JLO Composition for Voice, Iyl, Gngan, kb, Agogo, Skr , Clave & - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

ÀJÙLO Composition for Voice, Iyáàlù, Gángan, Àkúbà, Agogo, Sèkèrè , Clave & Piano Ayò Olúrántí Music Composition & Theory University of Pittsburgh USA A Symposium & Festival Bridging Musicology & Composition: The Global Significance of Bartok’s Method Center for Intercultural Musicology at Churchill College University of Cambridge, UK

Background & Compositional Basis  PREVIOUS COMPOSITIONAL FOCUS  Intercultural approach  RECENT ENQUIRIES  The basis for the music category classified as (Modern) African Art Music  What happened (in terms of evolution) to the traditional and art musical forms of pre-colonial Africa?  RECENT STUDY & FIELD WORK  Yorùbá v ocal & instrumental musical genres created & preserved by oral tradition  Yorùbá folk opera, O ba K’òso by Dúró Ládiípò  Text based instrumental music – Dùndún music  CURRENT COMPOSITIONAL RESEARCH  Focus on the use of musical processes and resources found in Yorùbá traditional and art musical genres as the principal basis of creative expression with the goal of composing modern art works that will be a direct progression as well as a departure from these genres.

Music Samples  O ba K’òso (Voice + dùndún ) – Speech  O ba K’òso (Voice + Flute)  O ba K’òso (Voice + dùndún ) – Song  Sèkèrè Music (Adéyeyè)

PRESENTATION  Compositional Concept & Technique  Major Stylistic Elements  Compositional Structure  Conclusion & Discussion

Àjùlo Compositional Concept & Technique  Orality  African Pianism

CONCEPT & TECHNIQUE - Orality The whole music is conceived/composed such that ALL parts (with the exception of the piano) will be transmitted via oral means as in Yorùbá musical genres.  Use of texts as basis of motifs & themes – the application of musicality/tonality of Yorùbá texts  Use of rhythmic patterns as building blocks • Text based rhythmic motifs  Assignment of rhythmic patterns  Signaling/queues, ensemble communication  Use of timeline

CONCEPT & TECHNIQUE – African Pianism  Rhythms like omele in the dùndún tradition  Speech: Iyáàlù , voice  I advance the concept of African Pianism by making the piano further behave like the talking drum with regards to pitch, i.e. the use of the piano in such a way that it approximates the system of three tone levels of the spoken Yorùbá language, which forms the basis of the Yorùbá talking drum repertoire.  Minimalist approach p1 p.8 (a6)

Àjùlo Major Stylistic Elements Applied as in Yorùbá musical genres 1. 2. Modified Elements

Stylistic Elements 1  The use of the traditional vocal style that fluctuates within the speech-song continuum SPEECH * 3 level tones - undefined * Speech rhythm

Stylistic Elements 1 cont’d  Use of the speech (free & strict rhythms) & rhythm functions of the iyáàlù  Organization: 2 fundamental layers of activity  Foreground: the iyáàlù as solo improvisatory instrument (speech function)  Background: secondary instruments, omele, as accompaniment.  Ìlu Obàtálá  Improvisation  Call & answer antiphonal structure

Stylistic Elements 1 cont’d  Rhythmic Element  Features of rhythmic figures  In strict time - metric  Metrically free, lacking rhythmic regularity  Metrically short  Syncopated  How rhythmic patterns are arranged or combined  Combine within the principle of ostinato with or without variations  Combination to form polyrhythmic structure  Polyrhythm results from multi-ostinato.

Stylistic Elements 2 (Modified)  Use of long rhythmic patterns (text-based) for ostinato  “In - built” improvisation e.g. pp1 -4 Clave  Time-line  Varying texture  Instrumentation

Àjùlo Compositional Structure The whole music is composed using 38 text-based rhythmic patterns and 13 statements  Basic Structural Level  Defined by texts  Musicality of the texts

Basic Structure A ’ A B C Àwa l’àgbà, Kìnìún l’ oba adìye funfun Àwa l’àgbà, eranko nínú l’àgbà adìy e, Igbó, Adìye funfun Àwa l’àgbà l’àgbà adìy e, Tó bá bú ramú Aju’ra wa l o, ramù, Àwa l’àgbà Tì’jàkadì k ó Aju’ra wa l o, gbogbo igbó tì’jàkadìk ó á pa róró ninini 44 29 78 29 measures measures measures measures TONE FREQUENCY Low 10 3 3 13 Middle 8 6 16 14 High 0 1 12 1

Àjùlo Other Structural Levels  Structural use of musical elements to provide a strong linear sense (to eliminate musical “stasis”)  Binary use of texture to control tension  Binary use of polyrhythmic blocks to control tension  Long versus short rhythmic patterns (Section A vs A’)  Vocal Interjections

Àjùlo Conclusion & Discussion Evaluation & Prospects  Compositional Technique  Possible theoretical framework for composers to work with based on the oral system within which traditional music functions?  Success with parts orally conceived  Compositional Result  Proportion & Duration?  Too many musical ideas?  Lack of understanding of the relationships between different drums?  Balance (piano vs drums)?  Standardization of some instruments?