Circumstances and human relationships behind Dave Dargie’s academic and creative work

Dave Dargie (b. 1938) is known above all for his work on Xhosa music and for his CDs and DVDs featuring a unique kind of overtone singing called umngqokolo ngomngqangi from Ngqoko, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. His way of presenting his findings at conferences – occasionally playing the uhadi bow while giving a paper – is legendary. Yet whilst getting absorbed in his fascinating academic and musical presentations, one easily forgets that these are sounding products of a person shaped by the circumstances of his time and by human relationships – thus, products of a product, if one wishes to put it that way. On the basis of publications (1982–2017), talks (since 2006) and interviews (since 2021), this article provides a biographical sketch of Dargie’s life and attempts to contextualise parts of his life and work by considering the circumstances of the period from the 1960s until the early 2000s, connecting these with people of personal and historical significance. In contrast to Dargie’s academic achievements, his creative work has drawn little attention. For that reason, the final section briefly includes and discusses some of his compositions and their background.