Renowned musicologist passes away
Tracey synonymous with music library
nternationally renowned musicologist Andrew Tracey died on Friday at the age of 87. Tracey had a profound influence on the way traditional African music is regarded, locally and across the world, through his teaching, performance, mentorship and research.
He brought the International Library of African Music (ILAM), founded in 1954 by his father, Hugh, to Rhodes University in 1978 and was its director until he retired in 2005.
Tracey was born in Durban in 1936, and through his father, who pioneered the recording, archiving and broadcasting of southern and central African music, he was extensively exposed to the continent’s music as a child.
While studying social anthropology, German and French at Oxford, he taught himself the guitar.
He returned to SA to work with his father at ILAM and during that period learnt mbira — a family of musical
Iinstruments traditional to the Shona people of Zimbabwe.
His performance career included a seven-year international tour with the hit musical revue, Wait a Minim (including Broadway and West End); and bringing steelpan instruments to SA.
The sought-after Andrew Tracey Steel Band performed for 27 years, entertaining crowds at the National Arts Festival and other venues.
He was always popular in the ILAM outreach concerts, where he often told Shona folk tales, accompanying himself on guitar or mbira.
Tracey loved sharing his knowledge of mbira, the amadinda xylophone, nyanga pan pipes and Mozambican timbila xylophones and gave numerous workshops to university students and schoolchildren across the country.
His research as a musicologist led him to organise the ethnomusicology symposia that prompted many university music departments to teach African music.
Another part of his father’s legacy that Tracey kept alive was instrument making: Hugh founded African Musical Instruments (AMI) and Tracey continued the operation in Makhanda.
ILAM facilitator Elijah Madiba said: “Andrew brought ILAM to Rhodes University in 1978, and since then, ILAM has become home to many people because of Andrew.
“He advocated for research in African music when it was not fashionable to do so.
“He made us all realise how vital traditional African music is, and his love for it drew many people to him and ILAM.
“He was always willing to share his knowledge with everyone.
“When you tell people that you work at ILAM, they say, ‘Oh, that place of Tracey,’ which shows his impact on this town.
“He embodied the principles of ubuntu.
“Andrew lived what he loved, and what he loved was music.”
In the podcast, African Music Activists, Rhodes University music and musicology head Dr Boudina McConnachie described Tracey as “one of the 20th, and now 21st century’s most important figures when it comes to the teaching, study and promotion of traditional African music”.
Tracey leaves his wife, Heather, daughter Mary Clare and son Geoffrey.
In a social media post, the family said details of ceremonies and events to celebrate his life and work would be announced in due course. — DispatchLIVE; Additional source: “Andrew Tracey: performer, scholar, teacher, mentor” by Diane Thram, Michael Blake and Mandy Carver, Sabinet African Journals: February 1, 2015 | pp. 146–170