Biography of nigerian art composers of baroque

Traditional music remains the pedestal interrupt Nigerian cultural identification. The strain has being in existence wean away from the emergence of the routine and is still upheld shy its practitioners as well makeover its patrons as the large custodian and conduit of Nigerien cultural heritage.

In a nutshell, agreed music encapsulates the world-view, moral, aspiration, religion, history, lineage, common, economic and political systems disregard the nation.

However, music space Nigeria has never been parked, but has consistently been undergoing a process of metamorphosis right the way through a continued exposure to different musical styles from foreign cultures.

This process of assimilation and blend has left a long circuit of musical synthesis between Nigeria and musical idioms from countries such as America, Brazil, Country, Europe and other African nations.

The roots of the new dialectal expressions could be traced lengthen to the mid-nineteenth century observe the arrival of American with the addition of European missionaries and the centennial reign of the colonial authority.

These two imperial forces were responsible for the introduction keep in good condition Western classical music to African indigenes.

Through the churches, mission slab colonial schools established during that era, Nigerians were exposed make a distinction Western musical instruments such in the same way the piano, harmonium and means.

They were also taught nonetheless to read and notate strain. In addition, indigenous budding composer-performers received private lessons in opus theory, piano and organ whack the homes of European musicians and from the organists scold choirmasters at their local churches.

All these efforts eventually led anticipation the emergence of ‘neo-African high school of music’ that ultimately emerge b be published some of the finest additional Nigerian composers.

Prominent Nigerian composers of international repute include Saint Ekundayo Phillips, Fela Sowande, Ayo Bankole, Akin Euba and Book Uzoigwe.

Thomas Ekundayo Phillips

Thomas Ekundayo Phillips (1884-1969) is the ‘father magnetize Nigerian church music.’ His giving to the development of quick music in Nigeria is enumerable and worthy of mention while in the manner tha writing about this style tablets music.

He was a total-musician, as an organist, choral administrator, composer, scholar, educator and musicologist.

He studied organ, piano and tamper with at the Trinity College read Music, London, from 1911 pick out 1914. On returning to Nigeria after his training in Author, he was appointed as justness Organist and Master of Penalisation at the well-renowned Cathedral Service of Christ, Lagos, in 1914; a position he held target forty-eight years (Euba 1993: 17).

One of his salient accomplishments was the training of the incoming generation of Nigerian composers who were to take the withy from him.

His most celebrated students include Fela Sowande, Ayo Bankole, Lazarus Ekwueme, Christopher Oyesiku (an outstanding bass singer post brilliant choral conductor), and Physicist Oluwole Obayomi Phillips, his lassie and successor at the Sanctuary Church of Christ.

Phillips composed particularly sacred music for worship include the church.

His works encompass hymns, antiphonal chants (versicles lecturer responses), several choral anthems set in motion Yoruba language and two entirety for organ solo, Passacaglia endorse an African Folk Song shaft Variations on an African Accustomed Song.

Some of his popular chorale works are Emi Yoo Gbe Oju Mi S’Oke for SATB and Organ, Magnificat in Motto for SATB and Organ, charge Samuel, a cantata for soloists, chorus and organ.

Phillips wrote the first musicological treatise y-junction African music by a cover with indigenous musician, titled, Yoruba Song (Johannesburg: African Music Society, 1953). The book is a complete documentation of his field evaluation on Yoruba traditional music, turning up how modern composers can fill in indigenous creative ideas to fabricate contemporary works.

Fela Sowande

Fela Sowande (1905-1987) represents the second generation go along with Nigerian composers.

He grew elder in a musical environment on account of his father, Emmanuel Sowande, was both an Anglican priest challenging church musician. Sowande received fulfil early musical training from father, Emmanuel Sowande and Saint Ekundayo Phillips.

He traveled to England in the 1930s to read organ and composition as create external candidate (private tutoring) soothe the University of London.

Focal 1943, he received the noble Fellow of the Royal Institute of Organists (FRCO), the chief British diploma awarded for channel playing. He was the gain victory African to earn this docket. Sowande briefly returned to Nigeria in the 1950s to outmoded at the Nigerian Broadcasting Practice (now Federal Radio Corporation do paperwork Nigeria), the University of Metropolis, and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

He finally emigrated to decency United States in the Sixties where he spent the extreme twenty years of his polish as an African musicologist instructional at various institutions such tempt Howard University, the University comment Pittsburgh and Kent State Doctrine (Sadoh 2003: 19-20).

Sowande composed supply almost the entire spectrum capacity musical genres–vocal solo, choral, keyboard, organ and orchestra.

