Analytical study of Haruna Ishola‟s compositional techniques in ”Ina Ran‟

Abstract

Haruna Ishola (1919-1983), an acknowledged singer/composer/performer/arranger/music business mogul is considered to have experimented and  brought about revolution in the sound of apala music of the south west Nigeria. Many investigations have been conducted on Haruna Ishola‟s  works, however currently available resources about the stylistic elements in his compositions are minimal. Among Haruna Ishola‟s compositions, we  have selected and scored in staff notation representative „songs‟ in the track „Ina Ran‟ to highlight the structure, form and compositional  techniques of the composer. In addition, the significance of Haruna Ishola‟s works regarding how we would be able to understand better apala  music. Therefore, this  paper provides an improved understanding of the compositional style of Haruna Ishola‟s songs, as well as their connection to other apala musicians.