Ntsoaki

The word ‘ntsoaki’ in Sotho culture refers to the birth of a girl after several boys, and it means ‘one who mixes’. The word can also be used as a proper name, ‘Ntsoaki’. In the song for female voices, Ntsoaki, Moerane used verses 1 and 2 of a poem by Sesotho poet ’Mabasiea Jeannette Mahalefele that was published in 1971, and so it is possible that the song might date from the early 1970s. Only 22 bars long, it is in a flowing 5/4 metre, unusual for Moerane, and its sweetness partly derives from the way he blends the lower registers of the female voices so well. In order to help choirs learn this song, a free mp3 of the lyrics spoken by Mpho Ndebele is downloadable when the song is purchased along with a rehearsal mp3 of the song at a slow tempo.
Duration: 1’21”

The audio sample below was generated from the Sibelius file of the score and the sample on the right shows the first page of the score.