Piano Music of Africa and the African Diaspora sampler

2
Piano Music of
Africa
and the
African Diaspora
Compiled and Edited by
William H. Chapman Nyaho
a five volume
sampler

3
2
Piano Music of
Africa
and the
African Diaspora
Compiled and Edited by
William H. Chapman Nyaho
Volume 1
Early Intermediate

4
1
198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, USA
Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DP, England
Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford.
It furthers the University’s aim of excellence in research, scholarship,
and education by publishing worldwide
Oxford New York
Auckland Bangkok Buenos Aires Cape Town Chennai
Dar es Salaam Delhi Hong Kong Istanbul Karachi Kolkata
Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Mumbai Nairobi
São Paulo Shanghai Taipei Tokyo Toronto
Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press
for online perusal only
© Oxford University Press 2007
Database right Oxford University Press (maker)
First published 2007
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press,
or as expressly permitted by law. Enquiries concerning reproduction
outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Music
Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above
Permission to perform the works in this anthology in public
(except in the course of divine worship) should normally be obtained
from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP),
One Lincoln Plaza, New York, NY 10023, or its affiliated Societies in each
country throughout the world, unless the owner or the occupier of the
premises being used holds a licence from the Society
Permission to make a sound recording must be obtained in advance from
The Harry Fox Agency, 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY, 10017,
or its affiliated Societies in each country throughout the world.
3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
ISBN 978–0–19–386822–9
Every effort has been made to trace copyright owners and apologies
are extended to any whose rights have inadvertently not been acknowledged.
Any omissions or inaccuracies of copyright detail will be corrected
in subsequent printings if brought to the publisher's attention.
Music origination by
Enigma Music Production Services, Amersham, Bucks, UK
Printed in Great Britain on acid-free paper

5
Contents
page
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgements
Composer Biographies
Performance Notes
v
vii
vii
viii
xi
1. Kwela No. 1 - Isak Roux 2
2. Tender Thought - Ulysses Kay 4
for online perusal only
3. My Scarf is Yellow - Hale Smith 6
4. Dusk - Nkeiru Okoye 8
5. Piano Piece No. 2, Call and Response - Robert Mawuena Kwami 10
6. Soufiane - Halim El-Dabh 13
7. Off-Beat Shorty - Hale Smith 14
8. Ticklin’ Toes - Florence B. Price 15
9. Sweet Mister Jelly Roll - Valerie Capers 18
10. Dancing Barefoot in the Rain - Nkeiru Okoye 20
11. Lullaby - Isak Roux 23
12. The Monk - Valerie Capers 24
13. Lullaby - Bangambula Vindu 26
14. Builsa Work Song - J. H. Kwabena Nketia 29
15. Ufie III - Christian Onyeji 32

6
Foreword
The need for piano music written by Black composers and designed at least initially for pedagogical
functions has been on the minds of piano teachers for many years. The most celebrated composers have
mainly written large recital works and that is why the piano music in this graded collection is
a welcome addition to the repertoire.
The short history on graded anthologies by Black composers would include the Diatonica
Harmonica by the Afro-British violinist and pianist, George Bridgetower, but this is an ethnically
innocent means of teaching scales and in making their application more interesting through
harmonic settings. There is also an anthology of original and arranged works for piano by the
nineteenth-century Brazilian of African descent, José Maurício Nunes García. In the absence of
such repertoire, piano teachers created works for their own students—the case of Florence
Price being a major example, but such works, if published at all, were allowed to go out of print
quite soon.
for online perusal only
Now we have a solution, one that will immediately address the interests not just of pianists and
pedagogues, but past that point will also serve excellently for music scholars and enthusiasts
who are interested in the kind of new aesthetic horizons, harmonic practices, and rhythmic
and metric challenges this literature offers. A new world of music is coming into our awareness, and
in many instances, it is not just new music and viewpoints, but new composers. Alongside the
cherished patriarchs are individuals who consciously endow their works with African perspectives
and whose music we have never seen in print.
While many composers live and work in Africa, the vast geographic representation outside of
Africa in this collection is symptomatic of the extent of the Diaspora. African presence is felt in
music around the world. By including Bangambula (resident in China), we are reminded of
Africans in Asia, whose history is a thousand years old, dating back to the importation of xylophonetype
instruments to Africa from the South Pacific. As for Europe, there were enough Blacks in
eighteenth-century France to create an all-Black regiment of 1,000 men, serving under the leadership
of the Chevalier de Saint-Georges, composer, violinist, and champion fencer who came from
Guadeloupe. In Portugal, Vicente Lusitano, a sixteenth-century choral composer and music theorist
of African descent, developed a widely-known treatise on the diatonic, chromatic, and enharmonic
genera. In the Caribbean and South America, where ethnic identification is not as easily determined
since national identity is given priority over racial background, African influences are present in
almost all types of music.
Due to the extensive and unconscious absorption of African music in the Diaspora, the music
of this historically significant piano collection—much of which is officially new to the repertoire—is
far more familiar and recognizable than anticipated.
Dominique-René de Lerma, Chief Advisor
The Rachel Elizabeth Barton Foundation

7
Preface
The vast—and until now generally unavailable—repertoire of piano music of Africa and its
Diaspora appears in myriad forms and styles, from simple to virtuosic. This compilation brings
to light music that has remained in manuscript form, music that has been out of print, and
music by present day composers that is not widely circulated. Furthermore, this collection
should serve as a refreshing teaching aid, offering something new and stimulating for students.
Graded in order of difficulty, the works get successively more complicated in each volume and
may present challenges to some students at particular levels, which in many instances may be
overcome by following the performance notes. African oral, aural, and corporal learning techniques—
such as singing the rhythmic and melodic passages, repeatedly clapping or drumming rhythms,
dancing, and moving to embody musical gestures—may be very beneficial in learning and interpreting
this music effectively. Using this collection as a vehicle for diversity, teachers should encourage students
not only to examine their own musical traditions but also those of other cultures. In addition to private
piano instructors, institutions of higher education may find this collection quite useful as a supplement
to keyboard literature courses and in piano pedagogy classes on the topics of learning styles and
multicultural influences in music.
for online perusal only
There are some renowned composers not represented here for several reasons. Either their
estates demanded prohibitive royalties, or establishing contact for permission proved too difficult. In
a few instances, I did not include works by well-known composers simply because they are
already well in circulation.
On a personal note, I would like to honor my parents for affirming my appreciation of African
traditional music and also my love of piano music. I am particularly thrilled to discover wonderful
works by composers of Africa and Its Diaspora that reflect the intercultural nature of my
upbringing. I am deeply indebted to the composers, colleagues, family, and friends who have
been very encouraging and cooperative in this groundbreaking project, and it is my sincere
hope that this compilation will lead to an even greater spurt in research on composers of Africa
and Its Diaspora. My dream is that this piano music will become a regular part of recitals, piano
festivals, and competitions.
Lastly, I invite and encourage you to take a journey through these works; to experience the
musical fusion of Africa and the African Diaspora; and to explore new ways of learning and
performing piano music.
Acknowledgements
WILLIAM H. CHAPMAN NYAHO, 2007
I would like to acknowledge the following people who have contributed in so many ways to this
project: Jane Efua Chapman Nyaho, Daniel Chapman Nyaho, my family, my teachers, Howard
Cooper, Dr. Maya Angelou, Margaret Courtney-Clark, Louise Toppin, Akin Euba, Brian Hill, Todd
Waldman, John Kubiniec, Kirsten Hodge, Christopher Johnson, the staff of the Music Department
at Oxford University Press, Dominique-René de Lerma, Martha Hilley, Myrna Capp, Guy Bowman,
Jan Jones, Calvin Sharpe, Garth Fagan, Dr. Maxine Mimms, Myrtle David, Halim El-Dabh, David
Badagnani, Oswald Russell, Robin Williams, Bill Zick at AfriClassical.com, and Howard Dodson at
the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and the Center for Black Music Research.

8
Composer Biographies
Valerie Capers
Jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, Valerie Capers received her schooling at the New York
Institute for the Education of the Blind and her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the
Juilliard School of Music. She was awarded an honorary doctorate from Susquehanna University.
Capers has served on the faculty of Manhattan School of Music and is Professor Emeritus at the
Bronx Community College of CUNY. Capers appears regularly on the national and international scene
with her trio and ensemble in concert halls, festivals, clubs, and universities. She has written
cantatas, operatorios, a song cycle for voice, piano, and cello, and a suite of piano pieces titled
Portraits in Jazz.
Halim El-Dabh
Composer, performer, ethnomusicologist, and educator, Halim El-Dabh is internationally
regarded as one of Egypt's foremost living composers. Presently Professor Emeritus at Kent State
University's School of Music, El-Dabh studied piano, derabucca (goblet-shaped ceramic drum), and
composition at Cairo University, the University of New Mexico, New England Conservatory of
Music, and Brandeis University. El-Dabh assisted Igor Stravinsky and studied with Aaron
Copland and Irving Fine. His wide ranging ethnomusicological research has led to a unique
fusion of contemporary compositional techniques and Ancient Egyptian, African, and Middle
Eastern traditional music. His numerous musical and dramatic works have been performed
throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. His works for piano include Mekta’ in the art
of Kita’, Osmo-Symbiotic for two pianos, Table Dance, and Mosaic for piano and percussion and a
piano concerto, Surrr-Rah.
for online perusal only
Robert Mawuena Kwami
Ghanaian composer and educator Robert Mawuena Kwami was raised in a musical environment.
He studied at Achimota School and Reading Univiersity, and then later earned his Master’s
degree and Ph.D. at the University of London, Institute of Education. He has taught in various
locations including the University of Ghana, Cross River State University in Nigeria, and the
University of Pretoria in South Africa. His wide-ranging publications focused on music education
and its practice in Africa. Kwami’s piano compositions range from simple teaching pieces to
works that are a fusion of art music and Ghanaian traditional and popular music. His works for
piano include Agbadza, January Dance, Elegy, and 6 Piano Pieces.
Kwabena Nketia
Ghanaian composer, musicologist, and educator Kwabena Nketia received early musical training in
Ghana and studied piano, musicology, and composition at various institutions such as Birkeck
College, University of London, Trinity College of Music, Columbia University, Juilliard School of
Music, and Northwestern University. Nketia returned to teach at the University of Ghana and
became Director of the Institute of African Studies. He also taught at UCLA and the University
of Pittsburgh. Nketia advocates a contemporary compositional technique, a fusion between folk
and contemporary music. He has transcribed several traditional songs, has composed several
choral works, and has written extensively for Western instruments, traditional African instruments,
and a combination of both.

