#2 The Compositional Styles Of A Legendary Theatrical Music Composer: Hubert Ogunde
UDC: 78.071.1 Огунде Х.
COBISS.SR-ID 163933193
Received: Oct 29, 2024
Reviewed: Jan 05, 2025
Accepted: Jan 28, 2025
#2 The Compositional Styles Of A Legendary Theatrical Music Composer: Hubert Ogunde
Citation: Omotosho, Mary T. 2025. "The Compositional Styles Of A Legendary Theatrical Music Composer: Hubert Ogunde." Accelerando: Belgrade Journal of Music and Dance 10:2
Abstract
Studies on Hubert Ogunde have focused more on dramaturgy with little attention on his music compositions. This study traces the musical background of Ogunde, the pioneer of Yoruba traditional theatrical music, in order to discover the source of his musical flair and taste, in identifying the compositional styles employed in his theatrical music. It analyses his songs in ascertaining the uniqueness of his styles. The study of Hubert Ogunde’s compositional styles rests upon his creativity and depth of imaginative explorations, i. e. rests upon achieving the set objectives. Accordingly, Euba’s theory of creative ethnomusicology (Euba 2000) has been adapted for this study, Methodology includes discography of 40 soundtracks, interviews, relevant literature and internet. Data collected were transcribed and analysed within the ethnomusicological framework. The results showed that Ogunde’s musical background was enhanced by self determination to make a living through theatre. His first exposure to music began from his childhood experience of the alarinjo theatre. The study identifies three styles exhibited by the composer. Two are adoptions of existing musical styles (folk and highlife) while the third is his innovation which we have termed, High-Chant. The new style was revealed through frequent chanting, speech-singing and syncopation in his songs. In conclusion, Ogunde’s music is essential in understanding the theatrical music in Nigeria. His didactic music, uniquely interwoven in strict traditional African styles and Western variants, enhanced a new theatrical dimension in Nigeria. That Ogunde was able to creatively explore varying compositional styles in Yoruba theatre and principally formed the basis for the theatre and film production, shows that his music was, and is evergreen relevant to the society.
Hubert Ogunde, theatrical music composer, high-chant, nigerian folk operas, yoruba, musical style
Introduction
One of the several stages of music development in Nigeria is the emergence of theatrical music and this includes musical performances in operas, dances, plays, dance dramas, instrumentals, and films. This development is enhanced by the contributions of composers whose styles, techniques and artistic inputs became the acceptable musical ‘norm’ in the society. Societies in Africa generally yearn for and support moral uplifts. As a result, musical sounds and lyrics are given equal attention. One of the composers who made a lasting impression in composition and performance of Nigerian theatrical music was Chief Hubert Adedeji Ogunde. He was a skilled but non-art music composer (Omotosho 2019a, 12) who was exposed to folk music during his childhood. His early years were mostly spent with his maternal grandfather - an Ifa Priest. Johnson (1956, 32) elucidates that Ifa is:
the great consulting oracle in the Yoruba country and was introduced at a late period by King ONIGBOGI, who was said to have been dethroned for having done so. Another tradition says it was introduced into the Yoruba country by one Setilu, native of the Nupe country, who was born blind. This was about the period of the Mohammedian invasion.
Ogunde’s close company with his grandfather exposed him to deep traditional activities such as rituals. This association lasted for a greater part of his foundational years. During his late teenage years to early twenties, he joined his father who was a church organist, to learn the Christian mode of worship. As a result, a fusion of traditional and Christian modes of worship became the outcome of his lyrics and nature of his music - that is, the style of his music and mode of performance. His didactic songs reflect the cultural practices of the people in his society.
Okunade (2005, 48) affirms that:
the lyrics of Ogunde’s music are metaphoric, proverbial, cryptic, and are expressed in archaic manner. He used these language modes to pass across moral lessons.
Ayo Ogunde (the first son of Hubert Ogunde) emphasised his father’s love for music to be so strong that his theatrical plays mostly started out as musical compositions before they were set to play or opera.
Contrary to people’s belief, he noted that the popular Yoruba Ronu (Yoruba think) was first a song before a play. Ogunde’s rehearsals were dominated by the learning of his songs while much less time was given to acting (Omotosho 2019b, 181).
