of his songs stands, however, in marked contrast to those of Barrtjap. Whereas Barrtjap’s repertory is marked by an economy of form, Lambudju’s songs were more varied: his texts use a richer variety of forms and lexicon, and even mix two languages, Batjamalh and Emmi; his melodies are diverse and use an array of different modes. Lambudju’s extensive use of sung vocables during instrumental sections is another distinctive feature.

The key to this diversity is the fact that Lambudju’s repertory came from a number of different sources: apart from those that he composed himself, he inherited songs from his two Wadjiginy ‘fathers’ Aguk Malvak and Alalk, from his Emmiyangal adoptive father, Mun.gi, as well as from other members of the family.

Three of Lambudju’s father’s brothers, Aguk Malvak, Alalk and Tjulatji, were leading songmen in the first half of the twentieth century. Because Lambudju was too young to learn these songs before they died, his father, Jack Lambudju, asked his sister’s daughter’s Emmiyangal husband, Nym Mun.gi, to hold the songs in trust until such time as Lambudju came of age. In our two earliest recordings, from 1959 and 1962 respectively, we hear a very young Lambudju singing alongside Mun.gi’s son Rusty Benmele Moreen, who at that time was undoubtedly the more accomplished singer. Benmele, however, died young, and by the time that Marett arrived in Belyuen in 1986, Lambudju was the undisputed master of this tradition, singing songs inherited from the upper generations alongside many of his own composition.

The texts of many of Lambudju’s songs concern his country to the north of the Daly River and in particular Rak Badjalarr (North Peron Island), the place to which people from Belyuen return after their death. Many of his songs, for example ‘Rak Badjalarr’ (tracks 1–6), ‘Bandawarra-ngalgin’ (tracks 7–9), ‘Karra Balhak Malvak’ (track 10) and ‘Karra-ve Kanya-verver’ (tracks 11 and 12) contain the words of wunymalang ghosts, singing as they return to Rak Badjalarr and its surrounding country. Other songs, for example ‘Benmele’ (track 13), ‘Tjerrendet’ (track 15) and ‘Tjendabalhatj’ (track 16) concern specific individuals, while others, for example ‘Bangany Nye-bindja-ng’ (track 17) are about the act of singing and dancing itself. There are also a number of songs—for example ‘Lima Rak-pe’ (track 24), ‘Bende Ribene’ (track 28) and ‘Limila Karrawala’ (track 29)—that are entirely, or largely in ghost language (vocables). 241

Notes on the recording sample

Because Lambudju’s life was cut short at a relatively young age, the corpus of recordings is not large, although it does have an intriguing historical depth (see table 7.1).

242In all, sixteen songs have been recorded over a fifty-year period from 1959 to the present.1 The earliest recording, from 1959, was made by Alice Moyle when Lambudju was only in his late teens. In 1962, Moyle again recorded Lambudju, now about twenty, singing four songs, including the song with which he is most strongly associated, ‘Rak Badjalarr’ (track 1–6). Lambudju was also recorded by Marett in 1986 and 1991. Lambudju’s adoptive brother, Rusty Benmele Moreen, was recorded singing with Lambudju by Alice Moyle in 1959, and later recorded solo by LaMont West at Beswick Creek (Barunga) in 1961. Colin Worumbu Ferguson, who took over Lambudju’s repertory after his death, was recorded on a number of occasions by Marett in 1997 and by Treloyn in 2008. Worumbu’s brother, Les Kundjil, also sang Lambudju’s songs on occasion, and Roger Yarrowin, Lambudju’s brother-in-law, also received some of his songs. In 2008, Worumbu was at particular pains to fill in any gaps in our knowledge of the various Belyuen repertories.

TRACK 1 (Mar86-04-s07)

Song 1: Rak Badjalarr

Badjalarr is North Peron Island, the ancestral country (rak) to which Lambudju inherited rights through his father. It lies to the north of the mouth of the Daly River. It is regarded as dangerous to all but senior traditional owners and those properly introduced to the country by them, for it is the land of the dead for the Wadjiginy and others living at Belyuen. It is inhabited by wunymalang ghosts, who can come from Badjalarr to Belyuen to give songs to songmen. This dangerous aspect of the song is reflected in the rhythmic setting of its text (see below).

The opening text phrase, rak badjalarr-maka bangany-nyung (‘for the sake of a song for my ancestral country, North Peron Island’) contains an ellipsis, which was clarified by Lambudju when he spoke the text and added the words, nga-bindjan-ng (‘I am singing’) to provide the meaning, ‘I am singing for the sake of a song for my ancestral country, North Peron Island’. And yet the meaning is still not clear until one understands that we are hearing the words of a wunymalang, and that ‘for the sake of’ means, ‘for the sake of [giving you] a song for my ancestral country, North Peron Island.’ Sung in ceremony, however, we hear the voice of the living singer declaring that he is singing for the sake of providing the participants with a song about his country, North Peron Island. Badjalarr is one of several sites in the Daly region mentioned by name in Lambudju’s songs. The dangerous aspect of Badjalarr is reflected in the fact that the rhythmitic setting disguises the words ‘Rak Badjalarr’ by setting them as if they were, ‘Rakba djala.’ When sung, rakba sounds like rak-pe, which has been glossed elsewhere as ‘eternal country.’ So dangerous is Badjalarr that its name cannot be spoken for fear of calling the ancestral ghosts back into the realm of the living. Even Lambudju himself disguised the name when he spoke about it: ‘Rak badjalarr bangany, bangany-nyung nga-bindja-ng, which means that’s the name of the place, djalarr’.

243The text phrase about eating oysters refers to the fact that Badjalarr provides food for its children, and oysters are abundant there. Oysters also abound around the Cox Peninsula where Lambudju and most other Wadjiginy live, thus providing a link between their ancestral country and their current place of residence. This text phrase also contains an ellipsis: the final word ngami (‘I sit’) is supplied in the spoken version, but is not sung. This song and its significance are discussed in greater detail in Marett’s book Songs, dreamings and ghosts (2005).

This chapter includes six versions of ‘Rak Badjalarr’, two sung by Lambudju himself (from 1986 and 1962), one by his adoptive brother, Rusty Benmele Moreen (from 1961), one by Lawrence Wurrpen (1961) and two by Colin Worumbu Ferguson (from 1997 and 2008), the singer who has inherited Lambudju’s songs. These provide insights into how a song can develop over time and as it is passed from songman to songman. Note that all of these singers apart from Wurrpen—who was not a central member of the lineage—use the conspicuous vocalisations in the instrumental section so typical of Lambudju’s own performances. See the music analysis section of this chapter for detailed discussion of the musical changes in these six versions.

