New Idioms of Music

New Idioms of Music-Drama among the Yoruba: An Introductory Study
Author(s): Akin Euba

Source: Yearbook of the International Folk Music Council, Vol. 2 (1970), pp. 92-107
Published by: International Council for Traditional Music
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NEW IDIOMS OF MUSIC-DRAMA AMONG THE YORUBA:
AN INTRODUCTORY STUDY'
by Akin Euba
TRADITIONAL MUSIC in Yoruba society may to a considerable degree

be regarded as music-drama. The dramatic element of this music is
given its highest expression in situations of a ceremonial nature in
which music, dance, speech, physical movement, costume, and art
objects all combine to constitute the complete performance. Music
in the context of traditional dance, even when the dance is not con-
nected with ceremonial functions, illustrates another aspect of the
dramatic use of music; for Yoruba dance, like much African dance,
is akin to dance-drama.
It is clear from the foregoing that music-drama is not new to Yoruba

culture and that the seeds of contemporary trends in this genre are
to be found in Yoruba traditional culture. The new idioms of Yoruba
music-drama differ from customary practice in that the musico-

dramatic elements, far from being mere embellishments to nonartistic
objects, are the prime objects of attention.
There is little doubt that the transposition of the performing arts of
the Yoruba from their traditional social contexts to the modern theater
indicates some kind of European influence. The idea of putting a show
on stage for viewing by a nonparticipating audience is certainly more
typical of European culture than of the Yoruba. But the possibility of
any direct influence from European music-drama upon Yoruba music-
drama is remote. Almost all English-speaking Yoruba people are
familiar with the European tradition of spoken drama; but European
music-drama, apart from occasional performances by local amateur
1 This paper was first read at the Twentieth Conference (1969) of the IFMC
in Edinburgh.
MUSIC-DRAMA AMONG THE YORUBA / 93
groups (mostly of Gilbert and Sullivan operas), is a foreign medium

to most of the Yoruba.2
It is reasonable to surmise, therefore, that most of the composers of
Yoruba music-drama have never seen a European opera, although
they may be acquainted with American music-hall films. The style of
one of these composers, Hubert Ogunde, in his earlier works, does in
fact suggest affinities with American music-hall theater, particularly
in his use of dance motifs. Ogunde may also have been somewhat
influenced by Afro-Cuban music, with which, as a city-dweller, he
would have been in close contact.
There is little doubt that the main conceptual basis of the new
Yoruba music-drama is in traditional music, dance, and drama, with
greater or lesser influences from European spoken drama, and little or
no influence from grand opera.3 This is not to say that European music,
outside the context of European music-drama, has not been a factor
in shaping the style of Yoruba music-drama. But this has happened
in a somewhat roundabout manner.
The early Christian missionaries among the Yoruba provided musical

material for church worship by translating English hymn-texts into
Yoruba and adapting these translations to the original English hymn-
tunes. This procedure was stylistically unsuitable for a language so
dependent upon tonal variation for its meaning as Yoruba, and Yoruba
Christians soon began to compose new tunes whose linear patterns
paralleled those of the speech tones of the Yoruba texts. This was the
beginning of neotraditional Yoruba music and of an era in which
musical works have been attributed to known composers. The neo-
traditional Yoruba hymns were an attempt to foster closer links be-
tween church music and the traditional idiom, but they turned out to
be not entirely free of European influence. In its definitive stages the
old traditional style went well beyond the observance of speech-tone
movement. The new hymns, while faithful to this particular charac-
teristic, retained to a certain degree the European concept of modality
and equal temperament and thus failed to live up fully to traditional
requirements. The hymns were something new and must be regarded
as a synthesis of the Yoruba and European traditions.
2 The Yoruba, however, have a vague idea of what is meant by opera, for the
new music-drama is popularly referred to as folk opera.
3 See M. Banham, "Nigerian Dramatists and the Traditional Theatre," Insight,
XX (1968), 30.
94 / 1970 YEARBOOK OF THE INTERNATIONAL FOLK MUSIC COUNCIL
It is upon this neotraditional style that much of the contemporary

