MUSIC PLURALITY: INEVITABILITY IN NIGERIAN MUSIC SCENE

Abstract

In Nigeria, music has been used as a means through which ethnic, community and individual identities are formulated and expressed. Stock (2009), observes that “virtually all Nigerian cultures have their own traditions of music and dance which are central to the way they remember their past and celebrate their presentâ€. Such varieties of music include repertoires of songs and instrumental music which are created in various occasions and ceremonies within the localities. They are orally transmitted and consequently easily spread across ethnic and cultural boundaries in adulterated forms. A people‟s music portrays who they are, where they come from and their values. Consequently, a composer‟s work irrespective of the period makes a statement on his root and background through traces of socio - cultural identity which characterize his composition.