Shango Memory
Olly WilsonPiece Duration: 7:30
About this Piece
Program Note: "Shango Memory is inspired by the Yoruban deity Shango, the god of thunder and lightning, [a deity] of not only the Yoruba people of West Africa, but also in many places of the African diaspora, particularly the Caribbean and South America. In this composition I attempted to use Shango as a metaphor for West African musical concepts that were reinterpreted in the American context and became the basis for African-American music." - Olly Wilson
Further Learning: Watch “The Many Gods of Yoruba Lore”, narrated by Moiya McTier (PBS)
Listening Map (See Notable Passages Below)
0:00 - Section A
1:06 - Section B
4:01 - Section C
5:20 - Section D
Olly Wilson’s Six Conceptual Principles to creating music:
1. Rhythmic and/or metrical contrast
2. A fixed framework (e.g. repeated patterns) and a varied part played or sung over that
3. A percussive approach to vocal and instrumental performance
4. Musical forms featuring call and response
5. A tendency to fill up all the musical space
6. Body motion being integral to music making
Notable Passages
Description:
Section A - The opening is full of percussion instruments, but the other instruments play percussively, too!
3. A percussive approach to vocal and instrumental performance
5. A tendency to fill up all the musical space
Keywords: Moderato , Timbre - Composition Technique , Timbre - Instruments
Description:
Section B - Here the music builds to a slow and jagged compound meter, struggling to reach Section C. What body motions do you think are associated with this music?
1. Rhythmic and/or metrical contrast
6. Body motion being integral to music making
Description:
Section C - This section is full of rhythmic patterns. The percussion around these patterns sounds like a thunderstorm!
Suggested Listening Activity: Olly Wilson makes amazing creative choices as a composer!
- Listen to this section and identify: What is in the musical foreground?
- Then listen again: what is in the musical background?
2. A fixed framework (e.g. repeated patterns) and a varied part played or sung over that
3. A percussive approach to vocal and instrumental performance
5. A tendency to fill up all the musical space
6. Body motion being integral to music making
Keywords: Moderato , Range - Expressive Elements , Rhythmic Pattern , Rhythmic Pattern - Composition Technique , Syncopation , Text Painting - Expressive Elements
Description:
Section D - The final section of "Shango Memory" features rhythmic patterns, played with call and response! The music ends with one last flash of lightning.
2. A fixed framework (e.g. repeated patterns) and a varied part played or sung over that
3. A percussive approach to vocal and instrumental performance
4. Musical forms featuring call and response
6. Body motion being integral to music making
Keywords: Call and Response , Moderato , Rhythmic Pattern , Rhythmic Pattern - Composition Technique , Syncopation