The life and work of Ephraim Amu
- The sound of Experiment
- Oct 21, 2024
- 18 min read
Updated: Oct 24, 2024
Early life and education
Ephraim Kɔku Amu (13 September 1899 – 2 January 1995) was a Ghanaian composer, musicologist and teacher ('Ephraim Amu'). He is respected and recognized in Ghana as a politician, composer par excellence, father of Ghanaian art music, African musicologist, poet, music educator, Akan flute maker and maker, and cultural patriot (Dor). His activities as composer, educator, preacher, theologian and poet covered the periods of colonialism, independence (March 6, 1957) and national reconstruction. He was one of the agents who helped move the country towards independence. The image of Amu appeared in the national currency of Ghana from 2002 to 2006, and his music is broadcast at the end of both daily television programs (F. Sandler). He was born on September 13, 1899 in the traditional Peki district of the Volta region, and as a male child born on Wednesday he was named Koku ('Ephraim Amu'). While his mother was not musically inclined, his father was a distinguished drummer and cantor. He was also a prominent farmer. And from him Amu gained his knowledge of traditional African music and his skill as a farmer (Turkson). He was baptized by Reverend Rudolf Mallet on October 22, 1899. He first went to school in May 1906 and at the age of about 12 entered the Peki-Blengo Boarding School, where he showed great interest and love for music and agriculture. According to him, he enjoyed the music played during church collections, when the music teacher, Mr. Karl Theodore Ntem, played sensational performances on the organ. Amu and his teacher reached a mutual agreement, according to which Amu asked to be taught the skills of instrument playing, and in return Mr. Ntem asked him to work on his farm on Saturdays ('Ephraim Amu'). His interest in music grew and his primary goal became to write his own music. Consequently, he began studying composition with the Reverend Allotey-Pappao (1887–1980), a Methodist minister and outstanding church musician who was the superintendent minister in Peki Blengo. Even after Reverend Allotey-Pappao was transferred to Accra, Amu continued to study with him by correspondence, as was the practice at the time. He often visited Accra, especially during the holidays to take lessons from him (Turkson).
Music education
Like many African composers, Amu trained at the Royal Academy of Music in London, England, where he acquired a skill in choral composition. The skill he acquired formed the basis on which he broadened the range of his traditional thoughts that allowed him to achieve the goal he had set. While Amu's music was designed to be used by the singing bands of Presbyterian churches and to appeal to common listeners, his contemporaries wrote primarily for the more sophisticated church choirs and enlightened listeners. Their music is special because they lacked the originality of purpose that Amu sc. possessed to satisfy the needs of non-literate members of the congregation. The music of Amu's contemporaries represents another cultural region of Ghana. Their harmonic innovations have been aptly described as "classic Fante harmonies". They had significantly large fans, mainly, among Ghanaian fans. It is obvious that Amu's influence would be felt most by his native speakers. In fact, this is what happened. But because Amu not only speaks Akwapim Twi but writes perfectly in it, this gave him a large audience from this linguistic field as well. (Turkson). In 1915, Amu passed the standard baccalaureate exams of 7 schools and also passed the exams of the Abetifi Teachers' Seminar, a small town in southern Ghana. In 1916 he and two other colleagues had to walk 150 miles from Peki to Ampetifi with their boxes on their heads to begin teacher training. Amu joined 25 other newcomers to the college. While in college, Amu realized that some of the students, including his classmates, owned metal bicycles, so he set out to build his own bicycle out of wood, carving it from a wooden slab in the bush near the college. The students who discovered his handiwork brought it to light and named it Amu. It is recorded that even the son of the Swiss director of Switzerland, Stern, enjoyed many walks in the wooden circle Amu. Amu also used his ingenuity and creativity to carve wooden balls for school toys, which replaced the imported balls used at that time in the seminary. He completed his four-year training as a teacher-catechist in 1919. Once he graduated as a teacher-catechist, he was chosen as one of two preachers to place the pulpit on behalf of their comrades, as was their custom to preach and express their appreciation to teachers and townspeople. The sermon also served as an assessment of the quality of theological training offered to students. Amu chose the text of the sermon from Matthew on this occasion. His theme was "the Lord will thank you for all the good you have done for his little ones." Amu used both Twi and Ewe in his short sermon ('Ephraim Amu').