SONG STRUCTURE SUMMARY

VOCAL SECTIONS 1–2

Melodic section 1

Text phrases 1–5

Rhythmic mode 5d (fast uneven triple)

[I am singing] for the sake of a song for my ancestral country, North Peron Island

Melodic section 2

Text phrase 6

Rhythmic mode 5d (fast uneven triple)

I am [sitting] eating oysters

INSTRUMENTAL SECTIONS 1–2

Rhythmic mode 5d (fast uneven triple) 244

TRACK 2 (Moy62-01-s01)

Song 1: Rak Badjalarr

This is our earliest recording of ‘Rak Badjalarr,’ recorded by Alice Moyle in 1962. Although the quality of the recording is less than ideal owing to its having been originally recorded at a very low level, it has been included here because it gives us a chance to hear Bobby Lane singing while he was still a young man of about twenty.

There are a number of textual and musical differences between this version and the 1986 version on track 1 (see discussion below in the music analysis section of the chapter).

SONG STRUCTURE SUMMARY

VOCAL SECTIONS 1–2

Melodic section 1

Text phrases 1–5

Rhythmic mode 5a (fast even)

You sing a song for my ancestral country, North Peron Island

Melodic section 2

Text phrase 6

Rhythmic mode 5a (fast even)

I am [sitting] eating oysters

INSTRUMENTAL SECTIONS 1-2 [Various vocables are sung during these sections]

Rhythmic mode 5a (fast even) 245

TRACK 3 (Wes61-s15)

Song 1: Rak Badjalarr

This performance was recorded by the linguist LaMont West at Beswick Creek (now Barunga) in 1961, that is, a year before the performance on track 2. The singer is Lawrence Wurrpen, a man from Delissaville (Belyuen) who had moved to Beswick Creek, where his wife’s family lived. Wurrpen apparently brought with him various Belyuen repertories: in chapter 4 (track 17), Wurrpen can also be heard singing a song by Tommy Barrtjap. Other performances by Wurrpen are discussed in Marett, 2005, pp 212-16. See further details of Wurrpen’s performance in the music analysis section of this chapter.

TRACK 4 (Wes61-s25)

Song 1: Rak Badjalarr

This version is sung by Rusty Benmele Moreen, the son of Mun.gi, Lambudju’s adoptive father and teacher, and hence Lambudju’s adoptive elder brother. Benmele, who died at a tragically young age in the early 1980s (see further with regard to the song, ‘Benmele’ [track 13]), was senior to Lambudju. What we hear in this recording is an accomplished singer at the height of his powers.

While the text, text rhythm and melody are very similar to the version heard in track 1, Benmele’s treatment of rhythmic mode is more complex (see further details in the music analysis section of this chapter). This performance is discussed in more detail in Marett, 2005, pp 189–91. 246

SONG STRUCTURE SUMMARY

VOCAL SECTION 1

Melodic section 1

Text phrases 1–5

Rhythmic mode 5a (var) (fast even with beating suspended)

[I am singing] for the sake of a song for my ancestral country, North Peron Island

[beating in rhythmic mode 5b (fast doubled) begins between melodic sections 1 and 2]

Melodic section 2

Text phrase 6

Rhythmic mode 5b (fast doubled)

I am [sitting] eating oysters

INSTRUMENTAL SECTION 1

Rhythmic mode 5b (fast doubled)

VOCAL SECTION 2 AND 3

Melodic section 1

Text phrases 1–5

Rhythmic mode 5b (fast doubled)

[I am singing] for the sake of a song for my ancestral country, North Peron Island

Melodic section 2

Text phrase 6

Rhythmic mode 5b (fast doubled)

I am [sitting] eating oysters 247

INSTRUMENTAL SECTIONS 2 AND 3

Rhythmic mode 5b (fast doubled)

VOCAL SECTION 4

Melodic section 1

Text phrases 1–5

Rhythmic mode 5e (fast uneven sextuple)

[I am singing] for the sake of a song for my ancestral country, North Peron Island

Melodic section 2

Text phrase 6

Rhythmic mode 5e (fast uneven sextuple)

I am [sitting] eating oysters

INSTRUMENTAL SECTION 4

Rhythmic mode 5e (fast uneven sextuple)

TRACK 5 (Mar97-13-s13)

Song 1: Rak Badjalarr

Following Lambudju’s death in 1993, Colin Worumbu Ferguson took over singing his songs. Although Worumbu is from another language group (Marri Tjavin), his family has lived in Belyuen for many years. Worumbu divides his time between Belyuen and his wife’s country near Wadeye.2

This performance of ‘Rak Badjalarr’ shows the influence of both Lambudju and Benmele (see further discussion in music analysis section). This performance, recorded by Marett on the beach one night at Mandorah, was so powerful that it called into our presence the ghost of Lambudju himself (see further Marett, 2005, p 191). The ritual call (malh) that can be heard at the end of the track is an indicator of the spiritual power of this performance. 248

TRACK 6 (Tre08-01-s26)

Song 1: Rak Badjalarr

This performance was recorded by Sally Treloyn at Lee Point, Darwin. The performer is once again Colin Worumbu Ferguson. On this occasion Worumbu introduced several innovations to the text. One striking feature of this performance is its use of only two instead of three repetitions of the main text phrase in melodic section 1. As in Worumbu’s 1997 performance, text phrase 1 is repeated at the end of melodic section 2 (vocal section 1); but in vocal sections 2 and 3 melodic section 2 is omitted altogether. Various features, including the fast doubled beating and some textual variation, remind us of Wurrpen’s 1961 performance (track 3). By this time, the CD Rak Badjalarr: Wangga songs for North Peron Island by Bobby Lane (Marett, Barwick, & Ford, 2001), which contained the Wurrpen performance, had been in circulation for seven years and Worumbu was very familiar with it. He is quite candid about the fact that he learns songs from CDs and thus it is that modern technological media aid the transmission and maintenance of these traditions. Marett (2003) discusses the role of recordings in sustaining tradition, and the fact that in terms of local epistemology, recordings are regarded as being intrinsically identical to ghosts. 249

TRACK 7 (Mar86-04-s02)

Song 2: Bandawarra-ngalgin

Bandawarra-ngalgin is the name given to a deep and dangerous hole in the ocean floor. It lies between the mouth of the Daly River and South Peron Island and forms part of Lambudju’s ancestral country.

