#1: Hugh Rampolo Masakela
He was a South African composer, trumpeter and singer. Masakela was born on April 4, 1939 in Witbank, South Africa and died on January 23, 2018. Some of his compositions are: Part of a Whole, Stop, Mbobela, Thimlela, Send Me and Colonial Man. He mentored in the United States, Europe and Africa, while bringing his country's unique rhythms and harmonies to international stages. He studied at the Manhattan School of Music in New York and started his own band.
ABOUT PART OF A WHOLE
Part of a Whole was piece published in 1972 on the album "Home Is Where the Music Is." I can tell the sounds are really 70's, yet somehow it still feels fresh and dynamic. The rhythm is mostly steady with repetitive patterns in the percussion, bass and piano. This sense of stability is in contrast to the solo part which is really more dynamic with the use of different dynamics, articulations and effects.
-Diego Del Toro
LISTEN TO "PART OF A WHOLE" BY HUGH RAMPOLO MASAKELA
ABOUT PART OF A WHOLE
Part of a Whole was piece published in 1972 on the album "Home Is Where the Music Is." I can tell the sounds are really 70's, yet somehow it still feels fresh and dynamic. The rhythm is mostly steady with repetitive patterns in the percussion, bass and piano. This sense of stability is in contrast to the solo part which is really more dynamic with the use of different dynamics, articulations and effects.
-Diego Del Toro
LISTEN TO "PART OF A WHOLE" BY HUGH RAMPOLO MASAKELA
#2: FRANCIS BEBEY
Francis Bebey (b. 1929-2001) was a Cameroonian writer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. He grew up playing the Sanza and other traditional Cameroonian instruments and matured into one of Cameroon’s most pioneering musicians. From his self-built studio in Paris, France, Bebey created some of the most sonically inventive albums. These albums combined the sounds of synthesizers with traditional West African xylophones and harps, stanzas, flutes, and an array of percussion, marking him as the first composer to bring these sonic worlds together. Bebey went on record to say this about his art:
“What I’m aiming to do is to use Western technology to invigorate African music and spread its message
internationally. Many of the foreign influences that have penetrated African will be incorporated into a new form of
Black African Art…this mutation will breathe new life into African Art…it is imperative the the future of African music
be based on the idea of development and not merely upon preservation.”
ABOUT SANZA TRISTESSESanza Tristesse piece is introduced by a brief and nebulous percussion ensemble. After a slight break in the music, the percussion immediately locks into a groove that gets you moving and is a stark contrast to the sorrowful crooning voice of Francis Bebey as he sings in French. As the piece continues, Bebey expands his voice into a melodic yodeling and wailing truly cementing the emotional impact of this Sanza.
-DeShaun Gordon-King
LISTEN TO SANZA TRISTESSE
“What I’m aiming to do is to use Western technology to invigorate African music and spread its message
internationally. Many of the foreign influences that have penetrated African will be incorporated into a new form of
Black African Art…this mutation will breathe new life into African Art…it is imperative the the future of African music
be based on the idea of development and not merely upon preservation.”
ABOUT SANZA TRISTESSESanza Tristesse piece is introduced by a brief and nebulous percussion ensemble. After a slight break in the music, the percussion immediately locks into a groove that gets you moving and is a stark contrast to the sorrowful crooning voice of Francis Bebey as he sings in French. As the piece continues, Bebey expands his voice into a melodic yodeling and wailing truly cementing the emotional impact of this Sanza.
