A Study of Musical Practices in Traditional Marriage Engagement Ceremony in Ile-Ife, Nigeria

Abstract

This paper focuses on the musical practices in traditional marriage engagement ceremonies in Ile-Ife, Nigeria, which are anchored by coordinators conversely known as Alaga Ìdúró and Alaga Ìjókò. Several studies have concentrated mainly on the dramatic, ritual and rite of passage aspects of traditional marriages among the Yoruba. However, less attention is paid to the musical practices exhibited during traditional marriage engagements. Using the Ile-Ife environs as a case study, this paper intends to understudy such ceremonies, to unravel the musical practices performed during traditional marriage engagements. While the study engages with Schechner Richard's Performance theory, it utilises qualitative methods, which are harnessed through oral interviews conducted with 28 purposively selected individuals from four local government areas in Ile-Ife. The selection includes the two Alagas, the couples and three community members in each local government area. Findings showed that Alagas are naturally gifted in singing, therefore, they skilfully display their creativity during traditional marriage engagements based upon assimilation, modification and parody of diverse musical genres. Some of the parodied genres are drawn from secular, religious, and Indigenous songs, depending on the audience's preferences. Indeed, the Alaga may introduce an Igbo song, provided it is currently popular and universally embraced. This study concluded that while the musical repertoires employed are not novel, it is a conscious choice not because of the inability of the Alaga to compose new songs, but rather from a reluctance effort to introduce unfamiliar songs due to the audiences.