IMOTOTO (Cleanliness)

Author: Ayokunmi, Olaoluwa Marvelous (Ph.D.)

Musical Analysis

IMOTOTO, composed by Ayokunmi Olaoluwa during the COVID-19 pandemic, is a choral work for SATB voices with piano accompaniment. Conceived as a musical response to public health concerns, the piece seeks to sensitise and orient communities toward preventive practices, presenting hygiene and wellness as collective responsibilities.

The thematic material is drawn from two Yoruba folk songs, Imoto and Ji kororin, selected both for their cultural resonance and their capacity to communicate urgent health messages in a language accessible to local audiences. The use of Yoruba text grounds the work in indigenous tradition while simultaneously serving a practical, pedagogical purpose.

Tonally, the composition is centered in D major, a bright and resonant key well suited to communal singing. Its harmonic language is predominantly diatonic, built around tonic, subdominant, and dominant functions, with cadential figures providing closure. The piano plays a supportive role, reinforcing rhythm, anchoring tonal stability, and highlighting textual emphases. Stepwise voice leading ensures clarity of diction, particularly important given the centred density of Yoruba consonant clusters. To sustain interest across its length, the work employs a series of modulations—moving through A major, E major, C♯ minor, B major, and C major, before returning to D major.

Rhythm and meter are central to the rhetorical force of the piece. Predominantly set in common time, with brief excursions into compound meter, the music mirrors Yoruba prosody through short, speech-like rhythmic patterns.

Dotted figures and ostinato repetitions in the piano support the declamation of slogans such as “I-mo-to-to lo le se gun arun gbogbo” (“Cleanliness can conquer all diseases”). Ritardando markings, particularly in the coda, allow climactic messages to be delivered with heightened emphasis.

Formally, IMOTOTO is cyclic, built around a recurring refrain that asserts cleanliness as a weapon against disease. Didactic verses interspersed between refrains outline practical steps: waking and bathing, brushing teeth, washing clothes, cutting nails, eating properly, and avoiding excess. Later sections expand the scope from personal hygiene to communal ethics, warning against the spread of disease and stressing collective responsibility. These verses are often set in rhythmic homophony for clarity, while call-and-response textures simulate dialogue between leader and community.

Copyright © 2025 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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Author

Ayokunmi, Olaoluwa Marvelous (Ph.D.)