-DeShaun Gordon-King
LISTEN TO SANZA TRISTESSE
#3: Nabil Benabdeljalil
Moroccan composer, musicologist, and art history professor Nabil Benabdeljalil (b. 1972) describes himself as “an independent musician who refuses to be cataloged in a simplistic way.” His father, Abdelaziz Benabdeljalil, was a renowned ethnomusicologist. Nabil earned an MFA in composition at the Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine, and Doctor of Arts in musicology at the University of Strasbourg in France. His classical have been performed by the Royal Symphonic Orchestra of Morocco, English Chamber Orchestra, Moroccan Philharmonic Orchestra, and Seattle Chamber Players. In addition to his choral, symphonic, chamber, and piano music, Benabdeljalil composes in a style he describes “close to the aesthetics of Oriental Jazz” for the Zakharif Ensemble. This group includes oud, saxophone, piano, and percussion. He also directs and arranges popular Moroccan vocal music for the ensemble L’Jnane. Benabdeljalil currently teaches at Hassan II University of Casablanca.
ABOUT EN ATTENT E DU PRINTEMPS
En attente du printemps is one of Benabdeljalil’s earliest compositions, written over a period of nearly twenty years. This version for piano and târ, a single-headed frame drum with origins in North Africa, follows one performed by the Zakharif Ensemble. The piece combines modal harmony, florid ornamentation, and the rhythm of the târ with romantic passages reminiscent of Chopin. The composer also has a performance available to watch on YouTube that highlights different aspects of the piece than Rebecca Omordia’s recording, from her 2022 album African Pianism.
-Natasha Buckman
LISTEN TO EN ATTENTE DU PRINTEMPS
ABOUT EN ATTENT E DU PRINTEMPS
En attente du printemps is one of Benabdeljalil’s earliest compositions, written over a period of nearly twenty years. This version for piano and târ, a single-headed frame drum with origins in North Africa, follows one performed by the Zakharif Ensemble. The piece combines modal harmony, florid ornamentation, and the rhythm of the târ with romantic passages reminiscent of Chopin. The composer also has a performance available to watch on YouTube that highlights different aspects of the piece than Rebecca Omordia’s recording, from her 2022 album African Pianism.
-Natasha Buckman
LISTEN TO EN ATTENTE DU PRINTEMPS
#4: Fred Onovwerosuoke
Fred Onovwerosuoke, known by his friends as “FredO”, is a composer of works for orchestra and chamber groups. Born in Ghana in 1960 to Nigerian parents, he grew up in both countries before immigrating to the United States. His extensive instrumental and choral compositions are informed by his travels all over the world, including over thirty African countries, the American Deep South, the Caribbean, and South America; every piece “harnessed and nurtured by an African sensibility that is unmistakable and genuine”. Of his experience living in and experiencing music throughout Africa, Onovwerosuoke said, “I see hidden...a gold-mine of unlimited musical scales and modes, melodic and harmonic traditions, and, yes, rhythms - abundant yet largely untapped.” Onovwerosuoke’s curiosity about music was sparked at a young age. He grew up singing in his school choir in Ghana, and remembers hearing African sacred music by composer Ikoli Harcourt-Whyte being blasted on speakers outside of a record store in Nigeria. As a boy he would sneak into his church to play and teach himself the organ, as children were not allowed to touch the instruments. He was only a teenager when he traveled to thirty-five countries in Africa, taping musicians with his walkman. He took a particular interest in choral music and went on to direct and found choirs in Nigeria including the Federal Government College Choir and Terra Choral Group & Chamber Orchestra. His concerts were known to include works by early European composers including Palestrina, Byrd, Handel, Bach, and Mozart (whose works he would transcribe by hand to gain a deeper understanding of their compositional styles) alongside works by composers of African origin and descent including Amu, Nketia, Euba, Bankole, Akpabot, Sowande, Okello, and Coleridge-Taylor. In 1994 Onovwerosuoke founded and became the director of the St. Louis African Chorus with a mission “to help nurture African choral music as a mainstream repertoire for performance and education in America”. It is now called Intercultural Music Initiative, a non-profit organization dedicated “to promoting diverse music repertoire by African-decent composers”. In 2006, Onovwerosuoke’s music was catapulted into the spotlight when his chant Bolingo (Ofrenda de amor), performed by SLAC, was featured in Robert De Niro’s major motion picture "The Good