Contextual Associations

Aben are side-blown conical-bore lip-reed aerophones of the Fante people (who are part of the Akan cultural complex) of southern Ghana. They are made in sets of seven or more and, along with a few drums and a percussion plaque, are part of the mmensoun (‘seven horn’) ensemble.  Such horns are modeled after ones made from elephant tusks and used by court musicians of high-ranking traditional chiefs throughout the Akan cultural region of southern Ghana. During the past few decades several youth group mmensoun ensembles have been formed at schools or even by churches in the Cape Coast area. It is such ensembles that make use of wooden aben like those pictured here rather than ones made from elephant tusks. These groups may take part in community celebrations, but they are not associated with or in the service of traditional chiefs, many of whom have inherited sets of ivory aben and have relationships with particular families or villages in their territories who provide them with knowledgeable musicians when mmensoun are needed for inclusion in events.

Description

Each aben is constructed from several pieces of wood in such a way as to mimic the shape of a horn made from an elephant tusk. The closed end of the horn is made from a cone-shaped solid piece of wood that is hollowed out and has a rectangular-shaped hole cut into its side. The rest of the wall of the horn is made from slats of wood tightly bound together by cotton cord and covered with a local egg- and ash-based paint. These three aben were made in the Fante village of Asafra in 1993. 

Player - Instrument Interface and Sound Production

In a set of aben, each horn is tuned to a single pitch except for the smallest one, which is provided with a fingerhole at its apex that allows two pitches to be produced on it. The aben is a lip-reed instrument. While holding the horn horizontally, the player covers the opening near its tip with his lips. By forcing an airstream through his tensed lips, the lips rapidly open and close (‘buzz’), allowing bursts of energy into the horn that set the air into vibration, producing a pitch. The music played by such an ensemble is organized around the leader-chorus principle and involves text-based hocket performance.

Origins/History/Evolution

Bibliographic Citations

Sarpong, Peter Kwasi. 1990. The Ceremonial Horns of the Ashanti. Accra: Sedco Publishing Limited.

Vetter, Roger. 1996. Rhythms of Life, Songs of Wisdom: Akan Music from Ghana, West Africa. CD and booklet. Smithsonian Folkways SFW 40463.