The Poetic and Musical Forms of Yoruba Songs

Abstract

Yoruba songs constitute a large spectrum of forms to be found in Africa. The study of their classification in terms of form has always begged for study. Yoruba vocal music is generally classified by the Yoruba society on the basis of (a) Performing modes and contents (b) Occasion for performance or context (c) Musical instrument used as accompaniments and (d) Social functions of the music, all of which excluded the structural form; an important musical and analytical element. This paper identifies and analyzes various types of poetic and musical forms of Yoruba songs through the technique of structural analysis, thus introducing a new taxonometric system for the classification of Yoruba songs into nomenclature. Not only is this approach necessary for the understanding of Yoruba vocal music, the assertion is a landmark contribution to the much needed systematization of the theory of African music and a pointer to its form analysis.

Nigerian Music Review Vol.5 2004: 1-17