Shepherd." Onovwerosuoke currently resides in Ballwin, Missouri and is married to renowned flutist Wendy Hymes. They have two sons, Omena Benjamin and Ghenovo “Novo” Gabriel. Their family resided in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina wreaked disaster on the city. Onovwerosuoke attempted to save his many boxes of music manuscripts from the flooded downstairs of their home by storing them in the attic, but Katrina tore open the roof, exposing them to the torrential rain. In the aftermath, volunteers that were helping Onovwerosuoke’s family clean up discovered and salvaged many of his music manuscripts. Many of those were published shortly after in the form of sheet music and recordings on CDs. Onovwerosuoke’s compositions have been performed all over the world and featured in many recordings. His most demanded sheet music includes Songs of Africa and Twenty-Four Studies in African Rhythms. An extensive list of Onovwerosuoke’s works can be found on his website, and most of his works are exclusively published by AM Publishers and Oxford Press. Classical Music (part of BBC Music) called his 24 Studies in African Rhythms “arguably the most important work by a black African composer for solo piano to have appeared in recent decades.” Onovwerosuoke is active in promoting the arts to this day, continuing to “seek partnerships for musically-oriented and cultural enrichment projects that leaven our world. To chart new horizons of great music, and in the process attract new audiences - particularly under-served audiences - to the art music industry.”
ABOUT 5 KALEIDOSCOPES FOR PIANO: NO. 3, LARGHETTO ESPRESSIVO
Onovwerosuokoe’s 5 Kaleidoscopes for the piano are short character pieces that each evoke a different mood and sonic landscape. Number 3, marked larghetto espressivo, has the richness and depth of many writings from the
late romantic era. Though it begins simply and quietly, the harmonies and voicings from the very start draw in the listener. Onovwerosuokoe uses a tonal language that is representative of many different styles, and it is not confined to any specific boxes. On one hand, the chords sound improvisatory and free, and on the other, everything seems perfectly planned. The middle section of the piece becomes more dense and rhapsodic, while the outer sections are more simplistic in texture. The 5 Kaleidoscopes can be used as an excellent set for any piano recital program. They require sensitivity and attention to detail, as well as an in-depth understanding of the range of styles and sounds Onovwerosuokoe draws from.
-Liz Derstine & Sage Fogle
LISTEN TO 5 KALEIDOSCOPES FOR PIANO: NO. 3, LARGHETTO ESPRESSIVO
ABOUT 5 KALEIDOSCOPES FOR PIANO: NO. 3, LARGHETTO ESPRESSIVO
Onovwerosuokoe’s 5 Kaleidoscopes for the piano are short character pieces that each evoke a different mood and sonic landscape. Number 3, marked larghetto espressivo, has the richness and depth of many writings from the
late romantic era. Though it begins simply and quietly, the harmonies and voicings from the very start draw in the listener. Onovwerosuokoe uses a tonal language that is representative of many different styles, and it is not confined to any specific boxes. On one hand, the chords sound improvisatory and free, and on the other, everything seems perfectly planned. The middle section of the piece becomes more dense and rhapsodic, while the outer sections are more simplistic in texture. The 5 Kaleidoscopes can be used as an excellent set for any piano recital program. They require sensitivity and attention to detail, as well as an in-depth understanding of the range of styles and sounds Onovwerosuokoe draws from.
-Liz Derstine & Sage Fogle
LISTEN TO 5 KALEIDOSCOPES FOR PIANO: NO. 3, LARGHETTO ESPRESSIVO
#5: Emahoy Tsegué Maryam Guèbrou
Born in Ethiopia in 1923, Emahoy Tsegué Maryam Guèbrou, nicknamed “The Honky Tonk Nun” spent time living and studying in Switzerland, Egypt, and in Ethiopia, as well as living as a prisoner of war on an Italian island prison during the Second Italo-Ethiopian war. After the war she played in high society swing bands and was well recognized for her virtuosic skill. Emahoy was the first woman to work in the Ethiopian Civil Service and spoke 7 languages. After this time, Emahoy was offered a scholarship to The Royal Academy of Music in London but was prevented from accepting the offer. Following an inconsolable two week period of fasting, she was revived with the epiphany that she would leave behind music and dedicate her life to God. She spent the next 10 years in a monastery away from music, then returned to publish her works with the motivation of raising money for the children of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia where she had made her name.