There are a number of interesting formal features of this song. The first is the oscillating glide that begins each melodic section. Glides of this sort can be heard in some of the oldest archival recordings of wangga but are rarely heard today. The second is the variability in ordering of the three text phrases, bandawarra-ngalgin ka-djen-mene (‘It [the tide] is coming in at Bandawarra-ngalgin’), nya-muy-ang nye-djang-nganggung (‘Stand up and dance woman, for us both’) and ngala-viyitj nya-mu-nganggung (‘Sit and clap hands for us both’). This variability can be observed not only across the three items presented here (tracks 7, 8 and 9) but also between vocal sections within each item. The third notable feature is the genre self-reference in the text phrases that refer to dancing and hand clapping. Here the singer is calling on the wider community to participate fully in the performance.

SONG STRUCTURE SUMMARY

VOCAL SECTION 1

Melodic sections 1–2

Text phrases 1–2

Rhythmic mode 1 (without clapsticks)

It [the tide] is coming in at Bandawarra-ngalgin

INSTRUMENTAL SECTION 1

Rhythmic mode 4a (moderate even)

VOCAL SECTION 2

Melodic section 1

Text phrase 1

Rhythmic mode 1 (without clapsticks)

bandawarra-ngalgin
placename

Bandawarra-ngalgin 250

INSTRUMENTAL SECTION 2

Rhythmic mode 5b (fast doubled)

TRACK 8 (Mar86-04-s03)

Song 2: Bandawarra-ngalgin

SONG STRUCTURE SUMMARY

VOCAL SECTION 1

Melodic section 1

Text phrase 1

Rhythmic mode 1 (without clapsticks)

It [the tide] is coming in at Bandawarra-ngalgin

Melodic section 2

Text phrase 2

Rhythmic mode 1 (without clapsticks)

Stand up and dance woman, for us both

INSTRUMENTAL SECTION 1

Rhythmic mode 4a (moderate even) 251

VOCAL SECTION 2

Melodic section 1

Text phrase 1

Rhythmic mode 1 (without clapsticks)

It [the tide] is coming in at Bandawarra-ngalgin

Melodic section 2

Text phrase 2

Rhythmic mode 1 (without clapsticks)

Sit and clap hands for us both

INSTRUMENTAL SECTION 2

Rhythmic mode 4a (moderate even)

TRACK 9 (Mar86-04-s04)

Song 2: Bandawarra-ngalgin

SONG STRUCTURE SUMMARY

VOCAL SECTION 1

Melodic section 1

Text phrase 1

Rhythmic mode 1 (without clapsticks)

It [the tide] is coming in at Bandawarra-ngalgin

Melodic section 2

Text phrase 2

Rhythmic mode 1 (without clapsticks)

Sit and clap hands for us both

INSTRUMENTAL SECTION 1

Rhythmic mode 4a (moderate even)

VOCAL SECTIONS 2–3

Melodic section 1

Text phrase 1

Rhythmic mode 1 (without clapsticks)

It [the tide] is coming in at Bandawarra-ngalgin

Melodic section 2

Text phrase 2

Rhythmic mode 1 (without clapsticks)

Stand up and dance woman, for us both 253

INSTRUMENTAL SECTION 2

Rhythmic mode 4a (moderate even)

INSTRUMENTAL SECTION 3

Rhythmic mode 5b (fast doubled)

TRACK 10 (Mar86-04-s09)

Song 3: Karra Balhak Malvak

This song is addressed to the ghost of Lambudju’s father’s brother Aguk Malvak, one of the singers whose repertory Lambudju inherited. Malvak died some time after 1959, when he appears in the Northern Territory Register of Wards (1957, p 106) as ‘Argog’, tribal name ‘Mauwot’; his birth date is given as 1895. The reason that Malvak is addressed as older brother (balhak) is because the composer of this song was, according to Lambudju, one of Malvak’s younger brothers—the most likely candidates are Alalk or Tjulatji, both of whom were songmen. Ewers records Malvak as being one of the two main songmen at Delissaville in 1947 (the other was Barrtjap’s ‘father’ Jimmy Bandak) (Ewers, 1954, p 25). This song describes Malvak’s ghost lying at Bandawarra-ngalgin in one of the poses associated with the dead (one knee bent over the other, or ‘number four leg’ as this pose is commonly called),3 and urges him to paddle across to Badjalarr (North Peron Island), the island of the dead to which all Wadjiginy people return. 254

SONG STRUCTURE SUMMARY

VOCAL SECTIONS 1–2

Melodic section 1

Text phrase 1a (vocal section 2 only)

Rhythmic mode 1 (without clapsticks)

ka
SW

Ka

Text phrase 1b

Rhythmic mode 1 (without clapsticks)

Brother Malbak

Text phrase 2

Rhythmic mode 1 (without clapsticks)

At Bandawarra-ngalgin now

Melodic section 2

Text phrase 3

Rhythmic mode 1 (without clapsticks)

Quick now, brother, 255

Melodic section 3 (lower octave)

Text phrase 4

Rhythmic mode 1 (without clapsticks)

with a floating log

INSTRUMENTAL SECTION 1

Rhythmic mode 4a (moderate even)

INSTRUMENTAL SECTION 2

Rhythmic mode 5b (fast doubled)

TRACK 11 (Mar86-04-s01)

Song 4: Karra-ve Kanya-verver

Here a ghost sings about its journey to Badjalarr, the Wadjiginy island of the dead. Feeling the wind on your back is a sign of the presence of a ghost. Lambudju described getting this song from a Wumymalang ghost as follows: ‘the wind’s blowing and I’m lying down here. I slept and dreamt and a maruy (wunymalang) spirit came and sang the song. I got that picture and I sang that song’ (Marett, Barwick and Ford, 2001, pp 13–14).

The song is in a mixture of Batjamalh and Emmi: text phrase 1 (karra-ve kanya-verver-rtedi kay[a-ndhi]) is in Emmi, while text phrase 2 (karra-ve kak-ung-bende badjalarr) is in Batjamalh. Such mixing of languages is unusual in wangga songs, but Lambudju is said to have frequently mixed the two languages in everyday conversation, perhaps because he was brought up in an Emmi-speaking family though his own ancestral language was Batjamalh. Despite Lambudju’s claim to have composed this song himself, Marett has suggested that it is entirely possibly that this song is older, being one of the songs originally in Batjamalh transmitted to him from his father’s generation via his adoptive father, Mun.gi, whose mother tongue was Emmi (Marett, 2005, p 195). This may be another explanation for the macaronic nature of the text.

256Fluent speakers of Emmi assured us that text phrase 1 should end with the enclitic –ndhi (towards speaker), which would give the meaning, ‘it [the wind] is always blowing on my back,’ but it is not present in this performance, although careful listening suggests it is present when the text phrase is repeated at the end of the song. It can also be heard in the performance of this song that follows (track 12).

