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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Early Church Music was restricted to Church worship and religious ceremony. When the Children
of Israel were asked to sing some of their songs in Babylonian captivity, they replied ―How can
we sing the Lord‘s song in a strange land?‖ (Psalm 137:4) Christianity in Africa toed the same
pathway at the early stage. The missionaries banned the use of traditional music in the Churches
because they believed the music had pagan conotations. However, at the beginning of the
twentieth century, the Missionaries grip of music in the Churches began to wane. One of the
significant developments in Christianity in Nigeria since the beginning of the twentieth century is
the rapid growth of indigenous Church music. According to Omojola (1995:9), factors
responsible for this major development include, the emergence of Western educated elite, and a
spirit of cultural awakening, when the educated elite in Nigeria realiased that political and
economic independence needed to be preceded by a greater awareness of their own culture. The
style of church music introduced by the Missionaries was alien to the local populace, this inspired
the need to Africanise the European hymns through translation of the lyrics into Nigerian
indigenous languages. Vidal (2012), noted that Southern Nigeria started to develop its own
brands of European Church music by the beginning of the twentieth century. Music is an integral
part of Church worship. One can easily identify a particular denomination by mere hearing the
songs from a distance. The Catholics, Anglicans, and Methodists are known for Hymns, chants
and native airs, the Penticoastals preform mainly lyric airs and spirituals; while the Adventists are
known for hymns and indigenous lyric airs. In recent times, the role of Church music in African
societies has gone beyond denominational identity because it is now freely used for daily
activities in our society. Church music is widely played and listened to at relaxation centres,
Polictical rallies and social gatherings. The importance of indigenous Church music cannot be
over emphasized, because of its lyrics which are mostly lifted from the Bible, it sermonizes,
comforts, converts, condoles and teaches morality.

Liturgical Church music in Nigeria can be categorized under five main headings, namely:
Hymns, Anthems, Spirituals, Chants and indigenous lyric airs.
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This work focuses on the indigenous liturgical songs of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in
Ngwa land. The study traced the origin, efficacy, acceptability and impact of the songs on
Christian worshipers. It transcribed and analyzed selected indigenous liturgical lyric airs, used for
church worship, evangelism, wedding, burial, and other religious ceremonies in the Seventh Day
Adventist faith.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

In spite of the large repertoire of indigenous songs used for worship in the Seventh Day Adventist
Church in Ngwa land, no documentation of the original compositions is available. The songs are
orally preserved. They are neither notated in staff nor in tonic-solfa, but they pass from generation
to generation through the church song leaders and Choirmasters. This system carries along with it
the problems of oral transmission method, such as variation of the original work and the identity
problem. In other to ameliorate these problems, it is believed that documenting the songs through
musical transcription will be appropriate.

1.3 Aims and Objectives of the Study

The aims and objectives of this research therefore are to examine the role of indigenous songs and
its impact on the congregation of the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Ngwa land. The work
sets out to study the forms and structural patterns of the lyric airs, and investigate the creative
patterns, use of scales and adherence of the music to the tonal inflexions of the words.

1.4 Significance of the Study

The Seventh Day Adventist Church is one of the prominent Western Churches in Nigeria. It has a
large fellowership. Studying its music is important for archival purposes and for the sake of
posterity. This research is of great importance because it reintroduces the songs of the pioneer
composers which have almost gone into oblivion, and uses them to educate the modern
composers to maintain the legacy of composing songs that portray the fundamental beliefs of the
Church. The study provides both scholarly and detailed ethno-musicological information on the
liturgical songs of the Seventh Day Adventist church. Without bias, the study has immensely
contributed to the knowledge of liturgical music in the Eastern states of Nigeria. The
documentation and analysis of the music carried out in the study are of great value to scholars,
pastors and choristers of the Seventh Day Adventist church, as well as professional musicians. It
has opened more doors for similar studies on liturgical music of other churches in Abia State.
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1 .5 Research Methodology

The methodology used include, interviews and participant observation at choir rehearsals and
Church services. The key informants were Choirmasters, instrumentalists, and Pastors of selected
churches. Choirs from ten districts of the Seventh Day Adventist Church within Aba City formed
the focus group. Data collected were later analyzed during deskwork. In the analysis, data
collected were carefully weighed in the balances of the existing literature on the object of the
study to ensure that the objectives were achieved. The research equipment used for the study
includes tape recorder, digital camera, jotters and stationaries.

Participant observation method was primarily used in this work. Most of the song composers had
already waxed some of the songs in DVDs and VCDs, so the researcher listend to them and
joined the Choirs to perfom the songs during church services before going to search for the
composers. The researcher visited and interviewed the executive secretaries of Aba East and Aba
South conferences and collected the membership records of the two conferences and the actual
locations of the district headquarters. Futhermore, the researcher witnessed the Church
organization of Ama-orji Ukwu church in Aba East conference, held on 26-27th April 2013.

The researcher also attended a workshop organized for Choir masters and songs leaders in Aba
East conference, held on 5th May, 2013. At the conference choir rehearsal held on 19th May, 2013,
the researcher had the opportunity of meeting with majority of the song composers within the Aba
East conference, and subsequently visited ten district choirs within the two conferences during
their monthly district choir rehearsals. The Disrticts visited are stated below.

 Seventh-Day Adventist Church Aba Central District. No. 1 School Road Aba. (13/9/2014;
time: 9am to 4pm)
 Seventh-Day Adventist Church Aba East District. No. 1 New Umuahia Road Ogbor Hill
Aba. (19/9/2014; time: 2pm)
 Seventh-Day Adventist Church Umuokahia Township District. No. 109 New Umuahia
Road, Umuokahia. (19/9/2014; time: 4pm)
 Seventh-Day Adventist Church Mawa Farm District. No. 4 Ngozi Avenue/125 Faulks
Road Aba. (21/9/2014; time: 12 noon).
 Seventh-Day Adventist Church Ngwa Road East District. No. 84a Ngwa Road Aba.
(14/9/2014; time: 10:30 am).
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 Seventh-Day Adventist Church Umuocham District. No. 120 Aba/Owerri Road Aba.
(14/9/2014; time: 2pm).
 Seventh-Day Adventist Church Abayi, Abayi District Headquarters. No. 228 Aba/Owerri
Road Aba. (28/4/2013; time: 2pm).
 Seventh-day Adventist Church Ogbor township District. No. 100/102 Ikot- Ekpene road
Ogbor hill Aba. (5/10/2014; time: 10 am)
 Seventh-day Adventist Church Umukalika/Umuagu District. No. 82 Umuagu road,
Umuagu Nkwonwaelechi Obi Ngwa L.G.A (5/10/2014; time: 2 pm.
 Seventh-day Adventist Church Ariaria District. Conner stone bus stop by Ezenwagbara
round about Ariaria, Aba PH. Road. (time: 4:30pm).

1.6 Scope of the Study

This study is focused on ten districts out of the present fifty-four districts in Aba East and Aba
South Conferences of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Ngwa land, Abia State. The aspect of
the study is indigenous liturgical songs composed by some members of the church between 1924
and 2014. In this study, the researcher documented the biographies of fifteen non art songs
composers born between 1950‘s and 1980‘s. About ninety songs were collected and analyzed.
The analysis covered text, melody, form, and scale patterns.

The musical background and training of the composers, learning process, mode and performance
of the songs were also stated. The aspects that were not covered in this present work include
harmonic principles, and the historical background of the composers that lived between 1923 and
1949. It is hoped that future researchers could continue from where the present work stopped.

1.7 Limitations of the Study

The researcher is well exposed to the musical traditions of the Seventh - day Adventists because
he has been an active member of the Church right from childhood. While in the Youth department
of the church in the early eighty‘s, the researcher participated actively in reciting short bible
passages and singing of memory texts in songs especially during thirteenth Sabbath day
celebrations. The researcher was privileged to join the adult choir earlier than his age mates,
because of his musical enthusiasm. He has good idea about the qualities and characteristics of the
liturgical choruses because he has joined in performing and teaching the songs. However, the
researcher encountered many problems while conducting his fieldwork. The first problem was
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―Personality Assumption‖. The researcher first went into the field for data collection with the
assumption that he was personally known by the Church leaders in his research area, but was
disappointed when the Aba North Conference President of the Seventh-day Adventist church
demanded for a letter of identification signed by the researcher‘s supervisor. Though this problem
was later solved when the researcher was introduced to the same church leader by one of his
respected church elder during a wedding ceremony. Again, reaching the key informants-the
composers was not an easy task, because of their different locations. Most of them are no longer
living around Ngwa. It is very difficult to identify the original composers of most of the initial
songs. The third problem was personal contact with the composers living around Ngwa. At the
initial time, it was difficult for the researcher to meet with the composers in their individual
houses because they are scattered all over the Aba City and its nearby towns. Therefore, the
researcher resolved to meeting with them in their different churches. It is interesting to note that
virtually every district of the church has more than three composers. However, many of the
composers who were not serving choirmasters were difficult to reach because of their irregularity
in attending rehearsals and church worship sessions in their resident localities. Working and
schooling at the same time is stressful in Nigeria. Finally, the inability of the researcher to write
musical scores with the computer, using the Sibelius or Finale, posed a great problem.

1.8 The plan of the Dissertation

This dissertation is arranged in five chapters. Chapter one contains the introduction,background to
the study, statement of the problem, aims and objectives of the study, significance of the study,
research methodology , scope of the study, limitations of the study, the plan of the dissertation,
theoretical framework and literature review.

Chapter two deals with historical background of the Seventh day Adventist Church in Ngwa land,
the role of the Conference Executive Committee, Departments or ministries in Seventh day
Adventist Church, the primacy of liturgical lyric airs, learning and performance of liturgical
songs.

Chapter three talks about the liturgy of Seventh day Adventist Church, worship and liturgy, the
historial background of the Seventh day Aventist Church, congregational singing, Choir
administration, and the musical background and training of composers.
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Chapter four discusses analysis, melodic structure, tonality, structural form, scale patterns, pitch
and melodic ranges, themes of of song texts.

Chapter five outlines some noticeable changes observed in the composition and performance of
liturgical songs, suggests ways for improvement, and gives a general summary and Conclusion.

1.9 Theoretical Framework and Literature Review

1.9.1 Theoretical Framework

The theoretical framework of this study is based on the concept of identity. Identity has been
defined as the individual characteristics by which a thing or person is recognized or known.
Several scholars have used this concept in various ways. Strokes (1994) and Palmberg (2003),
explained it as the unique individuality of a person, that trait that marks somebody or person out
from someone else. Furthermore, Olajubu (2003) also noted that identity as a phenomenon
encompasses a compendium of different elements that are nevertheless interconnected. According
to him, ingredients for the construction of identity are supplied by a combination of culture,
religion, power relations and myth. Ethnomusicologist, Waterman (2002) used the concept of
identity to discourse the social role of music in post-colonial Africa. According to Waterman, this
concept is related to the concept of ‗self‘ and the ‗person‘. He depicted the concept of ‗self‘ as the
internal face of identity that is subjective, psychologically unified and real, while the ‗person‘
refers to the external, socially constructed, represented and enacted identity of the individual.
Waterman further scrutinized identity as a multi-dimensional product of interaction between self
and the society. With this, he delineated the concept of the inner and outer eyes. The inner eye
(ime anya), is the locus of contemplation, imagination and creativity, while the outer eye (azu
anya) is the primary social organ, the locus of self-expression and the tactics of self-construction
through interation with others. The identity theory is very vital in the study of indigenous
liturgical songs of the Seventh day Adventists because the songs are written in indigenous
language which makes them different from the translated European songs.

1.9.2 Literature Review

Christianity which started as a small persecuted Jewish sect has now spread all over the continents
with music as a major feature of its observance. The only record of communal song of the early
church recorded in Matthew 26:30 was the last meeting of the disciples before the crucifixion,
and outside the Gospels as recorded in Ephesians 5:19 and Collossians 3:16, saint Paul
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encouraged the brethren to use Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. (Wikipedia, 2014). Part of the
genres that formed the musical traditions of the early church were Gregorian chant; Mass, a form
of music that sets out the parts of the Eucharistic liturgy (chiefly belong to the Roman Catholic
Church and the Anglican Communion) to music. For a composition to be a full mass, it must have
the stipulated invariable five sections, which forms the ordinary of the mass- Kyrie (Lord have
mercy), Gloria (Glory be to God on high), Credo (I believe in one God), Sanctus (Holy, Holy,
Holy), Agnus Dei (Lamb of God). Another form of the early Christian music was Carol. Most of
these forms are still in existence in many of the first line churches- Catholic, Anglican, and
Methodist. However, a major form of church music emerged in the 1960s, and this can be
classified under one umbrella as contemporary church music. This includes a range of styles often
influenced by popular music.

―Musical literature is full of sacred expression that has expressed eternal truth from
the soul of believers. Perhaps no vehicle of expression has more power than music
to address the conscious and subconscious mind of humankind with information
that will be retained.‖

-Gordon L. Borror (1982:10)

Gordon Borror was right when he made the forgoing statement because music is generally
believed to be the language of all living things. Apart from man, birds, animals and plants also
express gratitude to their maker through singing. Infact, the waving of plant and flower leaves are
musical expressions. Truths learned through singing have more positive impact on the mind
because it retains as long as life lasts. It could be easily remembered whenever the demand arises.
Music and culture are closely related. People‘s culture can be better expressed in their musical
practices .

In discussing musical culture, Lederach (1995) defined culture as the shared knowledge and
schemes created by a set of people. This idea means that musical culture varies from people to
people. According to Akpabot (1986), one method of finding out the culture of a people is to
examine how they conceptualize their music. Commenting on the importance of musical culture
in Christendom, Ellen G. White (1915:168) asserts that music is one of God‘s great gift to man
and is one of the most important elements in a spiritual programme. She explained that music has
power to subdue rude and uncultivated natures and promotes harmony of action. Pipim
(2005:457) agrees with the assertions of Lederach and White and argued that any worship
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intended to be the worship of God, must first examine the musical culture applied in the worship.
Corbit (1998) further buttressed the facts by saying that any discussion of music in the context of
Christianity must begin with God. Realising that God should always take the first position in
whatever we do, Christians must seek to please God in the kind of musical they follow. It is
expedient to follow the musical culture that is acceptable in religious worships because Pipim also
observed that there is much that is spiritually uplifting and religiously valid in the music of the
various cultural and ethnic groups; but his candid advice is that musical tastes and practices of
Christians should conform to the universal value of Christ-like character. In the same vein,
Johansson (1992) admitted that in the past, Christians have been influenced by the general culture
into believing that there are no aesthetic absolutes in musical culture. As earlier observed, these
contributions to musical culture claim that music which must achieve Godly standards must be
devoid of secular influence; it must be beautifully composed and skillfully performed.

The Webster‘s Universal Dictionary and thesaurus (2010:361) defined philosophy as the study of
the principles underlying conduct, thought, and the nature of the universe; general principles of a
field of knowledge; a particular system of ethics; composure and calmness. The word philosophy
can be termed a ―mystery‖ because it has no single definite definition, but the different views of
philosophers about philosophy are summarized in the Encyclopedia Britannica, inc; vol. 14,
(1974:248). Rene Descartes‘ view of philosophy is a method of reflective thinking and inquiry.
Writing under the caption, philosophy and vision of Women ministry in the Seventh-day
Adventist Church, Ellen White noted that God has a work for women as well as for men. She
explained that like the women of the bible, modern women can come close to the hearts of those
whom men cannot reach. She advocated that the labour of women is needed now in the work of
soul winning. (Welfare Ministry p.145; Testimony for the Church, vol. 4. P.642; Testimony
Treasures, vol. 2, p. 405; Evangelism p. 404, 471).

To worship is to show love, devotion and honour to God (or a god), the most common worship is
the gathering of people in a Church service or in a Mosque. Osadolor (1982), described worship
in religious circle as ―the veneration ascribed to a supernatural being and the series of ritual
actions associated with the exercise.‖According to Allen W. Foster, worship in the Christian
church begins and ends on the hope that Christ has died, risen, and will come again. Worship
involves an attitude of mind and heart which enables man to love God with all his being. Worship
complements liturgy, and Norval (1967) affirms this to be true in his comment on theology and
liturgy. He explained that worship cannot take place without liturgy; he further argued that it is in
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the order of service that theology and liturgy meet. According to him, they meet either to
harmonise or clash. God alone is to be worshiped. Christians are admonished to avoid rivals in the
worship of God. ―Worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.‖
(Revelation 14:7)

Webster‘s Universal Dictionary and Thesaurus (2010:239) defined history as a record or account
of past events. However, Nzewi (2007) in his historical arts of musical events expanded the
definition of history thus:

History is a chronological record of events that have shaped the

development/advancement of a people and/or ideas overtime. It is also a
record of events and developments/advancements that have altered the
normative state of a people and/or ideas. History, therefore, is about
outstanding or extraordinary ideas and events in a given human
geographical place at various periods in time, along with the key persons at
the centre of such momentous occurrences. (p.185).

In a nutshell, Nzewi‘s widened definition of history means that every individual, both young and
old, living in a given environment, contributes to the historical records of that particular area.
Child birth and dedication in a church or local naming ceremonies, the communal wars fought
and won or lost, and so on, all make up the history of any particular area.

The term, liturgy means a ritual for public worship. Pope Benedict xvi (1995) explained that true
liturgy instructs and uplifts the heart; it allows the buried song to resound in man once again. He
argued that true liturgy is recognizable because it is cosmic and not limited to a group. He went
on to say that true liturgy sings with the angels, and true liturgy is silent with the expectant depths
of the universe. He concludes that true liturgy redeems the earth. From his explanations, we
conclude that liturgy is of God, because it is God who created and who also redeems, and as the
saying goes that for everything worthwhile there is a counterfeit, therefore, Christians should
avoid a mixture of godly and worldly liturgy in singing. Singing of lyric airs is one aspect of a
church‘s liturgy.

Hustad (1993), and Barry Liesch (1996), and Faseun (2005) defined chorus or choruses (lyric
airs) as ―Spontaneous songs performed often in vernacular but sometimes in other languages. A
short song which expresses a single idea of praise, thanksgiving and doctrine. Choruses
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communicate freshness to our faith as well as relate Christianity to contemporary culture.

Choruses are naturally simple to perform because of their short melodic motifs. They are also
transmitted easily from one group of singers to another in African societies. Akpabot (1986),
writing on the nature of African music explains that it is not written down; rather it passes from
one generation to the other through oral tradition. Olaniyan (2002) supports this idea of musical
proficiency passing on from one generation to the other with the example of the Yoruba dundun
drumming and confirms that through this way, musical arts are perprtuated in a musical family.

Music is a universal language, but its texts are not universal because it varies. Texts of songs in
Africa are usually written in accordance with the tonal inflections of the spoken language.
According to Merrian (1964), music influences language as language also influences music. He
explained that song texts reveal a number of problems bordering on the individual and the society
at large, it shapes and enforces the molding of public opinion. Song texts according him reflect
the attitudes and values in African cultures. Agu (1984) supports this idea with the illustration of a
pregnant mother who participates in musical activities with her child strapped firmly to her back.
He argued that the child will eventually imbibe the musical culture of his/her parents through
listening to the lullabies sung to lull the baby to sleep. Finally, Akpabot (1986) asserts that
fourteen categories of song texts are easily recognizable in African music, he therefore grouped
them under three main headings: Praise songs, songs of insult, and songs for entertainment.