Ogunde is very competent in Yoruba language (from the southwestern geopolitical zone of Nigeria) and able to skilfully improvise fluently, through chants and somewhat incantatory speech-singing in his music. Also, his command of English was impressively sound and much better than most of his contemporaries, despite a few years spent in acquiring education. He pioneered Yoruba traditional theatrical music, especially in operas and plays in Nigeria, and interwoven music in strict traditional African styles and Western variants at different periods in his life. This study reveals the compositional styles consciously and subconsciously employed when writing his theatrical music compositions.
Statement of a Problem
Studies on Hubert Ogunde’s works have focused on linguistic and theatrical qualities with little attention on his compositional styles, hence very scanty studies. This paper will enhance the understanding of music in Nigerian theatre. Although his ethnic group (Yoruba) is the most extensively researched of all ethnic groups in Nigeria, his theatrical music has not received considerable attention despite being regarded as the founder of Nigerian folk opera and theatre (Beier 1994, 3). Since attention has been more on dramaturgy of the composer’s theatrical performances with discussions on his life history and contributions to the Nigerian theatre in general, this study hopes to bring to limelight the styles Ogunde employs in composing the theatrical musical works. This will further enhance more theatrical music compositions by art music composers for academic purposes and communal benefits.
Theoretical Framework
The study of Hubert Ogunde’s compositional styles rests upon his creativity and depth of imaginative explorations. Akin Euba’s theory of creative ethnomusicology is therefore adapted for this study. Euba (2000) defines creative ethnomusicology in his autobiographical notes as:
process whereby information obtained from music research is used in composition rather than as the basis of scholarly writing.
Since Ogunde made deliberate efforts to gather musical information to enhance the performance of his theatrical works and also applied them in his compositions, we can therefore say that he engaged in creative ethnomusicology. He involved and even employed his family members and friends in exploring the knowledge gathered.
Methodology
This comprehensive paper employed data collection from discographies (Taylor 1983 ; Ogunde, 2010), interviews, relevant literature and the internet. Forty of Ogunde’s music soundtracks were extracted from his recorded albums, live performances of his still existing theatre group were examined, and in-depth interviews were conducted with thirty (30) purposively selected people (inclusive of his family members - sons, wives and grandson) who are familiar with his theatrical music. The respondents include 10 Nigerian theatre scholars, 10 theatre practitioners, and 10 of Ogunde’s fans. The interviews complemented data collected from his soundtracks. Literature examined include books, journal articles, theses/dissertations, programme of events, and newspapers. Data collected were organised, categorised, transcribed and analysed within the ethnomusicological framework.
Scope Of The Study
The scope of this study is limited to descriptive analysis of the compositional styles of Hubert Ogunde’s theatrical music. Elements of music such as melody, rhythm and harmony with particular reference to African musical elements are examined. Careful observations of tonal inflections are also carried out, since Yoruba is a tonal language.
Hubert Ogunde’s Musical Stride
On Monday, 10th of July, 1916, at Ososa in Ogun State, the legend, Hubert Ogunde, was born. He had a resilient desire to achieve greatly in life through theatrical works. His immense contributions to theatrical music in Nigeria are the reasons why theatrical music has consistently been a mainstay in Nigerian music entertainment. Having composed and recorded about one hundred theatrical songs which subsequent composers emulated, his uniqueness remains evergreen even long after his death on Wednesday, 4th of April, 1990, at the age of 74, while still active on stage. Two famous artists that followed his path during that period were Kola Ogunmola and Duro Ladipo. The latter received worthy global acclaim for his famous operatic work, Oba Koso. Other practitioners of early Nigerian folk operas included A. A. Layeni, A. B. David, and G. Onimole.
By the 19th century, ritual and ceremonial drama of Nigerian indigenous cultures had developed into the court masks and afterwards developed into puppet theatres (Vidal 2012, 114). The puppets were inanimate objects resembling humans or animals. They were skilfully manipulated for performance. With the passage of time, new forms, much similar to the European operatic and oratorical forms of the theatre than the indigenous Nigerian ethnic forms, emerged. Earlier established composers of Yoruba music who existed before the rise of Ogunde, explored the earlier new forms, by producing music which were referred to as services of songs, or native air operas, all of which were devoid of dramatic action (Clark 1979).