music-drama of the Yoruba is based, and the influence of the Yoruba
Christian Church in this regard is significant. Quite probably, most of
the composers of music-drama have been active Christians at one time
or another and are very familiar with Yoruba Christian hymns. One
of these composers, Duro Ladip9, began his career by composing
Yoruba cantatas before going on to write music-drama, while another,
Kgla Ogunmyla, is not only a Christian but started working in music-
drama with a company whose members were all Christians.4
The first music-dramas may in fact have been composed by local
choirmasters to dramatize scenes from the scriptures for the celebration
of religious festivals. In most of the nonorthodox churches the best of
the neotraditional hymns can be heard on special occasions such as
harvest festivals. As different church societies go to the altar to make
their offerings, a great deal of dancing takes place.5 A people accus-
tomed to using music dramatically gladly seizes upon such occasions
for musico-dramatic manifestations. Some of the choirmasters did not
limit themselves to hymns alone but also composed cantatas. From
there to music-drama was but a short step, and it is likely that the first
concrete approach toward the music-drama was an effort to heighten
dramatic intensity in the performance of cantatas.
Beier is of the opinion that the new tradition of Yoruba music-drama
did not begin until after 1944.6 The most established of the currently
active composers, Hubert Ogunde, first came to public notice about
that time. It is likely, however, that at least one composer, A. B. David,
was already producing music-dramas before Ogunde. David was an
organist and choirmaster in one of the nonorthodox churches in Lagos
and may have been the originator of the new music-drama. At present,
the three most active composers are Ogunde, Ogunmyla, and Ladip9.
Ogunde was the first to be widely acclaimed and remains the most
popular. His influence on later composers has been profound, and
there is no doubt that he gave the new art its solid foundation. After
4For further information on Ogunm9la's career see D. Adelugba, "Virtuosity

and Sophistication in Nigerian Theatrical Art: A Case Study of Kl91a Ogunm9la,"
Nigerian Opinion, V, nos. I and 2 (Ibadan, I969).
5 See E. G. Parrinder, "Music in West African Churches," Journal of the African
Music Society, I, no. 3 (1956), 38.
6 U. Beier, "Yoruba Folk Operas," Journal of the African Music Society, I, no. I
(1954), 32.
Ogunde came Ogunml91a and then Ladip9. The influence of Ogunde

is easily seen in the works of Ogunmyla and Ladipg, especially the
former.
The new music-drama was created by men who had little or no

formal training in music. Some of them probably acquired the basic
elements of European music theory, but in the main they are more
knowledgeable about the traditional music of the Yoruba than about
European music. The majority of them grew up and still have their
residence in those parts of the Yoruba community where the traditional
arts are actively cultivated and they had ample exposure to music and
drama in traditional life. A few, born into traditional musical families,
may have had musical training along traditional lines.
These composers have typically had their own companies. The
better-known companies are completely professional and move con-
stantly from town to town. Ogunmyla's first company, which he
created while still a schoolteacher, included fellow teachers, school-
children, traders, and seamstresses.' Nowadays it is not unusual to find
members of the composers' families, particularly their wives, taking
leading roles in the music-dramas. Ogunmyla's leading lady happens
to be his senior wife; she had been one of his pupils in his teaching
days and belonged to his original company.
Each composer is in reality not only the composer but artistic direc-
tor, producer, business and stage manager, all at once. In addition, he
would normally take the most important role on stage. Thus he has
to be a man of many talents; the sheer effort required to put on a pro-
duction is immense. In spite of this, Ogunde, while running a highly
successful troupe for the past twenty-five years, managed to found a
business for the manufacture and distribution of gramophone records
of songs from his music-dramas. He and one or two others have also
published popular editions of the stories of some of their music-dramas.
In the creation of a music-drama the composer has to teach his per-
formers by rote, since, in the majority of cases, neither he nor they can
read musical notation. The text may be written down, because all
usually read Yoruba. The composer-director maintains strict discipline
over his company. Ogunmpla has described to me the rigorous handling
of his people during rehearsals. He teaches the correct interpretation
of a part by doing it first himself and is particularly concerned about
7 Ibid., p. 33.
detail. Nothing is left to chance; the idea of free improvisation is out

