The Use of Traditional Musical Genre as a Pre-Compositional Resource in Ghanaian Contemporary Choral Art Music: Perspectives from Newlove Annan’s “Ewuradze”

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to provide the reader with an analytical insight into the work of a young and prolific composer who has exploited a great deal from traditional genres for his compositions. Traditional music is a complex sound phenomenon whose description requires that its various components be described both individually and holistically. The paper presents an abridged biographical sketch of the composer. It further considers how the composer has exploited a traditional musical type “ebibindwom” as a pre-compositional resource and has effectively blended with western harmonic idioms.This paper therefore delves into the effectiveness with which Newlove Annan has used traditional music as his pre-compositional resource in the work “Ewuradze” (Lord.)