Adedeji (Adedeji & Ekwazi 1998, 9) affirms that “Hubert Ogunde entered the stage at [a] time when the “Native Air Opera” was at its peak. His early works placed him in that bracket except that he was quick to move out and blaze a new trail.” The new trail which is the introduction of dramatic actions into his performances has since formed the pattern of theatre practiced in Nigeria till date. The dramatic actions however did not erode the music upon which his profession was founded, for most of his performances were musicals (songs and instrumentals) accompanied by dramatic action.
Hubert Ogunde developed and maintained a successful career in the composition of theatrical music. By this, I refer to the breadth of his musical works and frequency of his theatre group performances at home and abroad. This also foregrounds the volume of research and records of his works by scholars and theatre practitioners even many years after his death. Ogunde wrote a considerable number of theatrical musical works for opera, play, dance, dance drama, instrumentals and films (motion pictures). He developed a musical language that was unique and which was chiefly governed by his use of folk music. With the passage of time, a fusion of Western music elements into folk was employed. These include explorations of melodic treatment, texture, timbre, rhythmic complexity, homogeneous ensemble, and mixed-group ensemble. His musical works were performed and recorded by his theatre group in various media. In addition to his accomplishments, a revival of his theatrical musical works and performances is currently on-going in Nigeria, precisely in Abeokuta, in the southwestern part of the country. This, his children embarked upon, in furthering their father’s dream.
Ogunde’s Creativity
Ogunde’s early music years began with creative employment of strict traditional style and later, Western styles. Creativity is essentially an innate ability. It develops when actions related to it are rightly taken. It is rooted in environmental influence on one’s flair and taste. Flair is instinctive; a natural ability which may be inherited and/or discovered by choice of exposure to certain activities. Taste on the other hand is the progressive stage of flair and it is anchored on choice. From these (flair and taste), mannerisms (styles) are formed. Ajewole (2016, 116), highlights three requisites as levels of organization for a virtuoso in Yoruba traditional society. They include:
- Flair for the art;
- Ability to imitate at sight or at first contact; and
- Ability to elaborate on what has been imitated and still maintain balance.
Hubert Ogunde exhibited all three, in that he had flair for musical arts; he imitated the traditional worships, alarinjo theatre (travelling dance-troupe theatre), and Christian musical activities done the western way; he elaborated on the aforementioned and still maintained balance of culture in his theatrical music. He developed on what he watched his grandfather and father do, by creatively elaborating on the skills in his musical compositions. This gave him self-satisfaction. Creativity, however, surpasses self-satisfaction.
Creativity expressed, leaves lasting impressions on an audience. The more an artist or composer creates (explores), the better innovative or professional he gets. The level of creativity expressed equals degree of impact. The better the artistry, the more the impact. The more impact made, the more inspiration for better artistry. Ogunde’s creativity in musical compositions was centered on his growth. The learning processes he underwent, produced his styles which further birthed a subconscious innovation of a new style. His discovery of assignment (mission) given to him through entertainment, aided his reasoning beyond the norm of the period of his rise. By norm, the author refers to the alarinjo theatre, native air operas, ‘musical-monoculture’, and typical highlife style. His self-actualisation produced his individualistic style. His unique approach to theatrical compositions made him outstanding.
Being well-travelled, he expressed exceptional creativity by engaging in intercultural activities through performances and touring of main cities in Nigeria, West Africa, Europe, United States of America, and Canada. He ventured into the ‘art’ of musical compositions and performances up to a professional stage, fusing African and Western materials despite receiving no formal musical training. Omibiyi-Obidike (1995, 119), defines interculture as between or amongst cultures, while Afolabi Alaja-Browne (1995, 79-80) describes music in relation: ‘art’ – ‘intercultural’, referring to:
music composed by modern Nigerian composers, often using European musical idioms but employing either Western or African musical elements and instruments. This type of music is also referred to as African-derived music in Western or European idiom.
Ogunde’s exploration of these birthed the new style which we have identified and termed, High-Chant (Omotosho 2019a, 13).