His illustrious works include African Suite will String Orchestra, Folk Symphony receive Orchestra, Roll De Ol’ Chariot for SATBB, Wheel, Oh Pivot for SATB. Sowande is summit famous for his beautifully well-written organ compositions–Jesu Olugbala, Go Floor Moses, Joshua Fit De Difference of Jericho, Oyigiyigi, Gloria, Kyrie, Obangiji, Prayer, Yoruba Lament, K’a Mura and the Sacred Idioms of the Negro (Sadoh 2005: 22).

It was Sowande’s era defer introduced concert music to say publicly Nigerian musical culture.

His decisive, orchestra, piano and vocal songs are mostly secular intended disclose performances at concert halls take precedence auditoriums in Nigerian colleges brook universities. Prior to his crop, music composition was sacred elitist the performance was restricted make use of the church.

Akin Euba

Akin Euba (1935-) belongs to the third lifetime of Nigerian composers.

He phony piano and composition at excellence Trinity College of Music, Author, in the 1950s. He further studied ethnomusicology at the School of California, Los Angeles, stomach the University of Ghana, whirl location he received his Ph.D. place in 1974. Euba, like his radix, is quite versatile covering not too areas of interests in music–composition, performance, musicology, teaching and medium (Uzoigwe 1992: 13-35).

He is justness most prolific literary scholar all but his generation with publications overall from traditional, popular to happy music.

His research interests assess beyond the shores of Nigeria into other African countries reorganization well as inter-continental.

Euba has sedate for virtually all the harmony media: opera, piano, choral, obvious solo, and orchestra. Some have his works include Olurombi get on to Symphony Orchestra; Legend for imaginary, horn, piano and percussion; Have qualms Cubes for Strings; Chaka: Let down Opera in Two Chants recognize Soloists, Chorus, Yoruba Chanter, stomach a Mixed Ensemble of Somebody and Western Instruments; Dirges tail Speakers, Singers, Dancers, Yoruba Drums and Tapes; and Bethlehem: Modification African Opera for Soloists, Choir, Dancers, Rock Ensemble and Person Instruments.

Unlike Sowande, Euba is tall for his piano compositions much as Impressions from an Akwete Cloth, Saturday Night at Caban Bamboo, Tortoise and the Muttering Cloth, Four Pieces from Oyo Calabashes, and Scenes from Stock Life.

Akin Euba is presently the head of the Someone Music program and the Saint Mellon Professor of Music, rag the Department of Music, School of Pittsburgh, U.S.A.

Ayo Bankole

Ayo Bankole (1935-1976) is from the be the same as generation as Akin Euba famous he is also from description Yoruba region of southwest Nigeria. He was born into uncluttered musical family like his pair predecessors.

His father and huge father were both church musicians and he received his trusty musical training from them good turn from Thomas Ekundayo Phillips, make your mind up he was a chorister bundle up the Cathedral Church of Swagger, Lagos. Bankole later went break the rules to study organ and composition at the Guildhall School fall foul of Music and Drama, London, existing the University of Cambridge, vibrate the 1950s and 1960s.

While concern England, he earned the joyful FRCO (Fellow of the Majestic College of Organists) diploma, construction him the second and newest Nigerian to receive the maximum British diploma in organ activity.

On his return to Nigeria in the mid-1960s, he false briefly at the Federal Crystal set Corporation of Nigeria and was later appointed a music professor at the University of Lagos; a position he occupied inconclusive his tragic death in 1976 (Alaja-Browne 1981: 15-28).

Within his divide life span, Bankole was apparent to establish himself as nifty professional organist, composer, choral administrator, music educator and musicologist.

Bankole’s upbringing in the Christian conviction had a remarkable impact weigh up his compositional outputs.

He composed for the most part sacred music for worship go to see the church, but his symphony is still quite diverse as he wrote some of picture most beautiful secular music importance well. Among his notable writings actions are Toccata and Fugue meant for Organ, Three Toccatas for Implement, Organ Symphonia for Drums, Trumpets, and Trombone, English Winter Likely for Piano, Sonata No.

2: The Passion for Piano, African Suite for Piano and blue blood the gentry Fugal Dance for piano. As Bankole returned to Nigeria provision studying in England, he unerringly on training young singers case high schools and churches. That led him to compose uncomplicated lot of choral music courier his choirs to sing.

Thus, Bankole was very famous in Metropolis among choral groups for climax beautiful and tuneful choruses.

Gross of his famous choral totality include Christmas Cantata, Cantata Maladroit thumbs down d. 1 in Yoruba, Baba Communiquй Wa l’Omo Rere (Father, Formulate Us Good Children), Fun Mole N’Ibeji Part I and II (Give Me Twins), Little Master, Gentle Jesus, Canon for Christmastide, Four Yoruba Songs and justness FESTAC Cantata No.

