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FORM IN NIGERIAN ART MUSIC: A CONTEMPORARY APPROACH 

Agatha Ijeoma Onwuekwe 

 

Department of Music 

Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka,  

Anambra State 

 

ABSTRACT 
Form is an important aspect of any musical composition that tells the composer where to go 

and how to get there. The plan of a building is an outline drawing of a building or structure, 

showing the position and size of the various parts in relation to each other. A building plan is 

to a house what form is to music. The form of any particular music helps the composer to 

stay focused in the course of the composition since he is prevented from unnecessary 

rigmarole. In fact, form serves as a guide to any musical composition. Just as a house without 

a building plan is bound to have a problem so also is music without a form. The importance 

of form to musical composition cannot be overemphasized. When the elements of music are 

organized into a musical composition, the overall design of the entire composition is called 

its form. An understanding of the concept of form helps in no small way in music 

appreciation. In other words form directs or organizes the music. The paper looked at some 

Contemporary Art musicians in Nigeria highlighting the forms they used in their various 

musical compositions.  

 

INTRODUCTION 

Planning is a very important aspect of any endeavour in life. Without adequate planning one 

is bound to make mistakes that could be easily avoided with proper planning. Form is an 

important aspect of any musical composition. It gives the composer the over-all plan of the 

music; it gives the composer the direction of his music and how to get there. It prevents him 

from unnecessary deviation from where he is going. In the Concise Oxford Dictionary of 

Music, Kennedy (2004: 261) defines form as “the structure and design of a composition.” He 

also emphasized the fact that it is important to understand the principles of form and the 

mastery of the application of those principles. In general, however, despite continuous 

experimentation, the musical form so far devised can be classified into about six categories 

all of them exploiting the idea of contrast and variety both in the domain of content in terms 

of thematic material and that of key in terms of modulations. Randel in Onwuekwe (2008) 

defines form as:  

The shape of a musical composition as defined by all of its pitches, rhythms, 

dynamics and timbres. In this sense, there can be no distinction between musical form 

and specifically musical content, since to change even a single pitch or rhythm that 

might be regarded as part of the content of a composition necessarily also changes the 

shape of that composition, even if only in detail. (p. 167) 

Awka Journal of Research in Music and the Arts (AJRMA) Vol. 9 2013 



28 

 

Emphasizing the importance of form in any musical composition, Schumann in Otto (1982: 

95) says: “Only when the form is quite clear to you will the spirit become clear to you”. In 

his own opinion on form, Ferris (1995) writes:  

Form in art is based upon the principles of repetition and contrast. Repetition lends 

unity, symmetry, and balance to a composition, contrast provides variety. Listening to 

a composition, one ideally memorizes certain sounds in order to differentiate between 

the repetition of material and the introduction of new musical ideas. These signposts 

remind us where we have been and imply what lies ahead, helping to establish our 

musical beatings. (p. 66)  

Stressing the above point, Schoenberg in Machlis and Forney (1999: 23) observes that: “The 

principal function of form is to advance our understanding. It is the organization of a piece 

that helps the listener to keep the idea in mind, to follow its development, its growth, its 

elaboration.”  Upholding the above view, Machlis and Forney (1999) explain that in all the 

arts, a balance is required between symmetry and asymmetry, activity and repose. Nature too 

has embodied this balance in the forms of plant and animal life and in what is perhaps the 

supreme achievement – the human form. In music, form gives us the impression of conscious 

choice and rational arrangement. In other words, it is a work‟s structure or shape, the way the 

element of a composition have been combined or balanced, to make it understandable to the 

listener.  

Nigerian art musicians employ one form or the other in their musical compositions. Writing 

on Nigerian art musicians Omojola (1995) opines: 

Although it was through the church that the concept of music as a contemplative art 

received widespread popularity in Nigeria, it was left to the effort of formally trained 

composers and musicologists to forge new idioms and styles in their works to develop 

a modern tradition of Nigerian art music. (p. 39) 

A popular adage says „no condition is permanent‟ but change has defied this adage. This has 

been expressed by Omojola (1995) when he emphasized the fact that the emergence of new 

musical idioms in Nigeria should not be seen as a novel phenomenon as change has either 

through internal processes or the influence of a foreign culture always affected Nigerian 

Music. Music is an important aspect of a people‟s culture and since culture is dynamic, it can 

be assumed that Nigerian traditional music as we know it today is different from what it was 

several hundred years ago.  