Work and music
By the time Amu completed his training, motor vehicles were more common, so he could travel from Abetifi to Osino and travel by train to Koforidua, and then pick up a motor vehicle in Frankadua. He made the rest of the journey on foot from Frankadua to Peki, an distance of 18 miles. From January 1, 1920, Amu was appointed teacher at Peki-Blengo E.P. High School, where he taught songs and wished to make his students able to read music well. He went to Coforidwa to buy a five-octave Henry Riley folding instrument for school. He faced the problem of transporting the instrument to Peki. After successfully reaching Frankadua in a motor vehicle, he had to carry the instrument on his head and walk the distance all night, arriving in Peki the next morning. Eager to master his music skills, Amu took music lessons with Rev. Allotey-Pappoe, a Methodist minister stationed in Peki-Avetile. Amu is particularly known for his use of atenteben, a traditional Ghanaian bamboo flute. He promoted and spread the instrument throughout the country and composed music for it ('Ephraim Amu').
Music
Since Amu's compositions, "Yen Ara Asase Ni" has become a nationally recognized patriotic song performed at national events. From 1926 Amu was transferred by promotion to Presbyterian Missionary Seminary in Akropong on the recommendation of the Synodal Committee of the Eʋe Presbyteria Hame. In Acropong, he was seen in his actions and ideas as unorthodox. As a teacher in charge of gardening, he asked students to use night soil to mow down the college farm. The students found it unpleasant since it was taboo for an educated person to carry human excrement. To prove that the example was better than the precept, he would himself carry the feces to the college farm in front of the reluctant students. Dr. Ephraim Amu did not hire anyone to sweep his rooms, wash his dishes, or run errands for him. No manual labor was too hard or hard for him. He believed in the use of African cultural objects and good African technological and social inventions. He preferred the title Owura to "mister" as a prefix to his name.
College dormitories
Dr. Kɔku Ephraim Amu chose the Twi names for the four new college dormitories that were completed in 1929. At the request of Mr. Ferguson, the Director of Akropong Training College, Amu came out with a solfa and notation of the street song "Yaa Amponsa", in his own pure words. His students enjoyed the new song, melody and new words. The street ballad "Yaa Amponsa" had new clothes and was popular with great appeal and appreciation. Amu learned to speak Akuapem Twi correctly from members of his band. The Akropong Church singing group specialized in the Amu genre of African music during the period he led and taught the band. In 1927, inspired by the contents of Wasu, a magazine published by the West African Students' Union, Amu decided he would wear an African dress with pride. She decided not to wear warm, inappropriate European clothes in tropical Africa. He made efforts to make Christian church service more important to African believers who were ashamed of their African clothing, language, music, and even African names. As part of his ingenuity and creativity, Amu introduced bamboo flutes - odurogyaba, odurogya and atɛtɛnbɛn ('Ephraim Amu').
1931
In 1931, after Amu preached wearing his African attire on Sunday, he was summoned to appear before the ecclesiastical court. Reverend Peter Hall told Amou: "We were taken aback when we saw you perform Sunday mass with a native cloth. We hope you won't do it again." Reverend Peter Hall told Amou: "We were taken aback when we saw you perform Sunday mass with a native cloth. We hope you won't do it again." [citation needed] Amu therefore graciously took time off from church meeting, but decided in his heart to continue working in the church as a catechist and music teacher rather than become a gospel minister to accept wearing inappropriate European attire. [27] In June 1942, Amu married Beatrice Yao and presented a wooden box made of the finest wood instead of an imported steel log to his bride. Dr. Amu married at the ripe age of 43 on September 3, 1942. On Saturday, March 27, 1965, the University of Ghana awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Music to Ephraim Kɔku Amu at the University of Ghana, Legon ('Ephraim Amu').
