Andrew Tracey

Andrew Tracey (5 May 1936 – 2024) was a South African ethnomusicologist, musician, composer, educator, and Broadway performer, born in Durban, South Africa, as the eldest son of ethnomusicologist Hugh Tracey and Ursula Campbell. His childhood exposure to African music came through his father's broadcasting work and field recordings. Following his parents' divorce, Tracey relocated to England at the age of ten and later attended Charterhouse School. After completing national service in Kenya, where he learned Swahili and encountered East African musical traditions, he enrolled at Oxford University, initially studying languages before switching to Social Anthropology.

In the late 1950s, Tracey and his brother Paul co-created The Nutcrackers, a musical comedy radio programme that eventually developed into the revue Wait a Minim!, a production combining folk and protest songs with satire and social commentary. The show opened in Johannesburg in 1962 and went on to enjoy long runs in London's West End, on Broadway, and in Australia. Tracey appeared in the Broadway production in 1966, bringing the South African revue to American audiences. During the London run of the production, he met his wife Heather, and they remained married until his death.

Following his performing career, Tracey joined the International Library of African Music, the research institution founded by his father. His scholarly focus centered on lamellophones, particularly the mbira and karimba, and his research into historical lineages between instruments across southern Africa was considered groundbreaking. His argument that the karimba represented a core ancestral mbira layout shaped the thinking of instrument makers, ethnomusicologists, and educators. He published his findings across several articles, including "The Original African Mbira?" in African Music in 1972, "The System of the Mbira" in 1982, and "The Evolution of African Lamellophones" in 1992, all notable for their transcriptions, visual illustrations, and engagement with indigenous knowledge systems.

Upon his father's death in 1977, Tracey became director of ILAM, a position he held until 2005. During his tenure he oversaw the institution's relocation from Roodepoort to Rhodes University in Makhanda, a move that secured ILAM's long-term survival and expanded its function as a centre for African music research and pedagogy. In 1980 he established the annual Symposium on Ethnomusicology, which began with five speakers and approximately thirty attendees at Rhodes University and grew into a significant fixture on the South African academic calendar. Tracey also edited the symposium proceedings published by ILAM, providing a scholarly resource for students and academics. His broader stewardship of the institution included securing resources for the digitisation of field recordings, expanding ILAM's sound archive, and mentoring emerging scholars in the discipline.

Beyond his work at ILAM, Tracey was involved with African Musical Instruments, a family-founded company that manufactured marimbas, kalimbas, and mbiras for educational and recreational use worldwide. He was an advocate for the practical teaching of African music in schools and universities, championing experiential and embodied approaches to learning. His work contributed to the eventual establishment of ethnomusicology positions at South African universities. Tracey lived for many years in Grahamstown, now Makhanda, where he continued his teaching and research until his death in 2024.