ABSTRACT This thesis concentrated on the translation of the English hymns of the British Methodist church to the Fanti Language for the indigenes of the Fantiland. The Fanti translations for the English hymns fail to put music and language together in the terms of pitch and melodic contour. The same melody is used for all stanzas of the hymn with no consideration for the changing pitches of the text in the verses. The research methodology involved Data collection, transcription and analysis ...
ABSTRACT This study examines the contributions and influence of George Worlasi Kwasi Dor to the musical traditions of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana in the style of prominent composers such as Ephraim Amu, N.Z. Nayo and R.N Ndor within the rubrics of Interculturalism in music theorized by Akin Euba (Dor, 2013). For more than a century and a half, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana has continuously followed the Bremen model for the celebration of the Eucharist. This practi...
Abstract This study examined Sipelu music and dance among the Masubia people of the Zambezi region of Namibia. The main objective of the study was to determine the meaning and beliefs attached to Sipelu music and dance. It also investigated how Sipelu music and dance-related to other Masubia cultural elements. The study, furthermore, explored how the Masubia people managed to preserve and transmit Sipelu music and dance knowledge and practice within their community. Interviews were conducted...
ABSTRACT This study investigates the choral compositional techniques, styles and creative interests associated with the choral works of James Tsemafo-Arthur, an African art music composer. The study outlines how this composer utilizes some intrinsic African elements in his compositions, the influence of his cultural and religious background on his composition, as well as his compositional philosophies. The study, apart from serving as a record of another African art music composer, will motiv...
ABSTRACT This study is an exercise in creative ethnomusicology as defined by Nigerian composer and scholar, Akin Euba. Bode Omojola (1995) refers to Euba‟s creative ethnomusicology as the “reinterpretation of stylistic tendencies”. It will engage works where materials collected through ethnomusicological methods are used for composition (e.g. the works of Nigerians Joshua Uzoigwe and Ayo Bankole and Ghanaians J. H. K. Nketia and Kenneth Kafui). A major goal of this work is to capture a ...
ABSTRACT Zibo music is a distinct musical genre in the Asogli area in the northern part of the Volta Region. This musical tradition has experienced important transformations in the last decades as some practitioners move it from its original secular status to a sacred one. The study is premised on the fact that musical traditions like all other aspects of culture also have the natural capacity to consciously or unconsciously effect changes in their performance modes. Taking a constructivist a...
ABSTRACT Highlife dance band music is one genre of popular music in Ghana that makes use of both Western and African idioms. This makes highlife music to be enjoyed by both Africans and Westerners. One unique characteristic of this type of highlife music is improvisation. Other instruments such as the trumpet and guitar perform this style but the saxophone instrument, is preferred above all the others. This study aims at recording and compiling selected saxophone solos by the Tempos and Rambl...
ABSTRACT Lunsi musical type, according to the Frafra in Tamso, is a traditional music meant for general use in the community. It can be performed at funerals, weddings, parties and any other recreational events. This study accesses the difference in lunsi at its place of origin and at Tamso so far as instrumentation, costume, recruitment, training, performance, communication, and migration are concerned. The study also examines the characteristics of lunsi music as compared to that of African...
ABSTRACT It is an acknowledged fact that colonial experience left its mark not only in the political, religious and economic life, but also in education and entertainment through the media in Ghana and for that matter Africa. One of the positive outcomes of the colonial encounter, especially in Ghana, is indicated in the establishment of radio and, later, television broadcasting. Music which has been a great tool and vehicle of communication helped in achieving this success. Music production ...
ABSTRACT This dissertation discusses the relationship between Ghanaian popular music and sociopolitical commentary. Its explore Hiplife music focusing on five selected songs of Barima Sidney. Based on a case study approach, the study employs qualitative methods of inquiry by drawing on intensive personal interviews, focused groups, archive and commercial music videos, journals, press cuts from the Internet, the social media as well as life-history method. The interpretation of song texts fro...
ABSTRACT The discourse on music sustainability within ethnomusicological circles has largely focused on the protection of the environment and the sustenance of both music traditions and their material music cultures which are endangered. Thus, there is hardly any discourse on the sustenance of the careers of the musicians whose work actively keeps these music traditions alive; although there have been observations made about the difficulties associated with sustaining a career in music. In G...
ABSTRACT In trying to expand the modern post-tonal music practices and techniques, using traditional idioms, this work is focused on Apatampa dance music (a recreational dance of the Fante people in the Central Region of Ghana) in an original composition named ‘The Fruits of Apatampa.’ The study seeks to explore the rhythmic resources of Apatampa dance music in a contemporary art composition. It blends new trends in contemporary art compositions with traditional drum idioms found in Apata...
In view of (occasional) problems encountered in relating to the aesthetics of primarily oral texts like the ones under study here, I have deliberately tried to give a hint of the general direction of the essay from the outset. The choice of the word "carnivalesque" in the title is therefore geared towards this end; it is meant to embrace the total performance implicit in "carnivalisation,"1 in strict Bakhtinian sense, among others. The overall strategy of the essay is to locate these aestheti...
ABSTRACT The research work took place both in Kumasi and Yamfo in the Ashanti and BrongAhafo Regions of Ghana respectively. It consists ofstudying the AdolVa musical type of the Akan and blends the musical elements drawn from it with scholarly compositional techniques as a way of contributing to African art music The work looks at the repertoire of AdolVa, and critically examines its compositional techniques and utilizes the resources to compose new music. This new music preserves the tradit...
ABSTRACT Since its inception in 1863, association football has seen tremendous improvement and is currently one of the most patronized sports in the world. It is intriguing the manner in which football has been associated with music, evident by the national anthems, official world cup songs, football club songs, cheer songs, sports music concerts and brass band music that are performed in football. This study discusses how Musical Chapter ‘O’ uses music to support Accra Hearts of Oak Spor...