Other aspects of culture like houses, food, clothing and even language cannot undergo 

changes while music stands aloof. The culture of a people is strongly expressed in their 

music. It is not possible or rather it will look absurd for a cultural Igba Enyi male dancing 

group in Igbo culture to put on French Suits during their performances, nor is it natural for 

Yoruba dun dun drummers to put on English suits during performance. The language, the 

costume, the beliefs, the norms and values of a people are all expressed in their music.  

 

 



29 

 

Forms used in Music Compositions:  

Generally, there are about five to six forms used for musical compositions. The form a 

composer applies in his composition depends on the message he wishes to put across to his 

audience. These forms include: Binary forms, ternary forms, strophic forms, through 

composed forms and rondo forms. The call and response and call and refrain forms which are 

characteristic features of some African music are also among the forms adopted by some 

Nigeria art musicians in their musical compositions.  

Binary Form:  

A movement in binary form consists of two parts, (AB) each usually repeated. The two 

sections are clearly related, but differ in such important respects as key, mood, texture, 

tempo, thematic materials, or dynamic level. The effect is sometimes that of question and 

answer. One section may be longer than the other, each may have several subsections, and 

often each section is repeated. Sometimes, the first section generally modulates from the 

tonic to a related key, ordinarily the dominant of the tonic is major, and the relative major if 

the tonic is minor. In short binary movements there is often no modulation, the first part 

merely ending with a half cadence. The second part reverses this motion, progressing back to 

the tonic either directly or through one or more additional keys.  

A closer look at the Nigerian National Anthem below reveals that the A section starts from 

the beginning of the music to the dotted minim note in bar 4. The repeated A section starts 

from the crotchet note (middle C) in bar 4 to the dotted minim note (F tonic) in bar 8. The 

second section starts on the crotchet note G in bar 8 and ends on the last bar of the music thus 

the form is AA+B, the second section being longer by just 2 bars of music.  

 

 

(2)  Ternary Form:       

Another important form used for music composition is the ternary form. This is symbolized 

by the letters ABA, or AABA. It consists of a statement (A), a departure from it (B), and its 



30 

 

return (A). The degree to which the second section contrasts with the first may be mild or 

extreme. The return of the original material may be literal (ABA) or modified (ABA
1
). Each 

section may contain subsections, and various repetition schemes of sections and subsections 

are used. The ternary differs from the binary form in that B is in complete contrast to A, 

although in some way relevant.   

In his views on ternary form Randel (2001) points out the fact that:  

Movements in ternary form consist of three parts, the first and third identical or 

closely related, the second contrasting to a greater or lesser degree. The form may 

therefore be symbolized ABA. Both A parts end in the tonic key, usually after a 

central modulation to a related key or keys. The B part generally begins in a related 

key and cadences in the same or another related key before the reentry of the A part. 

(p. 96)  

Explaing further, he says that in contrast to binary form, ternary form is closed in structure, 

the two A parts, and often the B part, are complete within themselves, not interdependent or 

complementary like the parts of a binary movement. It should be noted that the return of the 

A part in ternary form is often indicated by placing a da capo or dal segno marking at the end 

of the B part rather than writing it out in full. Summarizing the general shape of the ternary 

form, Otto (1982) says:  

We can call it a musical sandwich, consisting of a first section starting in the tonic 

and ending either in the tonic or a related key, an episode (the filling) which is 

contrasted with both the first and third section which is either the exact or slightly 

varied repetition of the first, starting and ending in the tonic. Sometimes, a coda is 

added     (p. 100).  

(3) Strophic Form: 

A song consisting of two or more verses, each sung to the same music is strophic in form. In 

strophic form, the same melody is repeated with every stanza, or strophe, of the poem-

hymns, carols, and many folk and popular songs are strophic. Although the form permits no 

real closeness between words and music, it sets up a general atmosphere that accommodates 

itself equally well to all the stanzas. The first may tell of a lover‟s expectancy, the second of 

his joy at seeing his beloved, the third of her father‟s harshness in separating them, and the 

fourth of her sad death, all sung to the same tune (Machlis and Forney 1999, p. 77).  

