Qeu! Qeu! Majoana

Two brothers are playing a game of pebbles and one of them gets hurt, in this song published in 1935 that is a reminder of the important role games (‘lipapali’ in Sesotho) play in the cultural life of Lesotho, where Mohapeloa lived and worked. The word ‘qeu’ is an onomatopoeic word standing for the sound of stones or pebbles being knocked together, because in Sesotho, a ‘q’ is pronounced with a palatal click; and this is why the word is often repeated in this song. The score sample on the right shows the version of the score in dual notation for mixed choir; it is also available in staff notation only. The audio file given below is a performance from 1984 that was reissued on CD in 2014 by ACE.