SONG STRUCTURE SUMMARY

VOCAL SECTION 1

Melodic section 1

Text phrase 1

Rhythmic mode 4c (moderate uneven triple)

It [a breeze] is forever cooling my back

Text phrase 2

Rhythmic mode 4c (moderate uneven triple)

Away now to Badjalarr forever

Text Phrase 3

Rhythmic mode 4c (mocerate uneven triple)

ribene ribene, ribene ribene, ribene ribene …

Melodic section 2

Text phrase 4

Rhythmic mode 4c (moderate uneven triple)

ii, aa, ü 257

Melodic section 2

Text phrase 5

Rhythmic mode 4c (moderate uneven triple)

It [a breeze] is forever cooling my back

INSTRUMENTAL SECTION 1

Rhythmic mode 4c (moderate uneven triple)

TRACK 12 (Moy62-01-s02)

Song 4: Karra-ve Kanya-verver

Track 12 is a performance of ‘Karra-ve Kanya-verver’ recorded by Alice Moyle in 1962. Here, the singers Lambudju and Douglas Rankin, structure the song slightly differently. While the melody, text and rhythmic mode are essentially the same as Lambuju’s 1986 performance (track 11), this performance repeats text phrase 3 and in melodic section 2 replaces a repeat of text phrase 1—karra-ve kanya-verver-rtedi kaya-ndhi—with a repeat of text phrase 2—karra-ve kak-ung-bende badjalarr. Careful listening suggests that the full form of text phrase 1 was sung on this occasion.

SONG STRUCTURE SUMMARY

VOCAL SECTIONS 1–3

Melodic section 1

Text phrase 1

Rhythmic mode 4c (moderate uneven triple)

It [a breeze] is forever cooling my back 258

Text phrase 2

Rhythmic mode 4c (moderate uneven triple)

Away now to Badjalarr forever

Text phrase 3

Rhythmic mode 4c (moderate uneven triple)

ribene ribene, ribene ribene, ribene ribene

Melodic section 2

Text phrases 4–5

Rhythmic mode 4c (moderate uneven triple)

ii, aa, ü

Text phrase 6

Rhythmic mode 4c (moderate uneven triple)

Away now to Badjalarr forever

Text phrase 7

Rhythmic mode 4c (moderate uneven triple)

ribene ribene, ribene ribene

Text phrase 8

Rhythmic mode 4c (moderate uneven triple)

ya ya, ya ya

INSTRUMENTAL SECTIONS 1–3

Rhythmic mode 4c (moderate uneven triple) 259

TRACK 13 (Mar86-04-s10)

Song 5: Benmele

‘Benmele’ was composed in reaction to the death of Rusty Benmele Moreen in the early 1980s. Benmele was the adoptive elder brother of Lambudju, and at the time he was the senior singer in this tradition (Benmele can be heard singing on track 4). His death was a major loss to the community. The song describes the channel-billed cuckoo singing to Benmele to call him away to death. The significance of this is that any death announced by a channel-billed cuckoo is seen as a natural death, that is, a death not occasioned by sorcery. The song is essentially a denial of the involvement of any sorcery in Benmele’s death. When this song is explained to children or outsiders, kurratjkurratj is usually glossed as ‘kookaburra’ so as to disguise this more serious meaning. A more detailed account of the various layers of interpretation associated with this song is given in Marett, 2005, pp 192–94.

Vocal sections 1–4 are sung isorhythmically (that is, with the same text syllables set to exactly the same rhythm each time). Lambudju takes a breath at the end of text phrases 2 and 4 leading to a truncation of the text phrase.

SONG STRUCTURE SUMMARY

VOCAL SECTIONS 1–3

Melodic section 1

Text phrases 1–4

Rhythmic mode 2 (slow even)

Benmele! Cuckoo! He sang for him

Melodic section 2

Text phrase 5

Rhythmic mode 2 (slow even)

ii, aa, mm

INSTRUMENTAL SECTIONS 1–3

Rhythmic mode 2 (slow even)260

TRACK 14 (Mar86-04-s06)

Song 6: Winmedje

The Batjamalh words of text phrase 1 also appear as the final text phrase of ‘Rak Badjalarr’ (tracks 1–6). As explained in the notes to track 1, the reference to oysters links Lambudju’s ancestral country on North Peron Island to his adoptive country at Belyuen on the Cox Peninsula. In ‘Rak Badjalarr,’ a song-giving ghost is sitting on North Peron Island eating the oysters provided by that country; in dreaming ‘Winmedje’, Lambudju dreamt of his ‘daughter’ Audrey Lippo eating oysters at Two Fella Creek near Belyuen (in later discussions with our consultants, the composition was attributed to Lippo herself). In Songs, dreamings and ghosts, Marett explains in more detail how the two songs, ‘Rak Badjalarr’ and ‘Winmedje’ are related melodically, textually and in the details of their composition (2005, pp 186-87).

SONG STRUCTURE SUMMARY

VOCAL SECTIONS 1–2

Melodic section 1

Text phrase 1

Rhythmic mode 5c (fast uneven quadruple)

I am sitting eating oysters

Melodic section 2

Text phrase 2

Rhythmic mode 5c (fast uneven quadruple)

aa, ee, ü

INSTRUMENTAL SECTIONS 1–2

Rhythmic mode 5c (fast uneven quadruple) 261

TRACK 15 (Mar86-04-s05)

Song 7: Tjerrendet

‘Tjerrendet,’ which means a traditional loincloth or ‘cockrag,’ was the nickname of Roy Mardi Bigfoot, who was an active performer at the time that Alice Moyle was recording performances at Mandorah at 1968. He had outstations both at Balgal opposite the Peron Islands and at Dum-in-Mirrie Island. Lambudju told us that he made this song one day when he saw Tjerrendet walking past his camp.

Lambudju’s explanation of the song was:

Given that wangga are so often concerned with the activities of song-giving ghosts, we cannot but wonder whether this song in fact describes a visitation of Tjerrendet’s ghost to the songman, Lambudju, whose turn it is now to sing the song.