(4) Through Composed: 

A through – composed piece presents new music throughout, with no repetition of themes. 

The form is often used by song composers who wish to emphasize the text of a composition. 

There is no prescribed number of phrases in a through-composed song, so the form is 

represented as A B C D E. In the analysis of form, capital letters generally represent large 

sections of a piece, and lower case letters represent phrases or smaller sections. Since the 

emphasis is on the text, the length of the music depends on the length of the text and the 

extent of the message the composer wants to put across to his/her audience.  

 

(5) Rondo Form:  

In his opinion on rondo as a musical form Ferris (1995) states:  



31 

 

The rondo form may be used for any movement of a multi movement work but often 

seems particularly appropriate for the last movement. A rondo, derived from an early 

French instrumental piece, the rondeau is usually fast in tempo and merry in mood, 

rendering it ideal to bring a large work to a happy close (p. 226). 

He went on to explain the fact that though generally represented by the letters A B A C A, a 

rondo contains any number of sections or “episodes,” which alternate with the material of the 

opening section A. Like the sonata-allegro, the rondo is a versatile form that may be handled 

in many ways. The episodes interspersed between A sections may be the same as each other 

(A B A B A), or different (A B A C A). The composer may also choose to include other 

material not part of the basic rondo form. Although the rondo is often easy to recognize 

because of the recurrence of A and the bustling mood characteristic of the form, it may 

nevertheless be quite complex in the hands of a sophisticated composer.  

The plan of the rondo therefore looks like the following.  

A
1
 =  Theme in the tonic  

B = First episode in another key   

A
2
 =  Theme is tonic  

C =  Second episode in another key 

A
3
 =  Theme in tonic, frequently leading to a coda  

These sections are smoothly joined together when necessary by little linking or bridge 

passages. The rondo form because of its strong resemblance to the ternary principle (ABA) is 

sometimes described as an extended ternary form. However the episodes could extend to D 

in which case we have A B A C A D A depending on the style of the composer.  

(6) Call and Response   
 Call and response form of musical rendition is found in many parts of Africa and the world 

in general. This to a great extent involves the principle of repetition and contrast. Upholding 

the above view Machlis and Forney (1999) write:  

Whatever the length or style of a composition, it will show the principles of repetition 

and contrast, of unity and variety. One formal practice linked to repetition that can be 

found throughout much of the world is call and response, or responsorial music. 

Heard in many African, Native American and African-American musics, this style of 

performance is based on a social structure that recognizes a singing leader who is 

imitated by a chorus of followers. (p. 27)  

Writing on the call and response style of music rendition, Ekwueme (2001) says:  

It is an acknowledged fact that traditional African music is largely antiphonal, with a 

leader or ripieno announcing an antecedent to which a (larger) chorus responds. Two 

major types of what is generally called the Call and Response antiphony have been 

differentiated: (a) Call and Response proper – in which an antecedent musical phrase 



32 

 

is repeated by the larger group; and (b) Call and refrain – in which a regularly 

recurring refrain is the response by the larger group. (p. 19)  

The works of three contemporary art musicians in Nigeria are here presented to highlight the 

forms they employ in their musical compositions. These contemporary composers include 

Dan C. C. Agu, Laz Ekwueme and Bode Omojola. Their works are titled N’ihi na taa n’ 

obodo Devid (For today in the Land of David), Elimeli (Festive Ball) and Baba Olorun Wa 

(Heavenly Father Our Creator) respectively.  

(a) N’ihi na taa n’ obodo Devid (For today in the Land of David). The music is of the 

Christmas festival. In this composition Agu (1998) adopted the call and response form of 

musical rendition. After the traditional ensemble prelude, the tenor call comes in 

announcing N’ihi na taa n’ obodo Devid k’ amuru nye unu onye Nzoputa (For today in the 

land of David, to you a Saviour is born). There follows a form of dialogue between tenor 

and alto soli which continues until the instrumental interlude comes in bringing in the 

voices again. 

