Church music in Nigeria: The journey so far – Part 2

Overtime, Nigerians began to feel that the practice and performance of only western hymns and anthems were not enough music for their spiritual growth. Yearnings for the utility of indigenous language to express music in relation to religious worship ensued. Translation of Western hymns into Nigerian languages began with different church musicians attempting to translate the hymns into their own language as well as multiple composition of native airs were made available, although some of those compositions were western compositional style.

African converts accepted this, and also started adopting names not from the Bible alone, but also of the missionaries. Most schools established by the missionaries had music as part of the curricular. Hymns were paramount as part of the repertoire to be studied in music classes. Operas and musicals both sacred and secular were also introduced. Lagos, Abeokuta, and Onitsha were hosts to most of these experiences at the initial stage. Other cities, Calabar, Port Harcourt and Enugu followed suit much later.

The renaissance era in Nigeria, and by extension in Africa, swept away the laid down rules of the missionaries as they affected choice and use of musical instruments in the Church. Some Nigerians, prominent among them was Revd. Mojola Agbebi of the Nigerian Baptist Convention, who had foreign names but later changed them as part of the revolution, started encouraging the use of indigenous instruments in the Church.

There were breakaways from the missionary churches, and indigenous churches emerged. The instruments that were condemned in the former (orthodox) churches became incorporated into the breakaway churches. Members of the former churches upon hearing of the changes in performance style of the new churches started defecting to the new churches. The authorities of the missionary churches were, therefore, forced to allow the use of these instruments in the churches. This act of the renaissance era, is part of what gave birth to Independent African Churches (First African Church, Cherubim and Seraphim, etc).

Studies in academic music began with Robert A. Coker being the first Nigerian to study music in Germany in 1871. In 1911 T.K.E. Philips studied music at the Trinity College of Music, London. Many others studied music abroad until after the independence when the first autonomous and indigenous university, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, was established in 1960. Already Nigerians were discontented with impositions of Western ideologies almost on every facet of their life. Results were multiple cases of unintended and wrong meanings of indigenous language in relation to translations of texts of church songs. These faults distorted people’s thoughts in terms of Christian worship.

Conversely, following the wave of cultural liberation after the independence, with spirit of nationalism guiding the thinking of many musicians, and the bi-musical curriculum in the premiere university by expatriates and Nigerians who studied music abroad, academic activities began in the pioneer Nigeria’s Music Department. Multiple creative musical works where composed with some having the feature of juxtaposition in Western and African idioms and others a true manifestation of African idioms.

The renaissance effort did not only give birth to new churches, it also gave birth to more indigenous compositions. Most popular of those involved in this art of the first generation were: Revd. A.T. Olude with his Mayokun spiritual hymns; Ola Olu Omideyi—Sets of Chants and Anthems; Emmanuel Fela Sowande—Oyigiyigi; Canon J.J. Ransome Kuti—Orin Mimo ni Edeati Ohun Ilé wa; T.K.E. Philips—Emi o gbe oju mi sori oke wonni; W.W.C. Echezona—Vesicle and Responses in Igbo; Chief E.A. Lufadeju- Orin Mimo lohun Yorùbá; Ikoli Harcour Whyte—Onye mmehie kambu, Atul’egwu, Otuto nke Chukwu and his collection of Abu Otuto n’Ekele; David Okongwu—Church Anthems, Psalms Carols; Dayo Dedeke—Sets of Church Anthems; The second generation of the indigenous church composers in Nigeria are Felix Nwuba—Church Anthems, Psalms and Carols; Ayo Bankole—Baba se wa ni omo rere, Requiem etc; Laz Ekwueme—Chineke bu Muo and other sacred anthems; Sam Ojukwu—Igbo sacred anthems; Ebiriwariye—collection of Kalabari influenced sacred music; Nwokolobia Agu—Igbo anthems; Dan C.C. Agu—sets of Sacred anthems.

The third generation of this art keeps growing in leaps and bounds. Most of these composers have their works as choral music. The third and fourth generations of church art music in Nigeria keep growing in leaps and bounds. Some of these are Bode Omojola, Onyee Nwankpa, Chuma Chukwuka, Ugo Onwuka, Wale Adetiran, Stephen Olusoji, Albert Alfred, Alvan-Ikoku Nwamara and Isaac Udoh.
Onyee N. Nwankpa, Professor of Music Composition and Conducting.