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THE DIALOGUE FOR SAXOPHONE AND THE TALKING DRUM
ABSTRACT
Besides using the voice, which has been developed to use various techniques such as complex hard melisma and yodel, a wide array of musical instruments are used in Nigeria and Africa at large. African musical instruments include a wide range of drums, slit drums, rattles, double bells, in addition to melodic instruments including string instruments, different types of harps and harp-like instruments such as the Kora, many kinds of xylophone and lamellophone such as the mbira, and different types of wind instrument like flutes and trumpets.
Drums used in African traditional music include talking drums, bougarabou and djembe in West Africa, water drums in Central and West Africa, and the different types of ngoma drums (or engoma) in Central and Southern Africa. Other percussion instruments include many rattles and shakers, such as the kosika (kashaka), rain stick, bells and wood sticks.
Talking drum mimics the rhythms and intonations of spoken language. Since language has a natural rhythm anyway, the drums are particularly apt for communication. They can simulate the sounds of proverbs or praise songs. Talking drum’s dialogue can be easily understood by a knowledgeable Yoruba audience. The use of talking drums as medium of communication was used to its greatest extent by the people who live in such West African countries as Ghana and Nigeria. The talking drum works well to communicate highly developed thoughts because the actual spoken languages of these African tribes have a tonal component to them in which each syllable of a particular word contains a different pitch.
On the other hand, Saxophone is one of band instruments of Western origin. It belongs to the Woodwind family, having diverse sizes and voice-range such as, Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Baritone. It is the most commonly seen and used in band music.
This composition therefore, is based on talking drum (Iyaalu) language which, often times, is a proverbial statement used among the Yoruba tribe. The medium of expression in this work is the communication links and dialogue between the lead talking drum (Iyaalu) and the saxophones, coupled with the rhythmic interaction between the local instruments.
The major thematic materials used in this work are proverbial statements adopted by talking drummers in their performance, these proverbs are then used as central ideas which was arranged and recomposed for the talking drum (Iyaalu) and saxophones. This piece is purely an instrumental music where the talking drum (Iyaalu) and the lead saxophone play the major role, imitating one another, while the other instruments accompaniment role.
This composition is in three movements with the saxophones and the lead talking drum (Iyaalu) being the center of attraction because the dialogues of the proverbs will occur between the two instruments in this work.
The first movement shows the melodic capacity of the talking drum. That is, how it can be used as melodic instrument, just as saxophone could play its melodic line.
The second movement is more of talking drum dictating a melodic line and the saxophones imitating the melody in their own pitch and the melo-rhythmic nature of the dundun or Iyaalu (talking drum).
And finally, the third movement is more of celebration and jubilation in which all instrument play their own role in the overall music making.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page number
Title Page i
Approval page ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgements iv
Table of contents v
Abstract vi – vii
Chapter One
Introduction 1
Need for the study 2
Scope and limitations 2 – 3
Aims and objectives 4
Research methods 4
Chapter
Review of related literature 5 – 12
Chapter three
The dialogue – first movement 13 – 28
The dialogue – second movement 29 – 63
The dialogue – third movement 64 – 97
Chapter four
Analysis 98-102
Conclusion 102-103
Recommendations 103
References 103-105
Chapter one
Introduction
Proverb is one of the cultural heritages of the Yoruba people from the south-western part of Nigeria. It is a general belief among the Yoruba people, especially the elders, that proverbs are pathfinders which helps in finding solutions to life situations and challenges. The creative ideas in this composition are based on proverbial phrases commonly used as incantation by warriors, elders when settling disputes and by other people to buttress their point of reference, quarrel or rivalry. It is also used by dundun ensemble drummers as language of the drum in song form which is chorused by the people in responsorial form.
Oba l’e o ma je, Oba ti a pe t’oun fina dahun interpreted literarily as “You will always be king that we called and answered with fire”
Er’oju ole e o mu ni, e o gb’aso f’alagbafo e k’aso wale interpreted literarily as “ See the face of a thief you refuse to recognize, did not give cloth to dry cleaner but brought home lots of dry cleaned cloths”
Gunnungun ‘I ku l’ewe, ma dagba ma darugbo dandan interpreted literarily as “Vulture don’t die as a baby, I will grow up and grow old compulsorily”.