SONG STRUCTURE SUMMARY

VOCAL SECTIONS 1–2

Melodic section 1

Text phrase 1–4

Rhythmic mode 3a (slow moderate even)

Tjerrendet has gone back

It’s this man’s turn to sing a song

INSTRUMENTAL SECTIONS 1–2

Rhythmic mode 3a (slow moderate even) 262

TRACK 16 (Mar86-04-s11)

Song 8: Tjendabalhatj

Tjendabalhatj was the Aboriginal name of Charlie Alliung, otherwise known as ‘old Elliyong’. Lambudju explained this song as follows:

There is clearly a more complex story lying behind this rather pithy explanation, which adds little to what is already in the song text. Lambudju told us that Tjendabalhatj was a dawarrabörak or sorceror, and as we have seen from ‘Benmele,’ stories about sorcery are often hidden from outsiders. Indeed, Alliung was one of two dawarraböraks who performed at a rag burning (kapuk/karaboga) ceremony recorded at Delissaville (the old name for Belyuen) in 1948 by the ABC journalist Colin Simpson (Barwick & Marett, 2011; Simpson, 1948, 1951).

SONG STRUCTURE SUMMARY

VOCAL SECTIONS 1–3

Melodic section 1

Text phrases 1–4

Rhythmic mode 5c (fast uneven quadruple)

Tjendabalhatj they saw you standing there

INSTRUMENTAL SECTIONS 1–3

Rhythmic mode 5c (fast uneven quadruple) 263

TRACK 17 (Mar91-04-s04)

Song 9: Bangany Nye-bindja-ng [two items]

Track 17 contains two items of ‘Bangany nye-bindja-ng.’ There is only the shortest of breaks between the two. This performance was recorded at the Belyuen waterhole one morning after a night of partying, hence the rather exuberant calls and comments from the dancers. For this occasion Lambudju used a pair of beer cans in place of clapsticks.

Lambudju said of this song:

Lambudju’s articulation of the self-reflexive nature of the song text—that the act of singing is the fulfillment of the song-giving ghost’s sung command—is striking: ‘It says, ‘sing me a song’ and that’s what it is.’

One interesting self-referential feature of the song is that it refers to both men and women’s accompanying dance. Ya-mara (literally, ‘you kick’) refers to men’s dancing, and nya-muya (literally, ‘you sway’) to women’s dancing. Presumably the ‘us two’ signified by the pronoun -nganggung refers to the singer and his didjeridu accompanist. In different performances of this song, Lambudju may substitute one of these terms for the other, depending who is dancing. In this elicited performance he showed off both forms.

We, and our Batjamalh-speaking consultants, have found it difficult to hear precisely what Lambudju is singing at the ends of text phrases 3 and 4 of both items. There seems to be additional text at the end of these text phrases in item 2, perhaps a partial repetition of bangany nye-bindja-ng nya-mu.

In the final instrumental sections, Lambudju rather playfully sings di digidi di di rather than his normal di di di. 264

SONG STRUCTURE SUMMARY

Item 1 (Mar91-04-s04)

VOCAL SECTION 1

Melodic section 1

Text phrases 1–2

Rhythmic mode 4b (moderate uneven quadruple)

Sit and sing a song for me, dance, man!

Text phrase 3

Rhythmic mode 4b (moderate uneven quadruple)

Stand up and dance, woman, for us two. Song! Dance, man!

Melodic section 2

Text phrase 4

Rhythmic mode 4b (moderate uneven quadruple)

Ee, stand up and dance, woman, for us two. Song! Dance, man!

Melodic section 3

Text phrase 5

Rhythmic mode 4b (moderate uneven quadruple)

Karra ee

INSTRUMENTAL SECTION 1

Rhythmic mode 4b (moderate uneven quadruple) 265

Item 2

VOCAL SECTION 1

Melodic section 1

Text phrases 1–2

Rhythmic mode 4b (moderate uneven quadruple)

Sit and sing a song for me, dance, man!

Text phrase 3

Rhythmic mode 4b (moderate uneven quadruple)

Stand up and dance, woman, for us two. Song! Dance, man!

Melodic section 2

Text phrase 4

Rhythmic mode 4b (moderate uneven quadruple)

Ee, stand up and dance, woman, for us two. Song! Dance, man!

Melodic section 3

Text phrase 5

Rhythmic mode 4b (moderate uneven quadruple)

Stand up and dance, woman

INSTRUMENTAL SECTION 1

Rhythmic mode 4b (moderate uneven quadruple)

TRACK 18 (Mar91-04-s05)

Song 10: Walingave

Lambudju explains, ‘Now this song is about a place called Wali. Walingave. It’s near Peron Island there somewhere, and what I’m singing there is, I just repeat that same old word: Wali, Walingave.’ It is unclear precisely where Walingave is located.

In 1979 Brian Enda explained the song as follows (Marett, Barwick and Ford, 2001):

267It is possible that this explanation is what Ellis called ‘a false front,’ that is, an version of events that hides the true, deeper meaning (CJ Ellis, 1985, p 124), and that Lambudju’s explanation, with its reference to a dimly remembered place in the ancestral country that he had never visited was true, but a matter of some sensitivity. It is also possible to argue, on the basis of the melody of this song (which is the same as ‘Karra Balhak Malvak’ [track 10]), that this was one of the older songs in Lambudju’s repertory, perhaps composed by one of the songmen of his father’s generation, who would have been better acquainted with country around North Peron Island (Marett, 2005, p 195). Interestingly, in 2008 Colin Worumbu Ferguson strongly asserted that Brian Enda’s explanation was the correct one and that there was no such place as Walingave (personal communication, Allan Marett).

SONG STRUCTURE SUMMARY

VOCAL SECTIONS 1–2

Melodic section 1

Text phrases 1–6

Rhythmic mode 3b (slow moderate uneven triple)

Sing a song for Walingave

Melodic section 2

Text phrase 7

Rhythmic mode 3b (slow moderate uneven triple)

ii, aa

Text phrases 8–9

Rhythmic mode 3b (slow moderate uneven triple)

Sing a song for Walingave

INSTRUMENTAL SECTIONS 1–2

Rhythmic mode 3b (slow moderate uneven triple) 268

TRACKS 19–22 (Mar91-05-s04)

Song 11: Djappana

     

Lambudju’s comments are as follows: ‘I just said that’s the name of the place, Djappana. Djappana is near tjine rakje [‘what’s that place?’] the mouth of the Daly River, that Djappana, that’s the name of the place. I just keep on repeating it, same word all the way.’ Ruby Yarrowin, an Emmi speaker, told us that Djappana is to the north of the Daly River.

Lambudju sings the song almost identically on all four tracks, except that on track 22 he adds a third vocal and instrumental section.

