Grammatical Structures in Yoruba Drum Music and Speech Surrogacy Traditions

Abstract

This dissertation examines three kinds of grammatical structures present in Yoruba drum music and language. Chapter 1 is dedicated to speech-to-drum mapping in the speech surrogacy systems of Yoruba dùndún and bàtá drums, and investigates how each of these drums presents unique strategies based on pitch, timbre, amplitude and duration, in imitating Yoruba speech. Chapter 2 analyzes a repertoire of pieces for dùndún ensemble and utilizes the proposition of musical grammars as a pathway to understanding the structural foundation of this drum music tradition. The proposed grammars elucidate, among others, how the rhythmic backbone of the studied pieces are generated, and which rules are applied in the production of pattern variations. Chapter 3 is an investigation of African cyclic timeline patterns and the algorithms that generate them. The chapter provides a critical review of analytical methods in the description of African rhythmic phenomena and analyzes an unique pattern found in the dùndún repertoire, the unconventionally long and complex timeline pattern of the Ìlu Àgbà.