These statements as earlier said, are proverbs of the elders, though young people also have the right to make them but must pay homage to the elders whenever any of the proverbs are used by any young one. This work is an instrumental composition but the source of the tones and ideas used is from the above sayings or proverbs among the Yoruba people.
Need for the study
This composition is necessary in portraying the ability of the most commonly used musical instrument among the Yoruba tribe in Nigeria that is, “talking drum” (Iyaalu). In this rearrangement and creative work, the talking drum interacts with the lead saxophone by sometimes imitating the sound produced by it. The communication interaction in this composition is greatly between the saxophone and the lead talking drum (Iyaalu) hence showing that to a certain extent, talking drum (Iyaalu) of the Yoruba people can also be used as a tonal or pitched instrument though with limitations. And to also prove that what a Western instrument can do, a local tonal instrument can also do and vise versa.
The choice of diverse saxophones (soprano sax, alto sax and tenor sax )in this work is also necessitated to support proves of researchers, in projecting to the outside world, that traditional music and instruments can be of great combinations in the fast growing world class instrumental music.
The choice of various percussive local instruments (idiophones and membranophones) to provide rhythmic frame work in this project is to show a form of dundun ensemble contemporary combination.
Scope and limitations
A deep research into the kind of scale that is commonly used in Yoruba music was done and just like other African music, pentatonic scale is most unique among them though having diverse combinations of pitch such as: do re mi so la;
do re mi fa so ;
to mention but few.
In this work therefore, pentatonic scale, having the combined pitch of do re mi so la, is prominently used in the melodic and the harmonic movement of the pitched instruments (Saxophones) that is used in this composition.
In expressing the scale used in this work, three types of saxophones are employed. These are the soprano saxophone, the alto saxophone and the tenor saxophone. The soprano saxophone plays the melodic line while other saxophones play the harmonic lines in response to the melodies of the leading instrument (Iyaalu), and in some case, one of the saxophones plays the melody with the soprano saxophone at a lower register.
The style of musical composition used in this work is the call and response that is found in most African music performance. This is fully developed between the lead saxophone and the responding saxophones. A little beat of contrapuntal movement is also adopted in some places in this project.
Nevertheless, Western harmonies were not the original intention of this work. Therefore, discords of second, consecutive fourth and fifth may be constantly encountered in this work which is one of the characteristics of the Yoruba harmonic values especially among the Ekiti and the Oyo people.
On the other hand, accompaniments in this composition were not intended for the Piano. Local percussive instrument such as, wood block, agogo (metal gong), sekere (maracas), konga drum, omele ako and abo (small talking drums tied to specific pitches) and lead talking drum (Iyaalu), are the major instruments used in accompanying the lead talking drum and the saxophones.
Aims and objectives
Inspite of the influence of western melodies and harmonies on our music in Africa, traditional music still retain its values and harmonies which made it unique and different from western styles. This work portrays the elements of Yoruba harmonies and tonal inflection.
The aim of this extended work of music art is to increase the repertoire of the already existing Yoruba traditional instrumental music. Much emphasis has been extended to choral works and percussions by many African Musicologists/art music composers.
This work is also intended to explore the possibility of the Yoruba talking drum dialogue with other Western musical instrument using the saxophone as a case study. This Yoruba traditional instrumental music will also serve as repertoire for instrumental music performances that can be used by any band, and may also be re-arranged for other performances in the nearest future.
Research methods
The methods used in this project include library research in which documents such as magazines, books and journals, articles in Nigerian dailies, which are related to this work, are cited.
Observational method is also employed in this project. I have participated in some traditional dancing and drumming that led to my interest in writing for the talking drum and I had also been a player of saxophone for over a decade now which explains my flair for the instrument and contributed to my musical creativity of using the instrument to imitate the talking drum speech mode or poetry.
Field research is also employed in the course of this project. I worked with many talking drum players in Western Nigeria, Ibadan in specific, while I play my Saxophone to replicate their drum sound.
THE DIALOGUE FOR SAXOPHONE AND THE TALKING DRUM