of character.
Broadcasting has helped considerably both to bring music-drama

to a wider audience and to contribute to its financial resources. There
was not much that radio could do, and the music-drama companies
had to rely entirely on personal appearances. Today, they are con-
stantly featured on television, and some of the best companies some-
times have weekly shows. Several music-dramas have been created
specifically for television.
The leading companies not only perform to audiences within Nigeria
but sometimes tour outside the country. Ogunde constantly goes to
other parts of West Africa and is well known in Ghana. His company
appeared at Expo 67 in Montreal and has recently undertaken a world
tour. Duro Ladipy's group performed at the Commonwealth Festival
of 1965 and at the Negro Arts Festival in Dakar. It has also toured
parts of Europe and is probably better known outside Nigeria than any
other group.
As mentioned earlier, except for the text and other verbal directives,
the composer teaches his work by rote, relying on his own memory and
that of the singers. But memory is much aided by the tonal nature
of the Yoruba language. A mere heightening of the pitch patterns of
ordinary speech often approaches the melodic pattern the composer
has in mind. Also, the more recent music-dramas have made use of
songs from the traditional repertoire. These are often learned directly
from traditional performers, unless such performers are actually hired
to sing them on stage. It is thus difficult to ascertain how much of the
vocal material is created by the composer and how much he leaves to
the imagination and prior knowledge of his singers.
The same goes for accompaniment. While the composer generally
has a firm idea of the accompaniment he wants for any given passage,
his orchestra, provided it is any good, will include one or two musi-
cians trained in traditional music. In all likelihood it is to these experts
that the composer leaves the details of the accompaniment. The instru-
mentalists in turn do not seem to provide much material that is original
and appear to rely essentially on patterns taken from the existing reper-
toires of traditional and neotraditional instrumental music.
The music-dramas of A. B. David were almost entirely concerned
with religious themes, but subsequent works have dealt with a wide
variety of subjects. Ogunde has composed not only religious but also
topical music-dramas, from an early piece about a general strike in
Nigeria in the I940's to a recent one about the 1964-65 crisis in the
Western Region of Nigeria. The latter work, called Yoruba Ronu
(Yoruba People! Think!) so provoked the then West Regional Gov-
ernment that its performance in that area was banned.
Ogunmyla's works "mostly deal with human vices and weaknesses
and the misfortune they bring on the transgressor and his friends,"8
whereas Ladipy has concerned himself almost exclusively with inci-
dents from Yoruba history. One of the few exceptions to this rule is
his music-drama Jda, which is based on the theme of Everyman. But
even here, as in the works of other composers, topics that are not unique
to Yoruba culture are presented in the context of that culture.
Of all the music-dramas so far composed, two works stand out:
Ogunmyla's Palmwine Drinkard and Ladip9's Qba Kbso (The King
Did Not Hang).
Palmwine Drinkard is of course based on the famous novel by Amos
Tutugla, who made use of many of the stories he heard from his grand-
mother as a child.9 Ogunm9la translated the stories back into the orig-
inal Yoruba while converting them at the same time into a workable
libretto. Palmwine Drinkard is full of myth and comedy and allows
Ogunmyla to make the most of his gifts in portraying the seemingly
naive fool who in the end turns out to be more quick-witted than his
aggressive oppressors.
Qba Kbso tells of the deification of Ang6, the Yoruba god of
thunder and lightning. In his lifetime, Stng6 was a powerful king of
Oy?, who, after persistently inciting his people to wage war against
other Yoruba kingdoms, eventually lost control of his two leading
warrior-chiefs, Timi and Gb99nkaa. He gets Gb99nkaa to dispose of
Timi, but Gb99nkaa himself proves too tough to get rid of. In the
end, Stng6 loses the confidence of his people, and even his favorite
wife Qya deserts him. He is faced with the choice of returning alone
to his mother's town in the "land of the Nupes," from whence he came
to found )Qy, or committing suicide. ?ang6 chooses the latter and
hangs himself on the aayan tree at Kbso. This is too shameful a thing
for his few remaining followers to accept, and they seek counsel among
8 Ibid.
9 Amos Tutuyla, Palmwine Drinkard (London, 1952).
Example I
From Palmwine Drinkard
Chorus
Mo
A
le r~, mo nf-we- fb, MoI
id- ya me-fa, mo bf-mo me- jo, Mo id-wd Io'-w
mo
1m E- mu e- mu, - m i .
mO"eju mi. E- muef-nmu, e- mule
Example 2
From Qba Kbso
Sango --o-
Mo dut-pe Io-wdo-1o-run Timo
.W i-lk - a 1 AV.'
,,o,- Modd-T .. . .A
. . . Ii
-1 . .tanmowddo-ba,. 0 .
o, Mo de- betc~n mowddo-ba, - Jma- re mo so- pe o.
t I IsoII
themselve
Sing6 spea
the notio
ascended
The stylis
tionalchu
Ogunmpla
traditiona
version o
10 All text
the transcr
tions, nos.
Example 3
From Qba K'so

