‘Asamanasaw’: A twenty-first-century African classicism on the dance of the dead

Abstract

This thesis used the notion of life after death in the African traditional religion to create a picturesque or an imaginary ‘African classicism’ about the ancestors (Nananom Nsamanfo) coming out of their graves to dance. In addition, the concept of cultural return to roots has been used to blend Ghanaian traditional musical resources (tunes, rhythms, art, etc) and styles with scholarly compositional techniques. Within the present study, Asamanasaw is an instrumental composition for the orchestra, circumscribed to the Piccolo, Flute, Clarinet, Bassoon, Flugal Horn, B flat Trumpet, Piano Glockenspiel, Timpani, Bass drum, Snare drum ,Violins I and II, Viola, Cello, and Double Bass. The music encompasses two musical trends, namely the Intercultural, and the Atonal. This falls in line with theories of musical reconstruction from traditional pre-compositional resources featured by Akin Euba’s creative ethno-musicological approach and Nketia’s syncretic approach to contemporary African composition.