SONG STRUCTURE SUMMARY

VOCAL SECTIONS 1–2

Melodic section 1

Text phrases 1–4

Rhythmic mode 5a (fast even)

Djappana rdinyale rdinyale Djappana

Text phrase 5

Rhythmic mode 5a (fast even)

ya
SW

ya

INSTRUMENTAL SECTIONS 1–2

Rhythmic mode 5a (fast even) 269

TRACK 23 (Moy59-03-s01 and s02)

Song 12: Karra Balhak-ve (two items)

This song, recorded by Alice Moyle at Bagot in 1959, is noted in her fieldnotes as a ‘song for Peron Island.’ This is not only the earliest recording we have of Lambudju, but it is also one of the few recordings of him singing with Rusty Benmele Moreen. It is unlikely that this song was composed by Lambudju, indeed the minor mode quality of its melody suggest that it probably derived from the upper generation of singers that included Lambudju’s father’s brothers, Aguk Malvak, Alalk and Tjulatji (Marett, 2005, p 195).

In the notes to the CD recording, Rak Badjalarr: Wangga songs from Peron Island by Bobby Lane (Marett, Barwick & Ford, 2001, pp 29–30), we were misled by a spoken version of the text given to Alice Moyle in 1962 and mistakenly identified this as a song about the brolga. Our consultants, and indeed our own ears, confirm, however, that the penultimate word is bangany (song), not belleny (brolga). The song is, however, addressed to ‘older brother,’ a term used to address Dreamings as well as actual kin. Could this have been the Brolga Dreaming?

There are two dovetailed items.

SONG STRUCTURE SUMMARY

Item 1 (Moy59-02-s01)

VOCAL SECTIONS 1–3

Melodic section 1

Text phrases 1–3

Rhythmic mode 4a (moderate even)

Older brother I am forever singing a song

Melodic section 2

Text phrase 4

Rhythmic mode 4a (moderate even)

ii
SW

ii 270

INSTRUMENTAL SECTIONS 1–3

Rhythmic mode 4a (moderate even)

Item 2 (Moy59-03-s02)

VOCAL SECTIONS 1–2

Melodic section 1

Text phrases 1–3

Rhythmic mode 4a (moderate even)

Older brother I am forever singing a song

Melodic section 2

Text phrase 4

Rhythmic mode 4a (moderate even)

ii

SW

ii

INSTRUMENTAL SECTIONS 1–2

Rhythmic mode 4a (moderate even)

TRACK 24 (Moy62-01-s03)

Song 13: Lima Rak-pe

Once again we hear Lambudju singing with Rusty Benmele Moreen, this time in a recording made by Alice Moyle in 1962. Some consultants say that the words of this song have no meaning and are ‘just for song,’ but we have encountered the expression ‘rak-pe’ in too many songs, including a hint of it in ‘Rak Badjalarr’ (see notes to track 1), to take this at face value. It occurs in three of Barrtjap’s songs: ‘Yagarra Nedja Tjine Rak-pe’ (Yagarra! Son, where is my camp/eternal country?) (chapter 4, track 20); ‘Yagarra Rak Tjine Rak-pe’ (Yagarra! Where is my eternal country?) (chapter 4, track 23); and ‘Nyere-nye Bangany Nyaye’ (chapter 4, track 12), where the second text phrase is lima rak-pe ngadja 271ngaye (lima my eternal country ngaye). Since in each of these cases rak-pe has been glossed as ‘eternal country,’ we have adopted that translation here.

The minor mode feeling of the melody, together with the early recording date, suggests too that this is an old song that may have been composed by one of Lambudju’s ‘fathers.’

SONG STRUCTURE SUMMARY

VOCAL SECTIONS 1–4

Melodic section 1

Text phrases 1–4

Rhythmic mode 4a (moderate even)

Lima eternal country! Lima eternal country!

Text phrase 5

Rhythmic mode 4a (moderate even)

ya ya, ya ya

INSTRUMENTAL SECTIONS 1–4

Rhythmic mode 4a (moderate even)

TRACK 25 (Mar97-05-s01)

Song 14: Mubagandi

272This performance was recorded in 1997, not long after the death of Lambudju. According to its Emmiyangal singer Roger Yarrowin, the song was composed by Lambudju and given to Yarrowin just prior to Lambudju’s death (Marett and Barwick field tape DAT97/10). Because of various linguistic errors in the song text, some of our consultants have suggested that Yarrowin himself must have composed the song, which therefore must have been given to him by Lambudju in a dream after Lambudju’s death. Given the liminal role of wangga songs within the interstices between the living and the dead, it is not surprising that people wish to sustain this mystery.4

According to fluent speakers of Batjamalh, the text of the song contains grammatical mistakes that a fluent speaker like Lambudju would not have made. Ka-ngadja is a simple verb meaning ‘he returns.’ While in Emmi it is possible to split off -ngadja (‘return’) and use it as a coverb with the inflected auxiliary -me (‘do, say, tell’), as Yarrowin does, you cannot do this in Batjamalh. Perhaps this grammatical inconsistency points to Yarrowin’s imperfect recall of Lambudju’s text. Grammar aside, this would most easily translate as ‘Tell him to come back to you and me.’ In broad terms, the singer seems to be singing to a recently deceased relative, appealing to him to come back.

A second aspect of the song that may point to creative intervention by Yarrowin is the unusual melodic structure. While Lambudju often sang vocables and occasionally fragments of meaningful text in the lower octave, this usually occurred during the instrumental section. Here the lower octave melodic sections (2 and 4) are integral to the song. A possible model for this practice might be ‘Karra Balhak Malvak’ (track 10), where melodic section 3 contains text sung in the lower octave. The latter is an old song, however, from Lambudju’s fathers’ generation, not a song composed by Lambudju himself. See the music analysis section of this chapter for further discussion of musical features of this song.

SONG STRUCTURE SUMMARY

VOCAL SECTIONS 1–2

Melodic section 1

Text phrase 1

Rhythmic mode 5c (fast uneven quadruple)

Tell him to come back for you and me now, poor bugger

Melodic section 2 (lower octave)

Text phrase 2

Rhythmic mode 5c (fast uneven quadruple)

Tell him to come back for you and me 273

Melodic section 3

Text phrase 3

Rhythmic mode 5c (fast uneven quadruple)

Tell him to come back for you and me, tell him to come back for you and me now

Melodic section 4

Text phrase 4

Rhythmic mode 5c (fast uneven quadruple)

Tell him to come back for you and me

INSTRUMENTAL SECTIONS 1–2

Rhythmic mode 5c (fast uneven quadruple) 274

TRACK 26 (Mar97-05-s02)

Song 14: Mubagandi (two items)

This track contains two dovetailed items of ‘Mubagandi’ (the didjeridu begins the second item before the first is finished). The text and musical structure of each item is the same as the version on track 25. The performance contains a number of ritual calls (malh), which the performer said were calls to the ghost of Lambudju.