ix
Composer 9Biographies
Nkeiru Okoye
Composer, pianist, and conductor Nkeiru Okoye received her degrees from Oberlin College and
Rutgers University and studied under composers such as Noel DaCosta and Ronald Senator. She
was the recipient of a Ford-Mellon Foundation grant for ground-breaking research on Black
women composers, through which she authored A Finding Aid for the Works of Black Women
Composers and began a collection of works by Black women composers for the Oberlin College
Conservatory Library. She has been Protégé Composer for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s
African-American Composer Symposium. Okoye’s compositions are written for orchestra, chamber
ensemble, and piano, and are a collage of American, West African, and European musical traditions.
Her piano works include African Sketches, a suite of pieces consisting of Village Children at Play, Dusk,
and Dancing Barefoot in the Rain.
Christian Onyeji
Nigerian composer, pianist, choreographer, conductor, and music and theater director Christian
Onyeji holds degrees in composition from the University of Nigeria and the University of Pretoria,
South Africa. He is currently Senior Lecturer and Acting Head of the Department of Music,
University of Nigeria. Having contributed several important articles to ethnomusicology and education
journals, Onyeji specializes in “Research-Composition,” a modern approach to art music
composition that entails application of ethnomusicological procedures in the composition of modern
African art music. He has written for symphony orchestra, piano, and choirs. His choral music
appears in World Carols for Choirs published by Oxford University Press, and his piano works
include Oga, Ufie I, II, III.
for online perusal only
Florence B. Price
Florence B. Price was the first African-American composer, concert pianist, and organist to reach
national recognition. Price studied at the New England Conservatory of Music and later taught at
the Cotton-Plant Arkadelphia Academy and Shorter College in Little Rock before becoming Head
of the Music Department at Clark University in Atlanta. After a return to Arkansas, she moved to
Chicago where she eventually became known nationally and internationally as a composer and
concert pianist. Price has the distinction of being the first African American to have her work
performed by leading orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. During her career,
Price wrote over three hundred compositions, including symphonies, concertos, chamber works,
art songs, and settings of spirituals for voice and piano. Her works for piano range from several
short teaching pieces to larger works such as Sonata in E minor, Fantasie Negre, and Dances in the
Canebrakes.
Isak Roux
Isak Roux is a South African composer-pianist who studied at University of Natal; studied with
composers such as Kevin Volans, Ulrich Süsse, and Jürgen Braüninger; and is presently teaching
at the Waldorf School in Stutttgart. As composer Roux has participated in the International
Composers Workshop in Amsterdam and Tonkünstlerfest in Baden-Württemberg. He has given
recitals of his own works, performed concerts with pennywhistle virtuoso Jake Lerole, and
appeared in numerous festivals in South Africa. Roux has also appeared with Ladysmith Black
Mambazo as well as arranging and producing their Grammy nominated album No Boundaries.
He has composed works for chamber ensemble, voice, and orchestra. Roux’s piano works include
Music for Two Pianists; Preludes in African Rhythm, Home; African Miniatures (Music for Young Pianists); Dr.
Kwela - Mr. Ragtime.

x
10
Composer Biographies
Hale Smith
African-American composer, editor, and arranger Hale Smith first studied classical and jazz
piano and then received his degrees in composition from the Cleveland Institute of Music. He
taught at C.W. Post College (Long Island) and is Professor Emeritus at the University of
Connecticut–Storrs. Smith has been an artistic consultant for the Black Music Repertory
Ensemble at the Center for Black Music Research Columbia College in Chicago. He is also well
known as an arranger and has worked prominently with jazz musicians such as Dizzy Gillespie,
Chico Hamilton, Ahmad Jamal, Melba Liston, and Randy Weston. As editor, he has worked with
major music publishers. As composer, he has written for orchestra, chorus, solo voice, chamber
ensemble, and solo instruments. His piano works include Faces in Jazz, Anticipations, introspections and
reflections, Inventions, 4 Mosaics, and Sonata.
Ulysses Kay
African-American composer Ulysses Kay studied piano at the encouragement of his uncle, jazz
legend Joe “King” Oliver, and later, William Grant Still. He studied with Bernard Rogers, Howard
Hanson, Paul Hindemith, and Otto Luening at the University of Arizona, Eastman School of
Music, Yale University, and Columbia University. Kay taught at Boston University, University of
California–Los Angeles, Macalester College, and Brevard Music Center and was distinguished
professor of theory and composition at Lehman College at CUNY. Kay spent a majority of his
career composing commissions and scores for film and television. Kay’s compositions include
instrumental, chamber, orchestral, choral, dramatic, incidental, and commercial music. His
piano music includes Four Inventions, Two Nocturnes, Ten Short Essays or Ten Pieces for Children, Two
Impromptus, Visions, Two Short Pieces for Piano Four-Hands.
for online perusal only
Bangambula Vindu
Congolese composer André Bangambula Vindu studied at the Conservatoire de Musique et d’Art
Dramatique and the Institut National des Arts of the Université Nationale du Zaïre (INAUNZ) in
Kinshasa. He received degrees from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in China studying composition
with Wang Qiang and Zhao Xiao-sheng. Vindu has lectured on music theory and saxophone at
the INAUNZ and also served as head of the music department, assistant professor and leader of
the experimental ensemble Maisha at the Centre d'Études et de Diffusion des Arts in Kinshasa.
Vindu’s recent positions have included teaching music in Hong Kong and Shanghai. He has also
participated in international festivals and symposia throughout Europe, North America, Africa
and Asia. His compositions include vocal, chamber, and orchestral works. He has also made
arrangements of traditional Congolese Folksongs. His piano works include Rêverie; several
fugues, and a suite.

11
Performance Notes
1. Kwela No. 1-- Isak Roux
The articulations of this happy, light-hearted piece should be sharply defined. "Kwela" is derived
from the Zulu term for "get up"-----it is an invitation to dance. This style of music was primarily written for
the pennywhistle and became popular internationally and used in many forms.
2. Tender Thought -- Ulysses Kay
This piece should be played as lyrically as possible. Take care to bring out the middle voice particularly in
mm. 16–24. Rests in mm. 31–3 in the bass are very important in articulating the meter of the
piece.
3. My Scarf is Yellow -- Hale Smith
Extra care should be given to the slurs and other articulations at the beginning. The rhythm
should be exact in the middle section with precise releases at the end of the measures, such as
in mm. 9, 11, and 15.
for online perusal only
4. Dusk -- Nkeiru Okoye
This was written after the passing of Noel DaCosta, Okoye’s mentor and friend for a decade. The
music is soulful, spiritual, and reflective, reflecting the spirituality of her departed teacher.
5. Piano Piece No. 2, Call and Response -- Robert Mawuena Kwami
The practice of call and response in African traditional music is very common. As the title suggests,
make sure the melodic lines in both hands are well shaped and projected. Pay close attention to slurs.
6. Soufiane -- Halim El-Dabh
El-Dabh frequently draws on his Egyptian heritage for Soufiane. This piece uses a motive based
on two very common Arabic tetrachords “Hijaz” and “Nahawand.” The Middle Eastern sound is
due to the Hijaz tetrachord with its augmented second surrounded by minor seconds. El-Dabh
says, “Soufiane is to be performed with a deep introspective feeling as if connecting man to the
universe.”
7. Off-Beat Shorty -- Hale Smith
Off-Beat Shorty comes from Face of Jazz, a set of twelve pieces for the young pianist. The piece
emphasizes off beats and is designed to train the pianist to create a springing sound through a
quick release of tension.
8. Ticklin’ Toes -- Florence B. Price
This light-hearted piece is best performed with strict observance of articulations. The character
of the middle section is playful and deserves emphasis on the dynamics.

xii
12
Performance Notes
9. Sweet Mister Jelly Roll -- Valerie Capers
This piece makes no attempt to imitate the piano style of the great Jelly Roll Morton, but rather
tries to recreate in the simplest way the sound and style of ragtime piano. The left hand plays a
simplified version of stride bass, a technique of ragtime and swing. Play this with spirit and
humor, but always remember the words of Scott Joplin: “It is never right to play ragtime fast.”
10. Dancing Barefoot in the Rain -- Nkeiru Okoye
Okoye writes, “Dancing Barefoot in the Rain recalls the rainy season, from life in Enugu (a city in
South East Nigeria). As children, whenever warm tropical drops filled the sky, my sister and I
would run downstairs and across the courtyard surrounding our home to meet our playmates
for an afternoon of slippery, barefoot fun.” Taken from a suite called African Sketches, this piece
needs a bright, joyous sound with articulations strictly observed, especially in the left hand,
which should be active and playful in character.
for online perusal only
11. Lullaby -- Isak Roux
This is a simple, pentatonic cradle song that features the melodic structure of typical Zulu folk
songs. The main melody is primarily projected in the left hand, and it should be played with
emotion.
12. The Monk -- Valerie Capers
Imitating the piano style of Thelonius Monk, bring out the open fifth and sevenths, the biting
seconds, the off-balance accents, and the tightly clustered chords, and pay strict attention to all
accents and phrase marks. In the mm. 7–9 there is a quote from Monk’s famous blues work
called Straight No Chaser.
13. Lullaby -- Bangambula Vindu
This lullaby is inspired by Congolese folksong. It should be played in a deeply lyrical and expressive
manner. The left hand phrases should be well shaped, and the right hand melody should be projected as if
it were sung.
14. Builsa Work Song -- J. H. Kwabena Nketia
This reflects the music and dance of the Builsa people from the northeastern part of Ghana. This
is a bright, joyous version of one of their folksongs. The opening short-long rhythms should
snap, and the sounds of the bass notes and silences of the rests should feel percussive.
15. Ufie III -- Christian Onyeji
Ufie is a synthesis of dance, polyrhythm, and texture, which incorporates stylistic features of Ufie,
a generic large wooden slit drum, written for a new medium, the piano. It is a three-movement work
of contrasting tempi that features a ten-note scale made up of two pentatonic scales derived
from the Ukom music of the Ngwa community. This work should be played in a driving drum-like
manner. Care should be given to the dynamic markings; they make for a dramatic performance.

13
1. Kwela No. 1
From African Miniatures for Young Pianists
Not too fast q. = 120
1 2
mf
5
2
1
1
4
ISAK ROUX (SOUTH AFRICA)
(b. 1959)
2
4
5
4
1
4
8
12
for online perusal only
16
ben marcato
4
1 3
f
Copyright © 2004, Isak Roux, music printed by kind permission of the composer.
1
4
4
This collection © 2007, Oxford University Press, Inc, assigned to Oxford University Press 2010.
Printed in the UK
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS, 198 MADISON AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10016
Photocopying this copyright material is ILLEGAL.

