“I therefore believe the term 'art music' is a better generic term to use.”

[James P. Johnson (Art work by Suzanne Cerny)]

On March 17, 2011 AfriClassical posted a comment by our principal advisor, Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma: “This raises a very interesting question on the difference between classical music and jazz.” Michael S. Wright of Devon, England is one of our associates and is the head of ISAAM, the International Society for African to American Music. He continues the discussion with these remarks:

Dominique,

'Well spoken!' I am becoming more and more of the opinion that we should ditch the term 'classical music' to only include its use to describe music of the (so called) classical period - in the case of European music. Of course, that is open to some debate too! We then enter into the territory of other forms of music that are described as 'classical music'. My trip to Kerela, South India last October included going to concerts of Indian classical and talking to the musicians. Whilst the use of 'traditional' Indian instruments is well known, the use of the European violin (often with the shorter neck associated with the 17th and 18th century) is less so. Whilst Indian classical music is not performed with 'essential use' of printed music, it does does follow a recognised form with learned motifs BUT much improvisation. One would compare the process with that associated with Jazz.

This leads me to believe that in Africa, there has been comparable musics that could also be described as 'classical'. I therefore believe the term 'art music' is a better generic term to use. This of course covers jazz. I also very much like Professor Akin Euba's term 'neo art music' for modern African 'classical music'.

Look even further - I understand that Astor Piazzola, for instance refused to categorise his music. Ed Bland (African American composer) appears to take a similar view on his music.

Over to you all!!!

No doubt, I am stirring up a 'hornets nest'.

Regards

Mike

The Guardian: Olabode seeks to emulate success of 'Akin Euba, Laz Ekwueme, and Ayo Bankole'

[Akin Euba (b. 1935) is a Nigerian composer and musicologist whose theories include “African Pianism”.   He is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

The Guardian

Lagos, Nigeria

Ogunboye Paul, Classical Music Composer, In African Idiom

By Osa Amadi

"AT his age, he should have been flapping his hands in the air, hopping about the stage like a monkey, and barking out meaningless words for music as young people do these days in the name of Hip-Hop music. But instead, Ogunboye Paul Olabode has in his musical career, chosen a part more responsible, dignifying and projective of the rich African culture. That part is the composition of classical music in African idiom. Listening to the piano rendition of his composition like Jesu Wa Ja Funmi (Jesus come and fight for me), Gbadura Funmi (Pray for me), Oluwa Mi (My Lord), Ose O (What a pity) and his popular Ekitisonic, performed by Geir Henning Braaten, an acclaimed Norwegian pianist during a musical concert organised by Royal Norwegean Embassy last February at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, one cannot but feel proud that Paul is a product of Nigeria.

“Those are just a few of his works. He has over 20 compositions in his kitty. And apart from his gift in musical composition, this quiet, humble and amiable young man is fantastic on the piano, which of course, is his working instrument. He conducts orchestras and choirs but has lots of passion for transferring his musical knowledge to others through teaching.” “Where is he headed to? 'I would like to attain the level Akin Euba, Laz Ekwueme, and Ayo Bankole have attained in music. If Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe and the rest are using literature to project African culture, I should be doing the same thing with music. I would also like to write for films and advertisements.'"

Guangzhou People: Zi Lan Liao Has Been 'in the Elekoto Ensemble of Akin Euba'

[Akin Euba, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Music, University of Pittsburgh]

Guangzhou People

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Zi Lan Liao

“Zi Lan Liao is an international concert circuit performer on the guzheng. She has performed at the Royal Albert Hall and Royal Festival Hall, and has toured Spain, Italy, France, Holland, Finland, United States, and Australia. She also participated at the WOMAD Recording Week in Bath, England. Liao began to learn the guzheng at the age of three, when she lived in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. By the age of nine, she was winning prizes in China, including the prestigious National Youth Music Competition award. She left China with her family in 1983 for the United Kingdom, where she continued her music studies at Chetham's School of Music and the Royal Academy of Music. In addition to the guzheng, she also specializes in the Western concert harp and Chinese traditional dance.

Apart from playing traditional music and works written by Chinese composers, Liao also has had composers outside China write music for her, which has widened her repertoire from classical to contemporary and electronic music. She has collaborated with Peter Gabriel and Nigel Kennedy, and worked with African, Indian, and European musicians in the Elekoto Ensemble of Akin Euba. Her collaborative work with other world artists was released in 1995 on Real World Records's ''A Week or Two in the Real World'' various artists CD.” [Full Post]  The Music website of the University of Pittsburgh says Oyebade Dosunmu “...directs Elekoto, a vocal ensemble based in Pittsburgh, which performs the choral works of modern African composers.” [The Nigerian composer Akin Euba (b. 1935) has developed the theory of African Pianism and is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Street Names of Abuja, Nigeria's New Capital, Do Not Honor Fela Sowande or Akin Euba

[Akin Euba; The Organ Works of Fela Sowande: Cultural Perspectives by Godwin Sadoh; Quality Paperback (2007)

Vanguard

Naming Abuja streets

Written by Obi Nwakamma

Sunday, 28 September 2008

“LET me start by congratulating the administration of the Federal Capital Territory Abuja for finally doing the right thing. Well, perhaps, we should say, for finally coming, like Solomon to judgment, on the matters of naming the streets of Abuja. This past week, the FCT released a list of names of Nigerians for whom streets are to be named in Abuja. That is a good thing. A city contains cultural memory. It is the mark, indeed the archive of a particular kind of memory: how a people have moved through time and space; a marker of taste and significance. Abuja is a new city, carved straight from virgin land.” “Among Nigeria’s great cultural icons of the 20th century would certainly be counted great composers and musicians like Fela Sowande, Laz Ekwueme and Akin Euba. Yet the FCT list does not count them as worthy as Kanu Nwankwo.” [The Nigerian composers Fela Sowande (1905-1987) and Akin Euba (b. 1935) are profiled at AfriClassical.com]  [Full Post]