Fela Sowande
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Olufela Obafunmilayo Sowande (b. Abeokuta, Nigeria, May 1905; d. Ohio, United States, 1987) was a Nigerian musician and composer. Considered the father of modern Nigerian art music, Sowande is perhaps the most internationally known African composer of works in the European "classical" idiom.
Sowande was born in Abeokuta, near Lagos, the son of Emmanuel Sowande, a priest and pioneer of Nigerian church music. The influence of his father and Dr T. K. Ekundayo Phillips (composer, organist and choirmaster) was an important factor in his early years. At that time, he was a chorister and was introduced to new Yoruba works being introduced into the churches. During that period, he studied organ under Phillips (including works by Bach and European classical masters), and earned the Fellowship Diploma (FRCO) from the Royal College of Organists. At that time, he was also a bandleader, playing jazz and popular highlife music. All of these had considerable influence on his work.
In 1934 Sowande went to London to study European classical and popular music. In 1936, he was solo pianist in a performance of George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. He also played as duo-pianist with Fats Waller, and was theatre organist for the BBC as organist and Choirmaster at Kingsway Hall (unfortunately recently demolished) London and as pianist in the 1936 production of Blackbirds. He also played organ in some recordings by Dame Vera Lynn. Later, he studied organ privately under Edmund Rubbra, George Oldroyd, and George Cunningham and became a fellow of the Royal College of Organists (with credit) in 1943.
He also won several prizes and obtained a Bachelor of Music degree at the University of London and became a fellow of Trinity College of Music. He also worked as musical advisor for the Colonial film Unit of the Ministry of Information during the Second World War, providing background music for educational films.
From 1945, he was a renowned organist and choirmaster at the West London Mission of the Methodist Church until 1952, and a considerable amount of organ music dates from this period. These are based on Nigerian melodies that gave a special appeal to the Black members of his congregation in the early years of migration from Africa and the Caribbean. Also during this time, he became known as a dance pianist, bandleader, and Hammond organist, playing popular tunes of the day.
Western and African ideas prevail in his music which included organ works such as Yorùbá Lament, Obangiji, Kyrie, Gloria, Jesu Olugbala, and Oba Aba Ke Pe. Most of these show a strong influence of Anglican Church music combined with Yoruba pentatonic melodies.
His orchestral works include Six Sketches for Full Orchestra, A Folk Symphony, and African Suite for string orchestra, and show African rhythmic and harmonic characteristics. He has also written a significant amount of secular and sacred choral music, mainly a cappella. Some of these works were composed during his period with the BBC Africa Service. He went back to Africa to scholarly work with the Nigeria Broadcasting Corporation and later the University of Ibadan. In 1968 he moved to Howard University in Washington, D.C., then the University of Pittsburgh.
In the last years of his life Sowande taught in the Department of Pan-African Studies at Kent State University, and lived in nearby Ravenna, Ohio with his wife, Eleanor McKinney, who was one of the founders of Pacifica Radio. He is buried in Randolph Township, Ohio.
Sowande also held the title "Chief Bariyo of Lagos."
There is currently a move to set up a centre to research and promote his works, as many remain unpublished or are out of print.
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Works
Felá Sówándé’s works known to exist:
Organ
- 1945 - Ka Mura, Chappell, London
- 1952 - Pastourelle (for organ), Chappell, London
- 1955 - Jesu Olugbala, Chappell, London
- 1955 - Joshua Fit de Battle of Jericho, Chappell, London
- 1955 - Kyrie, Chappell, London
- 1955 - Obangiji, Chappell, London
- 1955 - Yorùbá Lament, Chappell, London
- 1958 - Oyigiyigi, Ricordi, New York
- 1958 - Gloria, Ricordi, New York
- 1958 - Prayer, Ricordi, New York
- 1959 - Responses in ‘A’
- KÕa Mo Rokoso
- Oba Aba Ke Pe
Choral
- The Wedding Day for S.S.A. with piano, 1957, RDH
- Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child for S.A.T.B. a cappella, 1955, Chappell, London
- My Way's Cloudy for S.A.T.B. with piano, 1955, Chappell, London
- De Ol' Ark's a-Moverin for S.A.T.B.B. a cappella with tenor solo, 1955, Chappell, London
- Same Train for S.A.T.B.B. a cappella, 1955, Chappell, London Steal Away for S.A.T.B.B. a cappella, 1955, Chappell, London
- Roll de Ol' Chariot for S.A.T.B.B. with piano and rhythm combo, 1955, Chappell, London
- All I do for S.A.T.B.B. with piano and rhythm combo, 1961, Ricordi, New York
- Goin' to Set Down for S.A.T.B. a cappella with soprano solo, 1961, Ricordi, New York
- Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray for S.A.T.B. a cappella with soprano solo, 1958, Ricordi, New York
- De Angels Are Watchin’ for S.A.T.B. a cappella with soprano and tenor solo, 1958, Ricordi, New York
- Nobody Knows de Trouble I See for S.A.TB. acappella, 1958, Ricordi, New York
- Wheel, Oh Wheel for S.A.T.B. a cappella, 1961, Ricordi, New York
- Wid a Sword in Ma Hand for S.A.T.B.B. a cappella, 1958, Ricordi, New York
- Sit Down Servant for T.T.B.B. a cappella and tenor solo, 1961, Ricordi, New York
- Out of Zion for S.A.T.B. with organ, 1955
- St. Jude's Response for S.A.T.B. with organ
- Oh Render Thanks (hymn-anthem) for S.A.T.B. with organ, 1960
- Nigerian National Anthem (an arrangement) for S.A.T.B. with organ, 1960
Solo songs
- Three Songs of Contemplation for tenor and piano, 1950, Chappell, London
- Because of You for voice and piano, 1950, Chappell, London
- Three Yoruba Songs for voice and piano, 1954, Ibadan
Orchestral
- Four Sketches for full orchestra, 1953
- African Suite for string orchestra, 1955, Chappell, London
- Folk Symphony for full orchestra, 1960
References
Books by Fela Sowande
- Sowande, Fela (1964). Ifa: Guide, Counsellor, and Friend of Our Forefathers. Ibadan.
- Sowande, Fela (1966). The Mind of a Nation: The Yoruba Child. Ibadan: Ibadan University.
- Sowande, Fela (1968). Come Now Nigeria, Part 1: Nationalism and essays on relevant subjects. Ibadan: Sketch Pub. Co.; sole distributors: Nigerian Book Suppliers. (All the material presented in this book first appeared in the form of articles in the pages of the Daily Sketch, Ibadan.)
- Sowande, Fela (1975). The Africanization of Black Studies. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Institute for African American Affairs. African American Affairs Monograph Series, v. 2, no. 1.
Articles by Fela Sowande
- Sowande, Fela (1971). "Black Folklore." Black Lines: A Journal of Black Studies (special issue: Black Folklore), v. 2, no. 1 (Fall 1971), pp. 5-21.
Books about Fela Sowande
- Cole, Bill (2001). John Coltrane. Da Capo Press. ISBN 030681062X.
- Sadoh, Godwin (2007). The Organ Works of Fela Sowande: Cultural Perspectives. iUniverse. ISBN 0595473172.
