ABSTRACT
The development of arts music composition as far as Africa and indeed Nigeria is concerned, is a resort to materials drawn from its immediate environment. It is a phenomenal factor for a researcher to follow the path of his predecessors and thus derives components from the traditional music of his people. This work will define how traditional musical components and techniques of composition could be utilized in establishing and identifiable culture. The title of this research work is “Adiaha Udo” and it centres on materials derived from the folk songs of the Ibibio people of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The selected folk songs are only used as thematic materials for the movements of this respectively. Adiaha Udo is written for piano alone to capture and bring to mind the rhythmic, melodic and harmonic textures of traditional folk music. It also seeks to contribute to a new usage of traditional musical idiom of expression in contemporary music composition. This entire work is subsumed under five chapters. Chapter One deals with the Introduction and the General Background of the Entire Work. Chapter Three highlights the Review of Related Literature on the Work. Chapter Four explains the performance prescriptions of the work and the analysis of the composition together with the provision of compositional procedures. Chapter Five which is the last chapter presents the composition (original),the summary, Recommendation and Conclusion.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The word composition has been defined etymologically as ‘putting together’ or combining parts or ingredients. Harper Collins Dictionary of Music n defined etymologically as “putting together” or combining parts or ingredients. Harper Cothins dictionary of Music (1972:86) defines it as the process of creating a musical work. Now! Man creates or composes music so as to express his feelings,ideas,beliefs and impression of events, incidents and the world around him. Composition is therefore, an art that is highly structured, highly planned, very intellectual, mathematical, even cold- blooded. Udoh(2006b), quoting Brindle submits that composition expertise,talent, and observance of implicit rules to ensure that music serves the function of its genre. Uzoigwe(1992) highlights that,
Many composers all over the world have made conscious and unconscious efforts to draw on the folk materials of their people.(p.9), and divers forms of artistic approaches have preoccupied the mind of the contemporary composer. Nketia (1974) observes that whether it is Africa or Asia, Latin America or Europe, there seem to be wide spread consciousness among musicians that music reflect the intellectual environment of those who make it. In drawing attention to this trend, Nketia further observes that for historical and sociological reasons, the search for new idioms has been much more intensive in the western hemisphere and in those countries musically within its orbit. According to Nketia, highly technical approaches involving science, mathematics have been developed and resulted in equally complex music such as chance music, electronic music and so forth.