Education system of Ghana
Amu has played a very important leadership role in Ghana's education system, particularly in the field of music education. After leaving the Akropong College of Education, Akropong, he was offered an appointment to teach music at the Achimota School, where he was for many years. In 1948 he was transferred from the Music Department of the Ahimota School of Education. When the college moved to Kumasi to become the core of the University of Science and Technology in 1951, Amu joined him. He retired from the service of the University in 1960 and was soon invited, as in the past, to become head of the newly established School of Music and Theatre, now School of Performing Arts, University of Ghana, Legon, in 1962 and remained there until he finally retired in 1971. During this time he helped formulate music education policies for the Ministry of Education in Ghana, a sustainable program that has become a model of excellence for the entire African continent. His influence and spirit are still felt in many parts of Africa. Not only was he an excellent teacher and a perfect role model, but he also played an important role in researching musical traditions and culture in Ghana. It encouraged a number of innovative ideas in the Ghanaian education system. For example, at the Achimota school, she confirmed the use of maternal attire on Sundays during evening church services, at a time when missionary schools imposed European-style attire for all occasions. He always dresses in maternal attire, even today (Turkson).
University of Science and Technology
When he was at the University of Science and Technology, then known as Kwame Nkrumah College of Science and Technology, he introduced drumming as a cultural function to announce the time of day and the change of period. This function was performed on the basis of the roster by students of the music department. The drum was based on a definite text composed by him. The practice has been transferred to many first and second cycle institutions across the country. Drum and double bell playing is now widely used in schools to announce parade and assembly times, as well as to change lessons. One can see Amu as a nationalist whose goal has always been to make his music truly reflect national sentiments. For him, the European music regularly heard in churches and schools in Africa does not fully embody African ideals. Therefore, he advocated a new music that must evolve to meet the spiritual needs of the African and, consequently, set himself the task of creating the kind of music that would make sense. He did this by using certain elements in African musical traditions, such as hemiola (see below, p. 51), simple rhythm of time (see below, p. 51), text and musical fusion, and combined them with very simple harmonic idioms. But the most important element was the competent choice of text and verbal art. The final product was a genre of art music that could be described as characteristically African (Turkson).
Music System
One of Amu's greatest contributions to the development of African musical study is his discovery, and his use, of what has come generally known as "text-music fusion." Amu discovered that in the Akan language, syllable registers are kept for proper understanding of the language, and since music is closely related to language, "melodic lines must follow the natural tone of words." Akan is a tonal language, and in tonal languages speech-melody becomes part of communication. And the expressive quality of speech-melody has musical powers. However, in non-tonal languages, speech-melody does not function as a vehicle for effective expression. It is mainly used in the formation of vocabulary and grammar, such as vowels and consonants (Turkson). In a 1987 interview, he stated that "What really motivated me to start working on our indigenous music was this. You see, I trained as a catechist and wanted to become a priest. As a catechist, I used to preach from the pulpit and noticed that by singing the hymns, several of the members of the congregation were unable to participate in the singing. And then I wondered why it was, and I felt it wasn't because they didn't like the song, but rather that the kind of music (the nature of the melody) was such that they couldn't sing easily or happily." (Agawu and Amu). The story of Amu's "discovery" of the notation system of African music is interesting. In fact, his first compositions were written in a purely Western style until one day an expatriate colleague at Akropong Training College drew his attention to working songs sung by some workers working on the college's campus and asked Amu if he could transcribe these beautiful local songs to teach his students. Amu accepted the challenge that at first proved to be a difficult task for him. He had never thought of making any African music before. He studied the songs and other folk songs of the area and attempted to transcribe some of them. After several years of diligent research, he came up with a notation system that has stood the test of time. The drolleries in Amu's works are paradoxically simple parables, and like the parables found in his native oral traditions they seem to live on a continuum. He benefited immensely not only from his relationship with his contemporaries, both artists and musicians, but also from his students such as Atta Annan Mensah, Nicholas Nayo, and J.S. Maison. He developed a style of his own in both his religious and secular works. The secular works that include Ab:Jjo:J Ndwom (Songs of the Hunters) and Bonwere Kentewene (Bonwere Kente Weaving Song) are dramatizations of the daily lives of hunters and the kente weaving industry respectively. The latter even contains a monologue spoken by the singer. Many of his secular works are treated similarly (Turkson).