Picture 1. Hubert Ogunde and his wives in London (1968/1969)
Source: Ogunde’s Family
Style As An Outcome Of Flair And Taste
Ogunde’s compositional style (frequent outward reflection of his inward musical trait) makes his music unique. Style can be perceived as ‘what’ he does, while ‘how’ he does it is the technique. This paper is focused on the ‘what’. In society, music may not have an equal effect on everyone because people do not generally have the same preferences for music. These individual preferences are the resultant effects of tastes which yields forth individual styles. Further expatiating, Palmer (1961, 4) affirms that
the only possible standard by which music can be judged is the standard of taste. That is why taste is an essential attribute of the composer. Taste is a word with more than one meaning, but I use it here in the sense of judgement, that is, the ability to tell good from bad. Now it is obvious that taste is personal, and that what you may consider good, someone else may consider bad. There is no absolute test of goodness or badness.
Onyeji (2016, 1) in his inaugural lecture asserts that:
Music composition, an aspect of cultural expression, reveals deliberate efforts by composers to capture social, cultural and sometimes, abstract phenomena in sonic forms in various cultural locations. The approaches to this endeavor have followed different paths, combining different creative limits endowments of different composers in oral and written forms. Appearing in both different vocal and instrumental forms, the question of appropriate compositional style and idiom of expression has bogged music educators and composers alike in Africa since the encounter with the West, during which written composition was formally cultivated and instituted.
While discussing the Yoruba traditional musicians, Forchu (2016, 211) notes that since music is vital and pervades the life of the community, traditional musicians have the ability to affect development with their music. She (Ibid., 215) states further, the three types of musicians coexisting in contemporary African society as identified by Okafor (2005). They include Western art musicians, pop musicians, and traditional African musicians. In comparison, she notes (Forchu op.cit.) that the traditional musicians are individuals who perform local indigenous music and that through active participation in group life, cultivation of musicianship is promoted. This is in contrast to the Western system, whereby special music institutions are established for the study of music and musicianship.
In African societies, private and individual ensembles, rituals and ceremonies provide the greatest outlet for music performances. In addition to the existing musical repertoire inherited from the previous generation, new musical activities are invented, adopted and adapted from time to time (Forchu 2012). We see this clearly expressed in Ogunde’s innovation and exploration of compositional ideas. His flair for traditional activities were learnt and developed through exposure to Ifa worship (without his consent) but chose to watch and sometimes participate in the alarinjo theatre. He thus developed his musical tastes into individualistic (personal) styles. This shows that flair can either be sourced through imposed-exposure (inherited) or self-exposure (deliberate effort) or both. Through flair, taste is revealed, resulting in an individualistic style. While taste serves as a measure for determining the degree of perception of flair, style is the end product or summation of both (flair and taste). This, I have attempted to illustrate in the diagram below.
Figure 1. Diagram Showing Style as an Outcome of Flair and Taste. Source: Omotosho (2019a, 127)
Ogunde’s Styles Of Music Composition
Hubert Ogunde’s exposure to folk music and intercultural activities of which highlife became inclusive, yielded three distinctive styles of composition namely, folk, highlife, and high-chant. The latter was coined by the author to describe highlife or folk music sung by ‘chant-singing’ and or speech-singing; that which Ogunde does with such ease. It is imperative to state here that a song may be in a particular genre but performed in a different style from the genre. For instance, Ogunde’s many folk songs were either performed as pure traditional music, as highlife or as high-chant. He is purposeful and so composes for diverse reasons which ultimately determines his choice of style. He does this even if just to meet up with a musical trend in order to satisfy his audience while still focused on maintaining didactic lyrics. This shows his determination to fulfil his ‘assignment’ in whatever way possible to get his message across to his audience.
Folk Style
Folk music includes traditional songs. Societal histories and cultural norms are featured textually in folk songs. African folk music comprises songs for rituals, ceremonies, work, games, birth, war, funeral, and so on. Ogunde’s style of composing folk songs basically involved the style of performance. Traditional musical instruments were used as accompaniment, namely, the talking drum, agogo (bell), woodblock, ilu agba (agba drum), ilu akiri (akiri drum), ilu apere (apere drum), agbekor drums, xylophone, and sekere (gourd rattle). The rhythms were either graceful (slow), moderate, fast or moderately fast. The tempo of the music depended mostly on what the theme of the song was and the role played in any of the performances.
