THE COMPOSER AND THE PERFORMER IN THE AFRICAN MUSIC INTERPRETATION

Festus Ife Olisaeke

Abstract


There is a clear distinction between the roles of the composer and that of the performer in Western music interpretation as against the practices in African music. In the Western music, the composer most of the time creates music for different media even when he cannot manipulate any of the instruments of the media, thereby leaving the interpretation to the performer. This practice is equally responsible for the situation whereby a composer may not have the opportunity of listening to or hearing his music performed in his lifetime. Is this practice obtainable in African music and to what extent is it practiced? Who does it better in the interpretation of African music – the composer or the performer? These questions and more are considered in this paper and the answers realized are utilized in proffering solutions to understanding and enhancing relationships between the composer and the performer in African music where the composer is not the performer.

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References


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