 

(b) Elimeli (Festive Ball). Elimeli is a festive music calling on people to come and join 

the dancing ball. It was composed by Laz Ekwueme in 1980. In fact, it is an Igbo glee song 

which starts with a solo call, bringing in the chorus. The solo first appears with Ọbụlụ 

n’anyị g’eje, Ọbụlụ n’ anyị g’ana, (Come and join the dancing ball) the drummers respond 

with the popular bum budum, budu dum! The chorus comes in after every verse with varied 

dynamics and urges on participants to hurry lest their food gets cold (kwado, eye, mee ọsịsọ 

elimeli anyị ajụsịa oyi. In verse two of the music, the solo voice says I bute n’ anyị g’eli, I 

pata n’ anyị ga-aṅụ (For the banquet, spread the food, let the liquor well berewed). This 

continues until the climax on the fifth verse where the participants are urged to “Clap with 

us a loud tattoo, stamp the feet in rhythm too.” (Ekwueme 2001, p. 30) 

 

(c) Baba Olurun Wa (Heavely Father, Our Creator). Omojola (2003) compiled three of 

his compositions in a work titled Three Yoruba Sacred Choral Works one of which was 

Baba Olurun Wa (Heavenly Father, Our Creator). The first stanza of the work runs thus:  

 

Baba Olurun Eleda wa  

Oun lo da wa, Baba Olodumare  

Oun lo dawa ni awaran ara Re 

Aye at’orun ise Oluwa ni  

Adamu, Efa, won je awon obi i wa  

Awon I’Olorun koko da, Baba nla a wa  

Nipa see won l’ esu fi wa si aye  

Ise Olorun ni awa omo eniyan  

 

English Translation 

Heavenly Father, our Creator  

Our Lord God, who created us in His own image  

Heaven and earth are God‟s own creation  



33 

 

He created Adam and Eve:  

Our ancestors through whom Satan came   

 

In his work in key E flat major the composer started with a short instrumental prelude by the 

piano. The solo voice comes in shortly after and continues until the chorus enters in full in 

bar 46. The form adopted here appears to be that of solo and chorus.  

 

Summary and Conclusion  

From the discussions above it is obvious that form is a sine qua non in any musical 

composition. Even if the life history of an individual is set to music in form of a dirge for the 

deceased or an eulogy in praise of the living, the through-composed form is most likely to be 

adopted since the life history of the one concerned is sung from the beginning to the end. 

However a composer may choose to use the strophic form where the chorus comes in from 

time to time.  

All the forms discussed above are used by the composers of ancient and modern times in one 

way of the other. The form adopted depends on the ingenuity of the composer and the 

message he wants to put across. Even when the same form is being used for musical 

compositions by different composers, no two musical compositions are alike. Each composer 

sets his music based on his own life experiences and the audience for whom the music is 

being composed.  

References 

Agu, D. C. C. (1998). Let the choirs sing: Choral music for diverse occasions. Enugu: New 

Generation Books.  

Ekwueme, L. E. N. (2001). Composing contemporary African choral music: Problems and 

prospects. In M. A. Omibiyi-Obidike (Ed.), African Art Music in Nigeria, 16-57. 

Ibadan: Stirling-Horden Publishers. 

 Ferris, J. (1995). Music: The art of listening. London: Brown & Benchmark.  

Glennon, J. (1980). Understanding music. London: Macmillan. 

Kennedy, M. (2004). The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. (4
th

 ed.). Manchester: Oxford 

University Press.   

Machlis, J. & Forney, K. (1999). The enjoyment of music. London: W.W. Norton & Co.  

Omojola, B. (2003). Three Yoruba Sacred Choral Works. Bayreuth Germany: Eckhard 

Breitinger.  

Omojola, B. (1995). Nigerian art music. Ibadan: Institute of African Studies, University of 

Ibadan.  

Onwuekwe, A. I. (2003). Form in music and the numbering systems of musical 

compositions. Awka Journal of Research in Music and the Arts (AJRMA), 5, 168-

175. 

Otto, K. (1982). Introducing music. Bungay: Penguin Books Ltd.  

Randel, D. M. (2001). The New Harvard Dictionary of Music. Harvard: The Belknap Press 

of Harvard University.    

 

 

 


