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Resource Pack Author & Concert Presenter Aanu Sodipe & Isreal Akindipe (Ọlá) Celebrating the Mentor Kevin Le Gendre & Resilience of Yorùbá Richard Henry Culture in Music Watch the concerts
Introduction This resource has been produced to further illustrate He was a key figure in promoting Yorùbá music, the above recorded concert that took place at St incorporating local Nigerian melodies and rhythms Alfege Church on Thursday 22nd and 29th October in his organ works. He once said: 2020. The concerts and resource were made possible by a generous grant from the Royal Borough of Whatever African music may or may not be, Greenwich Council as part of the 2020 Black History one thing about it is that it communicates. It is Month celebrations, and provided a springboard for for this reason that we find, on the social levels, a year long programme of activity from Trinity Laban that we do not have performers and listeners, & Blackheath Halls – Black Culture 365. but performers and participants; we do not fix time, date and place for making music, it The talks and resource were created and developed “happens” when the spirit moves us. We must by Master’s student violinist and composer Aanu also note that on the more serious levels, i.e. Sodipe and Bachelor’s clarinet student Isreal Akindipe the ritualistic and the religious, African music (Ọlá) with support from mentors Kevin Le Gendre still communicates... On the social level, it and Richard Henry, alongside Trinity Laban’s Learning communicates with the men and women in & Participation team. It introduces the audience to the society, on the ritualistic and religious the music and culture of the Yorùbá people which levels, it communicates with the gods and the features heavily in the concert programme. We would goddesses of the group’s pantheon, with the recommend watching the full video of the concert forces of nature 1 alongside this resource. Much of the programme is inspired by Sowande’s The Yorùbá people are a tribe from the south west deep appreciation of Yorùbá culture, his determination of Nigeria, but their rich and vibrant culture reaches to preserve it, and his passion to communicate this across the world and is enjoyed by many. Many with his listeners. cultures in Nigeria have suffered belittling effects from occurrences such as the transatlantic slave trade, colonialism, the migration of English Christian missionaries to the country, the civil (Biafra) war, and 1 Godwin Simeon Sadoh, The organ works of Fela Sowande: a Nigerian tribalism to name a few. Despite this, its cultures have organist-composer (Louisiana, LSU Doctoral Dissertations, 2004) 43
Amongst the many influential figures that have come from Nigeria, Fela Sowande (1905–1987) is one who helped to preserve and communicate the Yorùbá culture through his music. He was born when Nigeria was still colonised and was a Yorùbá virtuosic organist and composer. In his late 20s he came to study in London and won various prizes such as the Read Prize for the highest aggregate marks in the fellowship examination, and even became a fellow of Trinity College of Music in the 1940s.
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In Christianity’s early days in Nigeria, efforts were made Song 1 to translate English hymn texts into Yorùbá, using the Ọbangiji same European hymn tunes. This created conflict, as the melodic contour of the European hymns did not at Ọbangiji (meaning the Almighty, in reference to God) is a all match the tonal inflections of the Yorùbá language, Yorùbá hymn which Sowande used in one of his organ or any other of the local dialects in Nigeria, and works, which I arranged along with other local Yorùbá therefore distorted the meaning of the text. In response melodies. He also used various traditional rhythms like to this, the musically literate members of the Nigerian the konkonkolo rhythm, a two bar rhythm which is used congregation began to match the vernacular hymn texts in music that’s in 6/8 time, as demonstrated in figure with local melodies that were commonly known in their 1. The word konkonkolo itself has no meaning, it is the communities. Many of them also composed melodies Yorùbá drummer’s translation of what the drum speaks that were derived from the tonal shape of the Yorùbá when it plays this rhythm, and is used in the second half text. One of the great minds behind this was Reverend of the song, Ọbangiji. Josiah Jesse Ransome-Kuti, grandfather to the pioneer of the Afrobeat genre Fẹla Kuti, who was also an alumni of Trinity Laban Conservatoire. It is likely that the two Yoruba hymns, Wẹrẹ and Ta La Ba Fi Ọ We were written by Rev J.J. Ransome-Kuti.