Baptism and burial are spiritually connected. Baptism signifies burial of the old life and
acceptance of new life in Christ. This is the meaning of the Bible verse which says ―If any man be
in Christ, he is a new creation.‖ To be in Christ is to live a life of self-surrender to the will of God.
Bonhoffer (1963) argued that by baptism, the old life is left behind; the baptized is dragged out
his comfort zone into absolute surrender to truth. He went further to say that the first step that
follows the call, cuts the Disciple off from his/her previous existence. John Paul 11 (1983) and
Ngwoke (1987) assert that the sacrament confers on the baptized his ecclesiastical personality.

Dele Giwa in Okafor (1999) observed that death is so final that it brings grief, sorrow and tears,
and strikes with such cruelty that it chooses often as victims the best among the living. It trumpets
the worth of the dead who lived unsung and makes him a hero of some sort. This belief is true; the
message is clearly driven home in the famous hymn written by CARRIE, E. ROUNSEFILL
which says ―only remembered by what we have done‖. A Pastor once preached that death is the
most obedient messenger of God on earth. He argued that death is ever ready to kill anyone
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immediately God permits. It does not waste a second to take its subject. The hope of every child
of God is anchored in the words of Apostle Paul …the trumpet shall sound, and the dead will be
raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed

1.9.3 Emergence of New Musical Genres in Nigeria

Commenting on the emergence of Nigerian popular music, Euba (1977) posited that new types of
popular music suitable for use in night clubs, which are mostly adaptations of traditional music,
have been developed. On the other hand, Lynn (1967), talked about the early development of
church music in Nigeria noting that melodies of songs used for traditional religious celebrations
were fixed to new Christian texts in order to attract pagans to the church. The forgoing has
become the basic projection of the contemporary Gospel music. She explained that one of the
objectives of church music which is entertainment of Christians has become the mainstay of
contemporary Gospel music bands. Furthermore, she noted that church music before 1920s,
consists mostly of Christian hymns sung in English and indigenous languages. It is right here to
say that Lynn‘s submission tallies with the advent of indigenous songs in the Seventh Day
Adventist Church in Nigeria. Kehinde (1992), wrote that Gospel music in Nigeria developed from
Ibadan by Akinpelu, the first to launch Gospel Choral Group in 1950, with the sole objective to
evangelize and entertain within and outside the church, through waxing of records and public
performances. One of his contemporary, Adeosun who started his Gospel music band in Lagos
noted that two factors that propelled the launching of these groups were the growth of
entertainment music, and the availability of western musical instruments like the guitar, horns and
the electronic keyboards which were used together with the indigenous instruments.
Consequently, other factors that contributed to the development of Gospel music include the rapid
emergence of indigenous churches and the agitation to indigenize Christian method of worship.
Adeosun also asserted that Nigerian Gospel music developed from celebrations of Cchristian
festivals like Easter, Christmas and harvest thanksgiving. During the aforesaid occasions, special
indigenous composed songs were performed by the Choir. In the beginning, English hymns and
canticles were accompanied with the organ; rattle (sekere), bell (agogo) and drums were later
added. In discussing Nigerian music as entertainment, Akpabot (1986), indirectly observed that
Nigerian gospel music falls among other hybrid forms for entertainment at social gatherings. On
the other hand, Ekwueme (1973/74) reiterated that one of the outstanding characteristics of
African music in comparison with western music is its functionality. The African lifestyle is
musical from cradle to the grave. Omibiyi (1979), discussing Nigerian composers, merged it with
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the history of indigenous church music in Nigeria, which is in agreement with Sowande
(1967:256). She further explained that indigenous church music provided the basis for Nigerian
creative music, the type, she said belongs to Indigenous Gospel music. She claimed that the use of
indigenous music in churches grew out of the need for the educated Christians to discover and
preserve their culture. The contributions of these early church musicians helped to lay a solid
foundation for modern Nigerian creative music. Etim (2006:20)

1.9.4 Worship Practice in the Seventh Day Adventist Church

One Adventist author wrote, ―Worship involves an attitude of mind and heart which enables man
to love God with all his being‖. Norval (1967), commenting on the Adventist theology of liturgy
posits that:

Worship cannot take place without liturgy. And it should be the right kind of
liturgy, reflecting Seventh-day Adventist theological beliefs .It is in the order of
service that theology and liturgy meet. Here they harmonize or clash.(p. 51)

Many people agree that worship is a time when we set aside our personal and ideological
differences to worship our Creator with a unified spirit. Worship and theology are linked.
Worship is the act of praising God for who He is, and theology is the act of discerning who God is
and how He works in the world. Therefore, how we praise God will reflect our theological
viewpoints and reveal what we truly think about Him. John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist
Church, suggested that one‘s theology is influenced by four factors. He identified the factors as
faith, reason, Scripture, and tradition.He didn‘t mean, however, that all sides are equally
authoritative.He acknowledged that the Bible was foundational, but he also recognized that one‘s
individual faith, ability to reason, and religious tradition affect the way in which the Bible is
interpreted.

In the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the major weekly church worship occurs on Saturday,
typically commencing with Sabbath school which is a structured time of small-group study at
church. All Adventist congregations make use of an officially produced ―Sabbath School lesson
guide‖, which deals with a particular Biblical text or doctrine every quarter.

Special meetings are provided for children and youth in different age groups during this time
(analogous to Sunday school in other churches). The Sabbath School study lasts between fifty
minutes to one hour. After a brief break, the community joins together again for a church service
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that follows a typical evangelical format, with a sermon as a central feature. Corporate singing,
Choir renditions, Scripture readings, prayers and an offering, including tithing (or money
collection), are other standard features. Between three to five persons officiate during this second
segment of worship called ―divine service‖.

The end of each quarter is usually tagged high Sabbath or thirteenth Sabbath and is celebrated.
The celebration gives every member of the local Church a quarterly opportunity to showcase his
or her talent in special song renditions and recitation of memory verses and Bible passages
committed to memory. This event also allows members to invite their friends and neighbors to
attend Sabbath school with them. The Sabbath school department always encourage members to
bring their lunch to churh on the thirteenth Sabbath for everyone to eat together. The last Saturday
of every month is also another high Sabbath for birthday celebrants. Everyone born within the
month, including all that married, baptized or had any memorable event which occurred within
that month are called out for special prayers during the Sabbath school session.

SABBATH SCHOOL PROGRAMME

TOPIC: CREATION, A BIBLICAL THEME DATE: January

19-25, 2013.

SONG SERVICE: Conducted by Song leader/s --------------------------------------------------

OPENING HYMN: SDAH/ABU OTUTO ---------------------------------------------------------

OPENING PRAYER …………………………………………………

BIBLEREADING ………………………………………………….

SUPERINTENDENT‘S OPENING REMARK……………………………………………..

SECRETARY‘S REPORT ……………………………………………………………….

SPECIAL SONG ………………………………………………………………………...

MISSION STORY ………………………………………………………………………….

LESSON STUDY:
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SMALL ACTION UNITS, OUTREACH ACTIVITIES, MISSING MEMBERS, LESSON

APPLICATION.

Welcoming of Visitors ……………………………………………………………….........

Family Song ………………………………………………………………………………

SUPERINTENDENT‘S CLOSING REMARK …………………………………………….

CLOSING HYMN/ABU OTUTO ………………………………………………………….

CLOSING PRAYER ……………………………………………………………………...

DIVINE SERVICE PROGRAMME

Musical prelude …………………………………………..Organist/Choir procession

Ministers enter

Call to worship

Doxology

Invocation

Welcome

Opening song/Hymn …………………………………………………..Congregational

Scripture reading

Pastoral prayer

Call for tithe and offering

Special Music ………………………………………………………….Choir rendition

Sermon

Closing song/Hymn ……………………………………………………Congregational

Benediction.
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1.9.5 Sabbath School Activities

The Adventist Sabbath School work, the general equivalent of Sunday school of other
denominations, began in 1852, when James White wrote the first Sabbath School lesson guide. A
Sabbath-keeping former Millerite preacher and one of the founders of the Seventh-day Adventist
Church, White organized the first regular Sabbath School around 1853 in Rochester, New York.
Early Sabbath Schools had only two divisions, one for children and one for the adult class.
Teachers placed much emphasis on the memorization of Scripture.

In 1863, the first series of Sabbath School lessons adapted for Children was published in the
Adventist Review and Herald. Uriah Smith, another early Adventist pioneer, made the publication
possible. However, a major reorganization of the Sabbath School Department took place at the
1985 General Conference session when it became a part of the newly created Church Ministries
Department. At the 1995 General Conference session, the Church Ministries Department was
dissolved and the Sabbath School was re-established in combination with Personal Ministries.
Presently, this Department is known as the Sabbath School/ Personal Ministries Department of
the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventists.

The Sabbath School has four specific objectives which include: Study of the word, Fellowship,
Community outreach, and world Mission emphasis. NACHOR ( 2011) opined that:

The mission of the Sabbath School is to be a system of local church religious

education that builds faith and practice. The Sabbath School is based at the local
Church. It builds faith through the study of the Scriptures and the doctrines and
teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It builds practice through the
application of Biblical principles and the teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist
Church to the individual lives of the Sabbath School members (P. 5)

To keep the weekly Sabbath holy, Adventists abstain from secular work on Saturday. They will
also usually refrain from purely secular forms of recreation, such as competitive sport and
watching non-religious programs on television. However, nature works, such activities that are
compassionate in nature such as taking care of the sick, and visiting to console the suffering ones
and providing their immediate needs to alleviate their sufferings, are encouraged. Much of Friday
might be spent in preparation for the Sabbath; for example, preparing meals and tidying homes.
Sabbath morning worship commences with song service, usually from 8: 30 am to 12 noon.
 16

Sabbath afternoon activities vary widely depending on the cultural, ethnic and social background.
In some churches, members and visitors will participate in a fellowship (or ―potluck‖) lunch and
AYS (Adventist Youth Service). From about 4 pm to 6 pm, members gather again in the church
for in-depth Bible study and close of the Sabbath at Sunset. Bible study equips the members for
outreach and spirituality. Apostle Paul and Peter stated:

Study to show thyself approved unto God, workman that needeth not to be
ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth; Knowing this first that no prophecy of
the scripture is of any private interpretation. For prophecy came not in old time by
the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy
Ghost.( 2 Tim.2:15; 2 Peter 1:20,21).

The study is usually systematic, for it is done precept upon precept, here a little and there a little,
comparing scripture with scripture. Much of the Bible study materials are taken from the spirit of
prophecy writings of Ellen G. White, one of the coo-founders of the Church.

1.9.6 Weekly Activities

The three major weekly activities of the Seventh-day Adventist Church are Mid. Week prayer,
Sundown worship, and cottage meetings.

Apostle Paul admonished Christians not to forsake the assembling together of brethren (Hebrews
10:25) in response to Pauls‘ admonition, Christian denominations assign certain days of the
week, apart from the main worship day as special spiritual meeting days. In the Seventh-day
Adventist Church, general prayer meetings are held every Wednesday morning or evening
depending on the Choice of the local Church. In many of the township Churches, the Mid. Week
prayer holds in the evening. It is usually preceeded by Sabbath School teachers class which holds
for one hour, between 5:30 to 6:30pm. There is usually ten to fifteen minutes song service before
commencing the prayer session at about 7 pm. Members meet to praise and thank God and also
submit their prayer requests and pray in groups. During the service, members are given the
opportunity for testimonies and special song renditions. One or two persons are usually assigned
to coordinate the program each week.

…From the rising of the Sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great… and
in every place incense shall be offered unto my name… says the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 1:11)
 17

Before the setting of the Sun on Fridays it is required of every family to assemble to read God‘s
word, to sing and pray.And as the Sun goes down on Saturday the members also gather in their
family circles or preferably in the Church house at the close of the Sabbath to invite God‘s
presence through the cares of the following week. Sundown worships are held on Friday
evenings, from 6 to 7 pm, to welcome in the Sabbath; and on Saturday evenings from 5 to 6 pm
for the close of the Sabbath. The Friday program is usually concluded with activities from the
Youth Ministries Department.

Cottage meeting or house fellowship is held once a week, usually on Mondays. It is a Church
programme designed to unite members of the Sabbath School unites living in a particular area
together. The venue for the meeting rotates among the members of a particular unit. It is written
of the early Church, that they continued daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread
from house to house, did eat their food with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God, and
having favor with all the people. (Acts 2: 46)

Through cottage meetings, the immediate needs of some church members are identified and
attended to by the unit members or reported to the entire Church membership in some
circumstances. Once a week, between 6 to 7 pm, unit members meet to sing, study the word and
pray together. Many erring or backsliding members have retured back to the Church through the
weekly cottage meeting activities.
 18

CHAPTER TWO

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

This chapter discusses the advent of the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Ngwa land, the role of
the Conference Executive Committee, departments or ministries of the church, primacy of
liturgical lyric airs in Adventist faith, learning and performance of liturgical songs.

2.1 Brief History of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Ngwa land.

According to Njoku (2013:11) The Seventh- day Adventist church was established in Aba in
1923, by Pastor Jesse Clifford and his wife. They arrived Aba in April, 1923 and settled at the
area called ―Umuola- Okpulo‖ located at Abayi Ama-irinasaa autonomous community, now
―Umuola-Okpulo‖ autonomous community in Eastern Ngwa, Ogbor Hill area of Aba. The East
Nigera Conference was organized in 1930; reorganized in 1971, 1977, 1986, and 2003. The
further reorganization of the defunct East Nigeria Conference gave rise to a new Conference- the
Aba South Conference in 2011.

The dream of Aba South Conference started as early as 1995, at the then Nigerian Union Mission
sixth quinquennial session. There, the planning committee recommended to the then East Nigeria
Conference (ENC) Executive committee to further reorganize ENC into Anambra-Imo Mission,
Ubakala-Ngwa Mission and Aba South Mission. However, this idea went into coma as a result of
ENC constituency held in January 1997 where Pastor G.C. Nwaogwgwu took over from Pastor J.
O. Achilihu.

Thirteen years later, during the Eastern Nigeria Union Mission (ENUM) constituency held in Port
Harcourt, a recommendation was given to further reorganize Conferences within ENUM territory
for administrative convenience. On February 18, 2011, this recommendation of ENUM was put
into action by ENC (2011:51); on April 8, 2011, the executive Committee of ENC under Pastor
M. C. Njoku as President voted into action the reorganization of the Conference into three
Conferences (2011:101). As a result, stakeholders meetings were held for selection of name and
site for the conferences. Consequently, Aba South Conference was unanimously accepted with its
permanent site at Alaoma, along Aba Port Harcourt express way. By March 17, 2012, Aba South
Conference was inaugurated as an administrative unit. When the West-Central African Division
(WAD) survey team led by Pastor Onaolapo Ajibade visited the area in August 2012, they were
satisfied with the progress so far made. As a result by January 3, 2013, Aba South Conference
 19

received a Conference status. The Seventh-day Adventists are well known for their Biblical faith,
quality hospitals and good educational institutions. The directors of Aba South Conference are as
follows:

Pastor N.N.C ONWTUEBE (Youth, Stewardship and Sabbath School Deapartment) Pastor O. H.
EKEKE(Ministerial Secretary) Pastor AHUAMAH LEVI DOBSON(Sabbath School, personal
ministry and Evangelism Department) Pastor S.N. ONWUNATA(Publishing , SOP, VOP) MRS.
ULOMA EMELOGU(Adventist Women Ministries Department) DEACNS. IJEOMA UKOHA
(AWM Asso. Director) DR. ELEWEKE N. (Health and Temperance) MRS. ADAKU
CHINAGOZI (AWM Secretary) BARR. I. S. NWOGU (PARL and Legal Adviser) MRS. SAL
EGBULEFU (Education) ELD. IHESIABA I. EGBU (Asso. Dir. Education-ASC).

2.2 The Role of the Conference Executive Committee.

What are the duties of an Executive Committee?
According to Blake Ryan (2014) An Executive Committee makes decisions on behalf of the
board of Directors. An Executive Committee is a group of Directors that are chosen to act on
behalf of an organization‘s board of Directors. Normally, an Executive Committee is composed of
a Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer. There are many duties they perform as an
executive Committee such as making policies, budget planning, coordination and review of
budgets, confirmation of appointments etc.

The Executive Committee of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is elected at regular Quadrennial
sessions. It includes the Conference administrators, departmental directors, the manager of the
denomination‘s institutions (Schools and Colleges), lay representatives, and the Maranatha press.
The Conference President chairs the executive committee, while the conference Secretary serves
as Secretary. The Executive Committee members list include:

Administrators

1. The President
2. Secretary
3. Treasurer

Departmental Directors

4. Children/Women Ministries
 20

5. Communication/Education
6. Personal Ministries/Sabbath School
7. Youth/Chaplaincy
8. Public Affairs and Religious Liberty-PARL
9. Publishing Ministry
10. Ministerial Secretary/Stewardship
11. Frontier Missions-Adventist Relieve Agency(ADRA)
12. Planned Giving and Trust Services.

It is the duty of the Administrators, in consultation with each other, to carry forward the work
according to plans, policies and programs voted by the constituency and /or the Conference‘s
Executive Committee. These plans, policies and programs are in harmony with the doctrines and
actions adopted and approved by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in its
quinquennial sessions.

2.3 Departments or Ministries in Seventh Day Adventist Church

Over ten ministries exist within the Seventh-day Adventist church, but a brief history of the three
prominent departments or ministries shall be discussed in this work. The departments are: The
youth ministry, Women ministry, and Men‘s organization.

The Church is the Christian community. The growth and popularity of any community depends
on her vision for the young people, because it is often said that the young people are the leaders of
tomorrow. The four dynamics of a Christian community which are judiciously employed by the
Church for the proper upbringing of the youths include: Fellowship, Nurture, Worship, and
Mission. The Biblical base for the youth ministry is taken from Deuteronomy and Isaiah:

―Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one. You shall love the Lord your God with
all your soul, and with all your might. And these words which I command you
today shall be in your heart; you shall teach them diligently to your children and
shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when
you lie down, and when you rise up‖. ―All your children shall be called of the Lord
and great shall be the peace of your children‖. (Deuteronomy 6; Isaiah 54:13).

For the first forty years (1840-1879), it was taken for granted that the youths were members of the
Church. However, in 1879, young Luther Warren and Harry Fenner began the first youth society
 21

in Luther‘s home. They were seventeen and fourteen years old respectively. Their initial plan was
to raise money for missionary work that could promote the cause of temperance and wide
distribution of literature. Consequently, their vision gave rise to the first youth group called the
Sunshine Bands in 1901. In 1907, the name was changed to Seventh –day Adventist young
people‘s Department of Missionary Volunteers MV. In 1972, it was called youth Department of
missionary volunteers YDMV. In 1979—Adventist youth Department. In 2005, it became a full
fledged Church ministry, with the name Youth ministries Department, comprising Adventurer
club, Pathfinder club, and the senior youth society.

Every member of the Church is supposed to have full participation in the youth ministry. The
Adventurer club accommodates the children from age 6-9; Pathfinder club, age 10- 15, senior
youth, age 16-30 years; Adventist youth volunteers fall under the age group of 31 and above. The
principles of the youth ministry include instructing them in the requirements and commandments
of God; reminding them of God‘s leading in the past, and challenging them to live by God‘s word
in the future. Ellen White in her messages to young people noted that:

Preachers, or laymen advanced in years, cannot have on half of the

influence upon the young that the youth, devoted to God‘ can have on their
associates… with such an army of workers, as our youth, properly trained,
might furnish, how soon the message of a crucified, risen, and soon coming
Savior might be carried to the whole world (P.25, 196).

