Creating a vernacular songbook

Over a year ago, I spent a couple of weeks in the Urim language community (East Sepik Province). I was invited to teach a music workshop to the local Christian congregation there. It was a highly successful time, with an unbelievable number of new songs (guitar-based and traditional style) composed during those weeks. The composing continued after I left the village, and now over 100 new songs have been recorded. (I wrote a number of posts about that workshop, which begin here.)

During the past month, I've been working through those recordings to create a songbook of the new songs. This is an important second step in the process, for a number of reasons. The songbook helps people remember the new songs they composed. It also allows the songs to spread to other villages and be integrated into the worship services of many churches. Having this tangible product of the workshop may help keep the interest in new songs alive, leading to song composition becoming a common-sense activity for the Urim people. A songbook is also one of the best tools for literacy. People's desire to know more songs fuels the motivation to learn how to read.

How do I make a songbook? What I start with are the words to the songs and the audio recordings. I listen to the recording and transcribe what I hear. If a recording is complicated, I start the transcription with pencil and paper, first getting a feel for the rhythm and pulse of the song, and then working out the melody and other parts. Most of the Urim songs were not especially complex--only a vocal line, kundu (drum), and sometimes bamboo trumpet. So I did a lot of the transcription directly into a music notation program on the computer. I usually use a computer notation tool called LilyPond, but I needed to do things really quickly on this project, so I used a somewhat simpler tool called MuseScore. It's very adequate for basic songsheets like what I was preparing.

Once I have a song notated, I export it as an image file, and then place it in a songbook template in a publishing program. Then I can add the title, number, separate lyrics, and other details that finish the look of the songbook. When all of the songs are finished, then I can finish the extra details of the book and it's ready to print.

But does anyone in the villages actually read music like this? Not yet, but I assume that in the future there will be Urim people who will understand what I've put on the page. Even before that happens, though, seeing their own traditional songs printed on paper like this will probably enhance its value to them. It will show them that their songs are "real" music, able to be printed in a book. My hope is that this will encourage Urim people to hold onto their traditional song styles and continue to use them in daily life and worship.

Years from now, when there are Urim people who can read music, the pages of this songbook will be another way to reclaim any songs that are forgotten between now and then. With the audio recordings and the songbook, there is a much better chance of long life for these songs.

I'll be finishing this songbook soon, and then it will be printed and shipped out to the Urim people. Thanks for your prayers that this book and these songs will encourage great times of worship!