Abstract:
Form is a term used in music to refer to the structural make-up of a musical composition. It exposes the basic shape of the composition that gives it its distinctive character. A comparative analysis between classical and popular music discloses that popular music can be identified by its lack of structural complexity and depth. Popular music, generally, maintains a basic song structure; that basic song structure is the ABABCB form. The structural organization of the Western-influenced Nigerian popular music is not different from other modern popular music genres. Three standard sections of A—verse, B—chorus, and C—bridge are basic. Even when an instrument is allowed a solo expression, the solo is based on one or more of these standard sections. Sometimes, all of these sections are not used in a composition; and the composer determines the format of usage in his structural erection. A structural analysis of Majek Fashek’s Send Down the Rain disclosed a formal design of AAABCB. It is hoped that this study would lend a voice to the burgeoning scholarly interest in the popular music of Africa.
