Contemporary Yoruba Music

Lagbaja






















Scholars cre dit composer Hubert Ogunde as the father of the new Yoruba m usic drama, which started around 1944. Ogunde derived his sense of rhythm from the nonorthodox churches of Lagos, the island state of the south coast of Nigeria. The style of Ogunde reflects the influence of neo-traditional church music (Euba, 1970, p. 98). Ogunde’s new music drama maintains the Yoruba tradition while accommodating for socio-political changes. These performances retain the traditional elements of Yoruba drama, such as the concern with efficacy and tonal variation. Euba (1970) applauds the efforts at a new style of music that adheres to traditional elements, but does not try to recapture an identical or “absolute” traditional performance. However, Euba also critiques of the lack of audience participation and collective creativity evident in Ugunde’s performances (a result of European influences). In contrast to traditional performance roles, the composer controls the artistic direction and production of the music dramas and their band. Rather than the open-ended style between the drummer and the dancers, the composer of new music drama discourages spontaneity by the other musicians. Ugunde’s efforts as a composer are frequently overshadowed by the more popular Yoruba music of today