Music
From his compositions we have the impression of a magical convergence of classical harmonic processing and what he calls the basic African rhythm (see below, p. 51). This impression seems too strong to be ignored by those interested in formulating theories of African music. The concept of basic African rhythm of Amu is thought of as a combination of two equal parts of the double and triple pulse structure commonly referred to as hemiola. The use of additional rhythms in duple, triple and hemiola patterns is the hallmark of rhythmic organization in African music. Amu has remained very original, refusing to use contrafacta or parody of songs, a process by which a given melody is preserved but the text is either replaced by new words or altered to give it some proper spiritual meaning. The bulk of his compositions are choral ones. A study of his works shows the demonstration of the mastery of the technique of text distribution, which at every point makes his melody complementary to the ideas expressed in the text. One of the requirements of this technique is that the merging of text and melody must be considered complete and unbreakable. Amu uses various techniques and approaches to achieve the identity of purpose between melody and text. Such an approach is what can be described as plagiarism that implies the imitation in music of what could be described as the skin of the text. His choral work Momma yenk:Jso mforo (Let's keep rising) is typical of this approach. The music, as the meaning of the phrase suggests, successively processed, continues to rise gradually each time the phrase is repeated. Some of his other choral works have this kind of sequential treatment. A second approach, perhaps the most subtle of all, is described as soggeto cavato, the expression in music of what the text suggests. The allusion in various ways to what lies beneath the surface of meaning. An example of this can be found in Bonwere Kentewene. The use of such silly syllables as Kro and hi, onomatopoeia, is to mimic the sound produced by throwing the shuttle of the loom. The use of such naturally associative words, although meaningless, is usually found in his compositions and is intended to enhance the rhetorical value of the verbal text of music. Another approach is the magic formula that has become the most characteristic source in his compositions. It tries to combine the elements of text and tone until it appears that they have a common identity. When every nuance of meaning in the text is reflected with absolute religious fidelity and the musical setting is tied tightly to the verbal essence, so that even when the text is withdrawn, its spirit and literary identity still seem present in the music (Turkson). Amu's works reveal a remarkable variety of organizational processes, and it is obvious that he consciously tried to offer an approximation between the requirements of the precomposing elements of language and his own positional choices. Therefore, his works provide a unique example for the study of other West African "classical" composers. Although there is considerable overlap and mutual influence between them, three distinct traditions of musical creation can be distinguished: traditional, syncretical and "classical". Traditional music is the music of traditional institutions that developed during the precolonial period. It represents the artistic expression of Ghanaians in response to the needs and pressures of their own environment. Examples of this music are work songs (such as those sung by fishermen, artisans, and peasants), funeral days, lullabies, and music accompanying the celebration of such ceremonies as circumcision, puberty, and marriage. This music is mainly vocal and its texts reflect the sociocultural conditions in which it is functional. Nketia goes so far as to say that the practice of traditional music is not an embellishment of life, but a necessary and integral part of it. (Agawu).
His religious songs are not intensely devotional pieces of the extended press. It is of simple rotary type. They have been used extensively in the country. The texts are taken from the Bible (see below, p. 52). Biblical texts are treated so beautifully that one sees almost an identity of purpose associated with them. They are highly poetic and demonstrate Amu's artistic knowledge of the language. Religious songs include Kristo Asafomma (Soldiers of Christ), Awurade Wodin Mu (Lord, in Your Name), and Wo Nsa Mu Mew:J (In Your Hands I Pledge). The Twenty-Five African Songs, published in 1932, became a milestone of a new era in Ghanaian musical practice. Before its publication, African music in Ghana and indeed throughout Africa had been practiced largely by oral tradition. Several educators and travelers had made attempts to write some songs, but it was the pioneering work Amu did rather than what helped establish a tradition of African music and a new idiom of African music in Ghana. Apart from Isaac D. Riverson's twenty-five African songs and songs of the Akan people published in 1939 and later reprinted in 1954 as Akan songs, very few others of intrinsic musical value have appeared as folksongs to maintain this education or to help those who have acquired this literacy expand their experience of African musical idiom (Turkson). Also of interest are Amu's views on the nature and notation of African rhythm, his own compositional process, and the relationship between language and music. He revealed interesting insights into the complexity of this relationship – the claim, for example, that all instrumental music has words, or the fact that there is something special about rhythms in indigenous music – which, however, could only be briefly discussed in the context of an interview. We hope that students of his music will find some of these observations indicative (Agawu and Amu).
