Nigerian Wedding Dance for Concert Band and Percussion Instruments

Nigerian Wedding Dance for Concert Band and Percussion InstrumentsThe Nigerian Wedding Dance for Concert Band and Percussion Instruments is a lively piece based on the rhythmic and harmonic organization of a popular West African pop music called Highlife. One of the features of highlife music in the piece is the frequent appearances of the principal theme especially in the brass section. This theme is borrowed from a Yoruba popular wedding song titled, Awa legbe oniyawo (We are the members of the brides group).

The Nigerian Wedding Dance for Concert Band and Percussion Instruments is a lively piece based on the rhythmic and harmonic organization of a popular West African pop music called ÒHighlife.Ó One of the features of highlife music in the piece is the frequent appearances of the principal theme especially in the brass section. This theme is borrowed from a Yoruba popular wedding song titled, ÒAwa lÕegbe oniyawoÓ (We are the members of the brideÕs group). Dramatic and playful sections are clearly marked by abrupt silences and contrapuntal phrases. The piece stays in the key of B-flat major all through, following the creative principle of Nigerian traditional music in which there is no modulation. This concert band arrangement opens with a short percussion introduction and closes very, very loud with an abridged version of the principal theme in a fanciful and dramatic codetta.