Towards the Vernacularization of Musical Expression Marks for Indigenous African Compositions: A Study of Nwamara’s The Soloist’s Companion and Toffolon’s Sing ‘N’ Clap

Abstract

This paper queried the relevance of Italian and English musical expression marks in indigenous African musical compositions. The retention of these foreign languages as musical expression and performance marks in indigenous African folk and art compositions has created the problem of musical incongruity and ambiguity. The practice typifies neocolonialism and the blatant subjugation of African indigenous languages as inferior and inadequate in sustaining African musicology. Excerpts from the works of Nwamara and Toffolon were sampled as case studies. Musical examples from American folk songs were also sampled, analyzed, and compared with the excerpts from the case studies and the result clearly shows that most American and English folk songs have shred off Italian as the language of their expression marks. Some of the expression marks in this study were successfully translated into Igbo language as a demonstration and further attempt was made at translating more. It was suggested that Italian and English expression marks for African compositions should be discontinued and replaced with their equivalents in the Indigenous African languages of the respective compositions. Even If a composer still desires to retain the Italian and English expressions maybe for a mixed audience and performers, he should still supply their translations in vernacular. It was also suggested that African indigenous musicologists and Linguists should coalesce for proper translations of these expression marks for the preservation of the beauty and dignity of African musical Art.