Materials for The Study of Kejaman-Sekapan Oral Tradition (Appendix: Observations on the Melody of a Kejaman-Sekapan Oral Narrative)

This appendix is intended to offer some ideas about the vocal melodies used when performing the Kejaman-Sekapan wa. Matusky, in a wide-ranging survey of the music of the Kajang, Kayan and Kenyah-Badang, briefly compares excerpts of vocal melody from wa performances’ in the Punan Bah and Sekapan traditions (1986, transcriptions pp. 222-3; analysis pp. 203-6). Here we will consider the melody of a few verses of the Kejaman-Sekapan wa which has formed the basis of this study. These comments are presented with a note of caution, since they lack the vital viewpoint of the Kejaman-Sekapan practitioners and audience. However, an etic analysis might offer some useful observations for two reasons. Firstly, working with a transcription of both words and melody, we are able to explore the relationship between the two for the first time. Secondly, by comparing the melodies of three verses we are able to go beyond broad generalisations to consider some of the variety found in disparate examples.