{"id":11654,"date":"2022-02-02T16:22:52","date_gmt":"2022-02-02T15:22:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/?p=162731"},"modified":"2022-02-02T16:41:15","modified_gmt":"2022-02-02T15:41:15","slug":"african-classical-music-the-best-works-by-african-composers","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/rss_feed\/african-classical-music-the-best-works-by-african-composers\/","title":{"rendered":"African classical music: the best works by African composers"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Freya Parr\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 02 February 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Having grown up in Romania to a Romanian mother and Nigerian father, I was always familiar with the music of Romania, but knew very little about African classical music.<\/p>\n

Encouraged by my then musical partner Julian Lloyd Webber, who was convinced that I might find a rich heritage there, I set about researching. And what riches I discovered.<\/p>\n

The best pieces of African classical music<\/h2>\n

Christian Onyeji: Ufie, Igbo Dance<\/h3>\n

My paternal grandfather was an Oja master player (Oja is an Igbo flute) and was often invited to perform at traditional ceremonies. Most African composers are inspired by the sounds of traditional African instruments when writing new works. Nigerian Igbo composer Christian Onyeji<\/strong>\u00a0wrote Ufie, Igbo dance<\/em><\/strong> for piano, drawing inspiration from the Ufie percussion ensembles in the Anambra part of Igbo land of Eastern Nigeria.<\/p>\n

Ufie is also the name of the percussion instrument, the wooden slit Ufie drum, performed only by the men who have achieved respectable status in society. Onyeji\u2019s piece is full of Igbo rhythms and melodies which encourage both the performer and the audience to dance.<\/p>\n