Song 4 Abimọ ko gbọn Figure 1 This idea of writing music which matches the tonality of spoken Yorùbá texts is what inspired Abímọ kò gbọn, which I composed using the tonal inflections of a Yorùbá Songs 2 and 3 proverb. Below, figure 3 shows the text of the proverb, Wẹrẹ and Ta La Ba fi Ọ We the intonation of the syllables as it is spoken in Yorùbá, and the music composed to reflect the intonation. Now, moving on to one of the jewels of the Yorùbá culture – its language. The inherently tonal quality of the Yorùbá language distinguishes it significantly from English and other Western European languages. Each syllable of every word has a unique pitch in which it should be pronounced, therefore, altering the pitch of a word will change its meaning as shown below in figure 2. Three tones are used in the Yorùbá language, high (/) middle (–) and low (\) but the accent for the middle pitch is not normally written out on words12. Figure 2 below shows how one word spelt the same, but pronounced with different pitches can mean very different things. Figure 3
In the music, the pianist has the opening phrase (Abímọ kò gbọn) whilst the violin answers with the rest of the proverb (a ní kó má ṣáà kú, kí ní npa ọmọ bí àìgbọn).
The meaning of the proverb is as follows – a child lacks wisdom, and while some may say that the most important thing is for that child not to die, what kills more surely than lack of wisdom? This proverb portrays
Figure 2 the importance of parents, elders, teachers and other members of the community in adding their own knowledge to the child’s life as they grow older. Yorùbá 2 Tunji Vidal, ‘Oriki I Traditional Yoruba Music’, in African Arts, vol. 3 (Los Angeles: UCLA James S. Coleman African Studies Center, 1969), 58 culture thrives through the strength of community,
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especially in family life. I’ve heard it said many times Àjò which means “Journey”, was written by the by Nigerians that it takes a whole village to raise a composer to imitate the “talking drum culture” of the child. There are many other proverbs in the Yorùbá Yorùbá people of West Africa. The Yorùbá people, like language which encapsulate the different perspectives most African cultures have a huge culture of drums of community. and percussion. According to Yorùbá mythology, all fine drummers have the inspiration of Àyángalú, who is believed by the Yorùbás to be the first drummer Song 5 to have lived. He was a very fine drummer and he became a deity at his death. Whilst it is believed that Baba Mi Yorùbá families with the Àyán prefix to their names are In this piece, I quoted an African American Spiritual descendants of Àyángalú, current day drummers just called Walk In Jerusalem Just Like John, one of my add the prefix to their names or stage names as Àyán father’s favourite songs. Baba mi is a piece which I is a more prestigious way of referring to drummers. composed to appreciate the efforts and resilience of The most symbolistic drum of Àyángalú is the talking my father in preserving and passing down key elements drum called Gán-gan. The Yorùbá language is tonal and from the Yorùbá culture down to his children. Gán-gan is used to communicate popular sayings or poems. This is achieved by imitating the diacritic tones There are clear influences of the Yorùbá culture in of the language. The imitation is carried out by varying countries like Brazil, Cuba, Jamaica, and many other the pitch of the drum through squeezing or releasing places, which is evidence that it has reached all around the tension on cords attached to the hourglass shaped the globe. The challenge is now to preserve and most of drum. This imitation also has to follow the rhythmic all appreciate its beauty in its raw undiluted state; not to pattern of the saying or poem and as a result the people substitute it for anything else but rather to understand it, recognise what the drummer is “saying”, and then and to spread the understanding of it to those around. they dance or chant along. When a talking drummer is playing, the Yorùbá people say “Àyán-ń-sọ̀rọ̀” which means “the drummer is talking”. Song 6 Àjò by Gabriel Adédèjì Gabriel Adédèjì is a Nigerian composer and pianist. He started his musical journey through Yorùbá folk tales that his late mother told and these tales usually had music. Gabriel believes he owes his musical inspiration to the musical culture of the Yorùbá people. He was introduced to playing drums at the age of seven and he was soon exposed to the talking drum as a child. He was later introduced to playing keyboards at his father’s church and soon took up a musical career studying in Peter Kings College of Music, Society of Performing arts of Nigeria and the Musical Society of Nigeria.
Gabriel currently resides in Nigeria where he teaches, composes and performs. He is the resident pianist and arts director of the Arts in medicine fellowship. Other compositions by Gabriel Adédèjì include Tẹramọ́ṣẹ́, Ọmọ́wùnmí, Ṣọbọ, Ẹmu Ògùrọ̀ and many others.