4
14
2. Tender Thought
From Ten Short Essays
Andantino q = 80
1
p
5
2
ULYSSES KAY (USA)
(1917–95)
3
for online perusal only
5
4
mf
1
4
9 poco rit.
1
p
1
13 a tempo
4
pp
2
1
5
Copyright © 1965, Duchess Music Corp.

6
15
3. My Scarf is Yellow
From Faces of Jazz
Moderately bright h = 84–8
mf
5
1
4
HALE SMITH (USA)
(b. 1925)
2
5
5
1
3
1
for online perusal only
9
crisply – in exact rhythm
4
p
13
Copyright © 1968, Edward B. Marks Music Company
5
2
1
5

8
16
4. Dusk
From African Sketches
Slowly and soulfully, with reflection q = 50
3
5 1
2
broaden
NKEIRU OKOYE (NIGERIA/USA)
(b. 1972)
mp legato
1
3
2
5
p
5
a tempo
’
cresc.
mp
9
rubato
mp
for online perusal only
mf
13 a tempo
p
Copyright © 2006, Nkeiru Okoye

10
17
dedicated to Ethlena Chambers
5. Piano Piece No. 2, Call and Response
From Six Piano Pieces
Espressivo q = 92
1
ROBERT MAWUENA KWAMI (GHANA)
(1954–2004)
mf
p
5
poco rit.
rit.
2
1.
2.
for online perusal only
8b
a tempo
1
mf
1
mf
13
1

18
11
17
1
1
p
Ped.
22
cresc.
(Ped.)
poco
a
poco
28
for online perusal only
4
f
3
2
5
5
33 rit. a tempo
mp
3
f
37
p
4

19
صوفيان 6. Soufiane
From Mekta’ in the Art of Kita’ Book 2
13
h = 54
2
3
1
4
pp sempre
4
p
HALIM EL-DABH (EGYPT)
(b. 1921)
6
3
mp
p
11
3
for online perusal only
16
mf
3
mp
21
2
Copyright © 1950, C. F. Peters Corporation

14
20
7. Off-Beat Shorty
From Faces of Jazz
Moderately bright swing q = 138
5
3
5
3
HALE SMITH (USA)
(b. 1925)
f
4
1
5
1
3 2
5
2
1
1
4
3
1
9
4
2
5
3
3
3
5
1
5
for online perusal only
13
rit.
2
4
1
3
2
1
Copyright © 1968, Edward B. Marks Music Company

Allegro molto q = 138
2
mf
4 5
8. Ticklin’ Toes
4
FLORENCE B. PRICE (USA)
(1887–1953)
2
3
4
5 1 2
9
13
mp
2
1
5
3
1 5
3
mp
for online perusal only
21
15
1 4 1
2
4
2
Copyright © 1933, Theodore Presser

16
22
17
4
1
4
p
21
f
25
p
4
2 1
5
3
1
4
1
29
5
mf
Ped.
for online perusal only
5
33
2
1
2
mp
p

18
23
9. Sweet Mister Jelly Roll
From Portraits in Jazz
Moderately, ragtime style q = 144
3
mf with spirit and humor
1
35
1
2
5
1
3
5
5
1
3
5
VALERIE CAPERS (USA)
(b. 1935)
4
1
2
5
5
2
5
4
9
2 3 5
2 3 5
3
1
2 5
for online perusal only
1
4 2 5
13
3
2
3
1
2 5
4
3 2
1 3 2
5
1
17
1
5 2 3
4
Copyright © 2001 and 2007, Oxford University Press, Inc, assigned to Oxford University Press 2010.
1
2
4

20
24
10. Dancing Barefoot in the Rain
From African Sketches
Lively, light, and dancelike q = 120
5
2
mf
5
3
NKEIRU OKOYE (NIGERIA/USA)
(b. 1972)
4
cresc.
f
8
for online perusal only
1 2
12
1 2
4
p
5 5
Copyright © Nkeiru Okoye

16
19
23
27
2
pp
for online perusal only
21
mp
5 2
1
3
1 2 1 2 4
mp
2
5
2
25
3

26
11. Lullaby
From Preludes in African Rhythm
23
Lento e molto rubato e = 72
5
2
4
1
4
5
1
p tenendo il canto
mp
1
con Ped.
5
1 5 2
4
1
ISAK ROUX (SOUTH AFRICA)
(b. 1959)
5
2
5 4
2 1
mf
5
5
2
mp
mp
2
4
mf
7
pp
for online perusal only
p
10
rit.
lunga
Copyright © 1992, Isak Roux, music printed by kind permission of the composer
lunga

24
27
12. The Monk
From Portraits in Jazz
Moderato, in playful and joking manner q = 144
5
1
3
f
1
5
5
3 3
sfz sfz
5
3 1 1
5
1
VALERIE CAPERS (USA)
(b. 1935)
4
2
1
sfz
sfz
for online perusal only
3
3
2
1
sfz
sfz
7 1.
1 2
p
1
2 1
2
10a
2.
Copyright © 2001 and 2007, Oxford Music University USAPress, Inc, assigned to Oxford University Press 2010.

26
28
13. Lullaby
From Suite for Piano
Lento q = 46
BANGAMBULA VINDU (CONGO)
(b. 1953)
p espress.
3
3
2
1
for online perusal only
4
8
3
f
pp
f
12
p
5
3
mf
Copyright © 2007, Bangambula Vindu

29
27
16
5
3
f
20 5
3
for online perusal only
3
p
2
24 rit. a tempo
5
1
28
2
2
4
p
3
1

4
29
From Twelve Pedagogical Pieces
J. H. KWABENA NKETIA (GHANA)
Lively q = 96
(b. 1921)
2
f
8
12
14. Builsa Work Song
for online perusal only
30
Copyright © 1994, J. H. Kwabena Nketia, (Afram Publications)

30
31
16
20
Ped.
24
28
for online perusal only
Ped.
32

32
Fast, ritmico q = 120
15. Ufie III
32
CHRISTIAN ONYEJI (NIGERIA)
(b. 1967)
(no repeats on D. )
5
5
mf
4
5
7
5
4
4
1
for online perusal only
10
5
2
f
Copyright © 2002, Christian Onyeji. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

33
33
14
18
mf
22
2
5
2
2
for online perusal only
26 last time to Coda 1.
2.

This wonderful anthology presents a fascinating survey of music by African
composers, both those living in Africa and those now resident elsewhere in the world.The
music, much of which is published here for the first time, includes a kaleidoscope of
different styles, moods, genres, and colors.You will find works influenced by the blues,
jazz, and ragtime, and works built on exotic scales, African folk-tunes, and drumming
rhythms. The five volumes are graded to provide exciting material for pianists just
beginning their studies and for those who are looking for new and more
challenging music. Edited by an internationally respected musician, this collection not
only represents an important historical gathering of composers of African descent, but
it is also destined to provide fresh music to the piano repertoire.
34
“This collection provides a tremendous service to piano teachers and a
wonderful introduction to the composers of African heritage for piano
students.Thanks . . . for an invaluable teaching tool.”
–Leon Bates, pianist
“What a gold mine for performers, teachers, and students. To have such a
graded compilation of music previously unknown to many of us is so
exciting for piano pedagogues.Thank you”
–Martha F. Hilley, Professor of Group Piano and
Pedagogy at University of Texas,Austin
“Magnificent.Who would have guessed that a sampling of music by African and
African-Diasporic composers would fill five volumes? And who would
imagine the dazzling array of forms, styles, and techniques displayed in
them? All who consider themselves friends of African and African-derived
music are much indebted to William Chapman Nyaho and Oxford
University Press for making these gems of musical imagination widely
available for the first time ever.”
–Kofi Agawu,Walter Bigelow Rosen Professor of Music and of African
And African American Studies at Harvard University
Dr. William H. Chapman Nyaho is an active international performer, scholar, teacher, and
clinician. Raised in Ghana and now living in the United States, Chapman Nyaho studied at Achimota
School, Ghana, and the Conservatoire de Musique de Genève, Switzerland, and holds degrees from
Oxford University, the Eastman School of Music, and the University of Texas, Austin. The winner of
prizes from international piano competitions, Chapman Nyaho has performed in Asia,Africa, Europe,
North America, and the Caribbean. He is a regular guest clinician, giving masterclasses, presentations,
lecture-recitals, and workshops, and continually advocates music by composers of Africa and
the African Diaspora. (www.nyaho.com)
Cover design and photography by Margaret Courtney-Clarke
Traditional Ndebele beaded headpiece and motif, South Africa
3
www.oup.com

35
2
Piano Music of
Africa
and the
African Diaspora
Compiled and Edited by
William H. Chapman Nyaho
Volume 2
Intermediate

36
Contents
Page
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgements
Composer Biographies
Performance Notes
iv
v
v
vi
viii
for online perusal only
1. Lament in Tremelo Form -- Laurindo Almeida 2
2. Invention No. 2 – Ulysses Kay 6
3. Honey – R. Nathaniel Dett 8
4. Nigerian Dance No. 1 – Joshua Uzoigwe 11
5. Prelude No. 1 ‘Joshua fit the Battle of Jericho’ – Wallace M. Cheatham 14
6. Prelude No. 2 ‘Poor Mourner’s Got A Home’ – Wallace M. Cheatham 16
7. Oga – Christian Onyeji 18
8. Preludio Cubano -- Amadeo Roldán y Gardes 21
9. Silk Hat and Walking Cane – Florence B. Price 24
10. At a Certain Church – John W. Work III 29
11. Volta Fantasy -- J.H. Kwabena Nketia 32
12. Igbá Kerin – Àwon Abàmi Eye – Akin Euba 37
13. Igbá Kìnní – Akèrègbè Baba Emu– Akin Euba 39
14. Pomme Cannelle -- Alain Pierre Pradel 41
15. Basseet – Halim El-Dabh 44
16. Nim Nawakht – Halim El-Dabh 46
17. If the Silver Bird Could Speak – Eleanor Alberga 49

