The Choral Music Scene in the Gold Coast (Ghana) Prior to 1933

Abstract

The paper looks at the choral music scene in the Gold Coast (Ghana) prior to the year 1933, the year after the publication of Amu’s ‘Twenty-five African Songs’. The paper argues that before the publication there was the tradition of choral music composition in the country. This tradition had been nurtured by the introduction of art music, the hymn and anthem of Western Europe, and the introduction of formal education into the country by the Europeans. The paper also presents a profile of some of the early Ghanaian composers of choral music, with samples of their compositions, which show influences from the tradition known to them – the hymn and anthem introduced by the Europeans.