In Àjò, Gabriel Adédèjì experiments the talking drum culture of speaking the Yorùbá language on the Clarinet, Cello and Piano. According to Gabriel, he once had to travel a very long journey for his brother’s wedding ceremony and the chant is based on that occurrence. The chant goes “Àjò lá mín lọ, bàbá mú wa délé” which translates to, “we are going on a journey, father take us home”.
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The main motif of this piece is based on that chant, see if you can hear it as it’s played. Most poems and chants Song 7 of the tonal Yorùbá language turn out to be based on Malaika the pentatonic scale when they are said and the same is the case in Àjò. Malaika is a popular song written in Swahili, the words “Malaika nakupenda Malaika” translates “My angel, I The concept of imitating or incorporating African rhythms love you my angel”. This song has been rearranged on western musical instruments is an intercultural and rewritten by many people and the actual composer concept of composition called “African pianism”. is quite a controversial topic. However, Adam Salim is Gabriel’s use of this concept may perhaps be linked the earliest person attributed with the authorship of the to Akin Euba who was born in Yorùbáland himself and song. It was first recorded by Fadhili William who also studied composition with Arnold Cooke at Trinity College claimed to have written the song, however the recording of Music, London. Akin Euba is on the forefront of this that brought this song to the world stage was by Miriam concept in contemporary Nigerian art music. Makeba. It is also worthy of note that there is a Gospel Afro Juju version of Malaika by Yínká Ayéfẹ́lẹ́ which has According to Akin Euba, some of the stylistic ingredients the lyrics as “My life time, I would give God my life time” of African pianism include: which is very famous in Nigeria and is still loved and sung in Nigerian churches. Thematic repetition, direct borrowings of thematic material (rhythmic and/or tonal) This concert features Gabriel Adédèjì’s arrangement of from African traditional sources, the use of the song which in contrast to Miriam Makeba’s version rhythmic and/or tonal motifs which, although has been arranged in classical chamber music style. not borrowed from specific traditional sources, The cello opens the music with a stepwise descending are based on traditional idioms and percussive tune, giving a hint of a longing for something (a loved treatment of the piano. (Essays 1: 151–52).3 one in this case). Gabriel incorporates his own harmonic ideas and the left-hand part of the piano part gives the rhythmic drive.
3 Research in African Literatures, 2001 Indian University Press
To listen to short audio recordings of each Figure, These concepts mentioned by Akin Euba have been please click here. used by Gabriel Adédèjì in many of his compositions, we can find an example in the opening bars ofÀjò where the cello and piano play the thematic material which is founded on the saying on which the piece is based and is strongly rhythmic, almost reminding you of a Yorùbá dance:
Figure 4
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Bibliography / References 1. Sadoh, Godwin Simeon. The organ works of Fela Sowande: a Nigerian organist-composer. Louisiana, LSU Doctoral Dissertations, 2004. < https://digitalcommons.lsu. edu/gradschool_dissertations/2883> (Accessed October 2020)
2. Vidal, Tunji. ‘Oriki I Traditional Yoruba Music’, in African Arts, vol. 3. Los Angeles: UCLA James S. Coleman African Studies Center, 1969. 56-59.
3. Research in African Literatures, 2001 Indian University Press
4. Àjò, Gabriel Adédèjì
Further Reading 1. Olaoye, Anthony Ayodele. Sociolinguistic Documentation of Endangered ethnography of Communication in Yoruba Language
2. Nyamnjoh, Francis B. Amos Tutuola as a Quest Hero for Endogenous Africa: Actively Anglicising the Yoruba language and Yorubanising the English Language
3. Agawu, Kofi. African Rhythm: A Northern Ewe Perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995.
4. Stewart, Alexander. Make It Funky: Fela Kuti, James Brown and the Invention of Afrobeat. Mid-America American Studies Association, 2013.
