THE PERFORMANCE PRACTICE IN AYELE MUSIC AND DANCE OF UNUWAZI-UROMI, EDO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

ABSTRACT

This paper focuses on Ayele music and dance of the Unuwazi village in Uromi, Esan North East Local Government Area of Edo State.  It examines the term Ayele, its tradition of origin, its musical instruments, context of performance and performance practices.  So as to be able to elicit data from the field, ethnographic method was employed. This entails the observation, interview and focused group discussion techniques. Other relevant secondary data were sourced from the libraries and the internet. This study reveals that Ayele music is unique in that it is purely instrumental musical genre that has not been influenced by modern day forces of acculturation. It is a social/ritual musical genre whose performance is regulated by a number of factors. This presentation is germane in that it provides a new oeuvre, ritual music even in this twenty-first century epoch, and epitomizes the fact that music in Africa is not simply for the purpose of entertainment. 

Key words: Music, Ayele, Nigeria, culture