The Kingdom of Bamum was established in the 16th century by Prince Nshare Yen.
It gradually assimilated neighbouring peoples, rising to a powerful centralized state during the 19th century. Under the Sultan Njoya (c1876--1933), spectacular forms of court music were developed in Fumban, the capital. Princes belonging to the ngurri secret society played flutes, rattles and elaborately carved drums. A masquerade formed one of the highlights. Nguon was an important festivity that took place for the last time in 1924. It included nguon (friction drums), flutes and other instruments (Geary, 1983). The mbansie secret society of Bamum originated in the 19th century with membership open to anyone who had fought with distinction against the Muslim FulBe. Tall double bells were used during public performances of the society, as were rattles and drums. During Njoya's reign, large slit-drums stood in the market-place of Fumban, to be used for summoning people to the palace. These drums were suppressed by the French administration after World War I, but in 1976 Sultan Seidou Njimoluh Njoya reconstructed one and had it consecrated a year later. Bamum and western Cameroon are important areas for masked dancing. Masks appear in the tso and kuosi secret societies of the Bamileke. Among the Mankon of western Cameroon, masks are employed in dances such as mambang, accompanied by a 17-key log xylophone. Masks were worn only by males of the royal line, and membership of the secret society was open only to males of a certain standing (Njob, 1967). Masks have also been documented among the western Tikar (Koloss, 1985). The Cameroon grasslands is a traditional area of metal-working in bronze (produced with the lost-wax technique) and iron. It is an important distribution area of both single- and double-flange welded iron bells, the latter usually with a bow-grip. More surprising and historically significant is that, by contrast, the manufacture of lamellophones, the other significant iron-age development in African musical instruments in this area, is strictly from plant materials as it is in south-eastern Nigeria. Two or three split raffia tubes are joined to form a resonating chamber; raffia needles (obtained from a raffia stem's hard surface) are placed within crosswise to reinforce the structure. A triangular or crescent-shaped soundhole is then cut into the soundboard. Lamellae obtained from the hard surface of the raffia stem leaf are then attached to the soundboard with a pressure bar placed between bridge and backrest. Lamellae are tuned by adjusting their position over the bridge and/or attaching lumps of black wax to their undersides. A remarkable device is the use of vibration needles, also cut from the surface of a raffia stem leaf, attached lengthways with the help of black wax on top of many lamellae. Their pointed lower ends are raised, and as soon as the musician depresses a lamella, the vibration induces a sympathetic vibration of the needle, resulting in amplification and prolongation of the sound. Mbo ong (toe) and mbo enggo (ego) are Tikar names for the rafia lamellophone. They have 12--18 lamellae, and Tikar players use their thumbs and the index fingers of both hands in a pincer grip to sound the notes. An esoteric lamellophone used by the Tikar at Ngambe is known as mbo menjang (menjae or mendzae). It has an oval bowl-shaped resonator and is used during sacrificial ceremonies for dead Tikar chiefs. The mbo menjang is played inside shrines in groups of three to four, accompanied by a cylindrical drum played in a horizontal position. At Ngambe, in Tikarland, a small pygmy group has long been employed as court musicians, performing the nan (na) dance, and occasionally performing for Sultan Njoya in Bamum; they are the northernmost pygmy group known in Africa. Pygmy-influenced polyphony is evident in Tikar ngbanya dance songs and in nswe (nswe) hunting songs. Today the most popular instrument among the Vute people, located east of the Bamum kingdom, is the timbrh lamellophone. Older specimens found in museums are made entirely of raffia, while those dating from the mid-20th century tend to have rectangular box resonators made from light wood. The lamellae are broad, arranged with their ends in a straight line and are tuned in octave pairs. Vibration needles create a buzzing sound.
The timbrh is tuned pentatonically. Smaller versions are used as solo instruments on long journeys (see Kubik, 1989, pp.52--3). Larger specimens are combined to form a timbrh ensemble of three or four instruments of different sizes, often with an accompanying flat seed-shell rattle (kara). Unlike the older playing styles, the performing technique of the timbrh since the 1950s has been based on the use of alternate thumb strokes, creating an interlocking pattern between left- and right-hand thumbs. Each thumb strikes simultaneously two adjacent lamellae tuned an octave apart. The result is a music in interlocking tone-rows of paired octaves. The themes are short and all based on cycle number 12 or 24. Timbrh ensembles generate an amazing swing and the vocal line is developed over a rhythmic-melodic foundation that is constantly reshuffled. Many song texts praise the chief and his retinue.
"Tall double bells were used during public performances of the society, as were rattles and drums. During Njoya's reign, large slit-drums stood in the market-place of Fumban, to be used for summoning people to the palace. These drums were suppressed by the French administration after World War I, but in 1976 Sultan Seidou Njimoluh Njoya reconstructed one and had it consecrated a year later."