Made by Mamadou Kouyaté / Kora (Harp-Lute) / ca. 1960

Made by Mamadou Kouyaté
Kora (Harp-Lute)
ca. 1960
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Creator Name: Kouyaté, Mamadou
Creator Role: Maker
Creator Name-CRT: Made by Mamadou Kouyaté
Title: Kora (Harp-Lute)
Title Type: Object name
View: Full View
Creation Start Date: 1950
Creation End Date: 1970
Creation Date: ca. 1960
Object Type: Decorative Arts and Utilitarian Objects
Classification Term: Chordophone with neck/plucked
Materials and Techniques: Gourd, wood, leather, metal
Dimensions: Total H. 45 5/8 in. (115.8 cm); Max. W. 20 5/8 in. (52.5 cm); D. of body from belly to back 10 7/8 in. (27.6 cm); H. of bridge 6 3/4 in. (17 cm)
AMICA Contributor: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Owner Location: New York, New York, USA
ID Number: 1975.59
Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1975
Rights: http://www.metmuseum.org/
Context:

Chordophones, stringed instruments with vertically notched or pierced bridges are found only along the African coast from Senegal to Angola. The unique bridge seen here on this kora lifts the strings on a plane perpendicular to the body instead of parallel to it. Constructed of a calabash resonator covered with sheep or goat hide and bearing nylon strings secured around a wooden neck, the West African kora combines features of the harp and the lute. It is played either standing or sitting by professional musicians traditionally associated with the nobility. The jali (performer) holds the kora upright and plucks the twenty-one strings with thumb and forefingers to accompany spoken narratives, genealogical recitations, and praise songs. The kora also provides solo interludes. Tuning is achieved by turning the antelope-hide rings to which the strings are tied. This kora was made by Mamadou Kouyaté, the chief musician of Senegal's president Leopold Sengor. The bridge was made by Djimo Kouyaté.

AMICA ID: MMA_.1975.59
AMICA Library Year: 2000
Media Metadata Rights: Copyright The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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