MW6-076 - Interviews with ToPenias Taralulu and Dokta Taule, Matupit, Rabaul

Tape#1: History of Music in Matupit and Clearing of Rabaul Airport Side A: Penias Taralulu, Kikila Matupit on 24th August 1993 Penias was born in 1918 and grew up knowing Ephraim Tami being a pioneer of music after being taught by Waterhouse at Methodist Mission. He was never part of Tami's choir as he was attending Malaguna Technical School training to be a carpenter. Ephraim Tami started the Matupit Island Mixed Choir (male/female) around 1926 just before the SDA Mission arrived in Matupit and New Britain in 1929. His assistant choir master/conductor was Romulus ToMatition who was also in the main choir. The choir would perform for tourists visiting Rabaul and also festivals for Empire Day and Kings Birthday. The choir sang mainly Kuanua songs and some English songs like "My beautiful Island, my homeland". The Matupit Island Choir later split with two separate choir masters of two sections of Matupit around 1936. Ephraim Tami led the Rarup, Matupit Choir and Romulus ToMatition led the Kikila, Matupit Choir. Penias joined the Kikila Choir in 1939 under Romulus ToMatition and they won some choral festivals during that time so they were competitive with Ephraim Tami's Rarup Choir. Side B: Dokta Taule, Malay Town, Rabaul, 25th August 1993 Dokta explained music of Ephraim Tami in his composing of songs mainly Kuanua and translations from English where he taught songs to the choir. An example of a composed Kuanua song is "Kada bona bung na nilagar" or its our a good day for happiness or be made happy. His conducting techniques of 3, 4, 6 parts were effective in producing the voices and even actions of the choir. Ephraim's outstanding music ability even was compared from the singing to the brass band music. Ephraim has a relative in ToDepit who led traditional music through "Vutung malagene" His ability was through traditional sources of power in "kodakodop" or "buai na pepe". ToDepit also taught and conducted Catholic church song in Tolai or Kuanua tune as a traditional church song. Dokta also explained how the Japanese tricked the Matupit people in particular the young strong men to clear and construct with manual labour the "Rakunai" or Rabaul airport. The Japanese also taken people from nearby villages namely Talvat, Baai, Nodup and Matalau on the manual work of building the airport with no equipment or machinery put just picks, shovels, wheelbarrows and manual tools. (Steven Gagau, May 2019). Language as given:

磁带1：马图皮特岛音乐史与拉包尔机场清场作业
A面：1993年8月24日，基基拉马图皮特的Penias Taralulu访谈内容：
Penias生于1918年，自幼熟知以Ephraim Tami为代表的马图皮特岛音乐先驱事迹——Ephraim Tami曾在卫理公会传教团（Methodist Mission）受Waterhouse教导，之后成为当地音乐先驱。Penias曾就读于马拉古纳技术学校（Malaguna Technical School）学习木工技艺，因此并未加入Ephraim Tami的合唱团。
Ephraim Tami约于1926年创立马图皮特岛混声合唱团（男女声编制），此时距基督复临安息日会传教团（SDA Mission）1929年抵达马图皮特岛与新不列颠岛尚有三年。其助理合唱指挥为Romulus ToMatition，后者同时隶属于主合唱团。
该合唱团曾为到访拉包尔的游客演出，亦会在帝国日（Empire Day）与国王诞辰日（Kings Birthday）的节庆活动中献唱。合唱团演唱曲目以库阿努阿语（Kuanua）歌曲为主，亦包含《My beautiful Island, my homeland》等英文曲目。
1936年左右，马图皮特岛合唱团分裂为两支，分别以马图皮特岛的两个区域为基础，各自拥有独立合唱指挥：Ephraim Tami带领拉鲁普马图皮特合唱团，Romulus ToMatition则带领基基拉马图皮特合唱团。
Penias于1939年加入Romulus ToMatition麾下的基基拉合唱团，在此期间他们曾斩获多项合唱赛事奖项，与Ephraim Tami带领的拉鲁普合唱团形成竞争态势。
B面：1993年8月25日，拉包尔马来镇的Dokta Taule访谈内容：
Dokta介绍了Ephraim Tami的音乐创作：其主要创作库阿努阿语歌曲，并将英文曲目译为库阿努阿语后教授给合唱团。例如其创作的库阿努阿语歌曲《Kada bona bung na nilagar》，可译为“今日正是欢愉之日，当尽享喜悦。
Ephraim Tami采用的三声部、四声部与六声部指挥技法，能够有效塑造合唱团的人声表现与肢体动作。其出众的音乐天赋甚至被比作铜管乐队的演奏水准。
Ephraim Tami的亲属ToDepit以《Vutung malagene》传承传统音乐，其音乐能力依托“kodakodop”与“buai na pepe”中的传统力量来源。ToDepit亦曾以托莱语（Tolai）或库阿努阿语（Kuanua）曲调演绎天主教教堂圣歌，将其转化为传统教会音乐。
Dokta还讲述了日本侵略者如何诱骗马图皮特岛居民，尤其是年轻壮汉，以手工劳作方式清场修建“拉库奈”（Rakunai，即拉包尔机场）。日军还从Talvat、Baai、Nodup与Matalau等周边村落征召民众参与机场修建，全程未使用任何工程机械，仅配备镐、铲、手推车等手工工具。
（Steven Gagau，2019年5月）
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