37
Foreword
The need for piano music written by Black composers and designed at least initially for pedagogical
functions has been on the minds of piano teachers for many years. The most celebrated composers
have mainly written large recital works and that is why the piano music in this graded collection is
a welcome addition to the repertoire.
The short history on graded anthologies by Black composers would include the Diatonica
Harmonica by the Afro-British violinist and pianist, George Bridgetower, but this is an ethnically
innocent means of teaching scales and in making their application more interesting through
harmonic settings. There is also an anthology of original and arranged works for piano by the
nineteenth-century Brazilian of African descent, José Maurício Nunes García. In the absence of
such repertoire, piano teachers created works for their own students—the case of Florence Price
being a major example, but such works, if published at all, were allowed to go out of print quite
soon.
for online perusal only
Now we have a solution, one that will immediately address the interests not just of pianists and
pedagogues, but past that point will also serve excellently for music scholars and enthusiasts
who are interested in the kind of new aesthetic horizons, harmonic practices, and rhythmic and
metric challenges this literature offers. A new world of music is coming into our awareness, and
in many instances, it is not just new music and viewpoints, but new composers. Alongside the
cherished patriarchs are individuals who consciously endow their works with African perspectives
and whose music we have never seen in print.
While many composers live and work in Africa, the vast geographic representation outside of
Africa in this collection is symptomatic of the extent of the Diaspora. African presence is felt in
music around the world. By including Bagambula (resident in China), we are reminded of
Africans in Asia, whose history is a thousand years old, dating back to the importation of
xylophone-type instruments to Africa from the South Pacific. As for Europe, there were enough
Blacks in eighteenth-century France to create an all-Black regiment of 1,000 men, serving under
the leadership of the Chevalier de Saint-Georges, composer, violinist, and champion fencer who
came from Guadeloupe. In Portugal, Vicente Lusitano, a sixteenth-century choral composer and
music theorist of African descent, developed a widely-known treatise on the diatonic, chromatic,
and enharmonic genera. In the Caribbean and South America, where ethnic identification is not
as easily determined since national identity is given priority over racial background, African
influences are present in almost all types of music.
Due to the extensive and unconscious absorption of African music in the Diaspora, the music
of this historically significant piano collection—much of which is officially new to the repertoire—is
far more familiar and recognizable than anticipated.
-----Dominique-René de Lerma, Chief Advisor
The Rachel Elizabeth Barton Foundation

38
Preface
The vast—and until now generally unavailable—repertoire of piano music of Africa and its
Diaspora appears in myriad forms and styles, from simple to virtuosic. This compilation brings
to light music that has remained in manuscript form, music that has been out of print, and
music by present day composers that is not widely circulated. Furthermore, this collection
should serve as a refreshing teaching aid, offering something new and stimulating for students.
Graded in order of difficulty, the works get successively more complicated in each volume and
may present challenges to some students at particular levels, which in many instances may be
overcome by following the performance notes. African oral, aural, and corporal learning
techniques—such as singing the rhythmic and melodic passages, repeatedly clapping or drumming
rhythms, dancing, and moving to embody musical gestures—may be very beneficial in learning
and interpreting this music effectively. Using this collection as a vehicle for diversity, teachers
should encourage students not only to examine their own musical traditions but also those of
other cultures. In addition to private piano instructors, institutions of higher education may find
this collection quite useful as a supplement to keyboard literature courses and in piano pedagogy
classes on the topics of learning styles and multicultural influences in music.
There are some renowned composers not represented here for several reasons. Either their
estates demanded prohibitive royalties, or establishing contact for permission proved too difficult. In
a few instances, I did not include works by well-known composers simply because they are
already well in circulation.
On a personal note, I would like to honor my parents for affirming my appreciation of African
traditional music and also my love of piano music. I am particularly thrilled to discover wonderful
works by composers of Africa and its Diaspora that reflect the intercultural nature of my
upbringing. I am deeply indebted to the composers, colleagues, family, and friends who have
been very encouraging and cooperative in this groundbreaking project, and it is my sincere
hope that this compilation will lead to an even greater spurt in research on composers of Africa
and its Diaspora. My dream is that this piano music will become a regular part of recitals, piano
festivals, and competitions.
Lastly, I invite and encourage you to take a journey through these works; to experience the
musical fusion of Africa and its Diaspora; and to explore new ways of learning and performing
piano music.
-----William H. Chapman Nyaho
Acknowledgements
for online perusal only
I would like to acknowledge the following people who have contributed in so many ways to this
project: Jane Efua Chapman Nyaho, Daniel Chapman Nyaho, my family, my teachers, Howard
Cooper, Dr. Maya Angelou, Margaret Courtney-Clark, Louise Toppin, Akin Euba, Brian Hill, Todd
Waldman, John Kubiniec, Kirsten Hodge, Christopher Johnson, the staff of the Music
Department at Oxford University Press, Dominique-René de Lerma, Martha Hilley, Myrna Capp,
Guy Bowman, Jan Jones, Calvin Sharpe, Garth Fagan, Dr. Maxine Mimms, Myrtle David, Halim
El-Dabh, David Badagnani, Oswald Russell, Robin Williams, Bill Zick, Howard Dodson, the
Center for Black Music Research, and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

39
Composer Biographies
Eleanor Alberga
Britain based pianist and composer Eleanor Alberga is of Jamaican descent. She studied both
classical piano and singing at the Royal Academy of Music in London, then performed with an
African dance company, and sang with the Jamaican Folk Singers. Alberga later became Music
Director and also composed for the London Contemporary Dance Theatre. She has written for
orchestra, choir, chamber ensemble, and solo instruments. She was the first composer to be
commissioned for the inaugural Festival of Women in Music. Alberga’s works for piano include
Jamaican Medley, Ice Flow, Fizz, If The Silver Bird Could Speak, Only A Wish Away.
Laurindo Almeida
Brazilian composer, pianist, guitarist, and arranger Laurindo Almeida was primarily self-taught
and gained his experience through performances and collaborations. Almeida synthesized his
Afro-Brazilian musical heritage with classical music and jazz. An extraordinarily prolific
composer, he wrote over one thousand works for solo guitar, guitar and orchestra, chamber
ensemble, voice, bands, and instruments. Almeida received several awards and honors such as
Grammy Awards, the Latin American & Caribbean Cultural Society Award, and the Comendador
da Ordem do Rio Branco by the Brazilian Government. Almeida also operated his own publishing
company, Brazilliance, which was influential in the dissemination of Latin American music.
for online perusal only
Wallace McClain Cheatham
Organist, pianist, scholar, and music educator Wallace McClain Cheatham studied at Knoxville
College, University of Wisconsin, and Columbia Pacific University. His teaching career has
spanned more than three decades in public schools. He was Visiting Professor at Cardinal
Stritch College and Composer-in-residence at Menasha High School in Wisconsin. He has
received several honors and awards for his teaching and research, and his Dialogues on Opera and
the African American Experience is an important contribution to the advocacy of composition by
African Americans. Among his compositions, many of which are performed internationally, are
works for orchestra, chamber ensemble, choir, solo voice, organ, and piano.
R. Nathaniel Dett
Robert Nathaniel Dett, born in Canada and primarily educated in the United States, was the first
African American to graduate with a degree in Piano and Composition from Oberlin College. He
continued his studies at Harvard, later in France at Fontainebleau with Nadia Boulanger, and
then at the Eastman School of Music. Dett taught at Lane College, the Hampton Institute, where
he founded the School of Music, Sam Houston College, and Bennett College, and was President
of the National Association of Negro Musicians. He compiled and edited collections of spirituals
and folksongs, and composed for choir, solo voice, orchestra, chamber ensemble, and piano. His
piano works include In the Bottoms, Magnolia, Enchantment, Tropic Winter, Eight Bible Vignettes, and
Cinnamon Grove.

vii
40
Composer Biographies
Halim El-Dabh
Composer, performer, ethnomusicologist, and educator, Halim El-Dabh is internationally regarded
as one of Egypt's foremost living composers. Presently Professor Emeritus at Kent State
University's School of Music, El-Dabh studied piano, derabucca (goblet-shaped ceramic drum), and
composition at Cairo University, the University of New Mexico, New England Conservatory of
Music, and Brandeis University. El-Dabh assisted Igor Stravinsky and studied with Aaron Copland
and Irving Fine. His wide ranging ethnomusicological research has led to a unique fusion of
contemporary compositional techniques and Ancient Egyptian, African, and Middle Eastern
traditional music. His numerous musical and dramatic works have been performed throughout
Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. His works for piano include Mekta’ in the art of Kita’,
Osmo-Symbiotic for two pianos, Table Dance, and Mosaic for piano and percussion and a piano concerto,
Surrr-Rah.
Akin Euba
Nigerian composer, pianist, and musicologist Akin Euba studied at the Trinity College of Music,
London, the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Ghana, Legon. He taught
at the University of Lagos and the University of Ife. He teaches at the University of Pittsburgh and
is Director of the Centre for Intercultural Musicology, Cambridge University. Founder and
Director of the Centre for Intercultural Music Arts, London, Euba organizes festivals and symposia
on African Pianism and Composition in Africa and the Diaspora. He has composed for multiple
combinations of African, Asian, and Western instruments and explores the percussive nature of
the piano in his works, which include Four Pictures from Oyo Calabashes, Saturday Night at Caban
Bamboo, Scenes from Traditional Life, Studies in African Jazz, and Themes from Chaka, his major opera.
for online perusal only
Ulysses Kay
African-American composer Ulysses Kay studied piano at the encouragement of his uncle, jazz
legend Joe “King” Oliver, and later, William Grant Still. He studied with Bernard Rogers, Howard
Hanson, Paul Hindemith, and Otto Luening at the University of Arizona, Eastman School of
Music, Yale University, and Columbia University. Kay taught at Boston University, University of
California–Los Angeles, Macalester College, and Brevard Music Center and was distinguished
professor of theory and composition at Lehman College at CUNY. Kay spent a majority of his
career composing commissions and scores for film and television. Kay’s compositions include
instrumental, chamber, orchestral, choral, dramatic, incidental, and commercial music. His
piano music includes Four Inventions, Two Nocturnes, Ten Short Essays or Ten Pieces for Children, Two
Impromptus, Visions, Two Short Pieces for piano, four hands.
J.H. Kwabena Nketia
Ghanaian composer, musicologist, and educator J.H. Kwabena Nketia received early musical training
in Ghana and studied piano, musicology, and composition at various institutions such as
Birkeck College, University of London, Trinity College of Music, Columbia University, Juilliard
School of Music, and Northwestern University. Nketia returned to teach at the University of
Ghana and became Director of the Institute of African Studies. He also taught at UCLA and the
University of Pittsburgh. Nketia advocates a contemporary compositional technique, a fusion
between folk and contemporary music. He has transcribed several traditional songs, has composed
several choral works, and has written extensively for Western instruments, traditional African
instruments, and a combination of both.

