Abstract:
The creative aspect of art music in Ghana and Africa as a whole has focused
primarily on the composition of either choral or few instrumental forms. There is,
however, comparatively less compositions that combine theatrical elements to an
eventual performance. This thesis then explored, established and created a nonlinear
musical drama which is a culturally contextualized musical arc that integrates
scenery, properties, lighting, sound, costumes and make-up to be performed on stage
or filmed in a movie style. It sought to establish a conceptual model for composing a
musical drama which is characteristically African – Anansegorndwom – to give
directions to modern art music composers to create such works intended for wide
audience. Through exploratory bibliographic, discographic, narrative analysis and
creative designs, data were collected using both principal and ancillary methods,
including theoretical research, interviews and document analyses. 16 Folktales were
collected using non-directive interview from four participants who represented the
four major linguistic communities in Ghana: Akan, Ewe, Ga and Dagomba and four
of the stories were selected purposefully for the novelty. Similarly, 19 folksongs as
well as some indigenous instrumentation were gathered purposefully through
documentary search. The study brought into existence not only a conceptual model
for composition but also a musical artifact called Hɛn Anansesɛm (our story), a
musical drama of African identity that conveys our existing stories than just
delivering the sound elements in our folk traditions. It is concluded that the novelty
created is an explicit demonstration of how the African and Western musical idioms
can be fused together in one composition without losing both musical identities. It is,
therefore, envisaged that art music composers begin to use the model to add to the
repertoire of African musical dramas while the film industry and institutions of
performing arts assist in its production to add to the modern means of relaxation in
the 21st century.
Description:
A DISSERTATION IN THE DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC EDUCATION,
SCHOOL OF CREATIVE ARTS, SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF
GRADUATE STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, WINNEBA IN
PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD
OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (ARTS & CULTURE) DEGREE
SEPTEMBER, 2018