The primary focus of the youth ministry is the salvation of Youth through Jesus Christ. Their task
is to lead youth to discover their individual worth and to develop their spiritual gift and abilities;
to equip and empower youth for a life of service within God‘ Church and community; to ensure
the integration of youth into all aspects of Church life, which means full participation in the
mission of the Church. The most outstanding club in the Adventist Youth ministries is the
Pathfinder Club.

The Pathfinder Club is the equivalent of the Scout Association. The pathfinder Club is a world
wide program organized and directed by the youth Department of the General Conference of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church. It offers a wide range of learning experiences for young people,
between 10 to 15 years of age and is operated by the local Seventh-day Adventist Church under
the direction and control of the local Conference youth director.Each Pathfinder Club is
administered by a club director, deputy directors, counselors, instructors, chaplain, secretary, and
 22

treasurer. The club is divided into separate units, each unit average is between six to eight
Pathfinders, including a captain and scribe. The Pathfinder Club has a flag, bearing the
Pathfinder‘s Club Emblem. The flag is flown at local Church and conference Pathfinder programs
and activities. There is a specially designed full-dress uniform and also a field uniform. The
Pathfinder Club has a pledge and law, highlighting the spiritual basis on which the Club is built.
The Club operates on a 9, 10, 11, or 12 month calendar year, with a weekly or biweekly program
of at least one and half, two, or three hours duration. Within this one and half, two, or three hour
period, the Pathfinders perform drill and marching, crafts and/or hobbies and games, as well
taking part in devotional activities and classwork. There are six classes, with given names, which
begin at 10 years of age and conclude at 15 years.

The Pathfinder Anthem Oh, we are the Path-finders strong; the servants of God are we,
faithful as we march a long, in kindness, truth and purity a message to tell to the World, a truth
that will set us free, King Jesus the Savior is coming back for you and me.
 23

The Adventist Women Ministry (AWM) is another vibrant department in the Seventh-day
Adventist Church. The Adventist Women‘s Ministries in Nigeria started as Dorcas Welfare
Society in 1914. It operated on local Church, District, Mission and Conference levels nationwide.
Its first national conventation in Nigeria was held in Aba in 1978. Since then, national
conventions in different parts of the Country have followed every three years. In 1990, Women‘s
ministries Department was established at the General Conference, World Headquarters of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church. This led to the transformation of Dorcas Welfare Society into
Adventist Women‘s Ministries in Nigeria in 1994.

The Adventist Women‘s Ministries in Nigeria is among the registered Non-Governmental

Organisations (NGO) with the Co-operate Affairs Commission (CAC) of Nigeria. Past and
present Directors of the Adventist Women‘s Ministries in Aba East, South, and North
Conferences include: Mrs. Miranda Jumbo, Mrs. Roseline Wagbara, Dr. Mrs. Sal Okwubunka,
Mrs. C. Uloma Emelogu, Mrs. Ahurue C. Ubani-Ukoma, and Mrs. Bridget Ndulewe.

The goals and objectives of the Women Ministries include: Providing support system for hurting
Women suffering from divorce, abuse or loneliness caused by abandonment; developing the
potentials of women in the mission of the Church and in their endeavour through leadership
training; improving the health status of women through advocacy, information, education and
communication (IEC) and development of health-related projects; improving the economic status
of women through self-reliant skills and revolving loan scheme; raising the literacy level of
women through functional literacy programmes; supporting indigent young Adventist Women
educationally through scholarship programme etc.

Some of the activities of the Adventist Women‘s Ministries include: Organizing the
International Women‘s day of prayer, which holds first Sabbath in March yearly; organizing a
yearly Women‘s Ministries Day every second Sabbath in June; participating in Area-wide retreats
and crusades; organizing prayer groups and prayer chains; Welfare services to members and non-
members; skill acquisition projects(Sewing and typing institutes);Income generating projects(Gari
processing, Soap making, Farming etc).

Before stating the philosophy, vision and statement of purpose of the Women Ministries, it is
imperative to define the word philosophy. What is philosophy? Okafor (1984 :9), opined that,
from early times the term philosophy came to stand for knowledge in general, about man and the
universe. He argued that philosophy means the study of wisdom.
 24

There is no one authentic or conclusive definition of the word philosophy because human
wisdom is limited and varies from one philosopher to another. Everyone endowed with wisdom is
a philosopher. According to Rene Descartes: Philosophy is a method of reflective thinking and
inquiry. Consequently, the different views of philosophers about philosophy is summarized in the
Encyclopedia which stated that:

… Throughout its long and varied history in the west, ―philosophy‖ has meant many
different things. Some of these have been a search of the wisdom of life (the meaning
closest to the Greek words from which the term is derived); an attempt to understand
the universe as a whole; an examination of man‘s moral responsibilities and his social
obligations; an effort to fathom the divine intentions and man‘s place with reference to
them; an effort to ground the enterprise of natural science; a rigorous examination of
the origin, extent, and validity of men‘s ideas; an exploration of the place of will or
consciousness in the universe; an examination of the values of truth, goodness, and
beauty; an effort to codify the rules of human thought in order to promote rationality
and the extension of clear thinking. Even these do not exhaust the meanings that have
been attached to the philosophic enterprise, but they give some idea of its extreme
complexity and many-sidedness (Encyclopedia Britannica, inc., Vol. 14, 1974:248).

From the explanations, it could be deducted that philosophy is an attempt by human beings to
tackle the numerous problems that impact on their very existence. The Department of Women‘s
Ministries is committed to encouraging, challenging, equipping, and nurturing Seventh- day
Adventist Women as they do their part in carrying the gospel message to the World. Ellen White
in her book, Welfare Ministry noted that:

The Lord has a work for women as well as for Men. They may take their places in
His work at this crises, and He will work through them… They can do in families a
work that Men cannot do, a work that reaches the inner life. They can come close
to the hearts of those whom men cannot reach. Their labor is needed (p. 145).

The spiritual vision of Women‘s Ministries is to know Jesus passionately and to serve and
disciple other Women. Their primary purpose is to nurture, facilitate, and support Women in their
Christian lives as disciples of Jesus Christ. Ellen G. White also posited that:
 25

We may do a noble work for God if we will. Woman does not know her power…
There is a higher purpose for Woman, a grander destiny. She should develop and
cultivate her powers, for God can employ them in the great work of saving souls
from eternal ruin (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, p. 642).

The Department of Women Ministries focuses on the six challenges identified by the Women
Ministries directors as being barriers that prevent Women from reaching their full potential. The
challenges are: Illiteracy, Poverty, Threats to health, Length of workday and poor working
conditions, Abuse, and the need for training and mentoring for greater involvement in the mission
of the Church. The Women Ministries mission is the same as that common to all Christians in
other denominations, which is up- lifting Christ in the Church and in the world. Their slogan is
Women for Christ, lift Him up; I‘m a woman of value; I‘m a Woman God can use; I love my
husband.

Ellen White, commenting on the work designed for Women noted that When a great and
decisive work is to be done, God chooses men and Women to do this work, and it will see the loss
if the talents of both are not combined. She further stressed that: All who work for God should
have the Martha and Mary attributes blended—a willingness to minister and a sincere love of the
truth. She advised that self and selfishness must be put out of sight. She noted that:

God calls for earnest Women workers, workers who are prudent, warmhearted,
tender, and true to principle. He calls for persevering Women who will take their
minds from self… and will center them on Christ, speaking words of truth, praying
with the persons, to whom they can obtain access, laboring for the conversion of
souls (Testimony Treasures, vol.2, p.405).

Based on the writings of Ellen White quoted in this work, the Women ministries in the Christian
Churches claim that they are called to : Elevate women as persons of inestimable worth because
they have been created and redeemed; enable women to deepen their faith and experience spiritual
growth and renewal; build networks among women in the world Church to encourage bonds of
friendship and mutual support and the creative exchange of ideas and information; mentor young
Christian women, encouraging their involvement, and creating paths for them as they reach for
their potential in Christ; address the concerns of women in a global context; bring women‘s
unique perspectives to the issues facing the world Church; seek expanding avenues of dynamic
Christian service for women; challenge each woman with her potential to complement the gifts
 26

given to other women and men as they work side by side to further the global mission of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church. Ellen G. White, in her book, Evangelism, also noted that:

Women can be instruments of righteousness, rendering holy service. It was Mary

that first preached a risen Jesus… If there were twenty women where now there is
one, who would make this holy mission – one –to-one ministry their cherished
work, we should see many more converted to the truth. The refining, softening
influence of Christian women is needed in the great work of preaching the truth (p.
471).

The work of women Ministries in Christian Churches today is the same as that of Dorcas in the
holy writ. Women have the compassionate mind of providing food for the lowly and suffering
persons in our society. Ellen white, in Testimony Treasures, comments that the Lord has a work
for women as well as men to do. She stressed that they may accomplish a good work for God if
they will first learn in the school of Christ the precious, all-important lesson of meekness. She
admonished that they must not only bear the name of Christ, but possess His spirit. They must
work as He walked, purifying their souls from everything that defiles. Then they will be able to
benefit others by presenting the all- sufficiency of Jesus (vol.2, p.404).

The next important organization in the Seventh-day Adventist church is the Adventist Men‘s
organization (A.M.O)

―The just man walketh in his integrity; his children are blessed after him‖. (Proverbs 20:7) The
Adventist Men‘s organization (A.M.O.)has been established primarily to promote programmes
and activities, designed to foster the spiritual, intellectual, social, moral, health and physical well-
being of students, working class, business men, professional men etc., to give them opportunities
to understand the responsibilities of Adventists men and to engage them in evangelistic activities.

The mission statement of Adventist Men‘s organization include: To provide spiritual strength and
unity amongst men. To guide, teach, counsel and mentor other men so they can become godly
men, faithful fathers, loving husbands and leaders with integrity. The Men‘s ministry objectives
are (a) To have our matured men be committed and dedicated mentors for our young men. (b) To
train our men to be effective priest loving husbands and dedicated fathers at home. (c) To increase
our respect and appreciation for our women. (d) To help all menand boys develop a richer and
 27

deeper relationship with God. Commenting on the want of honest Men, Ellen White, in her book,
happiness in education wrote:

The greatest want of the World is the want of men, Men who will not be bought or
sold, Men who in their inmost souls are true and honest, Men who do not fear to
call sin by itsright name, Men whose conscience is as true as needle to the pole,
Men who will stand for the right though the heavens fall.(p.63).

She explained that such a character is not the result of accident; it is not due to special favours or
endowment of providence. A noble character is the result of self-discipline, of the subjection of
the lower to the higher nature- the surrender of self for the service of love to God and man.

Members of Adeventist Men‘s organization are guided by some core values. Some of the values
include:

Dependability: Dependability means God and His people can count on them. They will be there
when they are needed. They will always do what they promise to do.

Honesty: Honesty is truthfulness. It means they will not lie or cheat or steal. Honesty is a cardinal
building block of a strong character and should be in play every day of their lives.

Integrity: Integrity is like a code of honor. If you have integrity, you have certain values and
beliefs that you live by. It also means you respect the values and beliefs of others. Integrity is also
one of the building blocks of character.

Loyalty: Loyalty is allegiance. It means standing by someone even when times get tough. Loyalty
is an important part of friendship.

The membership of Adventists Men‘s Organization (AMO) is open to married men and
responsible bachelors in the church. The church nominating committee nominates the AMO
leader at the end of each year. The leader and the financial secretary of AMO coordinate the
activities of the Men. There are three types of AMO in the Seventh-day Adventist Church- local
church AMO, District AMO, and Conference AMO.
 28

AMO Theme Songs:

Call Response

Adventist Men Mission to neighbor

Adventist Men Arise and shine

Adventist Men Mission to neighbor

Adventist Men Arise and shine

Adventist Men arise,

God‘s men of valour arise

Arise and shine
For your light has come
The light of salvation
God‘s Men of valour
Arise and shine
May the Lord depend on you.

God‘s men of valour arise

Make mission to neighbours
Your focal point and vision bright
To serve our Master and King
Arise and shine
For your light has come
The light of victor
Words and Music by Elder N. H. A. Nwafor (Ph.D)
29
 30

2.4 The Primacy of Liturgical Songs in Seventh day Adventist Church

Adventists are known to be conservatives in their choice of songs. The scriptures echo with the
sound of singing. At Creation ―the morning Stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted
for joy‖ (Job 38:7). The Psalmist declared, ―I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing
praise to my God while I have my being‖ (Ps. 104:33). The Apostle Paul declared that Christians
should encourage one another in the faith with Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs (Col. 3:16).
The first angel of Revelation 14 asks God‘s people to give glory to Him,… and worship Him that
made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters (Rev. 14:7).

Liturgical music exists in all religious traditions. In the historic Christian liturgical traditions,
music whose origins came from ancient Greece and Judaism, gave rise to a body of liturgical
music that developed within specific liturgical rites to serve as the vehicle for the prayer and
praise offered to God. Pope Benedict XVI (1995) posited that:

True liturgy, the liturgy of the communion of Saints, gives man once again his
completeness. It instructs him once again in silence and in singing by opening for
him the depths of the sea and by teaching him to fly- the existence of the angels.
By ―lifting up the heart;‖ true liturgy allows the buried song to resound in man
once again. Indeed, we could now actually say that true liturgy can be recognized
by the fact that it librates from everyday activity and restores to us both the depths
and the heights: Silence and singing. True liturgy is recognizable because it is
cosmic and not limited to a group. True liturgy sings with the angels, and true
liturgy is silent with the expectant depths of the Universe. And thus true liturgy
redeems the earth. (p.12)

The musical forms of the early Christian worship were initially Jewish (for instance, the chanting
of Psalms) and as the Gentile missions began, Greek music, based on the eight Greek modes were
incorporated. Following the Reformation, the Protestant Churches that emerged either modified
the western liturgical music traditions to suit their own theology and rites, or developed new
musical forms to complement their worship practices. The liturgical Choruses used by the
Seventh-day Adventists in Ngwa land are sustained by the Youth and Women ministries, choirs,
and local Sabbath School congregations. The songs are grouped under the following headings:
Adoration and praise, morning and evening worships, love of God, Majesty, faithfulness, grace,
 31

mercy, and power of God. Others include: First and second advent of Christ, life and ministry of
Jesus, consecration, faith and trust; Wedding, outreach evangelism, baptism and burial songs.

Faseun (2005) defined choruses or lyric airs as spontaneous songs performed often in vernacular
but sometimes in other languages. He goes on to explain that the term chorus is an unconventional
type of music that was developed for worship, which has clear distinct messages and
appeal.Hustad (1993)commenting on church music in worship also defined chorus as a short song
which expresses a single idea of praise, thanksgiving, and doctrine. Barry Liesch (1996) talking
about the efficacy of choruses posits that choruses communicate freshness to our faith as well as
relate Christianity to contemporary culture.
Lyric airs in the Adventist perspective are songs composed by the members of the Church who
are endowed with musical aptitude and knowledge. The songs may be short or long and written
mostly in the local dialect. This musical genre was first introduced in Umuola-Okpulo,Ogbor Hill
Church, in 1924. Many of the initial composers were converted to Adventist faith from other
Christian denominations; they were already composing choruses based on their knowledge of
traditional folk music. After being instructed in the theological beliefs of their new faith, they
began to add styles that portray the beliefs of their new faith. Akpabot (1986), commenting on
the nature of African music wrote that:

In its traditional setting, African music is not written down. In conception and
performance, it is an oral tradition handed down from generation to generation
and jealously preserved by those who have come to be known as master
musicians. (p.62)
As earlier noted, the initial composers of the songs were among the first converts to Adventist
faith in Ngwa land. However, lack of documentation made it impossible to know their exact
names, but their songs passed from generation to generation through the song leaders and
Choirmasters. The songs play the role of preparing worshipers to assimilate the message from the
pulpit during worship. The songs entertain during weddings, express gratitude during harvest
thanksgiving, water down the message during evangelisms, console during burials and draws
hearts closer to God at all times. The lyrics of the songs are usually lifted from the Bible. Three
of the initial songs that have not been forgotten are based on the Ten Commandments (Exo. 20),
Christ‘s letters to the churches (Rev. 2 & 3), and the three angel‘s message of Revelation 14:6-12
.Example: Chineke wee kwue okwu ndia nile si.
 32

And God spoke all these words saying.

Degara nzuko Efesos akwukwo.

Write a letter to the Ephesian Church.

Mu wee hu mozi ozo k‘ona-efe netiti elu igwe.

I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven.

Seventh-day Adventists believe and claim that the proclaimation of the messages conveyed in the
texts of these three songs to the world, forms the basis of the existence of the Christian Church.

From ancient times it has been the custom of famous composers to cluster in certain cities.
History records that Paris has been the main hub for Classical music of all times. It was ranked
fifth in the 15th and 16th centuries but first in the 17th and 20th centuries. London was the second
most meaningful city: eight in the 15th century, seventh in the 16th, fifth in the 17th, second in the
18th and 19th centuries, and fourth in the 20th century. Rome topped the rankings in the 15th
century, dropped to second in the 16th and 17th centuries, eight in the 18th century, ninth in the 19th
century but back at sixth in the 20th century.

Berlin appears in the top ten ranking only in the 18th century, and was ranked third most important
city in both the 19th and 20th centuries. New York entered the rankings in the 19th century (at fifth
place) and stood at second rank in the 20th century.

Ngwa land, especially the city of Aba, has been the clustering city for composers in the Adventist
faith in Eastern Nigeria since April, 1923. The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Ngwa land is
blessed with many composers. The ratio of the composers is between three to five composers in
every District. Some of the prominent Composers include: Katchy Nwagbara, Christian
Ubochioma Owens, Emmanuel Chinedu Erondu, Ugonwanyi Chinasa Ikpe, Emmanuel Chinkata
Emem, Nathaniel U. Erondu, Sunday U. Nworgu, Onyekwere Ugochukwu Chinedu, Samuel
Francis Oganiru, Paul Nworgu, Chimechefulam Omenihu, Okechukwu Adonis Nwakanma,
Saturday Nwali Nwankwo, Bright Chidiadi Williams, and Uzochi Winner Emerole.
 33

2.5 Learning and Performance of Liturgical Songs

Song rehearsals and performances in the Seventh-day Adventist Church is basically the duty of
the church Choir.Rehearsals usually take place two or three times a week, within the Church
premises. The adult church choir rehearses inside the church building, while others like the
Children ministries choir and the youth choir holds their rehearsals either in their worship halls or
in the school hall or under any shade within the Church premises. Each group chooses days and
time suitable for its members. Adult Church Choir rehearsals are held on Sundays between 3 to 6
pm, and on Thursdays between 6 to 8:30 pm, and Fridays between 6:30 to 8 pm.

Learning is the process of imparting knowledge to human beings. Onyiuke (2005) explained that
learning is based upon the plasticity of the brain… and Merrian (1964) posits that the concept of
learning is even more closely related to culture in general, and specifically to the problem of
change and stability.Okafor (1991) agrees with the views stated above when he argued that:

Through song texts, a person learned moral codes of his land, its chronology and
history, and the guiding principle and ethics of his land, He also learned his own
language, the things his people lived by, and how the society worked. All these
were learned through music that ranged from simple folk tunes to highly
specialized ritual music, including chants, incantations and minsrrelsy (p.60)

The traditional Igbo method of learning songs are by rote, that is teaching songs phrase by phrase.
In the Seventh- day Adventist Church, rote method of learning songs is applied only by song
leaders when teaching congregational songs, which are usually sung in unison, but the choir sings
in four parts. The choirmaster and his assistants teach the choristers. In most cases, some church
choirs invite composers from other sister churches to teach their newly composed choruses to the
choir during rehearsals. Many composers have become popular in the Churches through teaching
in choirs outside their districts.

