Iya Ni Wura Iyebiye for Orchestra and Percussion Instruments

Iya Ni Wura Iyebiye (Mother is a Priceless Jewel) is a monothematic work based on a very popular Nigerian folksong that eulogizes the virtues of motherhood. The work is set for winds (Flute, Horn in F, Trumpet in B-Flat), Strings (Violins I & II, Viola, Cello, Contrabass), and Percussion instruments (Agogo-Bell, Woodblock, and Sekere-Shakers). The principal theme is first presented in its original form in the strings, after which it enters with coloristic ornaments in diverse varied forms, bouncing from the flute to the horn, and finally in the trumpet where it goes through its most dramatic and climactic extemporization. To close the piece triumphantly, the principal theme appears in tutti with various contrapuntal devices as well as tuneful polyphonic and homophonic textures at the end of the piece. The percussions create the expected dance nuances with the selected repetitive rhythmic patterns throughout the work.