ABOUT THE GARDEN OF GETHESEMANIE
When Guèbrou returned to music after her time in the monastery, she wrote her own compositions, blending the classical training of her youth with the pentatonic chants she was singing in church. In The Garden of Gethesemanie, the minor blues scale can be heard in the very first passage and throughout the piece. The minor 2nds that persist in the blues idiom stand out in a piece that has other elements of classical composition, as well as prevalent jazz motifs. In Christian scripture, The Garden of Gethesemanie was the location where Jesus went on the night before his crucifixion, where he knew he had been betrayed and he agonized about the fate of death that awaited him. The separation of the right and left hand in this composition creates the feeling of arguing with oneself; despairing about the truth but also coming to terms with the reality of the situation. There are moments of both peace and resistance, consonance and tension. The piece is defined by the meditative, contemplative tone, which is relatable to anyone who has gone through the process of accepting something they wish was not the truth.
-Cassie Kollman
LISTEN TO THE GARDEN OF GETHESEMANIE
ABOUT THE GARDEN OF GETHESEMANIE
When Guèbrou returned to music after her time in the monastery, she wrote her own compositions, blending the classical training of her youth with the pentatonic chants she was singing in church. In The Garden of Gethesemanie, the minor blues scale can be heard in the very first passage and throughout the piece. The minor 2nds that persist in the blues idiom stand out in a piece that has other elements of classical composition, as well as prevalent jazz motifs. In Christian scripture, The Garden of Gethesemanie was the location where Jesus went on the night before his crucifixion, where he knew he had been betrayed and he agonized about the fate of death that awaited him. The separation of the right and left hand in this composition creates the feeling of arguing with oneself; despairing about the truth but also coming to terms with the reality of the situation. There are moments of both peace and resistance, consonance and tension. The piece is defined by the meditative, contemplative tone, which is relatable to anyone who has gone through the process of accepting something they wish was not the truth.
-Cassie Kollman
LISTEN TO THE GARDEN OF GETHESEMANIE
#6: Justinian Tamusuza
Justinian Tamusuza is a Ugandan composer, born in Kibisi, who was trained in traditional Ugandan instruments, such as the tube fiddle, drums, and the endingidi. Tamusuza received Western music training in Belfast, Ireland, where he was introduced to Western instruments and musical forms. His training would continue at Northwestern University, where he would get his doctorate in composition. One of his pieces has been featured on the Kronos Quartet’s “Pieces of Africa” album, and has music that has been performed by the Imani Wind Quintet. Tamusuza is still very active, participating in several different musical composer groups throughout the eastern US.
ABOUT OKUKOOWOOLA KW'EKKONDEERE
The title of this piece translates to “horn call from far away,” and utilizes several extended techniques on the French horn. This include but are not limited to stopped horn, drumming on the mute, and hand bends. This performance was part of an initiative during the COVID-19 pandemic to play unaccompanied pieces on the French horn.
Kyle Wendling
LISTEN TO OKUKOOWOOLA KW'EKKONDEERE HERE
ABOUT OKUKOOWOOLA KW'EKKONDEERE
The title of this piece translates to “horn call from far away,” and utilizes several extended techniques on the French horn. This include but are not limited to stopped horn, drumming on the mute, and hand bends. This performance was part of an initiative during the COVID-19 pandemic to play unaccompanied pieces on the French horn.
Kyle Wendling
LISTEN TO OKUKOOWOOLA KW'EKKONDEERE HERE