CULTURAL IDENTITY INCONTEMPORARY INDIGENOUS YORUBA LITURGICAL MUSICAL COMPOSITIONS

SOURCE:

Faculty: Arts
Department: Music

CONTRIBUTORS:

Morohunfola, K. B;
Agu, D.C.C;

ABSTRACT:

This compositional research is a study on cultural identity in contemporary indigenous Yoruba liturgical musical compositions. Music is an integral part of liturgical worship all over the world. In African religion music has been a part of worship before the advent of Christianity in the later part of the first half of the nineteenth century. Towards the end of the century, Yoruba composers in a bid to Africanize the liturgical music began to compose hybridized music with Western and Yoruba idioms in form of Yoruba lyric anthem, and Yoruba art music. This researcher furthered the compositions of Yoruba art liturgical music by composing intercultural vocal and instrumental works The conceptual models are the Identity theory, and intercultural music. Some of the compositions are seasonal and some non-seasonal. Simulation of African instrument was part of the vocal and instrumental music. Individual traits of the composer and the Yoruba music identity showed in the composition. Findings from the works revealed the uniqueness in blending of Western and Yoruba musical instruments and voices, with clear Yoruba cultural identity, also an in depth understanding of Yoruba tonal inflections that were carefully structured in the compositions, which is also a vital trait of Yoruba cultural identity, it also showed the usage of African percussions to accompany songs. Furthermore the work revealed that a proper understanding of the scriptures is a must for quality composition in Liturgical music. The usage of Yoruba figure of speech, proverbs, metaphors, and similes, are important Yoruba attribute in some of the compositions. The work revealed that Yoruba compositions could use more scales even, chromatic alterations, and not necessarily pentatonic alone, in order to follow the infection of the language. Furthermore the findings showed that most of the characteristics of the pre-colonial era music are present in the compositions synthesized with European features to produce intercultural music. Findings further showed the percussive techniques that could be derived from using the piano as an accompaniment to choral compositions. From the research we can see African identity in the new intercultural liturgical music. The study recommended the need for African composers to notate and publish their works, as a form of documentation and for expanding the field of African musicology as well as resources for teaching music in school.