5. Owomoyela, Oyekan. Yoruba Proverbs. Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 2005.
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Programme
Introduction Trinity Laban marked Black History Month 2020 Ọbangiji as the springboard for a year of activity celebrating black history and culture in the arts in 2021. We Rev J. J. Ransome-Kuti, are committed to a year-round programme of work Arr. Aanu Sodipe celebrating Black, Asian and Ethnically Diverse creativity in our artforms of music, dance and musical theatre. Wẹrẹ For October 2020, we presented two lunchtime Trad. Yorùbá, concerts with pre-concert talks and performances celebrating the music of black composers and Arr. Aanu Sodipe performers. Concerts were led by selected students working with our Learning and Participation Team Ta la ba fi ọ we and a dedicated mentor to create, present and perform their concert. Trad. Yorùbá, Arr. Aanu Sodipe
Performers Abimọ ko gbọn Aanu Sodipe Aanu Sodipe Gabriela Zukowicz Gabrielle Carberry Baba Mi Richie Sweet Aanu Sodipe Irina Lyakhovskaya Isreal Akíndípẹ` (Ọlá) Àjò Maddy Hamilton Gabriel Adédèjì Aleksandra Myslek Micah Baker Malaika Adam Salim, rearranged by Gabriel Adédèjì
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Biographies
Aanu Sodipe
For Aanu, music making started at church where Orchestra and BBC Symphony Orchestra, and also with she first learned to sing and to play the violin and Trinity Laban String Ensamble. She performed under piano. The community there was the first to influence such conductors as David Danzmayr, Douglas Boyd, her in the direction of making music, harmonising, Kwame Ryan. and arranging. Her number one hobby is still to sit at the piano and explore harmonies and melodies for Gabriela was awarded The Leverhulme Trust new song arrangements. She attended Mossbourne Scholarships for the academic years 2019/20 and Community Academy secondary school, during 2020/21 as well as Trinity College London Scholarship. which time she won the Hackney Mayor’s Music Her studies were also generously supported by a grant Award in 2013 and the Robert Lewin’s Award for from The Henry Wood Accommodation Trust Fund. Young Musicians in 2014.
Since 2013, she has been teaching and is still Gabrielle Carberry expanding her teaching career. She recently graduated with a 1st Class Bachelor’s degree in Having studied at the Purcell School, Gabby’s musical Classical Performance at Trinity Laban Conservatoire, education was strongly rooted in Classical music before and is now studying her masters in performance. began studying Jazz at Trinity Laban. Gabby has a This year she was awarded with the Rhona Reid fascination with duos and trios such as Ron Carter Charitable Trust scholarship, the Helen Roll and Joe Pass, Chris Thile and Brad Mehldau, and scholarship, and the TCL scholarship. Ahmad Jamal Trio. She also has a strong love of large ensembles especially Duke Ellington’s Big Band and the Metropole Orchestra. Gabby is passionate about Gabriela Zukowicz jazz education and often assists in workshops with both Tomorrow’s Warriors and National Youth Jazz Orchestra. Violinist Gabriela Zukowicz was born in Poland. She is currently in her final year of a Master of Music postgraduate degree studying violin with professor Richie Sweet John Crawford at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London where she also completed her Based in Greenwich, London, Richie Sweet is a undergraduate degree studying with professor John percussionist, drummer, bandleader, and composer, Crawford and previously professor Ofer Falk. with an eclectic musical experience.moving to London, Richie has begun to work with some of the top Latin She studied with polish soloist and pedagogue Patrycja and African bands in the UK such as London Afrobeat Piekutowska in Feliks Nowowiejski School of Music Collective, Kongo, Etuk Ubong, GrupoandLamp Fall. in Szczecin, Poland. She has participated numerous looks forward to many more performing and recording music courses and masterclasses in Poland and opportunities soon, especially with his own trio. abroad and has been coached by professors such as Izabela Ceglinska, Marcin Baranowski, Antoni Cofalik. She attended many master classes and lectures with great violin virtuosos. During Zenon Brzewski International Music Course, one of the oldest musical courses in Europe, she completed a course for violin teachers. Gabriela played with Trinity Laban Symphony Orchestra with members of Bournemouth Symphony
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Biographies
Irina Lyakhovskaya Maddy Hamilton