viii
41
Composer Biographies
Christian Onyeji
Nigerian composer, pianist, choreographer, conductor, and music and theater director Christian
Onyeji holds degrees in composition from the University of Nigeria and the University of
Pretoria, South Africa. He is currently Senior Lecturer and Acting Head of the Department of
Music, University of Nigeria. Having contributed several important articles to ethnomusicology
and education journals, Onyeji specializes in “Research-Composition,” a modern approach to art
music composition that entails application of ethnomusicological procedures in the composition
of modern African art music. He has written for symphony orchestra, piano, and choir. His
choral music appears in World Carols for Choirs published by Oxford University Press, and his
piano works include Oga, Ufie I, II, III.
Alain Pierre Pradel
Composer and pianist Alain Pierre Pradel grew up in Guadeloupe, former French colony in the
West Indies. He began piano studies early although a rural environment did not make it easy to
acquire musical training. However, Pradel did have the opportunity to study in Paris for seven
years, after which he returned to Guadeloupe immersing himself in research in composition and
music for dance. Even though in Guadeloupe Western classical works are not too highly valued
and tend to be neglected in favor of local music of the islands, Pradel holds the two traditions
equally in importance. His piano works, such as Sept Pièces Créoles, are musical reflection of his
identity and life in the West Indies.
for online perusal only
Florence B. Price
Florence B. Price was the first African-American composer, concert pianist, and organist to reach
national recognition. Price studied at the New England Conservatory of Music and later taught
at the Cotton-Plant Arkadelphia Academy and Shorter College in Little Rock before becoming
Head of the Music Department at Clark University in Atlanta. After a return to Arkansas, she
moved to Chicago where she became eventually known nationally and internationally as a composer
and concert pianist. Price has the distinction of being the first African American to have
her work performed by leading orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. During her
career, Price wrote over three hundred compositions, including symphonies, concertos, chamber
works, art songs, and settings of spirituals for voice and piano. Her works for piano range
from several short teaching pieces to larger works such as Sonata in E minor, Fantasie Negre, and
Dances in the Canebrakes.
Amadeo Roldán y Gardes
Afro-Cuban composer, violinist, and professor Amadeo Roldán y Gardes was born in France to
Cuban parents. After studying at the Madrid Conservatory, he moved to Cuba and joined the
Orquesta Filarmonica of Havana, becoming concertmaster and then ultimately, conductor. As an
active performer, he founded the Havana String Quartet, and he also taught and was director at
the Havana Conservatory. Roldán was a leading figure in the establishment of Afrocubanismo, a
style that synthesizes Afro-Cuban melodies and polyrhythms with Western classical traditions.
Roldán’s wrote for full orchestra, chamber ensemble, percussion ensemble, and solo instruments. His
piano works include Mulato, Peludio cubano, 2 Piezas infantiles, Canción de cuna di niño negro.

ix
42
Composer Biographies
Joshua Uzoigwe
Considered one of Nigeria’s most important composers, pianists, and musicologists, Joshua
Uzoigwe studied at King's College, Lagos, the International School, Ibadan, the University of
Nigeria, Nsukka, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London, and the Queen’s University
of Belfast. Uzoigwe taught at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Uyo, the University of
Nigeria, Nsukka, and Maseno University, Kenya. His music is characterized as a skillful
juxtaposition of African musical traditions and those of Western classical music. Using African
and Western instruments, Uzoigwe wrote for orchestra, chamber ensemble, voice, and piano.
His piano works include Sketches, Talking Drums, Lustra Variations, Four Nigerian Dances.
John W. Work III
Composer, educator, choral director, and ethnomusicologist John Wesley Work III grew up in
a family of professional musicians. He studied at Fisk University, at the precursor to Juilliard
School of Music, at Columbia University, and then later at Yale University. While teaching at
Fisk University, Work not only served as Chairman of the Department of Music, but also as
Director of the Fisk Jubilee Singers. He published several seminal articles in professional journals
and dictionaries on African American Negro Spirituals and Folksongs, and was subsequently
the recipient of several honors and awards. Creating over one hundred compositions, Work
wrote for full orchestra, chamber ensemble, choir, solo voice, organ, and piano. He has three
piano sets titled Sassafras, Scuppernong, and Appalachia.
for online perusal only

43
Performance Notes
1. Lament in Tremelo Form -- Laurindo Almeida
Good care should be taken to preserve the long line of the melody over a well-balanced accompaniment,
mostly divided between both hands.
2. Invention No. 2 – Ulysses Kay
This should be played in a Scherzando manner with its jagged lines. Strict attention should be
given to the articulations. Emphasize the section when the motive is in both hands in unison.
3. Honey – R. Nathaniel Dett
According to Dett, “‘Honey’ is a colloquialism—the familiar term of endearment (in the Southern
US). It may mean much, little, everything, or nothing; the intimation here is one of coquetry.”
This funny, lighthearted piece is based on Paul Lawrence Dunbar's poem A Negro Love Song. Be dramatic
and free with the molto meno mosso e parlando section.
for online perusal only
4. Nigerian Dance No. 1 – Joshua Uzoigwe
This buoyant piece should be played with a strict rhythmic left hand. The rubato section should
be approached with considerable freedom in sharp contrast to the opening section. The contrasts
in dynamics should be emphasized.
5. Prelude No. 1 – Wallace M. Cheatham
This piece should exude drama. It is based on the Negro Spiritual Joshua fit the Battle of Jericho.
Voice the tops of the chords to bring out the melody, and be as dramatic as possible in the last
two measures—as the walls come tumbling down!
6. Prelude No. 2 – Wallace M. Cheatham
This prelude is based on a very touching Negro spiritual, Poor Mourner’s Got a Home At Last. This is
slow and should be played with substantial feeling. Large chords can be rolled, but be consistent
with rolling the chords.
7. Oga – Christian Onyeji
Onyeji writes, “Oga is my attempt at simulating the rhythmic game called Oga for young girls in
Igbo land.” The game’s element of surprise is reflected in the music. Approach Oga by first
becoming comfortable with the two-beat left hand rhythmic pattern in mm. 3–6. To do so, clap,
sing, and play the pattern separately.
8. Preludio Cubano -- Amadeo Roldán y Gardes
This is a bright piece and should be played with flair and in a dance-like manner. Be sure to
observe the sf markings and accents.
9. Silk Hat and Walking Cane – Florence B. Price
This lovely, lighthearted piece is a cakewalk and should therefore not be performed too fast. It
is an elegant dance.
10. At a Certain Church – John W. Work III
Work has given good directions on how best to project this evocative piece. Take care not to
perform this too fast. The return of the ‘spiritual’ at the end should have a grand effect, particularly
with the octaves in the bass.

xi
44
Performance Notes
11. Volta Fantasy -- J.H. Kwabena Nketia
This music reflects the tonal and rhythmic characteristics of the music of the Anlo-Ewe and the
bell pattern commonly associated with this community. To best perform this piece, preserve the
pulse of the dotted quarter, especially against the hemiolas.
12. Igbá Kerin – Àwon Abàmi Eye – Akin Euba
This work is in a style called African Pianism where the piano behaves like African instruments, and
the music derives its character from African percussion. Care should, however, be taken not to
create harsh sounds on the piano. Strictly observe the dynamic markings and the left hand
articulations.
13. Igbá Kìnní – Akèrègbè Baba Emu– Akin Euba
Similar to Igb Kerin this should be approached percussively and played in a rhythmic and driving
way.
for online perusal only
14. Pomme Cannelle -- Alain Pierre Pradel
Pomme Cannelle is a tropical fruit also known as the custard apple or sweet-sop. Pradel evokes the
laid back dances of the Caribbean. This work is not fast and all the rhythmic nuances between
right hand and left hand should be projected.
15. Basseet – Halim El-Dabh
The title refers to the word “simplicity.” In Pre-Islamic poetry Basseet reflected a simplicity that
was very hard to attain. The piece should be played quietly as the dynamics hardly get louder
than piano; however, be sure to observe all articulations.
16. Nim Nawakht – Halim El-Dabh
The title refers to a seven (3+2+2) beat meter or iqa’at in traditional Arab music. The composer
does not use this meter literally but sometimes expands or reduces gestures by a beat. The time
signature is in 5/8, and the Arabic symbol for 5 is a circle, which is balanced and reflective, the
way the music should be played.
17. If the Silver Bird Could Speak – Eleanor Alberga
Alberga writes, “The sharp and brittle quality of this piece suggests the metal silver. If the Silver
Bird Could Speak has references to the piano music of Schoenberg and the rhythms and syncopations
of African music.” Strictly observe all articulations and dynamics, which are essential to an
effective performance.

45
for my pet dog “Rocky”
1. Lament in Tremolo Form
Moderato
mp legato
RH
LAURINDO ALMEIDA (BRAZIL)
(1917–95)
5
RH
for online perusal only
LH
9
f
13
RH
mp
Music by Laurindo Almeida (ASCAP) Copyright © Brazilliance Music Publishing 1967
Renewed 1995. Used by permission. All Rights Reserved.
This collection copyright © 2007,Oxford University Press, Inc. Transferred to Oxford University Press 2010.

46
3
17
21
25
for online perusal only
29 last time to Coda
33
mf

6
47
2. Invention No. 2
From Four Inventions
Scherzando e = 200
p
ULYSSES KAY (USA)
(1917–95)
mf
for online perusal only
5
sub. p
mf cantando
10
poco f
pp
sub. p
15
poco f
p
Copyright © 1964, Duchess Music Corp.

8
48
3. Honey
From “In the Bottoms” Suite
Allegretto q = 100
pp capriccioso
Ped.
R. NATHANIEL DETT (CANADA/USA)
(1882–1943)
4
mf
lunga
(Ped.)
lunga
Ped.
dim.
8
for online perusal only
pp
Ped.
lunga
12
mf
(Ped.)
lunga
Ped.
By Nathaniel Dett, from “The Collected Piano Works of R. Nathaniel Dett”
© 1996, 1973 by SUMMY-BIRCHARD MUSIC, division of SUMMY-BIRCHARD, INC.,
Exclusively distributed by ALFRED PUBLISHING CO., INC. All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission.

49
9
17
meno mosso
molto rit.
molto espress.
Ped.
lusingando
21
a tempo
mf
lunga
pp
(Ped.)
lunga
25
for online perusal only
Ped.
29
q = 72 molto meno mosso
f parlando
Ped.
mf
f
Ped.
mf

5
q = 100
p
4. Nigerian Dance No. 1
cresc.
9
13
dim.
From Four Nigerian Dances
mf
simile
for online perusal only
50
JOSHUA UZOIGWE (NIGERIA)
(1946–2005)
mp
3
11
Copyright © 1999 MGBO Music, Yaba, Nigeria. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

12
51
16
3
3 3
pp
20
24
3
p
28
simile
f
p
for online perusal only
mf
32
dim.

