Ululation

Kerala: Kurava performance
14 x 11 inches, oil on canvas, 2019

From Wikipedia: "from Latin ulolo,  is a long, wavering, high-pitched vocal sound resembling a howl with a trilling quality. It is produced by emitting a high pitched loud voice accompanied with a rapid back and forth movement of the tongue and the uvula." Ululation is an example of onomatopoeia (another beautiful word) "the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named." Sound recordings of ululation are hard to come by, most YouTube clips last for about seven seconds, I haven't heard a recording (yet) on any field recording collection. Yet, the tradition has to be included in the Origins of Music discussion. An example from Kerala (south India) on YouTube that lasts no less than 25 seconds entered the Top 100. For a second time recently I have painted an image of a performer whom I don't have a name for. For a second time too, I am not a 100% sure if I painted a man or a woman. The video on YouTube shows a close-up of one of the performers heard. I assume the image is of a woman as the tradition is usually performed by women. Ululation is referenced in Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs (that's as far back as references go.) Ululations are performed on ceremonial occasions both happy and sad :(. Ululation in the Malayalam language of Southern India is called Kurava.