Irina Lyakhovskaya was born in St Petersburg, Russia. Originally from Milton Keynes, Maddy Hamilton is a She graduated from the St Petersburg Conservatoire versatile and vibrant cellist. She recently graduated in 1999, where she studied with Alexander Sandler. from Trinity Laban in July 2020, where she completed In 2000, she was invited to continue her studies in her undergraduate studies under the guidance of England as a postgraduate scholar at Trinity Laban Joely Koos and Naomi Butterworth. Conservatoire of Music and Dance (then known as Trinity College of Music) with John Bingham. Maddy enjoys a varied musical life and regularly performs in many different settings. Throughout In 2003, Irina won first prize in the TCM Association’s her career she has performed at many prestigious Soloist Competition with her interpretation of the venues including the Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Schumann Piano Concerto. Since then, she has given Southbank Centre, Cadogan Hall and Birmingham many performances at leading international venues Symphony Hall with various orchestras and ensembles. including the Philharmonic Hall in St Petersburg, A highlight was travelling to Davos, Switzerland to Smetana Hall in Prague and the Coliseum in Porto. perform at the 2019 World Economic Forum, as part In the UK, she has appeared at the Southbank Centre, of the Taki Concordia. Symphony Hall, St John’s Smith Square and Cadogan Hall performing solo recitals and as the concerto soloist Orchestra under Marin Alsop. Maddy is also principal in Mozart, Haydn, Schumann, Brahms, Tchaikovsky cellist of Capital Orchestra, the UK’s first intercollegiate and Rachmaninov concertos. Her work has also been pop and jazz orchestra, which hosted three sold-out broadcast on BBC television and radio. shows as part of it’s year-long residency with LSO St Luke’s in 2019. Maddy is an avid chamber musician An active chamber musician, Irina performs and is one of the founding members of The Undercroft internationally with violinist Eleanor Percy, with whom Piano Trio alongside Tom Knowles (piano) and Tom she has given numerous recitals at the Wigmore Hall Crofton-Green (violin). The three have performed in London. They have recorded sonatas by Brahms together for 4 years and were recipients of the Richard and Prokofiev for the ImLab label, and the complete Carne Chamber Mentorship Award last year. The Mozart sonatas for Melodiya. Currently, Irina is artist Undercroft Trio were also selected as finalists in the in residence at Eastbourne Arts Centre where she is 2020 Intercollegiate Piano Trio Competition and were performing the complete Beethoven piano sonatas joint winners of the 2020 Carne Chamber Competition. in eight concerts. Irina has worked at Trinity Laban as a professional accompanist since 2002. Alongside her performing career, Maddy is a passionate educator. She teaches at The Conservatoire, Blackheath in addition to tutoring various educational Isreal Akíndípẹ` (Ọlá) workshops and training orchestras. During her time at Trinity Laban, Maddy gained unparalleled experience Based in Greenwich, London, Richie Sweet is a in community outreach, particularly working with young percussionist, drummer, bandleader, and composer, people in collaborative educational settings. with an eclectic musical experience.moving to London, Richie has begun to work with some of the top Latin and African bands in the UK such as London Afrobeat Collective, Kongo, Etuk Ubong, GrupoandLamp Fall. looks forward to many more performing and recording opportunities soon, especially with his own trio.
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Biographies
Aleksandra Myslek
Aleksandra is a Polish pianist based in London. Having won the III International Chopin Competition in Budapest at the age of 16, she was given opportunities to perform extensively in France, Poland, Hungary and Spain. In 2010 Aleksandra received a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London with prof. Christopher Elton. She went on to pursue a postgraduate degree in performance and research with prof. Hamish Milne, which she completed with a distinction for overall outstanding studentship. Aleksandra regularly works with singers on both song and opera repertoire; her collaboration with Damian Ganclarski resulted in her becoming a winner of the prestigious Brenda Webb Accompanist Prize in association with the Richard Lewis Award, whereas the cellist Alberto Casadei was her duo partner in the winning performance of the Wilfrid Parry Brahms prize. In addition to her chamber music professors at the Academy- Michael Dussek and Ian Brown- she took advice on ensemble playing from Ferenc Rados, Maxim Vengerov, Thomas Steinhöfel, Adrian Brendel, Michel Beroff, Gyorgy Pauk, James Ehnes and many others.
Aleksandra is now a Live Music Now musician and a Junior Fellow in Piano Accompaniment at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.
Micah Baker
Micah Baker is in his Second year studying classical percussion and drum kit at Trinity Laban, originally coming from Bedfordshire. Alongside his studies, he holds a passion for world music in particular African music due to his upbringing in West Africa, where he spent most of his childhood.
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