Importance
His work in the 1920s and 1930s quickly became the staple musical diet of many musicians with an interest in composition. And although there have since been improvements and advancements in technique, few composers have managed to escape the influence of the basic idiom of his choir w In a work of more than 100 compositions Amu experimented with a varied style and processes. Any attempt to assess the value of one's work begins with a clear indication of the evaluator's perspective as regional or global. That is, Amu can be compared to other composers of northern E, to Ghanaian composers in general, to African composers "art music" or to the leading composers of European "classical" music does not do equally well in all categories. In fact, its importance reduces our progress from the local to the global, thus rendering comparisons between Bach, Mozart or Beethoven inappropriate (Turkson).
Death
In 1987, and after a long and eventful career as a teacher/educator, composer and politician, Amu has now retired to his hometown of Peki-Avetile, where he continued to compose (Agawu and Amu).
According to Ahiamaa-News magazine, Ephraim Amu felt ill and died as a result on January 2, 1995 at the age of 96. And ever since he died, Ghanaians remember him to this day (On This Day 1995 Death Hit the People of Ghana. - Opera News).
Ephraim Amou Foundation
The Ephraim Amu Foundation, which aimed to honor and honor the memory of Dr. Amu, the Famous Musicologist, and promote musical creativity in Ghana, was launched in 2004. It was founded in 1995 as a non-profit organization to preserve, produce, promote, protect and market Dr. Amu's works among others (‘Ephraim Amu Foundation Launched’).
Notable Compositions
Yen ara ni asaase
It is the unofficial national anthem of Ghana. It is widely sung in Twi, a dialect of the Akan language of the Akan people of Ghana, although the original was written in the Ewe language, used mainly in West African countries (‘Yen Ara Asaase Ni’). It was written for students in Peki, Ghana, which was the composer's birthplace, at the request of a teacher to celebrate Empire Day, hence the "intensely patriotic flavor of the text," the composer said. Dr. Amu carefully selected the text to inspire children to become good citizens in the future (This Is Our Own Land (Yɛn Ara Asase Ni)).
Asɛm yi di ka - This Talk Has Got to be Spoken (1944)
It was composed at a time when apathy was widespread and when most people were dissatisfied with life around them in general, but did not take any action themselves and continued to look to someone else to shoulder such a responsibility. The song was a response to the anxiety the composer felt about the prevailing conditions of the time. "This conversation needs to be said. Who will talk about it? Me, myself." The proclamation of the text is largely homophonic, the rhythm characterizes the two-on-three style so often found in the African repertoire (E. A. A. F. A. B. Sandler).
Alegbegbe
It is a backdrop to the biblical passage: John 3:16 composed by Dr. Ephraim Amu. It is in the Ewe language of people living in the Volta region of Ghana. The choir is the West Volta Presbyterian Church Choir under the direction of Dr. Misonu Amu, daughter of the esteemed composer (Ephraim Amu).
Fare Thee Well
I will work for Jesus
We continue with the work I will work for Jesus.
Nkwagye Dwom
Yaanom Abibirimma
Mia Denyigban Lonlon
ENYE YEN NIAME
Biako Ye
For the Akan of Ghana this means "camaraderie is good", just as for the Nguni "Ubuntu" translates as "I am because we are".