TRACK 27 (Mar97-05-s03)

Song 14: Mubagandi

The text and musical structure of this item are the same as the previous three, except for one factor. In vocal section 2, Yarrowin suspends the stick beating. This is a powerful device, but one rarely heard (see music analysis section for more details).

TRACK 28 (Tre08-01-s08)

Song 15: Bende Ribene

This recording of a song composed by Lambudju, which he was never recorded singing himself, was made during an elicited session in 2008. In the course of the session Colin Worumbu Ferguson, to whom Marett had given draft CD copies for this and other chapters, filled in gaps in the repertory, giving us previously unrecorded, or rarely recorded, songs. Although we already had a recording of ‘Bende Ribene’ from 1991 (in which Worumbu performed with Les Kundjil), there were problems with the recording. This is a striking example of a consultant intervening in the production of this record of his culture. See the music analysis section for comments on musical features of this performance.

SONG STRUCTURE SUMMARY

VOCAL SECTIONS 1–2

Melodic section 1

Text phrases 1–4

Rhythmic mode 4a (moderate even)

Bende ribene ribe 275

Melodic section 2

Text phrase 5

Rhythmic mode 4a (moderate even) (quiet)

Yakerre! He is singing for brother Malvak

INSTRUMENTAL SECTIONS 1–2

Rhythmic mode 4a (moderate even)

TRACK 29 (Tre08-01-s14)

Song 16: Limila Karrawala

This was another song of Lambudju’s that we had previously failed to record or locate on archive copies. As for the previous track, Colin Worumbu Ferguson sang it for Marett in 2008 to complete the record of Lambudju’s songs. It has the same melodic contour as ‘Rak Badjalarr.’ No song text is currently available for this track, but we do know that the word karrawala means ‘hill.’ See the music analysis section for further comments on this song. 276

MUSICAL ANALYSIS OF LAMBUDJU’S REPERTORY

Lambudju’s repertory is significant because it exhibits a wide range of forms in every dimension of performance, text, melody and rhythmic mode.

Song structure summary

The structure of three of Lambudju’s performances, ‘Karra-ve Kanya-verver’ (track 11) and the two items of ‘Bangany Nye-bindja-ng’ (track 17), is somewhat unusual in that they have only one vocal section followed by a single instrumental section (this is very unusual for any wangga song). Most of his other performances have two vocal sections and two instrumental sections. The largest number of vocal sections are contained in Rusty Benmele Moreen’s performance of ‘Rak Badjalarr’ (track 4) and Lambudju’s performance of ‘Lima Rak-pe’ (track 21), which each have four vocal and instrumental sections.

Text structure overview

Structurally the texts of Lambudju’s songs take a variety of forms. Most, including songs such as ‘Rak Badjalarr’, ‘Benmele’ and ‘Tjerrendet’, have cyclical texts that are set isorhythmically, while some, including songs such as ‘Bandawarra-ngalgin’ and ‘Karra-ve Kanya-verver’, have through-composed texts. Some texts are entirely in human language, some in a mixture of ghost language and some entirely in ghost language. Most of Lambudju’s song texts are stable from performance to performance. Notable exceptions to this are ‘Bandawarra-ngalgin’ (tracks 7–9), whose text is quite variable from item to item and from vocal section to vocal section, and there are several different versions of the text of ‘Rak Badjalarr’ (see further below).

A distinctive feature of Lambudju’s style was his practice of singing vocables during instrumental sections on the 5th and 6th degrees of the scale (in the lower octave), rising to the tonic in the final instrumental section. This is reproduced by some singers, for example Colin Worumbu Ferguson, when they take up Lambudju’s songs, but not all (see for example Laurence Wurrpen’s performance of ‘Rak Badjalarr’ on track 3).

Rhythmic mode overview

Table 7.2 summarises Lambudju’s practice with regard to rhythmic mode. He is the only singer to use the slow moderate tempo band, and his fast tempo band is slower than that of most other singers (typically 120–26bpm), which is partly why his repertory has a rather laid back feel to it. Note that Lambudju only uses the fast doubled rhythmic mode (5b) as the final instrumental section of his unmeasured songs, and never uses it in combination with fast tempo vocal sections.

Lambudju’s songs use a relatively large number of rhythmic modes (very few share a rhythmic modal profile), which Marett has suggested appears to reflect the high degree of variety found in other aspects of Lambudju’s repertory, such as melody (see below) (Marett, 2005).

Distribution of rhythmic mode between vocal sections and instrumental sections

One feature of Lambudju’s practice that immediately leaps out is how often he uses the same rhythmic modes for both vocal and instrumental sections (the same cannot be said for others performing his songs, see tables 7.2, 7.4 and 7.5). This is the case for every song apart from the two songs in rhythmic mode 1 (which by definition must have a different rhythmic mode in the instrumental sections). Other singers tended to maintain the same rhythmic mode for songs in the moderate and fast tempo bands, but Lambudju extended this practice to the slow moderate and slow songs. 277

Presenting the same text in different rhythmic modes in different vocal sections within an item

This does not occur in Lambudju’s own practice, but see the discussion below regarding performances of Lambudju songs by Benmele, Worumbu and Yarrowin.

Mixing of rhythmic modes within a vocal section

This does not happen in Lambudju’s own practice or in that of others performing his songs apart from a couple of instances where the beating is suspended.

Variation in rhythmic mode of instrumental sections across items

This happens only in ‘Bandawarra-ngalgin’ (tracks 7–9) where the first performance uses rhythmic mode 5b (fast doubled) for the final instrumental section, while the second and third items use the same moderate even rhythmic mode 4a as found in the internal instrumental sections. Perhaps Lambudju initially followed the same pattern as used for ‘Karra Balhak Malvak’ (the other song in rhythmic mode 1) before deciding that the song should be performed in the second way.

Melodic mode overview

We have already mentioned that because of its complex pattern of transmission, Lambudju’s repertory contains the widest variety of melodic modes. These are set out in table 7.3. In the top part of the table

278are songs that use either the lydian, chromatic or major modes. It can be seen that a number of these are attributed to Lambudju, sometimes alone, and sometimes in combination with other singers. In the lower part of the table are songs that use the dorian mode. Because none of the songs known to have been composed by Lambudju use this mode, and because those in the dorian mode have qualities that suggest that they are old—either by attribution to a composer of Lambudju’s father’s generation (Aguk Malvak), or because they were recorded when Lambudju was very young, or because they refer to places such as Djappana and Walingave about which Lambudju himself had little or no knowledge—it seems plausible to suggest that songs that use a lydian, major or chromatic series were probably composed by Lambudju himself, while those that use the dorian series are perhaps those that he inherited from his father’s brothers.