Group performances of any kind, require collaborative effort. Collaboration is considerably

enhanced when those engaged in this share the same artistic values and are well-disposed toward
each other. Nketia (1975:21), noted that: …Music making is generally organized as a social event,
and Okafor (2005), commenting on traditional Music asserted:

In the African culture, music is an entiy rather than a mere mental reation or
conception. It reflects and interprets the man in a specific environment, and is
 34

often the key, which opens the gates to spiritual, mental, emotional,
psychological, social, and mystic realms (p. 88).

The performance of liturgical songs in the Seventh-day Adventist Church is limited to religious
services conducted by the Church within and outside the Church environment. Every Church
member participates in one way or the other. For example, during outreach evangelisms when
tracts are distributed to the public, the Church choir leads out on road March singing while the
entire congregation follows behind, singing and distributing the tracts. The same process is
applicable in burial ceremonies.

In the Seventh-day Adventist Church the Choir can be easily identified because they are the only
group that makes use of costume while performing liturgical Choruses. The performance of
liturgical choruses by the Choir is usually in two segments on worship day because the worship is
usually in two segments, Sabbath School section and the divine service section. During the
Sabbath School section, the choir costume in most churches consist of white long-sleeve shirts,
black skirts and trousers, black shoes or sandals. These are sometimes alternated with traditional
attire especially in the township Churches. The choir sits by the right hand side facing the
officiating Sabbath School crew during the Sabbath School section and performs from where they
are seated. After the Sabbath School, the choir goes out to put on the choir robes for the second
segement of worship which is divine service. The choir robes are usually of the same color with
the exception of the Choirmaster‘s robe which may be differently designed. In the second
segement of worship, the choir comes in with a processional song which may be a chorus or
hymn and sits at the altar behind the officiating ministers. During Choir renditions, the
choirmaster stands on an elevated podium made of wood to direct or conduct the Choir. Choir
renditions in the Church service are limited to two slots, one slot during the Sabbath School and
another one before the sermon.

The Choir performs extensively during choir day celebrations, annual camp-meetings, burials
and evangelisms. In such occasions the choir may perform for about fifteen to twenty minutes
uninterrupted. For the combinations to blend, Agu (1984:106) explained that the songs should:

(1) Be of the the same type and be appropriate for the same performance situation

(2) Have textual relationship for the sake of intelligibility and uniformity

(3) Have the same melodic and harmonic framework

 35

(4) Have about the same tonal range

(5) Have the same rhythmic pattern.

All the songs performed in succession are not usually written in the same pitch level, but their
combinations are always good because most of the soloists are experienced choirmasters.

2.6 Acceptability and Impact of the Liturgical Songs

Music constitutes an integral part of religious worship. In the Seventh-day Adventist Church,
music is one of the elements that attract people to join the church. There is no proper worship
without music. Music can reach, touch and move people in countless ways. Music is as essential
to worship as the sermon is, so plenty of time is usually given to music in the Adventist religion.
Sri Chinmoy, commenting on the relationship between music and religion observed that:

Music and religion are like the obverse and reverseof the same reality- coin. Music
in its purest sense is religion and religion in its purest sense is music. Onl Music
and religion can transform and perfect humanity. this music-religion, this code of
life, this universal language of the soul, can only be offered, it cannot be purchased
or sold. Music and religion are for the seekers, for the music- lovers, for the truth
servers. Money- power or earthly name and fame cannot lord it over these two
immortal realities, these two earthly and heavenly treasures. (2009)

The liturgical songs are highly accepted by the worshipers because they satisfy the cultural
aesthetics of the people in religious matters. Dahlhaus (1982) explained that aesthetics are the
attributes of art that make it good, and these attributes are culturally constructed. People‘s values,
preferences and tastes are strongly tied to cultural factors. In African societies, music is always
seen as inseparable from human existence. It carries long traditions and values that are associated
with the people and represents part of their identity. Therefore, a positive response to the aesthetic
value of music occurs when the musicians link everyday existence to values and tradition.

Agu (1984:103) opined that factors which determine the aesthetic values of songs include:

(a) The choice and arrangement of notes and intervals for specific words to enhance proper
expression and achieve the desired effect on the textual content and verbal expression of the
words.
 36

(b) The use of wide melodic ranges which creates more room for improvisation and
extemporization. He explained that melodies based on limited ranges and fewer notes hardly
provide this opportunity, and are therefore ranked lower aesthetically.

(c) The effective use of short durational values as the basis of movement is preferred to that of
long durational values, because it provides, good metric organization and a more appreciable
rhythm for the songs. It also tends to express words and their meanings more effectively, if well
utilized, since it complies with the relative durational values of syllables of the texts of the songs.

(d) Felicitous choice of pitch, intervals and timbre; and the assumption of the mood of the text by
the melody for better expression, interpretation and communication.

(e) Good allocation of musical notes to words or syllables in such a way that melisma is reduced
to the barest minimum. He argued that the aesthetic values of African songs are judged by the
presence and good application of these qualities.

Commenting on the stability of songs, Blacking (1971) wrote: music stands or falls by virtue of
what is heard and how people respond to what they hear in the notes. As earlier stated, the
liturgical choruses of the Seventh-day Adventist Church have great impact on the congregation
because they are specifically composed to meet the spiritual needs of the people musically. The
songs arouse the spiritual thoughts of the worshipers, thereby helping them to focus heavenward.
The simplicity of the tunes makes it easier for the congregation to learn the songs without much
difficulty. The choruses play great roles in converting, spirtualizing, condoling, evangelizing,
socializing, and entertaining in godliness. Testimonies abound about people who were converted
through liturgical choruses. No wonder Lovelace and Rice (1960) asserts that music can be an
evangelizing agent in drawing persons to the church and its message.
 37

CHAPTER THREE

LITURGY OF SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH

3.1 Worship and Liturgy

The oxford Dictionary defined worship as ―the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration
for a deity, and liturgy ―as a form or formulary according to which public religious worship,
especially Christian worship is conducted. The foregoing explained that worship is an internal
experience that takes place in human beings, while liturgy consists of the external forms and
rituals believers use in their worship ceremonies. Historically, liturgy is known by its activity. As
we experience rituals, they become part of who we are. We belong to the liturgy, and the liturgy
belongs to us. With repetition, liturgy becomes second nature. According to Fernando (2011), the
way God is understood (theology) determines worship liturgy. Commenting on the liturgy of
Seventh Day Adventists, Fernando explained that Adventists believe that liturgical forms must
be compatible with the Spiritual nature of worship and fit Christ‘s thoughts and truth (Jn.4:24).
Based on the foregoing, a publication of the Adventist Theological Society recognized four basic
principles of liturgy.

A. Principle of Creativity: Obedience to Christ. Worship liturgy must be attractive and testify to
the worshiper‘s personal commitment to Christ (Jn.12:32)

B. Principle of Content: Distinguishing Between the Holy and the Common. Nadab and Abihu,
sons of Aaron, presented strange fire before God (Lev. 10:1, 3, 10 KJV) in this verses, God
expressed an important general principle of liturgy, ―You must distinguish between the holy and
the common, between the unclean and the clean (Gen. 7:2)

C. Principle of Suspicion. Careful application of the principle of suspicion is necessary because in

liturgy formation, creativity may spring at times from the sinful desires of disobedient hearts.
Example, the case of Gideon (Judges 8:26, 27)

D. Principle of Spiritual Effect. The Seventh Day Adventist Church believe that liturgical forms
influence the human spirit. Therefore, the forms should motivate, facilitate, express, and enhance
the experience of individual and congregational worship. Liturgical forms should inspire a sense
of awe, reverence, and expectation, for the presence of God is a necessary condition of worship.
 38

In the Old Testament, God commanded, ―Have reverence for my Sanctuary. I am the Lord‖
(Lev.19:30, NIV). Paul also instructed New Testament believers to offer God ―an acceptable
worship with reverence and awe‖ (Heb. 12:28). Reverence and awe are appropriate spiritual
effects of liturgy because they prepare our spiritual capacities for receiving the presence of God in
His word. Worship and liturgy should reflect something far more than culture or personal
preference. Fernando (2011:1).

3.2 The Historical Background of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church

A body of Christian believers having a common creed constitutes a Church. Burton in Adult
Sabbath Schhool Bible study guide, June (2014), observed that: we can speak of a church of
Christ only since the New Testament era, when believers first testified to the life, death and
resurrection of Jesus. However, he explained that we can see Christ‘s Church in a broader
context. The Greek term for Church is ekklesia. Borrowed from the secular world, it refers to
those who have been called out. In every generation God has called out a people to reflect His
will by lives of faithfulness, trust, love, and obedience. Church is therefore the entire membership
of a Christian denomination. (p.275).Consequently, the Seventh day Adventist Chucrh manual
(2015:20) stated that scripture uses various expressions to describe the Church, such as ―the
Church of God‖ (Acts 20:28), ―the body of Christ‖ (Eph. 4:12), and the Church of the living God‖
(1 Tim.3:15) and uses the word Church in at least two senses: a general sense, applying to the
Church in all the World (Matt. 16:18; 1 Cor. 12:28) and a particular sense, applying to the Church
in a City or a Province, such as to those at Rome, Corinth, Thessalonica, Galatia, Asia, Syria, and
Cilicia(Acts 15:41).

The Seventh-day Adventist church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its

observance of Saturday, the original Seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and
by its emphasis on the imminent second coming (advent) of Jesus Christ. The denomination grew
out of the Millerite movement in the United States during the middle part of the nineteenth
century. Though few in number, often with unhappy memories of having been cast out of their
former churches because they had accepted the Advent doctrine, the movement‘s pioneers walked
uncertainly at first. They were sure of the doctrines they held, but unsure as to the form of
organization, if any, that they should adopt. Indeed, most of them sharply remembered how
strong, well-organized church bodies had used that strength to oppose the Advent truth, that they
instinctively feared any centralized order and government. Nevertheless, certain pioneer leaders
 39

saw with increasing clarity that some kind of government was imperative if good order was to
prevail and the movement grows strong. Their conviction was greatly strengthened by messages
coming from the pen of Ellen G. White.

The result was that in 1860 a church name, Seventh-day Adventist, was chosen and a legal body
created to hold church property. This was followed, in 1861, by the organization of the first
conference in Michigan. This involved the organizing of local churches, with the members
signing a church covenant, and the organizing of the various churches into one united body to
constitute what is now called a local conference. Action was also taken to give identifying papers
to ministers, thus protecting the churches against impostors who might seek to prey upon them.

In 1863 the General Conference was organized, thus gathering into one organization a number of
local conferences which had been created by that time. This set the Advent Movement on a
coordinated, organized course. (S.D.A Church Manual (2005: Xix)

Much of the theology of the Seventh-day Adventist church corresponds to protestant Christian
teachings such as the Trinity and the infallibility of the scripture. Their distinctive teachings
include the unconscious state of the dead and the doctrine of an investigative judgment. The
church is also known for its emphasis on diet and health, its holistic understanding of the person,
its promotion of religious liberty, and its conservative principles and lifestyle. The world church
is governed by a General conference, with smaller regions administered by divisions, union
conferences and local conferences. It currently has a worldwide baptized membership of about 17.
2 million people. As at May 2007, it was the twelfth- largest religious body in the world, and the
sixth- largest highly international religious body. It has a missionary presence in over 200
countries and territories and is ethnically and culturally diverse. The church operates numerous
schools, hospitals and publishing houses worldwide, as well as a humanitarian aid organization
known as the Adventist Development Relief Agency (ADRA).

The government of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church is democratic in its dealings with the
entire membership of the Church. The Seventh Day Adventist Church Manual (2005:25)
recognized four forms of church government.

A. Episcopal- the form of church government by bishops usually with three orders of
ministries, as bishops, priests, and deacons.
 40

B. Papal- the form of church government in which the supreme authority is vested in the
pope. From him the church is governed by cardinals, archbishops, bishops, and priests.
The local church or individual member has no authority in church administration.
C. Independent- the form of church polity that makes the local church congregation supreme
and final within its own domain. This is usually referred to as congregationalism.
D. Representative- the form of church government which recognizes that authority in the
church rests in the church membership, with executive responsibility delegated to
representative bodies and officers for the governing of the church. This form of church
government recognizes also equality of the ordination of the entire ministry. The
representative form of church government is that which prevails in the Seventh-day
Adventist Church.
Among Seventh- day Adventists, there are four constituent levels leading from the individual
believer to the worldwide organization of the work of the church:
A. The local church, which is a united organized body of individual believers.
B. The local conference or local field|mission, a united organized body of churches in a state,
province, or territory.
C. The Union conference or mission, which is a united body of conferences, missions, or
fields within a larger territory.
D. The General Conference, the largest unit of organization, embraces all Unions in all parts
of the world. Divisions are sections of the General conference, with administrative
responsibility assigned to them in designated geographical areas. Ellen G. White, in her
book, Testimonies for the church, vol. 8, posited that:

Every member of the church has a voice in choosing officers of the

church. The church chooses the officers of the state Conferences.
Delegates chosen by the state conferences choose the officers of the Union
conferences, and delegates chosen by the Union conferences choose the
officers of the General Conference. By this arrangement every
Conference, every institution, every church, and every individual either
directly or through representatives, has a voice in the election of the men
who bear the chief responsibilities in the General Conference. (pp. 236,
237).
 41

The Seventh-day Adventist Church is administratively structured into five segments: The general
Conference (the highest administrative body); Division (a group of Unions); Union (a group of
Conferences and Missions); Conference or Mission (a group of Churches in a designated
territory), and the Local Church Congregation.

The mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is to make disciples of all people,
communicating the everlasting gospel in the context of the three angel‘s messages of Revelation
14:6-12, leading them to accept Jesus as personal Savior and unite with His remnant church,
discipline them to serve Him as Lord, and preparing them for His soon return. Adventists belief
in the work of the Holy Spirit in realizing Christian missions. Their mission is therefore pursued
through:

1.Preaching- Accepting Christ‘s commission (Matt. 28:18-20), we proclaim to all the world in
these last days the everlasting gospel of God‘s love, most fully revealed in His Son‘s life,
ministry, atoning death, resurrection, and high priestly ministry. Recognizing the Bible to be
God‘s infallible revelation of His will, we present its full message, including the second advent of
Christ and the continuing authority of His Ten commandment law with its reminder of the
Seventh-day Sabbath.

2. Teaching-Acknowledging that development of mind and character is essential to God‘s

redemptive plan, Adventists therefore, promote the growth of a mature understanding mind that
maintains good relationship with God, His word, and the created universe.

3. Healing- Affirming the Biblical principles of the well-being of the whole person, Adventists
make the preservation of health and the healing of the sick a priority and through their ministry to
the poor and oppressed, cooperate with the Creator in His compassionate work of restoration.

4. Discipling- Affirming the continued Spiritual growth and development of all members,
Adventists nurture the newly converted, instruct them in righteous living, train them for effective
witness, and encourage their responsive obedience to God‘s will.

5. Vision- In harmony with the great prophecies of the Scriptures, we see as the climax of God‘s
plan, the restoration of all His creation to full harmony with His perfect will and righteousness.
 42

3.2.1 The Local Church Congregation.

As earlier noted, the leadership structure of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is primarily based
on the strength of the local Congregations. A local congregation starts as a branch Sabbath School
and becomes a full-fledged church after its organization. The importance of organization cannot
be over emphasized.

Just as there can be no living active human body unless its members are organically
united and functioning together, so there can be no living, growing, prospering church
unless its members are organized into a united spiritual body, all performing their
God-given duties and functions under the direction of a divinely constituted authority.
Without organization no institution or movement can prosper. A nation without
organized government would be chaos. A business enterprise without organization
would fail. A Church without organization would disintegrate and perish. (Review
and Herald Publishing Association, 2010: 27).

Following the organization of a Church is its administration. The local Church Congregation is
administered by the resident Pastor and Church officers who are elected every one or two years
through an appointed nominating Committee.

At the beginning of every last quarter of the church year, organized churches elect nominating
committees who in turn elects church officers that will serve the church for the following one or
two years. The Committee brings its report to the Church, which then acts on the names
presented. This procedure enables the Church to give careful study to each name prior to election,
and avoids the public competitive element that may arise when nominations are made from the
floor. The all important duty of the nominating Committee is to study the needs of the Church and
make careful inquiry into the fitness of members to serve in the different offices. The size of the
nominating Committee ranges from five members in a small Church to a larger number in a large
Church. Only members who are in regular standing are chosen to serve on the nominating
Committee. Such members are also those who are considered to be of good judgment, which also
have the welfare and prosperity of the church at heart. The nominating Committee deals with the
following: Elders, Deacons, Deaconesses, Children ministries coordinator, Church chorister or
song leader, Organist or pianist, Education secretary, Family ministries leader, Women ministries
leader, Personal ministries leader and secretary, Interest coordinator, Sabbath School
 43

superintendents, Men‘s organization leader and secretary, Youth ministries leader, Parl leader,
Health ministries leader, Stewardship leader.

3.2.2 Fundamental Beliefs of Seventh Day Adventist Church

Seventh – day Adventists accept the Bible as their only creed and hold certain twenty-eight
fundamental beliefs to be the teaching of the Holy Scriptures. The Seventh Day Adventist Church
manual, (2005) edition, stated that:

These beliefs, as set forth… constitute the Church‘s understanding and expression of
the teaching of Scripture. Revision of these statements may be expected at a General
Conference session when the church is led by the Holy Spirit to a fuller understanding
of Bible truth or finds better language in which to express the teachings of God‘s Holy
Word. (P.9-19)

Seventh Day Adventists Believe… In the Word of God, In the Godhead,In God the Father, In
God the Son,In God the Holy Spirit, In God as the Creator of all things, In the Nature of Man, In
the Great Controversy between Christ and Satan, In the Life, Death and Resurrection of Christ, In
the experience of Salvation, In Growing in Christ, In the Church as Community of Believers, In
the Remnant and its Mission, In Unity into the Body of Christ, In Baptism by Immersion, In the
Lord‘s Supper, In Spiritual Gifts and Ministries, In the Gift of Prophecy, In the Law of God, In
the Seventh Day Sabbath, In Stewardship, In Christian Behaviour, In Marriage and the Family, In
Christ‘s Ministry in the Heavenly Santuary, In the Second Coming of Christ, In Death and
Resurrection, In the Millennium and the End of Sin, In the New Earth as the Home of the
Righteous.

3.3 Congregational Singing in the Seventh Day Adventist Church

Commenting on the importance of music, Berkley in Onu (2010) stated:

―Surely music, of all our earthly pursuits, comes closest to stimulating for
us a taste of heaven. Yet music is one church enterprise we seem to have
such a difficult time getting right.‖ (p.4)

Berkley‘s assertion of not getting music right is true in congregational singing, especially in the
Seventh-day Adventist church, but the question we may ask is this, is it possible for imperfect
humans to always get music right even with proper training?. The answer is both yes and no. The
 44

untrained ears will quickly answer yes to this question, but to the highly trained critic ears, there
are always a few silght mistakes in every congregational singing. Since there is no fixed time for
congregational singing rehearsals, the difficulty of getting music right has therefore persisted in
most congregations. However, this difficulty is minimal in churches that have standard choirs
because the choristers will always leadout for the congregation to follow. In small congregations,
one song leader is enough to leadout in choruses or sometimes hymns singing prior to the
announcement of the opening song during Sabbath school session each Sabbath morning. In
recent times, congregational singing is no longer restricted to the early morning hours before the
entrance of the Sabbath school officers, but the interval between the close of Sabbath school and
divine service session is also used for congregational singing to prepare worshipers for divine
worship.

