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

Ayò Olúrántí

Music Composition & Theory University of Pittsburgh USA

ÀJÙLO

A Symposium & Festival Bridging Musicology & Composition: The Global Significance of Bartok’s Method Center for Intercultural Musicology at Churchill College University of Cambridge, UK

Composition for Voice, Iyáàlù, Gángan, Àkúbà, Agogo, Sèkèrè , Clave & Piano

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 vocal & instrumental musical genres created & preserved by oral tradition

 Yorùbá folk opera, Oba 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

• Oba K’òso (Voice + dùndún) – Speech
• Oba K’òso (Voice + Flute)
• Oba 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

• f 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

1.

Applied as in Yorùbá musical genres

• 2. Modified Elements

Stylistic Elements 1

SPEECH

* 3 level tones - undefined * Speech rhythm

• The use of the traditional vocal style that fluctuates within the

speech-song continuum

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

Àwa l’àgbà, Adìye funfun l’àgbà adìye, Àwa l’àgbà 78 measures

C

Kìnìún l’oba eranko nínú Igbó, Tó bá bú ramú ramù, gbogbo igbó á pa róró ninini 29 measures

B

Aju’ra wa lo, Tì’jàkadì kó 44 measures

A’

Àwa l’àgbà, adìye funfun l’àgbà adìye, Àwa l’àgbà Aju’ra wa lo, tì’jàkadìkó 29 measures TONE FREQUENCY Low 10 3 3 13 Middle 8 6 16 14 High 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?