(b Lagos, 1935; d Lagos, 6 Nov 1976). Nigerian composer. His parents, both music teachers, and the composers Fela Sowande and T.K. Ekundayo Phillips were his early musical influences. He pursued formal studies in composition, the organ and the piano at the GSM (1957) and read music at Cambridge (BA 1964); he became an FRCO in 1965. Bankole also studied ethnomusicology at UCLA. Although most of his early works do not emphasize African elements, his work at UCLA stimulated Bankole to incorporate traditional Yoruba musical elements into his choral pieces: Jona and Ethnophony are two works that employ African musical instruments exclusively. As exemplified in Festac Cantata, the tonal properties of the Yoruba language became a marked influence on his choral works. He was senior music producer at the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (1966–9), and a lecturer in music at the University of Lagos (1969–76).
(selective list)
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Pf: Ya Orule, 1957; Nigerian Suite (1957); Christmas Sonata, 1959; English Winterbirds, 1961; The Passion Sonata (1977); Fugal Dance |
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Org: Toccata and Fugue (1960); 3 Toccatas, 1967 |
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Choral: Cant. in Yoruba, female chorus, chbr orch, 1958; Choral Fugue, 1962; Ona Ara, solo vv, org, Yoruba insts, orch, 1970; 3-Part Songs, female vv (1975); Festac Cant. no.4, 1976; Jona, chorus, Yoruba insts; Ethnophony, chorus, Yoruba insts |
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Songs: 10 Yoruba Songs, 1v, pf, 1966; Adura fun Alafia, 1v, pf, 1969; 3 Yoruba Songs, Bar, pf (1977) |
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MSS in Iwalewa-Haus, U. of Bayreuth |
DANIEL AVORGBEDOR