sofa
Konate, Famoudou. 1991. Rhythmen der Malinke. Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.
(Sofa)
pp. 70-1
A l'origine sofa était le rythme du guerrier à cheval. En cas de guerre, ceux-ci étaient appellés à l'aide d'énormes tambours en forme de bol (tavela), que l'on utilisaient aussi pour la transmission des nouvelles. Alors on jouait le rythme sofa sur lequel les chevaux (dressés) dansaient avec leur cavalier! Famoudou a également été temoin de cela. Il appartient au petit nombre des batteurs qui maîtrisent encore ce rythme.
Sofa est aussi joué lors de la mort d'un homme important du village. Famoudou a joué ce rythme pour l'enterrement de son père, qui était féticheur et chasseur célèbre. La particularité du sofa est que le batteur, s'accompagnant pratiquement lui-même, remplit tous les intervalles avec de légers »claques« (ceci se perçoit très bien dans l'introduction).
Rythme: cycle de 16 pulsations.
Africa Soli. 1992. Salya: Roots and Rhythms from Guinea. Sango Music, CD SM007.
(Sofa)
The monster is the enemy, the warriors. The young undaunted farmer, bold to recklessness, represents the immanent and social justice, that victorious power of the wills soldered in order to satisfy in the eyes of the future the millennial aspirations of collectivity—the eternal crusade of the new against the old, the daily grind of the struggle to survive.
Blanc, Serge. 1997. African Percussion: The Djembe. Paris: Percudanse Association.
(Sofa)
From the Maninka ethnic group, originating in the Kouroussa, Kankan and Faranah regions of Upper Guinea. This rhythm goes back to the time of King Samory. At that time, sofa was played only for war parades to glorify kings and their victories.
The djembe was accompanied by the bolon and dunun.
Billmeier, Uschi. 1999. Mamady Keita: A Life For the Djembe—Traditional Rhythms of the Malinke. Engerda, Germany: Arun-Verlag.
(Sofa)
Traditional Ethnic Group: Malinke; Northeast Guinea
In the language of the Malinke, Sofa means "warrior." The rhythm was played for the warriors on horseback. It was supposed to support the brave and strong men who went into combat, as well as praise them for their success and bravery when they came back.
In the past, the rhythm was not played on the djembé, but the bölön, a stringed instrument. The bölön was played by the "griots of the warriors," or griots who knew the history and had sung the praises of the wars and the warriors for generations.
Famoudou Konaté says that he himself has seen how the riders with their trained horses "danced" to the rhythm of Sofa. (See the text of Famoudou Konaté's CD.)
Delbanco, Åge. 2012. West African Rhythms. Charleston, SC: Seven Hawk.
(Sofa)
Malinke rhythm played at the death of a warrior, in praise of a great person.