Gert Sdouz: Das Osterlied. Musiknotation auf den Gilbert-Inseln/Kiribati um 1900, 59–65

Abstract

The estate of the German captain and trader Otto Kessler, who lived on the Marshall Islands from 1886 and often visited the neighboring Gilbert Islands (now Kiribati), contains several books in the Gilbertese language. In addition to dictionaries and volumes with religious content, two almanacs of the Sacred Heart Missionaries for the years 1910 and 1911 have been preserved. At the end of each of these almanacs a church song is printed in an unusual notation. The aim of this work was to identify this notation and describe its principles. It turned out that this musical notation is the so-called Galin-Paris-Chevé notation, which is based on the use of numerals. This article begins with short sections on the geography, history and missionary work of the Gilbert Islands. Afterwards, the music notation developed in the first half of the 19th century and used here will be discussed and explained, using the example of a song.

[Mikronesien, Herz-Jesu Missionare, Missionskalender, Musiknotation, Missionslied]