World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Vol:9, No:7, 2015 The Use of Themes and Variations in Early and Contemporary Juju Music Olupemi E. Oludare in the indigenous music of an ethnic group, those with local Abstract—This paper discusses the thematic structure of Yoruba and foreign influence, and those based of foreign styles [5, popular music of Southwest Nigeria. It examines the use of themes p.154], [9, p.104]. Juju music cuts across categories of those and variations in early and contemporary Juju music. The work is an localized in Yorubaland and exhibiting musical elements due outcome of a research developed by the author in his doctoral studies to interaction between local and Western cultures. Such at the University of Lagos, Nigeria, with the aim of analyzing the thematic and motivic developments in Yoruba popular genres. interactions in Juju music resulted in the development of Observations, interviews, live recordings and CDs were used as Western musical styles, compositional techniques, and methods for eliciting information. Field recordings and CDs of instrumentation in its musical expression, as a creative process selected musical samples were also transcribed and notated. The engaged by the musicians. These compositional techniques research established the prevalent use of string of themes by Juju include the use of themes in its melodic and rhythmic musicians as a compositional technique in moving from one musical formation. However, since African melodies and rhythms are section to another, as they communicate the verbal messages in their song. These themes consist of the popular ‘call and response’ form short and limited in range, with restrictions on the language’s found in most African music, analogous to the western ‘subject and tonal inflection, the themes are repeated and developed answer’ style of the fugue or sonata form, although without the tonic– through the process of variation to achieve musical and dominant relations. Due to the short and repetitive form of African linguistic intelligibility, extend the musical materials, and vary melodies and rhythms, a theme is restated as a variation, where its the elements to avoid monotony. rhythmic and melodic motifs are stylistically developed and repeated, This paper analyzes the use of themes and variations in but still retaining its recognizable core musical structure. The findings of this study showed that Juju musicians generally often early and contemporary Juju musicians, as a compositional employ a thematic plan where new themes are used to arrange the and performance practice. The study highlights thematic songs into sections, and each theme is developed into variations in development in Juju music, a Yoruba popular genre that order to further expand the music, eliminate monotony, and create developed from traditional music as a result of inter and intra musical aesthetics, serving as hallmark of its musical identity. The musical and cultural influences, engendered through adoption study established the musical and extra-musical attributes of the of musical instruments and appropriation of Western musical genre, while recommending further research towards analyzing the various compositional techniques employed in African popular styles and techniques, as well as the people’s desire for their genres. indigenous and intrinsic musical materials. The appropriation of musical elements, according to Omojola, not only Keywords—Compositional techniques, Popular music, Theme facilitated the commercialization and musical acceptance of and variation, Thematic development. Yoruba popular music; it aided the development of their musical structure, and global appeal [10, p.162-205]. I. INTRODUCTION USIC in Nigeria, before the Arabic and European II. HISTORICAL VIEW OF JUJU MUSIC IN NIGERIA Minfluences, functioned in the context of the religious and Juju music, according to Christopher Waterman, is a local secular aspects of the people’s indigenous music, representing variant of the urban West African palmwine guitar tradition. It a viable means of understanding their ethos. These external emerged as a defined genre in the Nigerian colonial capital of factors impacted on the creativity of Yoruba popular music as Lagos around 1932. The genre was defined more by ethos and it was during this period, the first six decades of the twentieth social context than by a delimited set of stylistic features. It century, that neo-traditional typologies emerged [15, p.5, got its name from the tambourine, which was referred to as “je p.99]. These typologies assumed popular status due to the jeu” by a French salesman, and later popularly called ‘juju’ International Science Index, Humanities and