14
52
5. Prelude No. 1 ‘Joshua fit the Battle of Jericho’
From Three Preludes
Allegro q = 120
WALLACE McCLAIN CHEATHAM (USA)
(b. 1945)
f
4
7
Andante q = 90
mp
for online perusal only
3
10
Copyright © 2007, Wallace McClain Cheatham. Reprinted by permission.

16
53
6. Prelude No. 2 ‘Poor Mourner’s Got A Home’
From Three Preludes
Molto adagio e contemplativo
WALLACE McCLAIN CHEATHAM (USA)
(b. 1945)
p espress.
4
7
for online perusal only
11
Copyright © 2007, Wallace McClain Cheatham. Reprinted by permission.

18
54
7. Oga
Maiden’s Game
Quasi ad lib.
CHRISTIAN ONYEJI (NIGERIA)
(b. 1967)
mf
3
Fast and in strict time
3
3
3
5
3
3
for online perusal only
3
3
7
Meno mosso
f
Copyright © 2000 Christian Onyeji. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

55
19
9
() Fine
octave duplication optional
()
11
1.
mp quasi stacc.
13
Maestoso
f
mp
16
for online perusal only
19 2.

56
8. Preludio Cubano
21
Allegretto
mf
AMADEO ROLDÁN Y GARDES (CUBA)
(1900–39)
sf
sf
5
sf
sf
for online perusal only
p
10
3
3
15
scherzando
Copyright © 1967, Southern Music Publishing Co., Inc.

22
57
20
25
f
30
3
mf
3
35
for online perusal only
accel.
3
3
39
a tempo
poco più vivo

24
58
9. Silk Hat and Walking Cane
From Dances in the Canebrakes
Moderato q = 70
mf legato
FLORENCE PRICE (USA)
(1887–1953)
5
10
for online perusal only
15
cresc.
ff
dim.
Music by Florence Price. © EMI Mills Music Inc. Worldwide Print Rights.
Administered by Alfred Publishing Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved, Used by Permission.

59
25
20
24
28
for online perusal only
mf
32
p
36
mf legato

26
60
40
mp
Ped.
45
50
cresc.
mf
55
p
for online perusal only
mf
60

61
10. At a Certain Church
From Scuppernong
29
Moderato q = 66
mf like a bell
JOHN W. WORK III (USA)
(1901–67)
Ped.
5
p
Ped.
Ped.
Ped.
10
(Ped.)
for online perusal only
Ped.
15
Ped.
Ped.
simile
20
Somewhat faster but with religious expression q = 84
mf
Copyright © 1951 (Renewed) by Templeton Publishing Co., Inc, a division of Shawnee Press, Inc.
International Copyright Secured. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by Permission.

62
30
26
broaden
f
32
rall.
a tempo
p
38
for online perusal only
43
cresc.
mf
48
p
dim.

32
63
11. Volta Fantasy
From Twelve Pedagogical Pieces
6
q = 100
f
J. H. KWABENA NKETIA (GHANA)
(b. 1921)
p
mf
11
16
for online perusal only
21
ff
mf
Copyright © 1994, J. H. Kwabena Nketia (Afram Publications)

f
33
26
f
32
37
42
mf
47
for online perusal only
64

65
34
52
57
62
for online perusal only
67
72

66
12. Igbá Kerin – Àwon Abàmì Eye
(Supernatural Birds)
From Four Pictures from Oyo Calabashes
37
AKIN EUBA (NIGERIA)
(b. 1935)
Rhythmical q. = 132
mf espress.
4
7
for online perusal only
10
2
mp
Copyright © Akin Euba

Copyright © Akin Euba
13. Igbá Kìnní – Akèrègbè Baba Emu
13
39
(The Gourd Master of the Palm Wine)
From Four Pictures from Oyo Calabashes
AKIN EUBA (NIGERIA)
(b. 1935)
Joyous
ff mf ff mf
ff
5
mf
f mf
9
f
for online perusal only
67

68
for Catherine Giorgi
14. Pomme Cannelle
From Sept Pièces Créoles
41
Moderato q = 75
p
RH
ALAIN PIERRE PRADEL (GUADELOUPE)
(b. 1949)
3
Ped.
6a 1.
2.
3
for online perusal only
5
Ped.
5
1
Ped.
1
8
3
Ped.
2
Ped.
© Copyright © 2007 Éditions Alain Pradel (SACEM)
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

42
69
10
f
Ped.
5 1
2
3
5
3
12 rit.
15
Ped.
3 1
a tempo
p
5
Ped.
Ped.
18a
1.
2.
for online perusal only
un peu plus q = 80
20
(Ped.)
Ped.
Ped.
Ped.
Ped.
Ped.

44
70
for Shadia
نسيط 15. Basseet
ألمقطع قی فن ألقطع From Mekta’ in the Art of Kita’ Book 3
q = 76
sempre p
Ped.
ben articolato
Ped.
simile
HALIM EL-DABH (EGYPT)
(b. 1921)
5
Ped.
10
(Ped.)
for online perusal only
Ped.
Ped.
15
Ped.
Copyright © 1961, C. F. Peters Corporation
Ped.
Ped.

46
71
for Vera
نم نواجت 16. Nim Nawakht
ألمقطع قی فن ألقطع From Mekta’ in the Art of Kita’ Book 3
e = 168
f
Ped.
HALIM EL-DABH (EGYPT)
(b. 1921)
Ped.
5
sempre f
(Ped.)
Ped.
Ped.
for online perusal only
10
Ped.
Ped.
15
(Ped.)
Copyright © 1961, C. F. Peters Corporation
Ped.

20
(Ped.)
25
(Ped.)
30
(Ped.)
35
39
Ped.
Ped.
Ped.
Ped.
Ped.
Ped.
Ped.
Ped.
for online perusal only
72
Ped.
Ped.
47

73
17. If the Silver Bird Could Speak
49
Lively q = 116–32
f
mp
ELEANOR ALBERGA (JAMAICA)
(b. 1948)
5
f
mp
10
cresc.
for online perusal only
f dim.
p
mp
15
p
cresc.
mf
Copyright © 1996 Oxford University Press. Copyright assigned 1998 to Eleanor Alberga,
and 2001 to the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. Reproduced by permission of ABRSM (Publishing) Ltd.

74
50
18
p
cresc.
mp
22
p
cresc.
25
ff
28
p
for online perusal only
mf
32
mp
mf p
mf
mp

37
mp pp
f
p
75
51
41
mp
pp
cresc.
45
Ped.
p cresc.
mf
50
for online perusal only
mp cresc.
Ped.
55
(Ped.)
f
Ped.

This wonderful anthology presents a fascinating survey of music by African
composers, both those living in Africa and those now resident elsewhere in the world.The
music, much of which is published here for the first time, includes a kaleidoscope of
different styles, moods, genres, and colors.You will find works influenced by the blues,
jazz, and ragtime, and works built on exotic scales, African folk-tunes, and drumming
rhythms. The five volumes are graded to provide exciting material for pianists just
beginning their studies and for those who are looking for new and more
challenging music. Edited by an internationally respected musician, this collection not
only represents an important historical gathering of composers of African descent, but
it is also destined to provide fresh music to the piano repertoire.
76
“This collection provides a tremendous service to piano teachers and a
wonderful introduction to the composers of African heritage for piano
students.Thanks . . . for an invaluable teaching tool.”
–Leon Bates, pianist
“What a gold mine for performers, teachers, and students. To have such a
graded compilation of music previously unknown to many of us is so
exciting for piano pedagogues.Thank you”
–Martha F. Hilley, Professor of Group Piano and
Pedagogy at University of Texas,Austin
“Magnificent.Who would have guessed that a sampling of music by African and
African-Diasporic composers would fill five volumes? And who would
imagine the dazzling array of forms, styles, and techniques displayed in
them? All who consider themselves friends of African and African-derived
music are much indebted to William Chapman Nyaho and Oxford
University Press for making these gems of musical imagination widely
available for the first time ever.”
–Kofi Agawu,Walter Bigelow Rosen Professor of Music and of African
and African American Studies at Harvard University
Dr. William H. Chapman Nyaho is an active international performer, scholar, teacher, and
clinician. Raised in Ghana and now living in the United States, Chapman Nyaho studied at Achimota
School, Ghana, and the Conservatoire de Musique de Genève, Switzerland, and holds degrees from
Oxford University, the Eastman School of Music, and the University of Texas, Austin. The winner of
prizes from international piano competitions, Chapman Nyaho has performed in Asia,Africa, Europe,
North America, and the Caribbean. He is a regular guest clinician, giving masterclasses, presentations,
lecture-recitals, and workshops, and continually advocates music by composers of Africa and
the African Diaspora. (www.nyaho.com)
Cover design and photography by Margaret Courtney-Clarke
Mudcloth Bogolan Fini from Mali and early Uli painting from Nigeria
3
www.oup.com

77
2
Piano Music of
Africa
and the
African Diaspora
Compiled and Edited by
William H. Chapman Nyaho
Volume 3
Early Advanced

78
Contents
page
Acknowledgements
Composer Biographies
Performance Notes
iii
iv
vii
1. Take Me Back – John W. Work III 1
2. Deep River – Samuel Coleridge-Taylor 4
3. La Dangereuse – Ludovic Lamothe 9
for online perusal only
4. Juba Dance – R. Nathaniel Dett 15
5. Jamaican Dance No. 2 – Oswald Russell 20
6. Didn’t It Rain – Wallace McClain Cheatham 23
7. The Cuckoo – Howard Swanson 26
8. Scenes from Traditional Life No. 1– Akin Euba 31
9. Scherzino – Andrés Wheatley 34
10. Nimble Feet – Florence B. Price 37
11. Cell Phone Blues – Ed Bland 40
12. Papillons – Oswald Russell 44
13. Variations on an Egyptian Folksong – Gamal Abdel-Rahim 49
Acknowledgements
I would like to acknowledge the following people who have contributed in so many ways to this
project: Jane Efua Chapman Nyaho, Daniel Chapman Nyaho, my family, my teachers, Dr. Maya
Angelou, Margaret Courtney-Clarke, Louise Toppin, Akin Euba, Brian Hill, Todd Waldman, John
Kubiniec, Kirsten Summers, Christopher Johnson, the staff of the Music Department at Oxford
University Press, Dominique-René de Lerma, Martha Hilley, Myrna Capp, Guy Bowman, Jan Jones,
Calvin Sharpe, Garth Fagan, Dr. Maxine Mimms, Myrtle David, Halim El-Dabh, David Badagnani,
Oswald Russell, Robin Williams, Bill Zick, Howard Dodson, the Center for Black Music Research,
and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. For more information, go to
www.nyaho.com.

