African Dance for Woodwind and Percussion

The African Dance for Woodwind and Percussion is a lively piece based on West African popular music's rhythmic and harmonic framework, called Highlife. The continuous repetition of the tonic, subdominant, and dominant chord progressions are some of the pertinent features of highlife music. Another salient characteristic of highlife in the piece is the frequent appearances of the principal theme in the three melodic instruments. This popular wedding song, “Awa l’egbe oniyawo” (We are members of the bride’s group) is borrowed from the Yoruba people nestled in the southwest region of Nigeria. The principal theme bounces among the melodic instruments to create different shades of color, contrast, nuance, and dialogue. There is a second borrowed tune, “gunyan fun je o” (prepare pounded yam for him, mm. 31-49), and an original theme from mm. 66 to 80. The piece is laced with traditional African music creative procedures including the melo-rhythmic ostinato primarily outlined in the percussion section, interlocking rhythmic patterns, and the call-and-response technique. In terms of texture, the piece is built on homophonic and polyphonic structures. Abrupt silences, contrapuntal phrases, and dialogue between the melodic instruments demarcate dramatic and playful sections. The piece stays in the key of B-flat major all through, following the creative principle of Nigerian traditional music in which there is no modulation. The dance aspect in this work comprised the interplay of rhythmic and melodic structures vividly stated in all the instruments. The piece is introduced at the beginning with a short percussion phrase and closes very loudly with an abridged version of the principal theme in a flamboyant codetta.