ALELLUYA JESU FERAN MI

Author: Kayode Olusola Ph.D

Musical Analysis

This study examines the structural and formal features of Alelluya Jesu Feran Mi, a choral
composition for SATB choir with piano accompaniment by Kayode Olusola, to highlight the
artistic, cultural, and musical elements embedded within the work. The research employed a
laboratory method, involving a detailed study and analysis of the printed score as the primary data source, supported by a review of relevant literature on Nigerian art music. The findings reveal that the composition is characterised by a polyphonic texture supported by piano accompaniment. Set in a major key, the piece opens with a piano introduction before presenting the main theme, which is subsequently repeated and developed through variation sections featuring responsorial and contrapuntal writing. The work concludes with a return of the main theme. The study further establishes that the composition is a parody of an existing Yoruba Christian song, which the composer reimagines in a rounded binary form through
rearrangement and the addition of new textual and harmonic material in the central section.

Keywords: Alelluya, art music, Yoruba, Jesu Feran Mi.

Copyright © 2026 The author retains the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.

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References

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Sadoh, G. (2015). Ayo Bankole at 80. The Musical Times, 156(1930), 73–88.

Author

Kayode Olusola Ph.D