As part of religious service, singing is much an act of worship as is prayer.Van Christy (1961:1)
defined singing as enlongated, intensified speech; She went further to say that singing is an art
and science in which both the mental and physical play important and coordinated parts…singing
is the extension of the speaking voice. In the same vein, Taiwo (1994) opined that:

Singing affords one the opportunity of enrinching one‘s imagination.Through

singing, one‘s culture becomes widened as it makes it possible to have an insight
into other people‘s feelings. Singing improves the power, quality, endurance and
correctness of the speaking voice. This is because good singing itself is not
without a correct and beautiful diction (p.19)

Every normal human being can sing to a certain extent, but training makes the difference. Onu
(2010) writes: Music has always been an effective tool in worship, evangelism, education, and in
creating various emotional states in people. Despite its immense benefits and blessing, in every
age, Church music has never been without a problem. Commenting on congregational singing,
Stevenson in Onu (2010) also stated that:

Music is one key to the heart dimension of worship, whether people are gathered in
a stadium, large church, hundred-seat sanctuary, or home bible study. Singing has
the power to help people freely express their feelings for God. That‘s why an
important part of the task of worship leaders is to involve the entire congregation in
the ministry of music. Although the chancel choir (Church Choir), the Soloist, and
the instrumentalists are all contributors to the music of worship, the most important
 45

Choir is made up of men and women with untrained voice who sit in the pews.
(p.5)

The major problem of Church music in some Christian churches especially in the Seventh-day
Adventist Church has been lack of training. Both congregational singing and singing in church
choirs require some training especially in voice culture and diction. According to Ekwueme
(1993) diction is the art and technique of enunciating words so that they are clearly heard and
understood by the average listener. He argued that for normal speech to be clear it has to be
articulate and the words and consonants well enunciated. Music used for the praise of God must
be performed in a style that will be acceptable to heaven. Great improvement can be made in
singing. Some think that the louder they sing the more music they make. Good singing is like the
music of the birds- subdued and melodious. This is the kind of music that angels would like to
join in singing. Music forms part of God‘s worship in the courts above. We should endeavor in
our songs of praise to approach as nearly as possible to the harmony of the heavenly Choirs. In
view of this, the Church advocates sound musical cultures.

Musical culture varies from church to church, because its determinant factor is dependent on the
fundamental beliefs of a particular church. Lederach, (1995) defined culture as: ―The shared
knowledge and schemes created by a set of people for perceiving, interpreting, expressing, and
responding to the social realities around them‖ (p.9).

The Seventh day Adventist church like other churches, believe that music is of heavenly origin,
that it is a powerful gift of God which along all other good gifts, is to be employed for the
advancement of His kingdom and the glory of His name. Music is conspicuous in the pages of
sacred history. From Job we read that at the creation of the world, ―the morning stars sang
together and all the angels shouted for joy‖ (Job 38:7). In Genesis we learn of Jubal, ―the father of
all who play the harp and flute‖ (Genesis 4:21).

We have record of the uses and misuse of music in the history of ancient Israel. Early in Exodus,
Miriam, who was richly endowed with the gift of poetry and music, led the women of Israel in
song and dance on the shore of the Red sea. After that comes the sad story of the idolatry at the
golden calf, which included music and dancing of different sort. Then, throughout the rest of the
Old Testament, music was used in conjunction with war and worship, however, at the very heart
of it all was the hymnal of hymnals, the Psalms.
 46

The New Testament has little mention of music, but we do know that it was music from the
angelic throng that thrilled the hearts of the shepherds on Bethlehem‘s plains and swept round the
world when the Savior of mankind was born. It is in music that our praises rise to Him who is the
embodiment of purity and it is with music and songs of victory that the redeemed of all ages shall
finally enter upon the immortal reward. Therefore, our music culture here should by all means be
a resemblance of that of the heavenly choir. It should all gear towards the praise of the creator, not
the creature. Based on this premise, Ellen G. White (1930:168) wrote that:

Music is one of God‘s great gifts to man and is one of the most important
elements in a spiritual program. It is an avenue of communication with
God, and ―is one of the most effective means of impressing the heart with
spiritual truth‖ Dealing as it does with matters of eternal consequence, it is
essential that music‘s tremendous power be kept clearly in mind. It has the
power to uplift or degrade; it can be used in the service of good or evil. ―It
has power to subdue rude and uncultivated natures; power to quicken
thought and awaken sympathy, to promote harmony of action, and to
banish the gloom and foreboding that destroy courage and weaken effort‖
(ibid,pp.167-168).

The Church insists that those who select music for the distinctive purpose of her mission must
exercise a high degree of discrimination in its choice and in its use. In their endeavors to meet the
musical needs of the church, more than human wisdom is needed. Based on this understanding,
Pipim ( 2005), asserted:

If our worship is intended to be the worship of God, then a discussion of

worship styles would be incomplete unless we offer some practical
guidelines on the kind of music that is consistent with the message and
mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. During the past three or so
decades the Adventist Church has produced two major guidelines on music.
The first one was voted at the Annual council meeting of Church leaders in
Mexico City, Mexico, October 14-19, 1972.The most recent one was
approved on October 12, 2004 at the Annual Council meeting in Silver
Springs, Maryland, USA. These two documents provide parameters or
 47

directions for those who seek to know the mind of the World Church as to
what God expects from his people in our choice and use of music. ( p. 457).

The Seventh Day Adventist Church advocates primitive godliness and primitive
musicality. The Church‘s leadership teaches that an ideal Church Music should be one that
will glorify God and edify the body of Christ. Corbit (1998), posited that:

Any discussion of Music in the context of Christianity must begin with God. It
does not really begin with music. For without understanding this history of
God‘s active role in creation, fall, and ultimate redemption of the World, the
music of Christians is no different than reflection, and proclamation of the
message of God‘s redemption of a fallen world (p.39)

Adventist worship is generally restrained and carefully organized. Ellen White, on the topic of
appropriate music, referred Adventists to the Bible and her writings. She encouraged believers to
use judgment and hindsight when considering music that is uplifting. She said, ―those things
which have been in the past will be in the future‖. Satan will make music a snare by the way in
which it is conducted. God calls upon His people, who have the light before them in the word and
Testimonies, to read and consider, and to take heed. Clear and definite instruction has been given
in order that all may understand. But the itching desire to originate something new results in
strange doctrines, and largely destroys the influence of those who would be a power for good if
they held firm the beginning of their confidence in the truth the Lord had given them. Believers
should not abandon music has been proven beneficial in order to chase after new, popular, or
secular forms of music. In consonance with the pen of inspiration, the General conference of SDA
church, voted to propose a list of general music guidelines based on the principles that ―music is
not morally and spiritually neutral‖ and that ―we cannot be indifferent to it‖. The church therefore
holds the following ten principles as her commandments of music. The music should:

1. Bring glory to God and assist us in acceptably worshiping Him

2. Ennoble, uplift, and purify the Christian‘s thoughts.

3. Effectively influence the Christian in the development of Christ‘s character in his life and
in that of others.
 48

4. Have a text (words, lyric, message) which is in harmony with the scriptural teachings of
the church.

5. Reveal compatibility between the message conveyed by the words and the music,
avoiding a mixture of the sacred and the profane.

6. Shun theatricality and prideful display.

7. Give precedence to the message of the text, which should not be overpowered by
accompanying musical elements.

8 Maintain a judicious balance of the emotional, intellectual, and spiritual elements.

9. Never compromise high principles of dignity and excellence in efforts to reach people
just where they are.

10. Be appropriate for the occasion, the setting, and the audience for which it is intended
(Evangelism, pp.507-508).

Though the SDA church maintains a very unique standard of musical tradition, yet it does not
discriminate or disregard the musical cultures of various ethnic groups. To buttress this idea,
Pipim (2005), opined that:

There is much that is spiritually uplifting and religiously valid in the music of
the various cultural and ethnic groups; however, the musical tastes and practices
of all should conform to the universal value of Christ-like character, and all
should strive for oneness in the spirit and purpose of the gospel, which calls for
unity rather than uniformity. Care must be exercised that worldly values in
music which fail to express the high ideals of the Christian faith be avoided.
(p.458-459).

Music is poetic in nature, it is thought provoking, it has the capacity to enhance good and long
lasting memory when it is used appropriately. Music that must achieve godly standards must be
devoid of worldliness; it must of necessity be beautifully composed and skillfully performed to
achieve godliness. Johansson (1992) noted that: In the past, Christians have been influenced by
the general culture into believing that there are no aesthetic absolutes or standards. We have
believed aesthetics to be a matter of personal taste, a matter of subjective discrimination.
 49

The Church Choir is attached to the Youth Ministry and saddled with the responsibility of
providing appropriate music during worship sections. God has given all of us talents to be used
for His service. The beautiful voices that God has blessed many with are combined to praise His
name every Sabbath day. The church slogan for the youth and choir is ―if you have a talent, use it
for the Lord, if you do not use it, you will surely loose it‖. The slogan is taken from the parable of
the talents recorded in the scripture:

For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his
own servants, and delivered unto them his goods… one he gave five talents, to
another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability
(Matthew 25:14-30).

The Choir is made up of dedicated members organized to sing praises to God. The blending of
their voices in harmonic tone is a preview of the beautiful music that we will hear when we shall
join the angels to sing His praises in heaven. The Psalmist declares: ―Praise ye the Lord. Praise
God in His Sanctuary: Praise Him in the firmament of His power… Let everything that hath
breath praise the LORD‖ (Psalms 150:1-6).

At the end of each year, the nominating committee of the church nominates church officers for
the following year and reads their report to the Church for approval. The administration of the
Choir in the Seventh-day Adventist Church rests solely on the Choirmaster and his/her assistants
and the Choir Elder, appointed or nominated yearly. The choir appoints choir executive members-
Chairman, Financial Secretary, Publicity officer, provosts and the four voice representatives.
Their duty is to help for the smooth running of the Choir. The choir is not independent of the
Church rather it takes order from the Church board. No choir programme is allowed to hold
without the approval of the Church board. The church funds all choir programmes, because the
church maintains only one treasurer and all Church expenditure must be approved by the Board.
The choir elder serves as the choir representative at Church board meetings.

The procedure for Choir membership is simple. It is open to every baptized church member who
is prepared to comply with the rules of the choir. Towards the end of each year, choir enrollment
forms are made available for church members to pick and fill and return same to the choir
executive through the choirmaster. This exercise usually lasts for one month, after which the
choirmaster organizes a simple orientation programme for new members and then forwards their
 50

names to the Church leadership for screening. A day is usually set aside for choir consecration by
the Pastor or serving elders within the first quarter of every year.

The consecration programme may take place during the morning Church service or at the evening
service. The Choir plays very important role in the music ministry of the Church. Three types of
choirs exist in every local church, and two types of choirs exist in the Seventh-day Adventist
Church. The local church choirs are: Children‘s choir, Youth choir, and the Adult choir. District
and Conference Choirs are the lager choirs.

The Church choir activities revolve within the church. The choir sings in all church programmes
from Sabbath school to Divine service, and other programmes like evangelism, wedding, baptism,
condolence visits, burials, and Holy Communion service. A church choir rehearsal holds twice a
week from about 6 or 7 pm on the days approved by the church leadership. The District choir is
made up of selected choristers from the churches that constitute the Distict. The district
choirmaster and his assistants are appointed by the District Council every year. A choirmaster that
serves well may be retained for two or more years, depending on the decision of the Council. The
district choir ministers in every district activity, especially camp-meetings, organization of new
Churches, outreach public campaigns, welcome and sent-forth of pastors.

The apex Choir in the Seventh-day Adventist Church is the Conference Choir. The Conference
Choir performs at all conference activities and supervises the District choirs to ensure uniformity
in the music ministry of the Church. Membership of the Conference Choir is open to all Church
and District Choirmasters and choristers nominated by the districts within the Conference. The
Conference executive committee appoints the Conference choirmaster once in every four years. A
conference choir rehearsal holds once a month at the Conference headquarters church.

The first Conference Choir in Ngwaland started in 1950, at Ogbor Hill Church Aba, the
headquarters of the then east Nigeria Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. In 1966, late
President Z. Imo formed the first Conference music committee that led to the constitution and
consecration of the conference choir members in the same year. In 1970, the first meeting of the
Choirmasters was convened to enlighten the church choirmasters on the rudiments of singing. The
conference choir consists of church and District choirmasters and their assistants, and other
choristers as approved by the Church board or District councils of various churches within the
Conference.
 51

The Conference choir performs at all conference programs, which include: Ordination and
consecration of conference officers, evangelisms, conference burials, weddings, inauguration of
Districts, etc. The conference choir executive oversees the smooth running of church and District
choirs, organizes singing competitions to encourage the growth of younger choirs. The
choirmasters are nominated by the Conference Executive Committee. Elder Mark Onuoha, a
professional tailor and gifted musician is the longest served conference Choirmaster in the then
East Nigeria Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

3.4 The Musical Background and Training of Composers

All the Composers mentioned in this work are non-art composers with varied musical
backgrounds, but having a common religious belief. In order to find out their musical background
and training, learning process, acceptability and impact of the lyric airs; the reaearcher posed
some fifteen vital questions to each one of the composers. The questions are:

1. Kindly tell us about yourself: childhood experience, educational background, vocation or

profession, etc.
2. At what point did you get involved in musical practice or composition?
3. Did your involvement in musical practice start from the community or the church in terms
of active participation?
4. Have you ever had any formal musical training or indirect training through a trained
musician or trained Church Choirmaster?
5. Would you say that your childhood experience in your community in terms of musical
activities had any impact in your lituigical compositions?
5b. If yes, what is the Church‘s reaction to that?
6. Why do you choose to compose your songs in your indigenous language?
7. What method of music writing do you use, is it staff or tonic-solfa notation or oral
method?
8. How do you teach your choir members or singing group?
9. Is your style of composition purely indigenous especially in the area of instrumentation?
10. What type of instrument/s do you use in accompanying your music after composition?
11. Do you also write instrumental accompaniments?
12. How do you get people to perform your works?
13. What type of documentation do you adopt for preservation purposes?
 52

14. Do you think you have the opportunity to train people to compose after your style?
14b. If yes, what training method have you adopted?
15. Who is your audience, and what is their reaction to your works?

It was observed that there is no established formal training school for composers in the area under
study. However, each one of the composers had one form of informal training or the other.
Among the fourteen composers interviewed, only the two female composers, Ugonwanyi
Chinasa-Ikpe and Uzochi Winner Emerole, did not have the opportunity of participating in the
musical traditions of their communities. The other twelve male composers participated in the
early childhood music games and story telling in their different communities. This is basically
where their musical background and training started. Their training was later developed in the
church through participation in quartets, group singing and the church choirs.

Elder Kacthy Nwagbara actively participated in traditional music making in his community when
he was twelve years of age. He played the local ―Mbarimba‖ wooden xylophone and the ―opi‖
local flute with the elders of his community during the annual new yam festivals and Christmas
activities. He learnt to compose folk songs as he listened to village square stories from the elders.
His musical training came to a climax few years after he joined his local church choir. At first, he
was unable to differentiate between folk tunes and church liturgical choruses. His initial
compositions had biblical lyrics but folklike tunes. He improved in composing liturgical songs
through daily bible reading and listening to recorded hymns from tapes. However, the criticisms
and encouragements from elderly church members and the clergy at the early stage also served as
training lessons, which helped him in correcting his mistakes in musical compositions.

Christian Ubochioma Owens was born when masquerade dance, wrestiling contexts, and age
grade music groups flourished in Ohanze community. His first musical training started with his
involvement in age grade music group, masquerade dance and wrestling fan club membership. He
was an excellent soloist in fan club songs, traditional war songs and masquerade dance. His early
childhood experience in musical performance encouraged him to make a vow of singing to the
Lord all the days of his life time. He learnt the rudiments singing, and writing tonic-solfa notation
at the then JAC‘s music preparatory centre Aba. His musical talent and training was fully
developed through his active participation in leading choirs, associating with composers from the
Anglican and Apostolic churches, and listening to gramophone music. He also attended several
locally organized workshops for singing competitions within and outside the Seventh - day
 53

Adventist church in Ohanze community. His profession of choir-robe making also exposed him to
some talented musicians from other denominations, which helped him to constantly evaluate his
style of compositions.

Emmanuel Chinedu Erondu‘s musical training also started in his community when he actively
participated in moonlight story telling and games. His keen interest in listening to stories about
the tortoise and other animals sported him out among his mates because the elders who narrated
the stories noted him as a boy who would do well musically in future. Consequently, his musical
aptitude began to manifest when he started asking the elders to tell him how they were able to
compose songs to match with each animal‘s story they narrated. In answer to his question, one of
the elders told him that the songs were composed by spirits and transmitted to them by their fore-
fathers.

Since Emmanuel was not satisfied with the answer, he demanded to see and interact with the
spirits, but the elders quickly deferred showing him the spirits during the next day‘s moonlight
story hour. The next day, Emmanuel was the first to reach the village square, anxiously ready to
be introduced to the spirits. Again, he was told that the spirits could only be seen in the thick night
when everybody had gone to bed and sleeping. The next day he decided to sleep early so that he
could wake up in the thick night and communicate with the spirits. That night he dreampt and saw
himself singing and dancing with his late grand father. The next day, he narrated the dream to the
elders and in response to him, they echoed that he had actually seen and interacted with the spirits
of their fore-fathers.

When he became a choir boy, he picked interest in conducting choirs because of Mr. Samuel
Nwankwo‘s gestures in choir conducting. He attached himself to the man and served under him
for many years in the music ministry. He learnt the art of arranging songs in tonic-solfa notation
from his master, Mr. Samuel Nwankwo. In appreciation of his master‘s good gesture in bringing
him up in music writing, he also decided to organize training class for the younger composers
within his reach. Ugonwanyi Chinasa-Ikpe, Emmanuel Chinkata Emem, Nathaniel Erondu,
Onyekwere Ugochukwu Chinedu, Francis Oganiru, Paul Nworgu and many others were trained to
sing and write tonic-solfa notation by Emmanuel Erondu.

Ugonwanyi Chinasa-Ikpe did not have the privilege of participating in the musical traditions of
her community. She only learnt to play children games accompanied with folk tunes during her
 54

primary school days. Her musical background and training was basically achieved in the church,
through participation in children choirs, Youth and adult Church choirs and singing groups.

Deacon Sunday U. Nworgu was an active member and soloist of Umunze-Umuokohia age grade
dance band. The dance band was popular in the community in the late 70‘s that almost every
youth in the area indicated interest in joining the band, but many who failed the screening
exercise were not permited to become members of the band. The band performed in many cultural
and social activities in Umunze-Umuokohia and Obikabi communities in the early 80‘s. Sunday
Nworgu learnt to play the local membrane drums from the master drummers who were often hired
to train the dance band during festive periods. His musical training he received from the
community helped him a great deal to learn more when he later joined the Apostolic Church. He
was trained as a jazz drummer in the apostolic church, Aba. Mr. Rogers, a black American
musician who visited their church for a three days musical concert in 1980, introduced him to the
keyboard music and he quickly picked up from where the man stopped, and today, he is one of
the best church organists in Aba East conference of the Seventh - day Adventist church. Late Mr.
Sylvanus Nwogbe trained him in staff notation and sight reading. Ngozi Eziuzo of the choir Ibo
church and the senior organist of St. Michael‘s Anglican Church Aba also contributed immensely
in training him musically.