Social Sciences Vol:9, No:7, 2015 waset.org/Publication/10002949 general demand, socio-cultural relevance and economic drum [2, p.58], [15, p.50]. Written evidence suggests Asiko enlightenment within the society. Popular music have been and Agidigbo music among the historical antecedents of Juju described as a social music encompassing several styles which music, and Tunde King, a Lagosian guitarist, as the “initial are enjoyed, patronized, and accepted by the people due to the popularizer of the genre [2, p.58], [17, p.55], [15, p.54]. Other fact that it is readily comprehensible by the people [7, p.81], major exponents include I.K. Dairo (a.k.a Baba Aladura), [11, p.25], [8, p.7], [13, p.41], [16, p.372]. Omibiyi and Babajide Ojo, Ebenezer Fabiyi (a.k.a. Ebenezer Obey), Forchu referred to three categories of Nigerian popular music, Sunday Aladeniyi (a.k.a. Sunny Ade), etc. Juju performance with varying levels of musical appropriation; those with roots characteristically engaged both call-and-response patterns and combined choral singing, with vocal melodies influenced by Olupemi E. Oludare is with the University of Lagos, Nigeria (e-mail: Christian hymns. While the lead voice sings from his [email protected]). International Scholarly and Scientific Research & Innovation 9(7) 2015 2562 scholar.waset.org/1307-6892/10002949 World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Vol:9, No:7, 2015 memorized repertoires during performance, he however relies the Yoruba people of south-western Nigeria where the on the band resource man, saddled with the task to interact and selected genres have historic origin and practiced. Primary gather information from the audience on dignitaries and data were obtained from the fieldwork via observation, audio- events, to adjust the musical performance to suit the occasion. visual recording, oral interviews, and close group discussion, while secondary data was sourced from libraries, print III. THEME AND FORM IN MUSIC materials, seminars, lectures, online sources, references, and A theme within a written work is typically expressed as the audio-visual Medias, etc. The Scope of study focuses on I.K meaning or purpose of a musical piece. It is usually the main, Dairo, an early Juju music exponent, Yinka James, a overall musical figure of a work. While a motif, the shortest contemporary Juju musician, and Ebenezer Obey, a key musical idea, is simply the building block to a theme, intermediate Juju icon who revolutionized the genre from its occurring at structural points and only take their shape due to middle to the late period. Selected songs from I.K Dairo the repetitive connections formed between them [3, p.9], [4, (OHRCD 57), Ebenezer Obey (OCD 148), and Yinka James p.907], [14, p.13], themes are the walls that make up the (CD 004), representing each musical epoch, were notated and structural frame work of the whole music, unifying the entire analyzed (Table I). The changing musical, social, political musical components. Corroborating this difference, Reti trends and functions experienced in the transitions of Juju explained that motifs could only assume a role in the music in the different Nigerian socio-political epoch were compositional design somewhat similar to that of a motif in adequately represented in the selected musicians. the fine arts, while a theme is “a fuller group or “period” TABLE I which acquires a “motivic” function in a composition’s course SCOPE OF STUDY SHOWING PERIODIZATION OF THE SELECTED GENRES AND [12, p.11-12]. Often, unit of motifs will combine to form a MUSICIANS theme, which in turn may be developed into its varied version, Period Musicians Songs Early Juju known as ‘theme and variation’, a technique developed in the I.K. Dairo Erora F’eso J’aiye (Pre-Independence - before 1960) sixteenth century, and standardized by the baroque period [6, Late Juju Ebenezer Obey Inter Reformers p.301]. Thematic variations occur when rhythmic and melodic (Post-Independence - 1960 to 2000) Contemporary Juju motifs of a theme are repeated with stylistic varying of its Yinka Praise Praising Mood (Modern time - after 2000) rhythm and melody, but still retaining its recognizable core musical structure. V. ANALYSIS OF THEMATIC FORM IN JUJU MUSIC In Yoruba music, form plays an important and functional role, and since function constrains form, the function of a The form employed in both early and contemporary Juju music will determine its form and style, and the use to which vocal music, stated earlier, is the call and response, analogous the people performs it in the society [1, p.11]. Juju music to the ‘solo and tutti’ terminology, with the whole music either functions as a social music, especially entertainment, amongst