Songs that share a melody

Only ‘Rak Badjalarr’ and ‘Limila Karrawala’ share a melody.

Further notes on selected tracks

Here we provide some additional analytical notes on musical features of several songs (‘Rak Badjalarr’, ‘Bandawarra-ngalgin’, ‘Mubagandi’, ‘Bende Ribene’ and ‘Limila Karrawala’).

Tracks 1–6 ‘Rak Badjalarr’

It is interesting to contrast Lambudju’s use of rhythmic mode with the performances of his songs by other singers. Table 7.4 sets out the rhythmic modes used in all six performances of ‘Rak Badjalarr’ (tracks 1–6). Wurrpen’s performance uses rhythmic mode 5b (fast doubled beating) throughout, which as we have noted was never used in this fashion by Lambudju himself; it is, however, not uncommon in other Belyuen song repertories. Benmele’s version of the song uses a number of different rhythmic modal settings: the first vocal section is unaccompanied by clapsticks, but has a definite didjeridu pulse in synchrony with the vocal rhythm, so is probably to be counted as a suspended form of one of 279the fast rhythmic modes (we have classified it as 5a [var]). Fast doubled beating (5b) follows this and continues throughout vocal sections 2 and 3 and their following vocal sections, before the clapsticks change for the final vocal and instrumental sections to an unusual pattern unique in the wangga corpus: fast uneven sextuple rhythmic mode 5e, consisting of five crotchet beats followed by a crotchet rest. Note that both Wurrpen and Benmele remain within Lambudju’s usual relaxed tempo range for fast songs (120–26bpm).

The final two performances, by Worumbu, are noteworthy in a number of respects. Like Benmele, both Worumbu’s performances change rhythmic mode in the course of the song item, with the final item in a different rhythmic mode (the change is from 4c [moderate uneven triple] to 5a [fast even] in track 5, and from 5b [fast doubled] to 5d [fast uneven triple] in track 6). It is in tempo that we find the most interesting developments. We have already noted that Lambudju’s fast tempo is performed with a more relaxed tempo than other singers. Worumbu’s 1997 performance is so relaxed indeed that the fast uneven triple rhythmic mode 5d used in Lambudju’s performances (at about 122bpm) becomes what can only be interpreted as a moderate tempo uneven triple rhythmic mode 4c (performed by Worumbu at 116bpm, the same tempo as used by Lambudju for ‘Karra-ve Kanya-verver’). The final vocal section in fast even beating (rhythmic mode 5a) returns to Lambudju’s preferred tempo (123bpm). In 2008, Worumbu performs the first two vocal sections with fast doubled beating (reminding us of Wurrpen’s performance on track 3), finishing with Lambudju’s characteristic rhythmic mode 5d. Remarkably, however, this song is performed throughout at approximately 130bpm, much faster than any of the other performances, but within the range commonly used by Worumbu’s father, Billy Mandji, for fast songs (see table 2.4 in chapter 2).

There are also small but significant textual differences between the various performances. Even in Lambudju’s own performances, the text of the opening text phrases is slightly different. As we have seen, the text of the first version is ‘[I am singing] for the sake of a song for my ancestral country, North Peron Island’). In Lambudju’s second version, the song-giving ancestral ghost simply issues his orders to the song-man: ‘you sing a song for my ancestral country, North Peron Island.’

Wurrpen (track 3) often truncates the text of the opening text phrase. For most text phrases he simply sings rak badjalarr-maka bangany (‘A song for my ancestral country North Peron Island’), sometimes extending this to rak badjalarr-maka bangany-nyung (‘for the sake of a song for my ancestral country North Peron Island’). Wurrpen does not use Lambudju’s distinctive vocalisation during instrumental sections, instead adding a coda of the type found in Barrtjap’s repertory. This is a rare case of a singer 280Lambudju’s, where he sings similar vocables moving from the 6th to the 5th degree in non-final instrumental sections, resolving to the tonic in the final instrumental section.

Worumbu’s performance in 1997 (track 5) uses the same text phrase 1 as used by Lambudju on track 2, rak badjalarr bangany nye-bindja-ng (‘You sing a song for my ancestral country, North Peron Island’), but Worumbu puts his own stamp on the song by introducing an additional repeat of this text phrase at the end of melodic section 2. In the 2008 performance Worumbu consistently sings the elliptical text rak badjalarr bangany-nyung (as did Wurrpen) while his back up singer, Roger Yarrowin, caught unawares, appears to sing the full line.

Tracks 7–9 ‘Bandawarra-ngalgin’

The occurrence of both moderate and fast tempo bands within an item, as in the instrumental sections of tracks 7 and 9, is relatively unusual in wangga. While using moderate tempo (rhythmic mode 4a) for non-final instrumental sections, in the final instrumental sections of these tracks Lambudju uses fast doubled beating (rhythmic mode 5b) (see also Worumbu’s 1997 performance of ‘Rak Badjalarr’ and Lambudju’s performance of ‘Karra Balhak Malvak’).

Tracks 14–16 ‘Mubagandi’, ‘Bende Ribene’ and ‘Limila Karrawala’

Table 7.5 shows the use of rhythmic modes in the three Lambudju songs performed only by others.

‘Mubagandi’ (tracks 25–27) is performed by Yarrowin in fast uneven quadruple rhythmic mode 5c (the same mode as used in ‘Winmedje’ and ‘Tjendabalhatj’ as performed by Lambudju). He performs the song at a much faster tempo than anything by Lambudju himself: 133bpm, which is a similar tempo to that used in the other wangga repertories for this rhythmic mode. In track 27, Yarrowin suspends the clapstick beating, though audience members and the didjeridu player Nicky Jorrock maintain the beat.

‘Bende Ribene’ (track 28) and ‘Limila Karrawala’ (track 29) were both performed by Worumbu in 2008. They are both performed at about 117bpm, closer to the usual range for Lambudju’s moderate tempo songs (110–16bpm) than to his fast songs (120–26bpm). In Lambudju’s own performances, he uses rhythmic mode 4a (moderate even) for ‘Karra Balhak-ve’ and rhythmic mode 4c (moderate uneven triple) for ‘Karra-ve Kanya-verver’. Note that ‘Limila karrawala’ shares a melody with ‘Rak Badjalarr’, which Worumbu likewise performed in 1997 using rhythmic mode 4d at about the same tempo for 2 out of 3 vocal sections (see comments above).