Onyekwere Ugochukwu Chinedu got involved in liturgical musical practice at the age of twenty-
four. Before then, he was a traditional flutist of a cultural dance troop in his village. When he got
baptized in the Seventh-day Adventist church, he quickly resigned his membership of the cultural
dance group and joined his local church choir. Mr. Samuel Oganiru Francis trained him in the
rudiments of tonic-solfa notation and fixing tunes to biblical lyrics and children‘s Sabbath school
memory verses. His musical training improved tremendiously as he served as assistant
choirmaster under the leadership of Elder Levi Frank.

Elder Saturday Nwali Nwankwo was trained by many master musicians. His elder brother Mr.
Samuel Nwankwo taught him how to write very simple tunes. He picked interest in reading music
while in Jos Platue. Dr. Negel taught him the rudiments of writing music and singing it.
Furthermore, he freely associated with choirmasters and organists from the Catholic church,
Goodnews church, ECWA church, and Choir-Ibo church. He gained more musical knowledge
from the organists and choirmasters he came in contact with. Another man who also contributed
immensely to his musical training was a renowned Ghananian organist, Mr. Yabua Akwame.
 55

Swanson (1969) stated that:

Research today tells us that learning begins in the cradle.As a child grows, his
active response to his environment shapes the development of his senses and his
speech as well as his physical dexterity and his formulation of concepts. Parents as
well as teachers bear unique responsibilities for providing environment and
stimulation that will lead to the optimum growth of the child musically as well as in
all other ways (p.15)

The Seventh day Adventist church no. 1 school road Aba is another local training ground for all
the composers mentioned in this study. Because of their musical talents, they were all members of
the defunt East Nigeria conference choir led by elder Mark Onuoha, and they all received training
through singing workshops organized by the conference choir annually at no.1 school road church
Aba.

The musical training of the average Igbo starts from his/her mother‘s womb, and passes through
infancy to adolescence. As Agu(1984:79) noted,

A pregnant mother, who participates in a limited number of musical

activities, is believed to be introducing the baby in the womb to rhythmical
movements. When a baby is born, he/she gradually becomes acquainted with
musical sound through the lullabies sung to lull him/her to sleep and through
the mother‘s continuous musical involvement, with the baby strapped firmly
to her back. Since all Igbo music, including lullabies, are affected by the
constitution of the society as well as governed by convention, children are
led to absorb these conventions through music right from the cradle; because
the Igbo believe that through this practice children become fully enculturated
into the music system by the time they grow up.

According to Onyiuke (2005) every child can learn music just as he or she can learn how to
speak. Okafor (2005) also noted that:

A child comes into the world enclosed with some natural traits. The child is
influenced by the prevalent social habits of his time and place. Like culture, the
child is largely characterized by his environment, and is, therefore, attained in
the musical process and products of his community (p. 45)
 56

The musical training of children in the Igbo society is numerous. The most effective and affective
musical training is achieved through folktale stories and singing of folk songs. Talking about the
efficacy of folk music in the Igbo society, Nzewi (1980) wrote that:

Folk music is an ubiquitous social organizer,it supervises the operation of

established government. Assists in the maintenance of the laws of the land.
Safeguards and perpetuates traditions, discourages the degeneration of personal or
corporate morals, promotes social equity and fights injustice, enforces public
health programmes, generally organizes and enlivens all purpose of communal
get-together (p. 15)

All the composers mentioned in this study, especially those born from 1950 down to 1965,
participated actively in folktale stories and singing of folk songs. Their compositions are always
the delight of both young and old because they learnt the musical needs of the people from the
folk songs that the people were initially used to, therefore they compose to satisfy the musical
lifestyle of their audience. However, being born into a musical family also has a great advantage.
Olaniyan (2002) amplified this musical advantage by stating that:

In our traditional set up, some people become musicians because their Parents are
musicians. The art of music is passed from hand to hand and from an older
generation to the younger one. In this way, children of drummers become
drummers. In Yoruba tradition, for example, the Ayan family passes the art of
dundun drumming from one generation to another (p.39).

It is important to note that from Olaniyan‘s explaination, the musical skills of individuals vary
greatly, and could be assessed in varying degrees. There are specialists who have shown
remarkable proficiency in their various musical areas. Right from childhood, musical progidies
are easily identified. They tend to assume leadership roles in their groups, and they also perform
well too.

The Greeks taught that music represents the passions and states of the soul. For example, Susanne
Langer, and Gordon Epperson in Pipim (2005:406) noted that ―the tonal structures we call music
bear a close logical simililarity to the forms of human feeling…the pattern of music is that…form
worked out in pure, measured sound and silence. Music is a tonal analogue of emotive life.‖
 57

―Music is the expression…of the emotions; an aural image of how feelings feel, how they
operate.‖In the same vein, Clynes, described how Musicians can manipulate the pitch and
loudness of individual tones to embody what he called essentic forms in a melody line. He wrote
that:

In producing a melody, a Composer places the notes so that they in effect fit
the outline of the appropriate essentic form…Musical tones are placed at
suitable points along the path of an essentic form so that internally they can act
as markers in the generation of the form. That is to say, the musical tones
engender internally the motor pattern of essentic form corresponding also to
program points of a touch expression of the same quality (p.406)

According to Pipm, when Composers construct well and performers read and enflesh their
compositions accurately, powerful communication takes place. Agu (1984:250), described songs
as meditated thoughts on specific topics, issues, situations, events and activities, designed for
specific uses in the society. They are developed within the mind, under the influence of creative
forces, and guided by the socio-cultural demands and requirements of the Composer‘s society.
They are sung out either for the praise of the Creator or the creatures. Liturgical choruses are
mainly based on religious issues, with religious texts, because they are composed to serve
religious purposes. Merriam (1964) noted that composition is part of the same learning process,
shaped by the public acceptance or rejection, learned by the individuals who practice it, and
contributing to music change and stability.

Onwuekwe (2007) explained that the Composer is one who puts down sounds systematically to
produce music; while Idamoyibo (2012) argues that the Composer is a creative source through
whom instructional materials are made available in the society. Onwuekwe‘s explanation is very
definite, while Idamoyibo‘s assertion goes beyond musical composition because gathering of
instructional materials could also mean assembling of unmusical materials and ideas. Speaking at
the second International Symposium on Music and Medicine at Ludenscheid, West Germany, in
(1984), Manfred Clynes opined that ―Music is an organization created to dictate feelings to the
listener. He argued that the Composer is an unrelenting dictator and we choose to subject
ourselves to him, when we listen to his music‖. Nevertheless, commenting on the procedure for
composition, Agu (2012) wrote that:
 58

As a composer sets out to compose a new song he involvels himself in two mental
exercises which are based on two main lines of interdependent thought.One is
creative, which is aroused by fantasy, imagination and inspiration. The second is
method which is shaped and determined by the musical system of the society.
(p.34)

Agu‘s explaination agrees with Ellen White who opined that:

Inspiration acts not on the Man‘s words or his expressions but on the man himself,
who, under the influence of the Holy Ghost is imbued with thoughts. But the
words receive the impress of the individual mind. The divine mind is diffused. The
divine mind and will is combined with the human mind and will; thus the utterance
of the man are the word of God. (Selected messages, bk. 1, p.21).

It was observed that most of the composers cannot fully explain the methods they used in
composing their songs. When asked to explain their procedures, majority said that it is by divine
inspiration; Oganiru Francis said he follows his masters‘ pattern, while others said it is their
natural gift, and so they do it as the spirit directs. But elder Katchy added that his acquaintance
with South African and Congo tunes, his personal study of the methods employed in choral
anthem books makes his compositions different from that of his colleagues.

In conclusion, a closer study of the songs shows that the compositional procedures of the
liturgical song composers do not always adhere to the speech tone patterns of both African and
Western techniques. This mixture of techniques was as a result of the composers self taught
knowledge in reading and writing music. Most of them were exposed early to music making
through the performances in their various church choirs, which focused initially in Choral
Anthem books and hymn singing.
 59

3.4.1 List of Informants

Informants used in this study include:

1. Elder Kachy Nwagbara Song composer, S.D.A Church, Mawa Farm District.

2. Christian Ubochioma Owens Song composer, S.D.A Church Ohanze District.

3. Emmanuel Chinedu Erondu Song composer, S.D.A.Church Aba Township 1

4. Onyekwere Ugochukwu Chinedu Song composer, S.D.A Church Umuikaa District.

5. Francis Oganiru Choirmaster, S.D.A Church Owerrinta

6. Paul Nwogu Song composer, S.D.A.Church No. 1 School Road Aba.

7. Deacon Sunday Nworgu, Song composer and Organist, Aba East Conference headquarters.

8. Elder Saturday Nwali Nwankwo Song composer S.D.A Church Abayi District.

9. Elder Mark Onuoha Choirmaster, S.D.A Church Mawa Farm District.

10. Mrs. Uloma Emelogu---- Director of Women Ministries, Aba South Conference.

11. Miss. Uzochi Emereole----- Song composer, S.D.A Church, Ngwa Road District.

12. Mrs. Ugonwanyi Chinasa-Ikpe ------Song composer, S.D.A Church Umuokahia District.

13. Mr. Chimechefulam Omenihu-------Song composer----- S.D.A Church, Mawa Farm District.

14. Mr. Nathaniel Erondu---- Song composer, S.D.A Church, No. 1 School Road, Aba.

15. Mr. Emmanuel Chinkata Emem--- Song composer, S.D.A Church, Ariara District.

16. Pastor V. C. Nwosu---- Executive Seceretary, Aba East Conference.

17. Pastor J. N. Ubani President of Aba East Conferenc.

 60

CHAPTER FOUR

ANALYSIS
Introduction
Musical analysis is the endavour to answer the question ‗how does it work‘? The method used to
answer this question varies from one analyst to the other, and according to the purpose of the
analysis. The songs used in this study are analysed under the following musical elements and
themes: Style, Melodic structure, Tonality, Form, Scale, Pitch, and Themes of Song Texts.

4.1 Style: The concept of style have been defined and expressed in varied ways by many
Scholars. Style has been simply described as ―a characteristic way of doing something‖.
According to Pipim (2005) style is a term used almost exclusively of human actions or creations.
It designates a product of human choices. He argues that in musical compositions, humans do not
create the tones, but the way tones are combined, how they are sounded, how they are organized
in time, is all a product of human choice. Therefore, these factors become known as
characteristics of a particular style. On the hand, Apel (1973) defined style as ―mode of
expression or of performance, methods of treating all the elements like form, melody and rhythm
in a musical composition. Nwankpa (2003) agrees with Apel‘s definition and writes that a musical
style involves technical elements associated with the notational aspect of music, and aesthetic
elements associated with performance aspects. Carter (2002) explained that style is that
distinctive and identifiable form in an artistic medium. Crystal and Davy (1969) posits that style
is the utilization of the wide range of resources made available to an individual to express his/her
ideas as different from someone else. Furthermore, Sandell (1977) explained it as a way of
making choices which perfectly distinguishes comparable users of language, meaning that a
writer is faced with two or more prototype. According to Oikelome (2008) style is characterized
by the distinct personality of an individual in creating a peculiar idiomatic feature that marks it
out from others.

The liturgical songs of the Seventh Day Adventist Church can be classified into three stylistic
periods, namely: The early period (1924-1934), Middle period (1934-1949), and the present
period (1950-present). The initial songs of the early period especially, (Iwu Iri, Nzuko Efesos, and
Ozi Mozi ato) in 3.5 are longer, having 95, 63, and 76 bars. They are written in the form of sacred
choral works, reflecting just the basic beliefs of the Church. The songs of the middle and present
periods are simpler and short, having mainly 4, 8, 16, and 24 bars. They are generally simple,
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making use of pentatonic, hexatonic, and heptatonic scales. Stylistically, the songs in the
perspective of the Church are grouped under ―Gospel Songs‖, this is because they are performed
within the context of religious worship and ceremonies. Adedeji(2004) defined ―gospel music‖ as
a type of Christian music that preaches the good news of Jesus Christ made popular by public
performances, the electronic media and information technology such as radio, television, the
recording world and the internet. According to Nwankpa (2003:50) Gospel music can be defined
as composed vibrant songs or hymns influenced by Negro spirituals, blues and jazz rhythms. The
texts are religious, devotional and inspirational, drawing from Biblical and evangelical contexts.
Blues has been defined as a style of both vocal and instrumental music, generally in slow tempo,
and based on Black American work songs and spirituals. Jazz is a musical art form whose
principal characteristics include improvisation and swing feelings. The indigenous lyric airs of
the Seventh Day Adventists generally possess all the elements of folk music, which are: simple
repetitive melodic lines, based on simple modes and scales. Generally strophic or through
composed. The lyrics of the songs are based on the common beliefs of Christians. Its harmonies
are simple, not based on any approved or regulated procedures. They are derived from local
resources. Finally, their method of dissemination is through oral transmission. The songs can be
generally classified under three styles, namely: Negro Spirituals, Hymns, and Folk.

Negro Spirituals: Song numbers 1, 9, 10, 11, and 19

Hymns: Song numbers 2, 4, 7, 16, 17, 22, 23, 26, 27, 30, 33, 35, 39, 40, 42, 43, 47, 51, 52, 55, 58,
60, 61, 64, 65, 67, 68, 70, 71, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 81, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, and 88.

Folk: Song numbers 3, 5, 6, 8, 14, 15, 18, 20, 21, 24, 25, 28, 29, 31, 32, 34, 36, 37, 38, 41, 44, 45,
46, 48, 49, 50, 53, 54, 56, 57, 58, 62, 63, 66, 69, 72, 73, 79, 80, and 82.

4.2 Melodic Structure: In music, structure relates to the composition of a musical piece. It
describes the arrangement of different notes in making a line or piece of music. Musical pieces
are arranged in a way that there must be a beginning, middle and an end. Form is the basic
structure of music. Every piece of music has an overall plan or structure. Agu (1999) identified
five main structural forms of African songs as- Solos, the call and response, the call and refrain,
the Solo and chorused refrain, and the mixed structural forms. He posits that:
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Most African songs are characterized by short melodic motifs which serve as the
basis for repetition, variation and extemporization. Longer melodies occasionally
occur, but with motifs reappearing repeatedly in different forms. In other words,
African songs are generally short, orally transmitted and easily committed to
memory as a result of their short length and method of transmission.(p.33)

The criteria for good structural analysis of African songs posted by Agu, include: Identification,
the form, the basic structural forms, rhythmic structure of the melody, phraseology, tonal shifts,
harmonic principles and styles, performance/ presentational form.

4.2.1 Harmony Harmony helps to fortify, contrast, beautify, balance and arouse interest in
musical renditions. The songs used in this study are harmonized according to the aural
perceptions of the voice parts responding to the melodies. This is in consonance with what
Adedeji (2009:2, 3) noted that harmonic organization in traditional African music is not based on
the aesthetics of Western harmony, but on talents of the singers. However, to the western music
trained ear, discordant intervals exist in most of the song renditions.

4.2.2 Metre/Time Signature The term metre is used in music to show regular succession of
rhythmical impulses, or beats. Three kinds of metre employed in this work are: simple duple-2/2
and 2/4 time, simple quadruple- 4/4 time and compound duple- 6/8 time. Each of the metre
structures used in the songs showed rhythmic durations and subdivisions of notes within the metre
structures, resulting to wild uses of African rhythmic techniques known as polyrhythm.

4.2.3 Medium The human voice is the medium of all the songs. The voice parts are usually mixed
except in a cappella style of singing which is exclusively for male voices.

4.3 Tonality Tonality is the centering of pitches around a particular pitch. (Hoffer 1985;
Scholes, 1975; Aluede 2008). The term tonality is used to describe the organization of music
around a single pitch; more especially, the Western system of keys that grew out of the modal
music of the Renaissance in the seventeenth century. It is often used to refer to the network of
relationships implicit in the seven principal tones of a given key, each of which has the potential
to become the tonic temporarily by means of modulation, whereby a new network of relationships
arises. Agawu (2010) defined tonality as a colonizing force in African Music. Agawu‘s assertion
agree with Bascom and Herskovits who stated that ―there is no African culture which has not
been affected in some way by European contact and there is none which has entirely given way
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before it.‖ In all the genres of liturgical songs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church discussed in
this dissertation, tonality of one song is different from the other. This is because the composers
composed from different backgrounds and their level of musicality also differs. Secondly, the
tonalities of the songs are not purely African, but an unconscious mixture of both western and
African tonality. There is no trace of any previous documentation in staff notation of the Seventh-
day Adventist Church liturgical lyric airs. The keys in which the various songs are performed
before now are determined by the song leaders. The songs are not also accompanied with any
musical instrument, this often results to shift in tonal centre, which Agu (1999) identified as
shifting tonality. According to Blacking (1967:176) the broad principles of tonality, and the
relationships of people‘s music to other aspects of their culture and social life, are important
features which gives a musical tradition its intrinsic character.

In accordance with Igbo choral music practices, the songs conform to the principles guiding the
relationship between speech-tone and melody. The Igbo language is tonal; therefore, it influences
the patterns of melody in both liturgical and non-liturgical songs of the people in every locality.
The three tonal levels in Igbo are Low, Mid, and High. The Low and High tones are more
prominent than the Mid.

4.4 Style/ Form

Style is a way of expressing something in language or art that is characteristic of a particular

person or group of people or period. Pascal (1992) defined style as manner, mode of expression
and type of presentation. Africans have different styles of expressing their culture musically.The
varied styles existing in African music, identified by African music Scholars include: Afrobeat,
Apala, Highlife, and Reggae. Amadi (1985) posits that:

Reggae represents a viable form of folk music which got international

recognition as the music of Jamaicaa, an English- speaking island in the West
Indies. Nevertheless, reggae is not just a musical art form but also a socio-
political movement of Jamaican black youths whose one main objective was and
still is to protest against man‘s inhumanity to man (p. 1)

Most of the liturgical songs in some denominations are basically rendered in reggae style by the
choristers. Reggae style of music propels both the performers and the listeners to swing, tap their
fingers and occasionally jump up while singing. The stylistic feature of reggae is in its enhanced
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singing style, characterized by light instrumental texture and pulsating rhythm. The liturgical
choruses of the Seventh-day Adventist Church are performed aca-pella; however, composers
arrange the songs in a style that the male voices provide the equivalent of the instrumental
textures vocally.

Elements of these varied musical styles, especially those that originated in Nigeria are found in
almost all the liturgical songs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The songs are a mixture of
western and Nigerian folk music styles. Lomax (1968) posits that folk song style is a culture
indicator of its users. Adventist congregations in the area under study are easily identified by the
type of liturgical choruses they perform in their worship centres and other outdoor religious
activities. The songs are carefully selected to suit every activity in the church‘s calendar of events.
According to Okafor (2005) songs can be a tonic and can also incite. To incite is to urge to action,
to arouse. The liturgical songs of the Seventh-day Adventists as ealier stated are categorized in a
way that meets the need of individual listerners at any particular occasion. Example: song number
1, ―ayi nazo ije ila‖ (we are marching to go) incites the women ministry whenever they meet for
their women activities; and song numbers 7 and 51, incites the congregation to give willing
offerings.

