Professional Documents
Culture Documents
b. Sowande’s music
i. Go Down Moses is a work for solo organ. This piece uses dualism in a
number of ways. Throughout the piece there is a heavy use of two
contrasting phrases such as when the melody is played alone beginning in
measure 9, which is responded to with dense chords in measures 10-12, and
then the melody again in 13-15, which is likewise responded to with dense
chords in 16-24. Beginning in measure 33, the organ uses an
accompaniment figure with thirds and sixths, reminiscent of African
polyphony which would typically use parallel thirds or parallel sixths. At
measure 143, Sowande uses an ostinato in the pedal figure which is a trait
tradition to African music.
ii. In movement 1, “Joyful Day”, of his African Suite, an orchestral piece,
Sowande uses the melody from Amu’s Enne ye anigyeda. The piece begins
with percussive sounds from the harp and violas, which give the texture an
African feel. As well, the violas figure is an ostinato, which is typical of
African music. In measures 45-46, the texture could be that of any other
Western piece, but the tremolos of the strings provide a percussive effect.
Another Western aspect is the contrapuntal part of measure 51-54.
2. Akin Euba
a. childhood background and experiences (early education, exposure to music, etc.);
i. Euba was born in 1935 in Lagos, Nigeria. In his childhood, he would experiment
on a piano that his parents had. An early influence of his life was traditional
music of Islamic origin which had elements of dundun drummingFrom 1943 to
1948 he studied piano formally with his father who sang at a Methodist church
in Lagos and played clarinet in a Lagos dance band with Fela Sowande. It is
worth noting that Euba was not a willing student when it came to formal
lessons. At age 7, his parents thought he would have a musical career, which is
lucky for him, as most Nigerian parents would not be supportive of such a
future.
b. training as adults (what they studied and where, etc.);
i. In 1952 to 1957 Euba attended Trinity College where he received a bachelor’s
degree in piano and organ, and theory and composition. In 1964 to 1966 he
attended the University of California in Los Angeles where he received a Master
of Music in composition. Lastly, in 1967 to 1974, Euba attended the University
of Ghana where he received a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology.
c. professional careers (as teachers, performers, scholars).