Analytical Study of Selected Catholic Masses Composed by Anthony Kobina Yebuah.

Abstract

The Catholic Church is spread in most parts of the world and has different forms of worship. The main form of Catholic worship is the Holy Mass. The Second Vatican Council has enabled Masses to be said and sung in the vernacular languages of a people in order for them to participate fully. The Primary focus of this study is Anthony Kobina Yebuah, a prominent Ghanaian composer of the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra. Anthony Yebuah is among a few composers who write liturgical music for Catholic worship. He has also composed both vocal and instrumental music which does not pertain to Church music. Since there is paucity of available documentation of Ghanaian Catholic musicians and composers together and their contribution to the growth of the Catholic Church in Ghana especially in the Archdiocese of Accra, this subject demands scholarly attention. The study discusses the background of Anthony Kobina Yebuah as well as two works composed by him namely, Sacred Heart and Corpus Christi Masses. The study also seeks to examine the compositional techniques used by Anthony Kobina Yebuah. This was achieved through personal interviews, phone interviews and interviews via the internet with Anthony Yebuah and some selected close associates of his. Reading of books, journals via the internet and the library together with analysis of the two Masses by the analyst. The findings from the research reveals that Anthony Kobina Yebuah is a well-trained musician and composer. He uses both Western and African elements in the composition of the two Masses. Yebuah composes the two Masses for specific occasions and some of these can be accompanied with percussive musical instruments like the axatse and clappers.