Abstract:
Walter K4mla Blege is a seasoned African art musician who uses his music to defend the
cause of black Africans. He studied music at Mawuli Secondary School, Ho in the Volta
Region of Ghana under the tutelage of Nicholas Zinzendorf Nayo and has continued by
self-taught approaches to become a brilliant and prolific composer. This work, therefore,
seeks to meticulously study and unearth the enviable compositional traits found in his
works. It examines how he uses dances and other indigenous elements as fundamentals to
drive home his desire for African art music composition. Five works out of his countless
compositions were analysed using Sadoh and Tovey's descriptive approach. Under the
methodology, the work utilises research tools of interview, observation, library research,
internet exploration, and archival examination to gather data. The study establishes
Blege's choral works as crucial in the annulment of the dogma of the church that forbids
converts from participating in African music. Findings of the study described the
illustrious career of Walter Blege as educationist, an administrator and an art music
composer. The study also reveals him as somebody who expertly transcribes, repackages
and translates music. Among his stylistic features is setting music to traditional dances
with and without accompaniment. The study recommends that, like Walter Blege, other
African art composers should adopt the inter-ethnic and intra-ethnic approaches in their
compositions. Theologians should also look at him as a preacher due to the overly
manner he uses music to preach the gospel in the context of Africa.
Description:
A THESIS 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 AWARD OF THE MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY
(MUSIC COMPOSITION)
JUNE, 2015