79
Composer Biographies
Gamal Abdel-Rahim
Internationally celebrated as composer and professor of composition, Gamal Abdel-Rahim comes
from a group of Egyptian composers who skillfully blend Egyptian, Arab, and Western traditional
music. He studied in Cairo and then at the University of Freiberg in Germany. Abdel-Rahim later
became Chair of the Theory and Composition Department at the Cairo Conservatory. He wrote for
solo instruments, voice, and orchestra. His intercultural compositional style employs Egyptian
melodic lines, harmonies, and asymmetric rhythmic gestures. These characteristics are combined
with compositional techniques such as counterpoint and western classical structures such as
sonata and variation form. His piano works include Fünf Kleine Klavierstucke, To the Arab Martyrs, and
Ekhnaton’s Prayer and Phoenician Dance.
Ed Bland
Ed Bland is considered by some Hip-Hoppers to be the great-grandfather of Hip-Hop
because of the confrontational quality of his musical and film work. He began as a jazz protégé
on Chicago’s South Side, studied at the University of Chicago, and now works as composer,
producer, arranger, and orchestrator in the recording and film industries. His style blends Western
music, Jazz, and West African drumming. Some of the artists with whom he has worked are
George Benson, Dizzy Gillespie, and Lionel Hampton. His piano works include Classical Soul, Three
Chaconnes in Blue, Sketches Set Seven, Fragment For Piano 1948, One On One/Piano Study, Global Village #5,
and Urban Counterpoint, a four-volume collection of short piano works.
for online perusal only
Wallace McClain Cheatham
Organist, pianist, scholar, and music educator Wallace McClain Cheatham studied at Knoxville
College, University of Wisconsin, and Columbia Pacific University. His teaching career has spanned
more than three decades in public schools. He was Visiting Professor at Cardinal Stritch College
and Composer-in-residence at Menasha High School in Wisconsin. He has received several
honors and awards for his teaching and research, and his Dialogues on Opera and the African American
Experience is an important contribution to the advocacy of composition by African Americans.
Among his compositions, many of which are performed internationally, are works for orchestra,
chamber ensemble, choir, solo voice, organ, and piano.
R. Nathaniel Dett
Robert Nathaniel Dett, born in Canada and primarily educated in the United States, was the first
African American to graduate with a degree in Piano and Composition from Oberlin College. He
continued his studies at Harvard, later in France at Fontainebleau with Nadia Boulanger, and then
at the Eastman School of Music. Dett taught at Lane College, the Hampton Institute, where he
founded the School of Music, Sam Houston College, and Bennett College, and was President of the
National Association of Negro Musicians. He compiled and edited collections of spirituals and folksongs,
and composed for choir, solo voice, orchestra, chamber ensemble, and piano. His piano
works include In the Bottoms, Magnolia, Enchantment, Tropic Winter, Eight Bible Vignettes, and Cinnamon
Grove.

Composer Biographies
v
Akin Euba
Nigerian composer, pianist, and musicologist Akin Euba studied at the Trinity College of Music,
London, the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Ghana, Legon. He taught
at the University of Lagos and the University of Ife. He teaches at the University of Pittsburgh and
is Director of the Centre for Intercultural Musicology, Cambridge University. Founder and
Director of the Centre for Intercultural Music Arts, London, Euba organizes festivals and symposia
on African Pianism and Composition in Africa and the Diaspora. He has composed for multiple
combinations of African, Asian, and Western instruments and explores the percussive nature of
the piano in his works, which include Four Pictures from Oyo Calabashes, Saturday Night at Caban
Bamboo, Scenes from Traditional Life, Studies in African Jazz, and Themes from Chaka, his major opera.
Ludovic Lamothe
Known as Haiti’s most famous classical composer, Ludovic Lamothe was born in Port-au-Prince to
parents who were both pianists. He studied at L’Institution St. Louis de Gonzague and at the
Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. His virtuosic performances of
the works of Frederic Chopin earned Lamothe the nickname “The Black Chopin.” Upon his return
to Haiti, Lamothe increasingly turned to his Haitian heritage and composed in a more nationalistic
style, incorporating Haitian rhythmic and melodic characteristics into his music. He frequently
gave recitals and was appointed Chief of Music of the Republic of Haiti. He wrote for solo
instrument, chamber ensemble, and orchestra. His piano works include Scenes de Carnaval, Four
Danzas, Ten Danses Espagnoles, Scherzo, Sobo, Papillons Noirs, Feuillet d’Album No.1 and No. 2, and Five
Valses.
for online perusal only
Florence B. Price
Florence B. Price was the first female African-American composer, concert pianist, and organist
to reach national recognition. Price studied at the New England Conservatory of Music and later
taught at the Cotton-Plant Arkadelphia Academy and Shorter College in Little Rock before becoming
Head of the Music Department at Clark University in Atlanta. After a return to Arkansas, she
moved to Chicago where she became eventually known nationally and internationally as a
composer and concert pianist. Price has the distinction of being the first African American to
have her work performed by leading orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
During her career, Price wrote over three hundred compositions, including symphonies, concertos,
chamber works, art songs, and settings of spirituals for voice and piano. Her works for piano
range from several short teaching pieces to larger works such as Sonata in E minor, Fantasie Negre,
and Dances in the Canebrakes.
Oswald Russell
Jamaican pianist and composer Oswald Russell studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London,
at the Juilliard School of Music in New York, in Paris, and at the Conservatoire de Musique in
Geneva. Russell has held teaching positions in Jamaica and Switzerland and has been visiting
Professor of Music in Kinshasa, Zaire. As a versatile composer, concert pianist, and improviser, he
develops innovative concert programs which include his own works, music from classical
repertoire, and jazz and improvisations. Russell writes for film, ballet, Marionette Theater, wind
band, and several solo instruments in a subtle blend of Caribbean and Western musical idioms.
His melodies have long, beautifully balanced phrases, and his broad harmonic language covers
diatonicism, chromaticism, and atonality. His piano music includes Three Jamaican Dances, Berceuse,
Humoresque, and Papillons.

vi
Composer Biographies
Howard Swanson
Raised in a musical environment where he sang duets regularly with his mother in church in
Atlanta, Howard Swanson was exposed to the tradition of shape-note choral singing at an early age.
He later studied piano and composition at the Cleveland Institute of Music, receiving a grant from
the National Academy of Arts and Letters and a Guggenheim Fellowship. His style often infuses western
classical forms with African-American musical idioms. Swanson wrote for orchestra, chamber
ensemble, strings, brass, voice, and solo instruments. His songs were sung by Marian Anderson and
his orchestral works premiered by leading orchestras, such as the New York Philharmonic. His
works for piano include three piano sonatas, The Cuckoo, two nocturnes, and a piano concerto.
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
African-British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was one of the most recognized musicians at the
turn of the 19th century in Europe and America. He studied at the Royal College of Music in
London and later held prestigious music posts there. He wrote for piano, voice, chamber ensemble,
and orchestra, where his use of African elements eventually earned him the title of the “African
Mahler.” In his Twenty-Four Negro Melodies Op. 59 for piano, Coleridge-Taylor set African, West
Indian, and African-American melodies and folksongs to piano. He explains that this is similar to
“what Brahms has done for the Hungarian folk-music, Dvorak for the Bohemian, and Grieg for the
Norwegian.” His other piano works include Two Moorish Tone Pictures, African Suite, Forest Scenes, Valse
Suite, and Nourmahal’s Song and Dance.
for online perusal only
Andrés Wheatley
Pianist, accompanist, vocal coach, and composer, Luis Andrés Wheatley was born in the
Dominican Republic and raised in the Virgin Islands where he received his formal education and
was recognized for his talents. He studied at Howard University and the Juilliard School of Music,
and then returned to Howard University to become a music instructor. After his musical career was
interrupted by his serving in the US Army in World War II, Wheatley returned to Howard
University to study psychology. He later moved to France where he resumed his musical career and
served on the faculty of L'Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris. His piano music includes Homage à
Scriabin, Sharpeville 1960, Duo Napolitain (Naples Street), Valse Musette, and Last Spring.
John W. Work III
Composer, educator, choral director, and ethnomusicologist John Wesley Work III grew up in a
family of professional musicians. He studied at Fisk University, at the precursor to Juilliard School
of Music, at Columbia University, and then later at Yale University. While teaching at Fisk
University, Work not only served as Chairman of the Department of Music, but also as Director of
the Fisk Jubilee Singers. He published several seminal articles in professional journals and
dictionaries on African-American Spirituals and Folksongs, and was subsequently the recipient of several
honors and awards. Creating over one hundred compositions, Work wrote for full orchestra,
chamber ensemble, choir, solo voice, organ, and piano. He has three piano sets titled Sassafras,
Scuppernong, and Appalachia.

82
Performance Notes
1. Take Me Back – John W. Work III
Perform with flair, projecting the strong rhythmic character of the music. Care should be taken to
voice out the tops of the chords in the right hand to project the melody. The left hand in mm. 17–24
must be well shaped and melodic.
2. Deep River – Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
This setting of the Negro spiritual is to be played with depth of feeling. After a grand middle
section, the recapitulation should be performed with even greater depth while keeping the text in
mind, “Deep River, my home is over Jordan, Deep River Lord, I want to cross over into camp
ground.”
for online perusal only
3. La Dangereuse – Ludovic Lamothe
This beautiful Haitian Meringue is a dance and is to be performed gracefully. Repeats should be
interpreted in different ways—such as the lower notes of the thirds of the melody being voiced
out. Similarly, the counter melody in the tenor should be well projected in mm. 33–47.
4. Juba Dance – R. Nathaniel Dett
This popular 19th-century African-American dance entailed stamping on the ground with the
foot followed by two staccato handclaps in 2/4 time. While one-third of the dancers kept time,
the others danced freely. Sometimes all kept time together in order to urge on a solo dancer to
more frenetic and fantastic moves. The pianist should not take the work too fast but keep it buoyant.
5. Jamaican Dance No. 2 – Oswald Russell
This dance is based on the Jamaican folksong Sammy Dead and should be performed with
considerable feeling. Care should be taken to layer the textures, and the rising figure in the tenor
part should be well projected.
6. Didn’t It Rain – Wallace McClain Cheatham
This prelude is based on the two spirituals Didn’t It Rain and God Put A Rainbow In the Sky and should
be played dramatically; the opening low notes as thunder, the right-hand ostinato as rainfall. The
Negro spiritual melody is in the left hand in the first section and should be well projected. The
rising and falling figure depicting the rainbow in the final section should be well shaped with the
tops projected.
7. The Cuckoo – Howard Swanson
The “cuckoo” figure in this humorous piece should be steady and consistent, unaffected by the
contrasting florid writing in the right hand. There should be a dialogue between the figurations in
the higher and lower registers. The melody in mm. 34–60 should be well sung and shaped in
contrast to the fixed “cuckoo.”

