Compositional Conventions of Nnwonkorͻ Songs

The topics in this chapter are grouped into three broad sections. The first section examines the compositional conventions and practice of nnwonkorͻ by focusing on the musical organization of song units within a performance unit. In the second section, I examine aspects of poetic nuances and the phonology in the song units. The third section interrogates the use of metaphor to convey pitch relationships, examines melodic sequences and the modal orientation of melodies. The theoretical framework for the first section derives from Akosua Anyidoho’s notion of a ‘performance unit.’ Anyidoho defines a performance unit as ‘bounded by silence, beginning with aho and ending when the lead singer, the chorus, the drummers and dancers all terminate their activities, bringing the proceedings to a close’ ( Anyidoho, 1993 : 309). The non-verbal component of a performance unit includes handclaps, instrumental accompaniment and dancing by the performing group and the audience, while the verbal component consists of a series or a medley of songs known in Akan as nnwom or agorͻ . Since my focus is on the songs, I shall concentrate on the verbal component. The series or medley of songs will be referred to as song units.