Abstract

This article presents an expanded musicological study of Egwu Ndi Chiri Echichi (The Dance of the Titled Men), a contemporary African art-music composition that re-imagines Igbo ritual dance practice within a modern concert framework. Drawing inspiration from the Owo ensemble of Ugwulangwu community in Ebonyi State, the work integrates clarinet and piano with Ogene, Udu, and Ichaka to create a polyrhythmic, timbrally rich environment. Through structural analysis, spectromorphological listening, and cultural hermeneutics, the study examines how rhythmic cycles, melorhythmic contour, timbral dialogue, and sectional
intensification translate ritual meaning into compositional form. The findings reveal that the work embodies the symbolic authority of titled men, the ancestral communication embedded in Igbo ceremonial performance, and the intercultural possibilities of African art-music modernity. The article argues that Egwu Ndi Chiri Echichi contributes significantly to contemporary African compositional discourse by demonstrating how indigenous musical logics can be preserved, transformed, and aesthetically re-contextualised within Western notation and concert practice.

Keywords: African Art-Music, Igbo Ritual Music, Intercultural Composition, Melorhythmic Analysis, Polyrhythmic Structure

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References

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Author

Victor Chijioke Chukwu, PhD