viii
Performance Notes
8. Scenes from Traditional Life No. 1– Akin Euba
This work should be played with a strong metrical sense of two beats per measure, against which
the cross-rhythms of three beats per measure are bounced off. When learning the piece, dance or
sway to two beats per measure while clapping three beats and vice versa, until the pulses of 6/8
and 3/4 are easily interchangeable.
9. Scherzino – Andrés Wheatley
As indicated this Scherzino should be performed with elegance and flair. Care should be taken
with pedaling to prevent blurring of harmonies and to make sure the rests are observed.
10. Nimble Feet – Florence B. Price
This dance should be light in character—the chords should never sound anchored. Mm. 35–48 can
be slightly mellowed and less driving. As Nimble Feet progresses, the sound and character should
grow increasingly brilliant. Care should be taken to voice out the melody on the top of chords.
for online perusal only
11. Cell Phone Blues – Ed Bland
Cell Phone Blues is taken from Urban Counterpoint, a collection of 29 pieces, the musical language
of which is derived from pop music and jazz. The pianist should be sure to keep a steady groove
to this piece and strictly observe all articulations; doing so will ensure a tight rhythmic and dynamic
performance.
12. Papillons – Oswald Russell
This beautiful piece was commissioned as an audition piece for the Conservatoire de Musique de
Genève, Geneva, Switzerland. Papillons is the perfect vehicle to demonstrate tonal color, well
defined textures, and the projection of melodic lines and accompanying figures. Care should be
taken to bring out the melody in mm. 21–30 on the middle stave.
13. Variations on an Egyptian Folksong – Gamal Abdel-Rahim
The theme should be simple and plaintive so that it contrasts well with the proceeding variations.
The variations should contrast each other in style and sound as much as possible. The first
variation should be brilliant; the second, more fleeting; and the third, in contrast, deep. The
drama in the fourth variation should be exaggerated to contrast the static, plodding fifth variation,
which depicts a slow caravan through the Sahara desert. Mm. 18 to the end have rests that also
should be strictly observed. The accents characteristic of Egyptian dance rhythms in the final
variations must be well defined.

Moderato, with marked rhythm suggestive of the tango
f
84
to Miss Doris Jones
1. Take Me Back
From Appalachia
p
JOHN W. WORK III (USA)
(1901–67)
5
f
sharply
9
mf
left hand well marked
for online perusal only
13
Copyright © 1945 (Renewed) by Templeton Publishing Co., Inc., a division of Shawnee Press, Inc. International Copyright Secured.
All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by Permission.
This collection © 2008, Oxford University Press, Inc.

2
85
17
f
21
ff
25
p
for online perusal only
mf
29
accel.
cresc.
33 a tempo
f
sfz
p
37
f

4
Lento
pp
2. Deep River
From 24 Negro Melodies, Op. 59
molto cantabile
86
SAMUEL COLERIDGE-TAYLOR (UK)
(1875–1912)
for online perusal only
5
poco rit.
a tempo
mp
8
poco rit.
f
a tempo
mp
11
f
Copyright © 1905, Oliver Ditson & Co., Boston, MA.
mp
poco rit.
A recording of this piece is available on the CD “Senku” (MSR Classics, MS1091).

87
5
14
a tempo
pp
f
17
dim.
pp
rit.
for online perusal only
20
Più mosso
mf
cresc. molto
pesante sf
23
sf
poco tranquillo
3
3
mp
3
3
p

6
88
27 Meno mosso, più tranquillo
pp
cresc.
31
accel.
Più mosso
for online perusal only
f
34
sf
sf
poco tranquillo
37
mp
3
3
3
3

89
3. La Dangereuse (Meringue Haitiènne)
From Musique de Ludovic Lamothe: Valses, dances espagnoles, scénes de carnaval et autres.
9
Moderato
( )
LUDOVIC LAMOTHE (HAITI)
(1882–1953)
( )
mp
3
5
3
10
for online perusal only
3
15
3
A recording of this piece is available on the CD “Asa” (MSR Classics, MS1242).
Jean, Antoine, Fernand Lamothe, Editeurs, Port-au-Prince, République d’Haiti, U.S. & International copyrights secured, 1955, Tous droits de
reproduction réservés.

10
90
20
3 3
25
subito p
3
30 1.
2.
33
3
for online perusal only
3
3 3
38
3
3
3 3 3 3

11
43
3
3
3 3
48
3
3
3
3 3
53
3
3
3 3
58
3
3
3 3
1.
2.
mp
for online perusal only
91

15
4. Juba Dance
From “In the Bottoms” Suite
Non troppo allegro q = 120
mf non legato
simile
f
5
9
13
for online perusal only
92
R. NATHANIEL DETT (USA)
(1882–1943)
A recording of this piece is available on the CD “Senku” (MSR Classics, MS1091).
By NATHANIEL DETT from “The Collected Piano Works of R. Nathaniel Dett 1996, 1973 by SUMMY-BIRCHARD MUSIC, division of
SUMMY-BIRCHARD, Inc., Exclusively Distributed by ALFRED PUBLISHING CO., INC. All Rights Reserved, Used by permission.

16
17
21
sf marcato
Ped.
93
sf
sim.
sf
sf
25
sf
for online perusal only
poco dim.
29
1.
f
2.
mf
31

94
17
35
39
mp
44
for online perusal only
49
p
54
cresc.

20
95
5. Jamaican Dance No. 2
Andante moderato
OSWALD RUSSELL (JAMAICA)
(b. 1933)
simile
pp
mp
4
7
p
dolce
for online perusal only
9
11
cresc. poco a poco
A recording of this piece is available on the CD “Senku” (MSR Classics, MS1091).
Copyright © 1967, Éditions Henn, Geneva, Switzerland

13
96
21
mf
p
dim.
15
pp
simile
17
for online perusal only
20
cresc.
f largamente
22
più f

23
6. Didn’t It Rain
Prelude No. 3 from Three Preludes
WALLACE McCLAIN CHEATHAM (USA)
Colla Violenza
Molto allegro, spiritoso
(b. 1945)
3
simile
fff
p
mp
4
8
12
for online perusal only
97
A recording of this piece is available on the CD “Asa” (MSR Classics, MS1242).
Copyright © 2008, Oxford University Press, Inc.

98
24
16
f
20
for online perusal only
24
28
fff
Subito col Violenza
3

26
99
7. The Cuckoo
HOWARD SWANSON (USA)
(1907–78)
Vivace q. = 96
mp sempre non legato
5
p
for online perusal only
9 1.
mp
2.
mf
12
p
16
Copyright © 1949 Universal Music Corp., Copyright renewed. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

100
27
20
mp
24
p
mp
28
p
for online perusal only
pp
32
mp cantante
3
37
3

28
101
42
3
mf
46
3
for online perusal only
3
50
3 3
3
3 3
54
cresc.
f
59
dim.
p

102
8. Scenes from Traditional Life No. 1
31
8
mf
q = 60
p
pp
AKIN EUBA (NIGERIA)
(b. 1935)
mp
simile
12
15
mf
for online perusal only
f
mf
p
mp
cresc.
19
mp
cresc.
mp sempre
Copyright © 2007 Akin Euba: “Scenes from Traditional Life No. 1” (1st movement). Verlag Neue Musik GmbH, Grabbeallee 15, D-1356 Berlin,
Germany.

32
23
mf
27
mf
simile
mp
mp
103
30
mf
mp
33
mf
mp
36
mf
for online perusal only
mp
39
mf
mp
cresc.
mf
f

34
104
for Mario
9. Scherzino
With elegance and vivacity
3
3 3 3
mf
sempre staccato
ANDRÉS WHEATLEY (VIRGIN ISLANDS)
(b. 1916)
3 3
3
5
for online perusal only
3
( )
3
3
3
f
10
3
16
3
f
Copyright © 2008, Oxford University Press, Inc.

21
27
1.
34
39
3
Brillante
mp
3
2. Grotesque
44
3
3
3
105
for online perusal only
3
3
3
3
3
3
35

Allegro
106
10. Nimble Feet
From Dances in the Canebrakes
FLORENCE B. PRICE (USA)
(1887–1953)
mf
7
13
37
for online perusal only
19
f
LH
mf
LH
RH
f
LH
25
mf
LH
LH
RH
LH
ff
LH
sfz
LH
A recording of this piece is available on the CD “Asa” (MSR Classics, MS1242).
Copyright © 1953 (Renewed) EMI MILLS MUSIC, INC. All Rights Controlled and Administered by EMI MILLS MUSIC, Inc. (Publishing)
and ALFRED PUBLISHING CO., INC.(Print) All Rights Reserved,. Used with Permission

38
107
31
37
p
f
mp
simile
mp
43
49
cresc.
56
62
for online perusal only
mf
simile
f

40
108
11. Cell Phone Blues
q = 72
mf espress.
7
ED BLAND
(b. 1926)
for online perusal only
13
16
Copyright © 2000, Osmund Music, Inc. (BMI)
19
22
mp
mf

109
41
25
28
for online perusal only
31
34
37
mf
mp
3
3
40

44
110
12. Papillons
OSWALD RUSSELL (JAMAICA)
(b. 1933)
Vif q. = 76
mp
Ped.
3
Ped.
for online perusal only
Ped.
6
(Ped.)
simile
sf
simile
9
Ped.
mp
Ped.
Copyright © 1986, Oswald Russell (SUISA). Used by permission. All rights reserved.

111
45
12
(Ped.)
Ped.
15
Ped.
sf
simile
18
cresc.
for online perusal only
p
21
mf en dehors
con Ped.

13. Variations on an Egyptian Folksong
Theme
GAMAL ABDEL–RAHIM (EGYPT)
(1924-88)
49
h = 69
p
5
mf
f
9
pp
13
p
17
dim.
pp
A recording of this piece is available on the CD “Senku” (MSR Classics, MS1091).
112
for online perusal only
Copyright © 1969, Ludwig Doblinger (B. Herzmansky) KG., Vienna-Munich

50
113
Variation 1
Flowing q. = 72
p
Ped.
Ped.
simile
5
10
cresc.
15
dim.
for online perusal only
20

114
Variation 2
51
Flowing q. = 66
p
espress.
5
p
10
poco a poco cresc.
14
for online perusal only
f dim.
18
mp
dim.
p

52
115
Variation 3
Devoutly q = 60
p
7
espress.
13