Chorus
I- gb'a o- ba wa da-ra fun wa, 0 do-ra fun wa o, I- gb'o o-boa wosun-won fun
wa. I- ja kbo sf o, 'o- t'e kb sl o, "I-gbo-rdomtm d'~n gbon-gbon fun
I a I . L , ' I "
wa, A-ra e yo I- gba o- ba wa sun- won f n wa.
characteristic of the diatonic scale, though clearly present, ha

changed from the European tonic-dominant-subdominant t
dominant-supertonic. The supertonic in fact appears to be mo
sertive sometimes than the dominant, and perhaps the hier
order should be amended to tonic-supertonic-dominant. The id
tonal hierarchy in the neotraditional melodic idiom is, of course
cult to support without evidence of underlying harmonic progr
What is more certain is that melodic phrases invariably termi
the note which in European terms would be regarded as th
while subterminal points within phrases usually end either on the s
tonic or the dominant. The use of the submediant at these point
common.
Example 3 makes the relationship between the st

and that of neotraditional church music even clearer. In its melodic and
instrumental idiom, this example reproduces almost exactly the musical
style of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church, one of the most divergent
Christian sects among the Yoruba, which is responsible for much of
the best neotraditional church music.
Example 4 is part of a section of Palmwine Drinkard that is based

on one of the better-known Yoruba folk tales. As is customary with
most of these tales, this one includes a song, and it is this song that
Ogunmyla uses, retaining its traditional character, including call-and-
Ioo / 1970 YEARBOOK OF THE INTERNATIONAL FOLK MUSIC COUNCIL
Example 4
From Palmwine Drinkard
Solo ,. Chorus
0-ni- yan de- hin
-ni. O-ni-ydn de
A Solo,.-. M Chorus
ni.
A -d-b bd dI- hn s
SloChr o d'd- do A
nl. 0Bo-o ba' de- hin a o dO- d1 'E- 'j
response, even though

pean diatonic scale.
It is in the works of L
traditional style. Not
but his musical style
idiom than the styles
themes are usually hi
material from existin
traditional contexts with identical situations in his music-dramas.
%.ng6 is still worshiped today among the Yoruba, and his music is
preserved by his followers. We may expect, therefore, that Qba Kaso
abounds in poetry, songs, dances, and other artistic objects associated
with ~ing6, some of which may actually have existed during ?ing6's
lifetime.
Ladip9 does not base his style entirely on the old traditional musical
idiom but mixes it freely with the neotraditional. In Qba Kbso the two
styles are often closely juxtaposed. ?Ang6's first entry, at which he sings
the neotraditional song illustrated in Example 2, is preceded by a piece
of rich and powerful praise-poetry, sung and recited in the classical
style.
MUSIC-DRAMA AMONG THE YORUBA / IOI
The principle underlying the choice of musical idiom in any given

situation in 9ba Kbso depends on the nature of the text. Where the
text is taken from, or modeled upon, traditional poetry, the corre-
sponding melodic style is employed. For example the iwarqfa (eunuch),
~ing6's chief praise-singer, never uses the neotraditional melodic style,
since his text always consists of traditional poetry. At the first entries
of Gb99nkaa and Timi, each in turn recites his own praise-poetry in
the traditional manner of heightened speech. At their second entries,
too, each praises himself but this time, because the text is nontradi-
tional, in the neotraditional idiom.
In his use of the pure traditional style in Qba Kaso, Ladipy takes
advantage of the numerous possibilities that exist within that style,
ranging from poetical recitation in more or less ordinary speech style
to actual song, from solo to choral rendition, and from unaccompanied
("free rhythm") to accompanied ("strict rhythm") vocalization. Ex-
ample 5 illustrates the use of the unaccompanied Yoruba classical song
style. These two motifs, part of ?gng6's praise-poetry, occur several
times in the course of the music-drama and would seem to have some
structural significance. When they first appear, shortly before Sing6's

first entry, they provide the opening and closing phrases of a piece
whose middle portion is rendered in a manner close to ordinary speech.
We may also observe in these two motifs the slight but effective melodic
variations due to differences in text endings.
An accompanied "song" in the old traditional style (Example 6)
combines indiscrete low and high tones (as in ordinary speech) with
fairly discrete middle and high tones.
One of the most characteristic song-forms in Qba Kbso corresponds
Example 5
From Qba Kbso
a , A Chorus
O- o'- ju o- ro- gbo', e- le'- k9' o- b 0 o.