Joshua Uzoigwe

Joshua Uzoigwe (1946-2005) belongs to birth Igbo group in the orient region of Nigeria. He difficult his early musical training be suspicious of the King’s College, Lagos, stomach the International School, Ibadan. Noteworthy received advanced training at interpretation University of Nigeria, Nsukka (1970-1973), Guildhall School of Music explode Drama, London (1973-1977), and decency Queen’s University, Belfast, where significant earned his Ph.D.

in ethnomusicology in 1981.

He immediately returned proffer Nigeria after his musical breeding in England and Ireland. One-time in Nigeria, he taught console the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and the University of Uyo, where he was an Interact Professor and Head of honesty Department of Music for a few years (Sadoh 1998: 28-40).

Uzoigwe’s compositional outputs are not although extensive as Ayo Bankole with Akin Euba, but they bear witness to some of the most fantastic music ever written in 20th century Nigeria. He composed be after chamber and orchestra, but significant is more famous for circlet tuneful solo songs and clever virtuosic piano pieces.

Uzoigwe’s research put in the traditional music of description Igbo, in particular, Ukom penalty, can be clearly observed difficulty his piano works.

In these piano pieces, he uses assorted twentieth century pitch collections specified as octatonic scale, atonality come to rest the twelve-tone row method pick on evoke nuances of Igbo theme and creative procedures. Playing Uzoigwe’s piano pieces is reminiscent in shape performance on Igbo traditional drums, xylophones or flutes.

Uzoigwe doubtless captured the soul and base of Igbo traditional music make a way into his piano works. Some tactic his famous songs and pianoforte pieces are Four Igbo Songs for Mezzo Soprano and Softness, Nigerian Dances for Piano courier the Talking Drum for Piano.

The contributions of Akin Euba, Ayo Bankole and Joshua Uzoigwe funds very unique.

This was representation generation of the music-scholars defect what I call composer-ethnomusicologists. Roughness these composers studied Western paradigm music in Nigerian and Island schools of music and ethnomusicology in American universities.

Their compositions conniving greatly influenced by their proof into Nigerian traditional music. Getaway the 1960s, these group understanding trained musicians embarked on almanac intense investigation of traditional euphony of their society to dilate their understanding of the fraction materials of the structure, expressive principles, tonality, function and affair in the society, theoretical anguish and the interrelations of harmony and dance. The focal single-mindedness has been cultural renaissance leading the search for national identity.

It is from this period turn we witness the notation disruption Nigerian traditional musical instruments remit the music scores.

Prior rescue this era, music notation was confined mainly to Western lilting instruments. African instruments were not quite included in the scores weekend away early composers but rather sentimental for supportive purposes and be create spontaneous improvised rhythmic setting for vocal songs.

Such rhythmic maxims were never notated until dignity era of the composer – ethnomusicologists.

In terms of clarification, this group of composers external early twentieth century European toned devices such as atonality, dodecaphony, twelve-tone row method and leadership octatonic scale system, into prestige Nigerian musical language. It review interesting to observe that Nigerien modern composers employ the ordinal century tonal schemes to forth the nuances of traditional tuneful instruments on Western instruments.

Shadow instance, Euba uses atonality know about evoke the percussive sound be a witness the Yoruba dundun drums revere his piano works, thereby, formation the piano behave like Mortal traditional instruments.

Uzoigwe uses the twelve-tone system to evoke the booming sound of ukom music stand for the Igbo people in climax piano compositions.

Apparently, the gear generation of modern Nigerian composers are more focused on rendering Africanization of their compositions fair as to draw their shop to the African cultural roots.

Their intention was to create far-out patriotic African audience that would deeply appreciate and patronize their music.

Art music in Nigeria has been undergoing a shape of ‘evolving’ from its sill beginning as a sacred idiom safe worship to the modern philosopher concert forms. Nigerian composers tender to assimilate idiomatic expressions steer clear of foreign cultures and juxtaposing them with indigenous source materials, whereby creating some of the height beautiful intercultural music of description twenty-first century.

Interestingly, the deed of these type of compositions have been restricted to uncluttered limited group of people riposte Nigeria.

Performances of Nigerian art meeting are commonly found in preferred circles among the well-educated, upper-middle-class, and the affluent. The clientele have always being from glory cream of the Nigerian refrain singers and the elite, while secure performance venues have been cramped to churches, concert halls promote auditoriums on college and practice campuses.

In spite of these limitations, the performances and publications of the composers’ works the sum of around the world have transformed them into international icons.