"Bonwire Kente"
According to a careful reading of the lyrics of Bonwere Kenteŋwene, he reveals that Amu uses the strophic form and model of telling folk tales for a purpose. Ideally, the lyrics allow the composer to focus their narrative on a specific custodian of traditional Akan knowledge, as dictated by contextual shifts during the journey. While Verse 1 focuses on the skillful weaver and textile soundscape, Verse 2 refers to the birth of his song by a composer and the response of the Bonwere community to the needs of Amu. Verse 3 recounts the hospitality of the old woman and verse 4 recounts Amu's return home and then to the palace where the roles of chief and linguist, a royal rhetorical expert and orator of Ghana, are prescribed by tradition. In keeping with the practice of a repetitive song sung during typical narration scenes, the chorus that concludes each verse of "Bonwere Kenteŋwene" suggests a profound novelty. Moreover, while the verse serves as the call section in which the singer can vary the texts of his songs or have melodic transpositions, in subsequent verses, the chorus is the dance section that fills the old woman's household and then the crowd at the palace sings. It ends with "Since then, if you went west or east, north or south, you would hear the song," thus warning a culturally informed listener about the authenticity of the narrative, because fairy tales usually end in such standard constructions. However, the Ghanaian traditional concept of amaneɛ or nantese when conducting a trip requires two short narratives from the traveler: one upon arrival at his destination and one upon the traveler's return home. Accordingly, Amu executed the first on the old woman and the second in the palace. But, within the broader context, storytelling can be seen as an exchange of acquired knowledge through synthesis. Listening to the rhythmic vitality of "Bonwere Kenteŋwene" can evoke excitement, joy and inner satisfaction. A critical exploration of the possible source of this rhythm leads me to argue that Amu was based on the Ohene k Adwuma movement of Akan's kete suite, one of the pompous movements of this royal suite. Rhythmic motifs of this dance run through the melody, with the exception of the beginning of the chorus. Therefore, the rhythm of a song composed for Ghana's most precious fabric, part of the royal regalia, is also reminiscent of sound icons of a court dance. Amu also composed Today is a Happy Day with the same rhythmic dance vein. Both songs were written around the same time, which could affect their same rhythms (Dor).
Esrom Miele
Antikanfo Mo
Dzɔdzɔenyɛnyɛ
it was composed to celebrate the Independence of Togoland.
Amanson Twerampon
We will close today's show with the play Amanson Turabonne.
Bibliography
Agawu, V. Kofi. ‘The Impact of Language on Musical Composition in Ghana: An Introduction to the Musical Style of Ephraim Amu’. Ethnomusicology, vol. 28, no. 1, 1984, pp. 37–73. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/851431.
Agawu, V. Kofi, and Ephraim Amu. ‘The Making of A Composer’. The Black Perspective in Music, vol. 15, no. 1, 1987, pp. 51–63. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1215112.
Dor, George. ‘Ephraim Amu’s “Bonwere Kenteŋwene”: A Celebration of Ghanaian Traditional Knowledge, Wisdom, and Artistry’. African Music: Journal of the International Library of African Music, vol. 9, Jan. 2014, pp. 7–35. ResearchGate, https://doi.org/10.21504/amj.v9i4.1884.
‘Ephraim Amu’. Wikipedia, 8 Feb. 2023. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ephraim_Amu&oldid=1138168117.
Ephraim Amu: Alegbegbe. Directed by Ephraim Amu Foundation, 2014. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75KX2kTgnxg.
‘Ephraim Amu Foundation Launched’. Modern Ghana, https://www.modernghana.com/news/51934/ephraim-amu-foundation-launched.html. Accessed 26 Feb. 2023.
On This Day 1995 Death Hit the People of Ghana. - Opera News. https://gh.opera.news/gh/en/society/332550ca9dc2e071715ab6a0da1ea9a4. Accessed 26 Feb. 2023.
Sandler, Ephraim Amu And Felicia A. B. This Talk Has Got To Be Spoken (Asem Yi Di Ka) By Ephraim Amu And Felicia A. B. Sandler - Octavo Sheet Music For SATB Choir Unaccompanied - Buy Print Music EC.1.3520 | Sheet Music Plus. https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/this-talk-has-got-to-be-spoken-asem-yi-di-ka-sheet-music/20962291. Accessed 26 Feb. 2023.
Sandler, Felicia. ‘Ephraim Amu’s African Songs: Notation and Performance Practice’. The Choral Journal, vol. 60, no. 4, 2019, pp. 28–45. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/26870132.
This Is Our Own Land (Yɛn Ara Asase Ni). https://www.morningstarmusic.com/this-is-our-own-land-y-n-ara-asase-ni.html. Accessed 26 Feb. 2023.
Turkson, Adolphus R. ‘A Voice in the African Process of Crossing from the Traditional to Modernity: The Music of Ephraim Amu’. Ultimate Reality and Meaning, vol. 10, no. 1, Mar. 1987, pp. 39–53. utpjournals.press (Atypon), https://doi.org/10.3138/uram.10.1.39.
'Yen Ara Asaase Ni'. Wikipedia, 17 Sept. 2022. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yen_Ara_Asaase_Ni&oldid=1110719894.
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