Over the years, Ogunde rearranged some of his folk compositions in highlife style. At this ‘stage’ (highlife), he sometimes fused Western musical instruments with traditional ones. For instance, Yoruba Ronu (1964) was originally performed as traditional music on stage with his theatre group, at a very slow tempo and later rearranged in highlife style at a fast tempo. (See Omotosho 2019b, 190-191 for excerpts, in discourse of “the impact of social media on Hubert Ogunde’s music compositions”).
He was sensitive to the kind of audience he composed for and so, adjusted the rhythm of his existing compositions when rearranging it in a different style for a different audience, in a different medium of performance, for audience satisfaction at different locations. Examples of the composer’s songs in folk style include, Ojo Ayo Sunmo (1965), Eni Mo Wo Ko Wa Se (1982), and Ka Bolomo Yo (1989). Excerpts from the author show the employment of traditional instruments only, for accompaniment. These include, agogo, sekere, a traditional drum and agba drum.
Example 1. Eni Mo Wo Ko Wa Se (He Who Knows How to Trade Should Come and Trade)
Highlife Style
In reaching a wider audience, Ogunde rewrote some of his folk songs in highlife style at the time when highlife was trending. In achieving the highlife style, he changed the tempo of the folk songs to fast or moderately fast and employed western musical instruments peculiar to highlife music. These include, keyboard, brasswinds; horns (e.g. trumpet, sometimes played with muters), saxophone, guitar (rhythm/lead guitar and bass guitar), and drums (trap set). Despite his inclusion of highlife style, Ogunde sang in a somewhat chanted form while still syncopating. Examples of his compositions in highlife style include, Sisi Oni Garawa (1956), Temi A Dara (1957), Yoruba Ronu (1964), and Keep Nigeria One (1968). Excerpt from Sisi Oni Garawa (see Example 2.) for Baritone Solo, Soprano and Alto, is accompanied by a fusion of western and African musical instruments.
Example 2. Sisi Onigarawa (The Lady with the Bucket/Vessel)
High-Chant Style
The author has come up with the name ‘High-Chant’ to describe Ogunde’s distinctive style of singing, that is, the art of chant-singing and speech-singing a highlife or folk song with much syncopation in many of his songs; a style so peculiar to him and which naturally flowed with ease whenever he sang. The word ‘high’ in high-chant is adopted to signify the occurrence of ‘chant-singing’ and or ‘speech-singing’ a highlife or folk music. The instruments for accompanying the voices are the same with folk style and highlife style. The high-chant style made Ogunde’s singing unique and famous till date. With his loud and strong baritone voice, his songs were and are easily recognised by those who are familiar with his musical works. Examples of songs in high-chant style include, ABD Aiye (1944), Ibere Kii Se Onise (1944), Ori Lo Ni Se (1948), and Ya a Yo o (1970).
Example 3. Ibere Kii Se Onise (The Beginning Does Not Determine the End)
Conclusion
Hubert Ogunde’s compositional styles were borne out of exposure to different environments which significantly influenced his flair and taste for music at different stages of his life; beginning from his childhood exposure to deep Ifa worship under his maternal grandfather, his late teenage years to early twenties exposure to church music under his father, and intercultural activities engaged in, nationally and internationally. He was a non-art music composer and indisputably a theatrical music legend, who creatively applied basic factors needed for arranging a musical piece (especially African music), some of which include the style of the music, the cultural belief and norm, the style of performance, the performance ability and experience of the choir/singers, the audience, and suitable harmony as accompaniment (for vocal and instrumental), to mention a few.
All his compositions are didactic and written in Yoruba language. Despite his command of English, he sets in Yoruba the lyrics of compositions he titles in English. He applies the same method to his plays where the title may be in English but the content is in Yoruba. His compositional styles include folk, highlife, and high-chant. The high-chant reveals his individualistic style which made his compositions unique and famous because of his frequent fusion of chant-singing and speech-singing with syncopation in highlife and folk songs. Ogunde’s relevant and evergreen music is undoubtedly crucial in enhancing the understanding of theatrical music in Nigeria.
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Discographies:
- Ogunde, H. 2010. The Complete Musical Works. 13 Audio CD.
- Taylor R. (Producer). 1983. “The World About Us - Ogunde: Man of the Theatre”, BBC Documentary, A BBC/NTA Co-production, EX ERO33613, VTS_01_1.VOB & VTS_02_2.VOB.