b.o Chorus
O-Io- ju0 o- ro- gbo, Son-g6` o- lu'- ko- ro o.
Example 6
From Qba Kbso
A Chorus - X,
e) X X K' (K
xx xI -.xxx
A-
A fe-
q ni t
S ,x x x x
Id Ie I I
koIt s L. L16 Ie ko- lu S'n-go', A- fe- ni t( S'an-g6 o'pa.
to Nketia's descri
where a stanza or
chorus sings the
etic piece deliver
style often term
thereafter come
final phrase of th
tional or neotradi
The singing in 9b
except for sporad
essarily indicate c
traditional song i
known. In the so
splits into two or
the use of this st
somewhat Europ
employs in his ne
The neotradition
cessful than in th
Before dying ?i
which he states h
suade him. After
Io) lamenting his
particular interes
11 J. H. Nketia, Af
12 A. Euba, "Multip
International Folk M
Example 7
From Qba Kaso
'0 m'o ta'- ye se m?- m'o ja'- ye' bb-je o
I ' V
0- lo'-
Icm
A-
d.
O '- j
e. - n lo r le
b0- n Io-- r I-- Ie'.

... kini ka ti gbo 0, . . how will it sound to hear
ph S"ng6 so 6 that ;ang6 hanged himself
ni K6so at Kbso
16ri igi ayayn o? on the aayan tree?
It first appears in part preceding Sng6's death (in his duet with Qya),
thereafter in its entirety. Also the rhyming of the words "'mng6 so"
with "Kbso" (the latter representing a place name) and the fact that
the phrase in the solo does not terminate at "Kbso," as in the duet,
provide opportunity for cadential embellishment and for tonal play.
The standard orchestra used in Yoruba music-drama is a combi-
nation of traditional and nontraditional instruments, mostly drums.
The traditional drums most favored are the tension drums of the
dundun family and drums of the bata family. The bata drums are par-
ticularly prominent in 9ba K'so since they are the instruments tradi-
tionally associated with ?Ing6. Nontraditional drums include rectan-
gular frame drums and "conga" drums. "Conga" drums are now quite
Example 8
From Qba Kaso
a. Timi and Gbg9nkaok
0- gun y6 wa 'o, a fe I ja-gun. F-se si, 'a-

b.
nikofb- se si. 0- gun yd wa 'o, a fe' lo ja-gun.

Timi and Gboonkaa
C.
AI- I m o I m osI I
i a k'o b6 ;" ja-gun '0- yd" ' tu' o '-'-
d. C-2= - - (added
0-o lo o-d bb, o-6 0 o-d b
Chorus
Sango' and Chorus
, . -I ,. A 'AM M A
A'- a, o' mI, o ma, b ma se 'o.
widely used in Yoruba

music commonly know
Yoruba music-drama i
tization is achieved pri
has noted, merely pr
instances in which the
In Qba Kbso the drum
music, is invariably u
Majesty") and similar
aing6, is also depicted b
in real-life situations,
13 Beier, op. cit., p. 33.
Example 9
From Qba Kbso

Qya
T a I wI " PI
S , San-go ma so 'o, n-go ma so 'o,
N o' so 'o, N d so 'o, Mo ni' n o' so 'o, 'A- ni
n-go m6 so "o, KI- ni kd ti gb" o, P on-gd so o,
N o' so 'o.
words "Qba Kbso."" In the music-drama it is featured

points: at the very beginning to set the drama in motion,
immediately after the chorus following Qya's lament on Si
The talking drum is sometimes used in unison with voic
speech phrases simultaneously rendered by voices. This pr
effect of considerable force, as in the accompaniment
shown in Example 6. Another device is the use of a sol
instrument in alternation with a solo voice. When Timi arr
sent by ?;ng6 as gatekeeper, he recites a poetic text, pa
each phrase, while the iyalu drum repeats it. Similarly, whe
arrives at g1d? on a military mission against Timi, he recit
alternation with a musical instrument. But this time the in
a flute, and this is its only appearance in the work.15
Contemporary music-drama has gained a firm foothold
society and is highly popular among all sections of the com
the transition from a traditional culture in which music,
14 This refers to the leading drum of the dundun family. Today, d
are used for `mng6 just as much as bata.
15 The notion of the "talking" flute is not new to Nigeria, for the fl
the principal "talking" instruments of the Ibo. The flute, probably on
in Yoruba music, is now very rarely found.
Io6 / 1970 YEARBOOK OF THE INTERNATIONAL FOLK MUSIC COUNCIL
Example 1o
From Qba Kaso
9ya
San-gos so ', 9 bd so b, Sn-g A '- yn- ran i-na',
A
L~J]77 ikIl ii H J i,,i
0-kun-rin td fi n'- se'-p'e o- kJn-rin, A- ja- la I-ji,
* .m I I I 1 -1 --- - -_
d 4I I Id IId 'd 'I
ba- ba o- mo-de', ba- ba a- gbb-la- gba,
, A ."i.
- , .I
A
, ,
i L
,
I
I, Ir"
I , Il l
/40gg d, u
W I I L I I I
BA ya. sogn " . . I-

