Description
The central theme of Twa Tanbou: In order for a team to reach the optimal result, each member must play his or her own part as a team. There is no room for self-obsessed glory; this ultimately brings down the team. True leaders are those who put their team’s collective well-being before themselves. The text of Twa Tanbou uses this philosophy, applied to three drums: the big Boula (the loudest), the smaller Tanbouren (the most beautiful sounding drum) and the little Kata drum, arguing that if everyone works together, there will be beautiful music!
Poetic Translation of Haitian Creole Text:
Three Drums
Three drums
were deep in an argument
one bright Sunday morning,
on their way back from Guinea.
A little Kata,
a Tanbouren,
and a big Boula.
Boula stood firm and said,
“I’m the one who hits the hardest!”
Yes—Boula stood tall and claimed,
“No one strikes louder than me.”
But the Tanbouren replied,
“My sound is more beautiful.
When I play, all must stop and listen.”
Kata, who had been hearing all this became upset.
He couldn’t understand how two comrades
dressed in the same clothes,
children of the same mother,
could sit there and stir up conflict.
Then one joyful Mardi Gras day, Kata started to “zouk”
and every single person there began to dance…
Tanbouren and Boula, still there listening,
joined in the rhythm
to make the celebration more vibrant.
That day,
they all sang a song I’ll never forget:
All drums that stand apart
let’s stand shoulder to shoulder,
and make life more beautiful.
Click Here for complete text and English translation
Click Here Traducción al Español
Recordings
Twa Tanbou ( TTBB version )
University of Michigan Men’s Glee Club – Twa Tanbou
Twa Tanbou ( original SATB version )
University of Miami Frost Chorale
Jo-Michael Scheibe, conductor
Perusal Score
Performance Video
( SATB VERSION )