Fijian traditions

Abstract

The main strands of Fijian musical culture are traditional chant, Christian religious music and popular music. All these can be heard live or recorded in Australia, especially in NSW (primarily Sydney), where 6o per cent of the ethnic Fijians in Australia lived by 1996. About 15 per cent of the 3700o-odd Fijian-born residents are ethnic Fijians. Indian Fijians, who comprise more than half of the Fijianimmigrants in Australia, tend to favour Indian musical traditionsand genres. Most indigenous Fijians are Methodists, so the Uniting Church is the main Australian forum for Fijian worship. Services run by Fijians in their own language include hymn-singing and religious choral pieces, as in Fiji. Fijians are known for spectacular choirs with rich sonorities. Choral singing is usually based on Western-styletriadic harmonies, but there are typical Pacific island features,including a dominant bass part and drone-based harmonies. Apart from religious songs, the farewell song 'Isa lei' is a favourite of Fijians everywhere.