e-oma
e- ma ma
-g o, re-ma magd o, K-eso-nu ni ka'tI gbo o
Kr-ni ka'ti gb9' o, P8' Sbn-gd so '0 ni Kb- so, L
I'L
11 .? I
/ /iI, L
! I I II Li III
1 1!11 I,,
"0 -n l k O- s! d oLO Rdl So- gloasa-'yan o. ,L6-
drama are used within the framework of nonartistic e

culture in which these arts are increasingly pract
in their own right, artistic values may become dis
problems is how to make the traditional arts m
members of the community who have either lost
tional culture or have acquired artistic tastes beyond the confines of

the traditional arts. The new Yoruba music-drama, while looking to
the future, has strong foundations in traditional culture and points to
ways in which traditional values can be maintained, even though the
social institutions that have sustained them are declining. The new
music-drama, by integrating music, dance, and drama, retains the
most important elements of the traditional performing arts of the
Yoruba.
A few Yoruba composers have recently been experimenting with the

creation of "absolute" music based upon traditional models. The suc-
cess of their efforts may well depend on the extent to which the society
has become attuned to the kind of artistic contemplation that is im-
plied in the notion of "absolute" music. In this regard, too, the con-
temporary music-drama may be an indispensable stepping-stone.

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New Idioms of Music-Drama among the Yoruba: An Introductory Study

Author(s): Akin Euba

TRADITIONAL MUSIC in Yoruba society may to a considerable degree

It is clear from the foregoing that music-drama is not new to Yoruba

music-drama differ from customary practice in that the musico-

groups (mostly of Gilbert and Sullivan operas), is a foreign medium

The early Christian missionaries among the Yoruba provided musical

It is upon this neotraditional style that much of the contemporary

4For further information on Ogunm9la's career see D. Adelugba, "Virtuosity

Ogunde came Ogunml91a and then Ladip9. The influence of Ogunde

The new music-drama was created by men who had little or no

detail. Nothing is left to chance; the idea of free improvisation is out

Broadcasting has helped considerably both to bring music-drama

9 Amos Tutuyla, Palmwine Drinkard (London, 1952).

From Qba Kbso

Mo dut-pe Io-wdo-1o-run Timo

From Qba K'so

wa. I- ja kbo sf o, 'o- t'e kb sl o, "I-gbo-rdomtm d'~n gbon-gbon fun

characteristic of the diatonic scale, though clearly present, ha

Example 3 makes the relationship between the st

Example 4 is part of a section of Palmwine Drinkard that is based

0-ni- yan de- hin

nl. 0Bo-o ba' de- hin a o dO- d1 'E- 'j

response, even though

The principle underlying the choice of musical idiom in any given

structural significance. When they first appear, shortly before Sing6's

From Qba Kbso

O- o'- ju o- ro- gbo', e- le'- k9' o- b 0 o.

O-Io- ju0 o- ro- gbo, Son-g6` o- lu'- ko- ro o.

From Qba Kbso

From Qba Kaso

'0 m'o ta'- ye se m?- m'o ja'- ye' bb-je o

b0- n Io-- r I-- Ie'.

From Qba Kaso

a. Timi and Gbg9nkaok

0- gun y6 wa 'o, a fe I ja-gun. F-se si, 'a-

nikofb- se si. 0- gun yd wa 'o, a fe' lo ja-gun.

A'- a, o' mI, o ma, b ma se 'o.

widely used in Yoruba

From Qba Kbso

S , San-go ma so 'o, n-go ma so 'o,

N o' so 'o, N d so 'o, Mo ni' n o' so 'o, 'A- ni

n-go m6 so "o, KI- ni kd ti gb" o, P on-gd so o,

words "Qba Kbso."" In the music-drama it is featured

From Qba Kaso

San-gos so ', 9 bd so b, Sn-g A '- yn- ran i-na',

BA ya. sogn " . . I-

Kr-ni ka'ti gb9' o, P8' Sbn-gd so '0 ni Kb- so, L

drama are used within the framework of nonartistic e

tional culture or have acquired artistic tastes beyond the confines of

A few Yoruba composers have recently been experimenting with the

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