Randel (2001) opined that form is the shape of a musical composition as defined by all of its
pitches, rhythms, dynamics and timbres. In this sense, there can be no distinction between musical
form and specifically musical content, since to change even a single pitch or rhythm that might be
regarded as part of the content of a composition necessarily also changes the shape of that
composition, even if only in detail. (p. 320)

Form is the basic structure of music. Every piece of music has an overall plan. According to
Nketia (1974) form may be influenced not only by the roles assumed by various members of a
performing group or by the context of a performance, but also by the nature of the movements
and expressions with which music is integrated. The liturgical choruses of the Seventh-day
Adventist Church are categorized under vocal forms. Agu (1999) explained that the commonest
forms of vocal music include: solo and chorus alternations, solo and chorused refrain and solo and
chorus alternations with ostinato accompaniment. He further noted that the vocal techniques are
based on antiphonal exchange between the soloist(s); (leader) and the Chorus or Choir
(congregation or member of the performing group. Vidal (1981) categorized the musical form of
Yoruba songs as ―call and response‖ which he further grouped into three-namely, strophic form
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used for lyrics, strophic-responsorial form and through- composed form. Onwuekwe (2011) sees
form as a building plan; she explained that a building plan is to a house what form is to music.

The main structural forms of songs notated in this thesis include: Call and response, solo and
chorused refrain, and mixed form. A closer study of these main forms reveals eight other complex
structures inherent in these main structural forms.

(a) Songs in Solo and chorused refrain with the same text and melody. See song 84.

(b) Songs in solo and chorused refrain with different text or melody (A-B)

(c) Songs in solo chorused refrain with overlapping

(d) Songs in solo and chorused refrain with short leading phareses (S.L.P.) either in the soloist‘s
part or in the chorus part.

(e) Songs in solo and chorused refrain with short introductory passages or recitatives in the
soloist‘s part.

(f) Songs in solo and chorused refrain in which counterpoint or canon feature.

(g) Songs that are in the mixed structural forms. That is songs that possess more than one of the
main features.

(h) Songs that are accompanied by recitatives. See songs 69, 85.

All the structural forms are characterized by short melodic motifs which serve as the basis for
repetitions, variation, and extemporization.

4.5 Scale patterns

The concise Oxford Dictionary of Music defined scale as a stepwise arrangement (for a
theoretical purpose, or for vocal instrumental practice of all the chief notes in a particular passage
of music or in the musical system of some period or people.The scales used in traditional African
music ranges from four to seven notes. They are Tetratonic-four notes, Pentatonic- five notes,
Hexatonic-six notes, and Heptatonic-seven notes, the equivalent of Diatonic of the Western music
scale. The greater percentage of the songs notated in this work are written in the heptatonic scale,
followed by hexatonic scale, pentatonic and none in the tetratonic. Example:
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Heptatonic Scale/Song No. Hexatonic Scale/Song No. Pentatonic Scale/Song No.

1, 7 3, 4 2, 5

8, 10 9, 11 6, 12

13, 14 17, 20 16, 23

15, 18 21, 24 34, 41

19, 22 25, 26 45, 83

Heptatonic Scale/Song No. Hexatonic Scale/Song No. Pentatonic Scale/Song No.

27, 28 30, 33 nil

29, 31 36, 39 nil

32, 35 40, 44 nil

37, 38 46, 48 nil

42, 43 59, 60 ----

47, 49 61, 62 ---

50, 51 63, 64 nil

52, 53 65, 75 nil

54, 55 77, 78 nil

56, 57 80, 81 nil

58, 66 nil nil

67, 68 nil nil

69, 70 nil nil

71, 72 nil nil

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73, 74 --- ----

76, 79 --- ----

82, 84 --- ----

85, 86 --- -----

87, 88 nil nil.

4.6 Pitch and Melodic Ranges

The pitch of the songs depends solely on the voice quality of the song leaders and also the vocal
capabilities of the choristers who have the responsibility of leading out in songs while the
congregation follows. Varied pitch levels are noticeable in every congregation, which makes it
possible for them to follow the song leaders except in extreme high or low pitches. Achinivu in
Idmoyibo (2005:157) observed that the key of a song is determined by the convenience of cantor
in African traditional music. He explained that the cantor leads the song and others follow,
continue or stop depending on the convenience of the key. If the key is too low or too high they
stop to start again. According to Agu (p.212) pitch levels and tonal ranges of the Igbo differ
according to areas and locations. He noted that there are areas noted for singing in sonorous high-
pitch voices, and there are areas where the opposite pertains. However, differences in voice
quality and capability are not so much noticeable in the liturgical songs of the Seventh day
Adventists in the area under study because the choristers are always there to leadout with right
pitching. The pitches of the songs are determined by the voice quality of the soloist. The song
leaders simply intone the songs vocally, that is without the use of musical instruments. The
pitches used in the songs are all definite, there are no indefinite pitches.

4.7 Themes of Song Texts

Texts of songs contain messages that could affect the listener positively or negatively. In African
societies, song texts are considered one of the most effective means of correcting societal ills and
revealing secretes. Nketia (1974) observed that themes of songs tend to centre around events and
matters of common interest and concern to the members of a community or the social groups
within it.They may deal with everyday life or with the traditions, beliefs, and customs of the
society. Akpabot (1986)noted that fourteen categories of song texts are easily recognizable in
African music- (1) historical (2) social control (3) insult (4)obscence, (5) praise, (6) children‘s, (7)
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funeral, (8) work, (9) war, (10) humorous, (11) communication, (12) women‘s, (13)
philosophical, (14) ritual. All these can be grouped under three main headings: (a) praise songs,
(b) songs of insult, (c) songs for entertainment. In the Christian world, song texts are considered
one of the best means of teaching worshipers Christian behavior.In order to reach this needed
goal, it is imperative to use musical idiom and language that can be easily assimilated by
worshipers. Composers in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Ngwa land are mainly non art
music composers, who rely generally on inspiration and use of Biblical texts in their
compositions. Their song texts amplify the doctrinal beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Merriam (1964) wrote that:

Texts reflect mechanisms of psychological release and the prevailing attitudes and values
of a culture, thus providing an excellent means for analysis. Mythology, legend, and
history are found in song texts, and song is frequently used as an enculturative device…
songs lead as well as follow, and political and social movements, often expressed through
songs because of the license it gives, shape and force the moulding of public opinion
(p.208)

The Seventh-Day Adventist Church like any other protestant Church has specific purposes for all
its musical activities; therefore, song texts depict the kind of worship or ceremony going on at any
particular period.

The song texts used in this research cover a wide range of the theological believes of most
Christian Churches, because they are almost biblically based. The composers of the songs
compose only to praise God; therefore their focus is only religious sacred music. The song texts
cover all aspects employed by mortal man to praise the only immortal God. According to
Merrian (1964:208),

Song texts provide a number of insights into questions of primary concern to

students of human behavior. The art of music- language relationships is important
to the ethno- musicologists and the linguists, as well as the student of poetry, for
music influences language and language influence music… we find as well that
song texts reveal a number of problems as they concern the individual and the
society at large. Texts reflect mechanisms of psychological release and the
prevailing attitudes and values of a culture, thus providing an excellent means of
analysis… finally, songs lead as well as follow, and political and social
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movements often expressed through song because of the license it gives, shape
and force the molding of public opinion.

Christian sacred music spans a wide range of forms, from early and historic plain chant, to highly
sophisticated Medieval Byzantine chant, to Renaissance polyphony, to Russian choral music, and
the wide range of Protestant musical expression. Sacred music can be categorized in terms of
distinctive elements: plain chant, harmonized chant (or choral music), music accompanied by
instruments or instrumental compositions. In its broadest sense, sacred music is that which is
arranged or composed for the purpose of worship. In the Christian context, therefore, it is imbued
with Christian scripture, teaching and theology, and has the purpose of facilitating the prayer and
worship of the faithful.

The Choir, Youth and the Women Ministries in the Adventist faith are the sustainers or
perpetuators of liturgical choruses. Because of the Women‘s involvement in musical activities, it
is believed that the musical training of every Igbo Child starts from the womb. Agu (1984)
posited that:

A pregnant mother who participates in a limited number of musical activities is

believed to be introducing the baby in the womb to rhythmical movements. When
the child is born; it gradually becomes acquainted with musical sound through
lullabies sung to lull it to sleep and the mother‘s continuous musical involvements
with the baby strapped firmly to her back. And since all Igbo music, including
lullabies are affected by the constitution of the societies as well as governed by
conventions right from the start… through this practice, children become fully
enculturated into the music system by the time they grow up (p.135)

Generally, African mothers play important roles in the upbringing of children by engaging them
in various musical activities either as baby sitters at homes or as Sabbath and Sunday school
teachers in their various churches.

Out of the eighty-eight songs of the liturgical choruses of the Seventh-day Adventist Church
notated in this work, the researcher considered it necessary to give full texts of fifty-two with
brief explanations. The songs were transcribed from recorded fieldwork tapes, VCD and DVD
tapes produced by the singing groups and various Choirs directed by some of the composers
whose brief biographies are given in this work.
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The themes of the Songs are centered on: Adoration and Praise, Faith and Trust, Outreach
evangelism, first and Second Advent of Christ, baptism, wedding, harvest thanksgiving, and
burial.

4.7.1 Adoration and Praise

Man was created for the glory of God. (Isaiah 43:7) we glorify God by constantly doing His will
and singing praises to His name both individually and collectively. The researcher‘s study of
selected texts of liturgical choruses of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church collected from the field
indicated that the members of the Church have a unique way of expressing their joy and
happiness to God. Every church activity starts with song service and many of the choruses belong
to this category of adoration and praise. Example of such choruses are chorus Numbers 2(NAGA
DIKA EZE)8, 15, 20(NAM, NAM,NAM), 22(K‘ORA TOBE IKE JISOS), 26, 28, 30,
33(CHERUBIM NA SERAPHIM), 36, 40, 51, 61, 63(EZI AHA MARA NMA), 68, 72, 80,
81(HOZANA DIRI EZE AYI), and 85

4.7.2 Faith and Trust

Christians believe that faith without works is dead, and without faith it is impossible to please
God. (James 2:26; Hebrews 11:6) Aposte Paul also admonished that our faith should not stand in
the wisdom of men but in the power of God, because it is written ―cursed is the man who trusts in
man and makes flesh his strength‖ (1 Corinthians 2:5; Jeremiah 17:5) Christians remain
committed to God in every circumstance because their faith has already found resting place not in
a man-made creed. Many of the choruses are expressive of this fact. Example: chorus Numbers
4(NNA AYI NKE BI N‘EL‘IGWE), 6(ZION OMA), 9(MADU ABUA GAYIKOTA?), 12(BIA
NYERE AYI AKA), 14(EZI OLU), 17, 24, 25, 31(AKA NGOZI JEHOVAH), 32, 37, 41, 44, 46,
48, 49, 53(ESETIRIM AKA), 54,57, 60(OBU N‘AMARA), 67, 69, 74, 83, and 88.

4.7.3 Outreach Evangelism

The main reason for the existence of the Church is to point humanity to Christ, and prepare
willing souls for the coming kingdom of God.

The Church encourages members to participate in house to house discussion of God‘s word. The
Church also engages in public evangelism, using the media to reach even the most remote areas in
all parts of the world. The most outstanding satellite channels of the Church are ―Hope Channel
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and 3 ABN.‖ Local Church public evangelism usually lasts fourteen days, after which those who
gladly accept the messages are buried in the watery grave; this qualifies them as members of the
Church worldwide

The mandate of Christ to Christians is to ―go into the entire world and preach the gospel to every
creature‖ He says ―you shall be my witness in all parts of the world‖ (Mark 16:15-16; Acts 1:8)
outreach evangelism is the main stay of the Christian church worldwide. Adventists consider it
their only reason for existence as a Church and all aspect of their worship system is geared
towards reaching their immediate environment with the message of Christ‘s second coming.
Showing love to one another, living godly lifestyle, and preaching the gospel in both word and
songs constitute Biblical evangelism. Many of the choruses are simply sermons that cannot be
ignored by those who listen to them being performed. They call for self-examination, and the
scripture admonished us to examine ourselves wheather we are in the faith. (1 Corinthians 13:5)
example: song number 58 is reminding us that a time is coming when we shall no longer be on
this earth, and it concludes with a question, where shall my journey end? Other songs in this
category are song Numbers 3(JISOS NAKPO GI), 46(BIA N‘ULOM) 10(DOZIE UZO GI), 13
(BIA ENYIM), 18(ODAWO BU BABYLON UKWU AHU), 23 (ABUM OBIA N‘EBEA),
27(ONYE NEW‘YI NASI GI BIA), 34, 35(K‘AYI GA N‘IRU), 38, 43, 52, 70, 76, 78, and
84(OBODO OMA NKE CHINEKE)

4.7.4 First and Second Advent of Christ

The hope of every Christian is anchored in this threefold truth ―Christ has died, Christ is risen,
and Christ will come again.‖ According to Allen W. Foster (1940-1984), worship begins and ends
on this hope. Song number 82(ONABIA N‘IKE N‘EBUBE) is expressive of the Christian
hope.Others are song Number 1(AYI NAZO IJE ILA), 5, 16(ALA EZE CHINEKE), 21(N‘OKE
UBOCHI AHU), 29(UNU MERE NK‘OMA), 39, 62, 64(NERU ULO), and 66.

4.7.5 The ordinance of Holy Communion

Adventists believe that the Holy Communion or the Lord‘s Supper is a Christian ordinance
established by the Lord Jesus Himself, for the celebration of His death till He returns in glory.
This ordinance is based on two New Testament accounts stated by Christ and amplified by
Apostle Paul.
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… Which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of Me… For as often as you eat
this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord‘s death And He said unto them,
with desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer… And He
took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves…
And He took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, this
is my body which is given for you: This do in remembrance of Me… This cup is the
New Testament in my blood which is shed for you. For I have received of the Lord
that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which He
was betrayed, took bread: And when He had given thanks, break it, and said, Take,
eat; this is my bodytill He comes. (Luke 22:15-19; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

Adventists usually practice communion service four times a year. The communion is an open
service that is available to members and Christian non- members. It commences with a foot
washing ceremony, known as the ―ordinance of humility‖, based on the gospel account of (John
13:13-15). The ordinance of humility is meant to symbolize Christ‘s washing of His disciples‘
feet at the last supper and remind participants of the need to humbly serve one another. During the
service, participants segregate by gender to separate rooms for foot washing, although some
congregations allow married couples to perform the ordinance on each other and families are
often encouraged to participate together. After its completion, participants return to the main
sanctuary for consumption of the Lord‘s Supper, which consists of unleavened bread and
unfermented grape juice. The communion service is usually celebrated in the evening hours and is
open to only baptized members of the Church. Song number 11 expresses the death of Jesus.

4.7.6 Baptism

Baptism is a public declaration of denial of the old life of sin, and a new life of righteousness
through faith in Christ Jesus.Bonhoeffer (1963) commenting on the cost of Discipleship wrote:

The old life is left behind and completely surrendered.The disciple is dragged out
of his relative security into a life of absolute insecurity (that is, in truth, into the
absolute security and safety of the fellowship of Jesus…If we would follow Jesus
we must take certain definite steps. The first step, which follows the call, cuts the
Disciple off from his previous existence… The cross is laid on every Christian.
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The first Christ-suffering which every man must experience is the call to abandon
the attachments of this world… When Christ calls a man He bids him come and
die.(p.62,63,66, 67,99)

The Seventh-day Adventist Church administers only one form of baptism, which is by immersion
and baptizes only those who believe. Commenting on the importance of baptism, (John Paul 11,
1983: Cann 96,204) and Ngwoke (1987) wrote:

Born into the Church not by natural generation, by status or desire but by the only
divinely established means of this Spiritual birth namely baptism (Can 96). It is
that sacrament that confers on the baptized his ecclesiastical personality, a subject
of ecclesial rights and duties possession of these rights and duties is however in
degrees. (Pp.1-2).

The researcher observed that in the typical villages in Ngwaland, the Choir and the entire Church
escorts newly baptized members to their respective homes with singing on road march. In Many
Christian congregations, the baptism is performed in a nearby river or swimming pool or in the
Church‘s baptistery. A baptized member is espected to live a new lifestyle, having put on Christ.
Song number 47(Baptism) echoes what happened after the baptism of Christ. Other songs in this
category are: No. 19(Mgefe Lakuru Nnam), 42(Moo Nso), 59(Tutu Amua Gi), and 48(Jisos bu
Uzo).

4.7.7 Wedding/Harvest Thanksgiving

Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favor of theLord.(Pro.18:22) Marriage
is honorable (Hebrews 13:4). The Church recognizes three forms of marriage- traditional, white
wedding and marriage blessing. The Church discourages any form of putting asunder after
marriage. Marriage must be between two opposite sex- male and female adults. But from the
beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his
father and mother, and cleave to his wife… what God hath joined together, let not man put
asunder. (Mark 10:6-9) Song No. 79 expresses marriage between Mankind and God, and between
man and woman.
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4.7.8 Harvest Thanksgiving

Every ordinance of the Christian Church is symbolic of a Biblical event.Harvest which is

celebrated towards the end of the year reminds Christians of the harvest that will take place at the
return of their only savior Jesus Christ. It is written: ―While the earth remains, Seedtime and
harvest, Cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.‖ He answered and
said to them ―He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seeds
are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one… the harvest is the end
of the age, and the reapers are the angels… Thrust in your sickle and reap, for the time has come
for you to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe (Genesis 8:22; Matthew 13:37-39; Revelation
14:15). In the Seventh-day Adventist Church, two categories of harvest are observed every year.
The Ingathering and the general Church harvest thanksgiving. The Ingathering preceeds the
general thanksgiving harvest. It lasts for a month and involves every member of the church in
personal outdoor appeal to the public for the support of the less priviledged and the orphans
(Matthew 25:31-40). The general thanksgiving harvest is typical of what happens in other
Christian denominations. Example of the songs are song Numbers 55(Jehova nagba uwa oto),
56(Oke ihe di ebube),71(Onu uzo oma neche), and 73(N‘ikpe azu nke uwa)

4.7.9 Burial Service or Ceremony

The general belief of both Christians and non Chrisians is that death is inevitable; it awaits
everyone born by woman. Death is cruel to mankind, it separates loved ones. Writing about death,
Okafor (1999) amplified Dele Giwa, 1976, High in Death)

There is nothing so final as death… It brings deep grief, sorrow and tears, and
strikes with such cruelty that it chooses often as victims the best among the living.
It trumpets the worth of the dead who lived unsung and makes him a hero of some
sort.

If a man dies, shall he live again? Job asked and answered ―… all the days of my appointed time
will I wait, till my change comes. You shall call, and I will answer you: You will have a desire to
the work of your hands (Job 14:14-15).

―Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints‖ (Psalms 116:15). To the Christian,
death is not the end of life but the end of suffering that will usher in a more blissful and unending
life when the saints are called up to receive the rewards of their faithfulness to God at the last
 75

trumpet call of Jesus. Apostle Paul declares ―we shall all be changed… for if we believe that
Jesus died and rose again, even so them also who sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him...
comfort one another with these words (1 Corinthians 15: 50; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18)

Burial time provides an opportunity for the living to ex-ray their lifestyles and make necessary
effort to tow the part of righteousness, because there is no repentance in the grave (Ecclesiastics
9:5-6; Revelation 14:13). Example of burial songs are song Numbers 45(Paradise), 50(Elu Igwe)
58(Oge Nabia), 65(Otu Ubochi Di), 75(Gee Nti Kam Gwa Gi), 77(Otu Ubochi), and 86(Ole Ebe
Bu Ulom?)
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CHAPTER FIVE

Summary and Conclusion

5.1 Summary

The main thrust of this study is analysis of indigenous liturgical songs of the Seventh Day
Adventist Church in Ngwa land. The study used ethnomusicological method of research I getting
its results. This has to do with acquisition of knowledge on the subject matter through fieldwork
and data collection for content analysis. The researcher employed participant observation
methodology in getting the desired results. The result of this study was presented in five chapters.
Chapter one introduced the subject matter and discussed the problem, objectives, significance and
scope of the study, theoretical framework and literature review. The theoretical framework was
based on the theory of identity. This theory was used to establish the difference between the
European songs and the indigenous songs of Ngwa people. Chapter two dwelled on the historical
background of the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Ngwa land. It was observed that Pastor Jesse
Clifford and his wife established the Church in 1923. The indigenous songs was first introduced
in 1924 in Umuobiakwa District. The songs have great spiritual impact on the congregation.
Chapter three discussed the liturgy of Seventh Day Adventist Church and observed that four basic
principles prevail in their liturgy. They are: Principle of Creativity, Principle of Content, Principle
of Suspicion, and Principle of Spiritual effect. Congregational singing and musicality of the
composers was also discussed I chapter three. The fourth chapter dwelt on analysis of the songs.
It discussed the musical elements and themes of song texts. Chapter five was based on summary,
research findings, recommendation and conclusion. It was observed that education brought about
certain positive changes in the composition and performance of the songs.

According to Ozongwu and Okorie (1999:84), education is the process of making the learner
share in evolved patterns of his culture, a formal process by which the elders or rulers select and
transmit patterns of behavior of their choice. No matter how rigid a culture may be, proper
education will eventually break the execeses. Consequently, education helps people to make
choices according to the convinction of their hearts and not according to what culture says or
demands. Herskovits and Bascon (1959:2) argued that: If culture changes, if culture is dynamic,
it must be studied in its historical dimension as well as in terms of the relationships among its
components. Similarly, Nash (1961:81) stated that every musical, as well as social event involves
a mixture of stability and change. Of course we do know that learning propels change. In
 93

discussing the concept of learning, Merriam (1964) asserted that the concept of learning is more
closely related to culture in general, and especially to the problem of change and stability. He
went further to say:

…culture provides the conditions for learning; secondly, culture

systematically elicits appropriate responses. Thirdly, culture through its
products or agents provides reinforcements. Finally, the culture of a society
has certain self perpetuating tendencies, so long as the human population
which manifests the culture gains its stability, for members of one
generation to teach members of succeeding generations what culture is and
does (p. 161)

Because the Igbo musicality is deeply rooted in cultural heritage, foreign influences did not
completely change the basic musical concepts of liturgical songs in the Seventh-day Adventist
Church.

Socio-cultural change affects the social behavior of a people especially in the aspects that
showcase their culture. In recent times, three types of change which are noticeable in the
composition and performance of liturgical choruses are internal, acculturization, and
commercialization. Each of these changes has one way or the other contributed to the growth,
development and continuity of the songs. The changes are normal in every growing society.

The initial song composers were few and their songs were lengthy but less complex. For easy
rendition during church services, they were performed by selected few who later formed the
church choirs in their various churches. Most often members pay transport to meet the composers
in their villages to learn the songs. With the growth of Church Choirs, new composers began to
emerge, and new songs with varied styles were introduced. The annual camp-meetings, where
about three to five district choirs perform at a particular camp centre helped a great deal to
enhance the continuation of the choruses. The combination of different melodious choruses by a
choir to form a single uninterrupted performance during music time in camp-meetings became a
new welcomed innovation. This innovation was first introduced by the old Umuobiakwa District
Choir at their zonal camp-meeting held in Aba headquarters Church in 1985. In fact, during music
time at camp-meetings, the atmosphere is always charged and campers seem to be elevated to a
higher spiritual pedestral. The composers in the choirs that perform well are always held in high
 94

esteem by members of the congregation because of their sensitivity in providing lyric airs that
satisfy the musical taste of the church society.

The second type of change which is acculturation is minimal in the composition of the liturgical
songs. The reason is that majority of the composers do not have formal education, they are home
based. When the researcher had an oral interview with five of the composers during one of their
Conference choir rehearsal, three of them responded as follows: ―We compose by inspiration, we
do not know whether inspiration also acculturate, but we still maintain the basic compositional
techniques we learnt from the beginning.‖ The other two responded in similar way by saying that
they only know that composing songs is a spiritual gift, and when the composer is loyal to the
spirit, he keeps on composing being unconscious of acculturization. However, elements of
acculturization like instrumentation and extamporization are only noticeable in the compositions
of the few who engage in waxing albums for commercial purposes. Example: the song titled ―oge
nabia mgbem gakwusi ibu abu‖ was accompanied with Western instruments instead of African
traditional instruments. For the songs to sell they must satisfy the musical demands of the general
public; therefore the texts are a mixture of vanaculer and English with instrumental
accompaniments.

The third type of change which is commercialization has much positive impact on the liturgical
choruses. Firstly, it helped to introduce the composers and their music to the general public.
Secondly, it has become a little source of income to many of the composers. Thirdly, it has helped
to rivive many choirs; hence almost all the district choirs are now engaged in waxing musical
albums to represent their districts in the repertoire of liturgical choruses in the Seventh-day
Adventist Church. At the initial time, commercialization of the choruses were regarded as a
denominational taboo, the songs were only used in church services, but now that which was
formerly a taboo, has received the blessing of contemporary Church leadership.

Continuity and change is unavoidable in human socities, they are only inimical when allowed to
obliterate the basic foundation upon which musical composition and performance are based. Only
new tested and proven ideas in the performance of liturgical choruses are imbibed in the
performance of the songs by both the Church choirs and the congregations. One of such changes
in the performance of the choruses has to do with the usual audience participation in the
performance of known tunes by a group or the choir. The congregation is encouraged to listen
carefully and applaud by saying a louder Amen after a group or choir rendition. In order to avoid
 95

compromise or a deviation from the unique style of liturgical chorus performance, it is important
to follow new ideas carefully.

5.2 Research Findings

Based on historical facts and research interviews, it was observed that the Seventh-day Adventist
Church is one of the Protestant Sabbath keeping Churches. The Church is universal and no one
individual claims to be its founder. The Church was founded by the Milerite movement after the
great disappointment of October 22, 1844. The Church celebrated her one hundred years
existence in Nigeria (1914-2014) in March 2014.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church is well known for her quality hospitals, educational system,
and Bible based lifestyle ministry. The Church, like other Chriatian denominations, engages her
entire membership in both personal and public preaching for the spreading of the gospel of Christ.
The local Church leaders are determined by the entire Church membership through a yearly
nomination by a properly constituted Church nominating Committee. The Church is financed
through tithes, offerings, and free-will donation from members. The greater percentage of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church membership in Eastern Nigeria is found in Ngwa land, with three
Conferences. Aba East, with headquarters at Ogbor Hill Aba, Aba South, with headquarters at
Alaoma, located along Aba Port Harcourt express way, and Aba North, with headquarters at
Uhum, located along Aba- Umuahia express way.

In this study also, it was discovered that the musical heritage of the Seventh-day Adventist
Church has not been compromised with secular musical standards. Lyric airs, hymns and anthems
are the three categories of liturgical music employed in worship, but the more prominent category
is lyric airs written mainly in the vernacular. There are five types of choirs in every local
Congregation-Children Choir, Youth, Women ministries Choir, Men‘s organization Choir, and
the Adult Church choir. The Adult church choir performs every Sabbath, but the other choirs
perform occasionally. Majority of the choristers and choirmasters are naturally talented musicians
and singers without any formal musical training. However, many of them are professionals in
other fields of human enterprise.

The Conference Choir music committee serves as the monitoring music committee in both the
local and District Choirs. It was observed that the recent choice of only one center for camp-
meetings and the formation of camp choirs in some quarters have reduced the zeal for choristers‘
 96

participation in camp-meetings. The most important finding is that there is no proper

documentation of the liturgical songs. Most of the choirs interviewed were not able to preserve
the files containing what they call ―old songs‖, and some who claim to have their old song files
were not able to provide index for the songs for preservation.

The lyric airs are short, repetitive, danceable, and mainly written in simple quadruple time. The
dominant scale patterns are pentatonic, hexatonic, and heptatonic. The forms used in the songs
include: Call and response, Solo and chorused refrain, and the mixed structural forms. The
melody of the songs adheres to the tonal inflexion of the words. This makes a distinction
compared to the translated European hymns which do not regard the tonal inflexions in the
translation.

5.3 Recomendations

It is believed that the post filed analysis of this study satisfied the statement of the problem stated
in chapter one. It is hereby recommende that further studies should be encouraged on liturgical
songs of the Seventh Day Adventist Church. For continuity sake, the researcher is therefore
making the following recommendations to the Conference executive committee and the various
local Church boards.

(a) The monitoring of local church choirs by the Conference music committee should be made
more effective. The committee should wake up to their responsibility or be desolved.

(b) Music week should be organized yearly because the last music week held in May, 2010 helped
to revive some church choirs.

(c) Singing competions should be re-introduced to enhance improved singing standards.

(d) Congregational song leaders should be trained yearly to enable them meet up with modern
trends in congregational song leading. (e) Composers summit should be organized to everluate the
liturgical choruses in the repertoire of various church choirs.

(f) Zonal camp-meetings should be re-introduced because it helps to highten the spiritual heights
of Choristers and music lovers.

(g) Music workshops for choirmasters and choristers should be encouraged in every District
headquarters.
 97

(h) Instrumental accompaniment using both African and Western instruments to accompany the
choruses is another method of making the songs livelier.

(i) Annual or biannual awards for committed composers, choirmasters, and choristers should be
instituted.

It is hoped that the music ministry of the Church will be elevated to meet up comtemporary
challenges in the performance of liturgical songs in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, if the
aforementioned recommendations could be implemented.

Conclusion

The indigenous liturgical songs have been found to be acceptable to the Parishioners because of
their originalty and relationship to African music patterns. This work does not claim to have
covered all apects involved in determining what makes a music type good or bad, but serves as a
pace setter to go deeper for better insight, because the church seems to be silent in contributing to
the repertoire of liturgical music among art Muscians. It is hoped that this research will pave way
for studio recordings, documentation and for further research.
 98

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APPENDICES
APPENDIX 1

TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS

1. Naga Dika Eze

Na-ga dika Eze, hosanna k‘ebo dum n‘eti, onye Nzoptam gaa n‘uzo gi, ‗ke atusara igu nkwu.

Translation: Ride on like a king, hosanna is what echoes everywhere, my savior, ride on, on
your road that is decorated with palm fronds.

The triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem was accompanied by men, women and children with
palm fronds in their hands, signifying the coronation of Jesus as king of kings and Lord of Lords.
This song serves as a reminder of what happened in Jerusalem over two thousand years ago. It
was taken from the gospel of Mark chapter 11.

K‘ora Tobe Ike Jisos

Haleluya,K‘ora tobe ike Jisos ka ndi- mozi ya daa, n‘ala n‘ukwu ya, weputa okpu nke e-ze bia
mee ya bianu mee ya, bia mee ya, eze-o-ra.

Translation: Let all praise the power of Jesus, let His angels bow down, bring forth the crown of
a king, and crown Him Lord of all.

Cherubim Na Seraphim

Che-ru-bim na se-ra-phin, ha nile neto gi Nna, nabu nso, nso, nso, nye onye nadi mgbe dum,
bianu k‘ayi soro ha nabu, n‘to Jisos Eze, nihi n‘okwesiri inara otuto umu ya.

Translation: Cherubim and seraphim all praise thee Father, singing holy, holy, holy, to him that
is everlasting; come let us join to praise Jesus our king, because He is worthy to receive praise
from His children.

2. Ezi Aha Mara Nma

Ezi aha mara nma, Ezi aha mara nma ka Jisos bu, ezi aha mara nma e, ezi aha mara nma, ezi aha
mara nma ka Jisos bu, ezi aha mara nma n‘lu uwa nile.
 105

Translation: Good and beautiful name, good and beautiful name is the name of Jesus in the
entire World.

3. Lenu Jisos

Le-nu Jisos kiriibenu, o-si nagha naputa, o-meriwo ndi iro ya k‘ora daa n‘kwu ya me ya Eze. Mee
ya Eze, mee ya Eze, o-kwesiri okpu eze, mee ya Eze, mee ya Eze, o-kwesiri okpu Eze.

Translation: Behold Jesus, and rejoice, He is coming out from war. He has conquered His
enemies, let everyone bow before His feet and crown Him king.

4. Nam, Nam, Nam

Belu‘ayi nekwu mgbe dum, bianu, bianu , bianu, ‗tutu‘bochi izu‘ke nile, nke taa puru iche,
ndi‘obu‘bu nasi, bianu taa; nam,nam, nam, nam, nam, nam, bianu, bianu, oge‘ruwo, ka‘yi baa
n‘ulo Chukwu gbue‘ikpere.

Translation: Our bell is ringing all the time, come, come, come, every Sabbath morning, the
one of today is special, the choristers are calling, come today; come, come, come, come that we
may enter the house of God and kneel down.

5. Hozana Diri Eze Ayi

Hozana diri Eze Jisos okpara Chukwu onye si n‘lu‘igwe bia, hozana diri, diri eze Jisos, hozana
diri eze anyi.

Translation: Hosanna to King Jesus, the Son of God who came down from heaven, hosanna to
our king.

6. Nna Ayi Nke Bi N‘el‘Igwe

Nna ayi nke bi n‘elu igwe k‘edokwa ‗ha gi nso, d‘ke ‗si mee ya n‘elu‘igwe, k‘eme ya n‘uwa nka.

Translation: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, as it is done in heaven, let it be done
on earth. The lyrics of the song were taken from the Lord‘s Prayer in Matthew chapter six. It is
both a prayerful song and a confirmation of faith in the Almighty God, whose awesome name
alone should be hallowed on earth. It is based on Mtthew chapter six.
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7. Esetirim Aka

Esetirim gi aka enwghim o-nye ozo, esetirim gi aka enweghim o-nye ozo. Esetirim gi aka ole ebe
kam geje? Esetirim gi aka enwghim o-ny ozo, mo‘bughi gi.

Translation: I lift up my hands to you, I have no other person. I lift up my hands to you, where
else can I go? I lift up my hands; I have no other person but you.

8. Obu N‘Amara

Obu n‘amara obu n‘amara, n‘amara nke Jehovah k‘ayi din du, obu n‘amara obu n‘amara, n‘amara
nke Jehovah k‘ayi di ndu. Translation: It is by grace, it is by grace, and it is by the grace of
Jehovah that we are alive.

9. Aka Ngozi Jehovah

Aka ngozi Jehovah di na-aru ayi, bua ha-li-lu-ia, hali-luia, buanu halilulia, hali-luia, aka ngozi
Jehovah di n‘aru ayi.

Translation: God‘s blessings are upon us, sing haleluia, haleluia, sing haleluia, haleluia, the
blessing of Jehovah is upon us.

10. Zion Oma

Zion oma , ayi na-la na Zion, ayi na-la na zion, obodo di n‘lu, ayi na-la na zion, ayi na-la na Zion,
onwu adighi ya, ikwa akwa adighi ya, obodo mara nma, obodo Chineke.
Translation: Beautiful Zion, we are heading to Zion, we are heading to Zion, city built above,
there‘s no death there, no crying there, beautiful city, the city of God.

11. Ezi Olu

Unu ndi nalu ezi‘olu lusie ya ike, unu ndi nalu ezi olu lu-sie ya ike, unu ndi nalu ezi olu, lu-sie ya
ike, unu adala mba n‘lu olu lusie ya ike.

Translation: You that are doing good works work harder 3times, don‘t be weary in doing good
works, work harder.

12. Madu Abua Gayikota?

Madu abua gayikota je ije, ma o-buru na ha ezutegh?

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Translation: Can two walk together, except they agree to walk together? (Amos 3:3)

13. Bia Nyere Ayi Aka

Bia nyere ayi aka, bia nyere ayi aka, bia nyere ayi aka, ayi bu umu nke gi.

Translation: Come and help us, come and help us, come and help us, we are your people.

14. Jisos Nakpo Gi

Obu gi ka Jisos nasikwa, bia kam zoputa gi nwa nnem. Obu gi ka Jisos nasikwa, bia kam zoputa
gi nwa nnem. Bia, bia, bia kam zoputa gi, k‘onye new ayi nasi, bia kam zoputa gi nwa nnem.

Translation: You are the one that Jesus is calling to come, that He may save you 2times.
Come, come, come that I may save you, says our Lord, and come that I may save you
brother/sister.

This song is a gospel call for repentance. God‘s plan of salvation was devised to conquer sin, not
to excuse sin and give license to transgression. Since the fall of man, Jesus has been standing at
the door of our hearts, pleading for entrance so that we can be saved. Those who hear his voice
and respond to the call have assurance of salvation, and he promises to cleanse them from all
unrighteousness. A popular hymn of invitation to repentance goes as follows:

The savior is waiting to enter your heart,

why don‘t you let Him come in? There‘s
nothing in this world to keep you a-part,
What is your answer to him? Time after
time He has waited before, and now He
is waiting again. To see if you‘re willing
to open the door: O how He wants to come in.
(Ralph Camichael 1927-)

15. Bia N‘ulom

Bia n‘ulom Jisos nasi gi bia n‘ulom, bia n‘ulom, atula egwu nmehie gi nile, bia n‘ulom, bia nara
nzoputa nefu, bia n‘ulom, bia n‘ulom.
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Translation: Come to my house says Jesus, come to my house, don‘t be afraid of all your sins,
come to my house, come and receive salvation free, come to my house, come to my house.

16. Dozie Uzo Gi

Dozie uzo gi, dozie uzo gi, dozie uzo gi,dozie uzo gi, onye nweayi nabia ngwa, o- nabia ngwa,
onye nweayi nabia ngwa, o- nabia ngwa.

Translation: Prepare your way, prepare your way, prepare your way, prepare your way, the Lord
is coming soon, He‘s coming soon, the Lord is coming soon it won‘t be long.

17. Odawo Bu Babylon Ukwu Ahu

Solo: Mozi ozo bu nk‘abua wee so kwa si. 2 times

Chorus: Odawo, odawo bu babilon uku ahu 2times.

Refrain: Babilon ukwu ahu odawo, babilon ukwu ahu odawo, babilon ukwu ahu odawo, nezie
odawo nezie.

Translation: Another angel, the second followed and said, fallen, fallen, is Babylon the Great.
That great Babylon is fallen, truly, it is fallen.

18. K‘ayi Ga N‘iru

Ka‘yi gaa n‘iru nekwusa ozi nk‘onye new ayi, ka ayi gaa n‘iru, ka ayi gaa n‘iru, ka ayi gaa n‘iru
nekwusa ozi nk‘onye new ayi, nkaa bu olu diri ayi.

Translation: Let‘s go ahead preaching the message of our Lord, let‘s go ahead, let‘s go on
preaching the message of our Lord, this is the work meant for us.

19. Obodo Oma Nke Chineke

Obodo oma nke Chineke, obodo nke mara mma site na ntuala ya, obodo oma nke di n‘lu, obodo
oma nke o-l‘edo. English translation: Beautiful city of God, city beautified from its foundation,
beautiful city above, beautiful city made of gold.

Solo: Akwadowo uwa nye oku , uwa gerepia gho ntu, ulo oma gi,ugbo ala gi, ego gi di n‘ulo aku,
ha gaburu gi ibu aru, iwe ghara ‗soro ayi, iba n‘obodo oma ‗huo, edoziri ndi nso
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Ttranslation: The earth has been prepared for fire, the earth will burn up to ashes, your beautiful
houses, your car, your bank account, they shall be impediment for you, that you may not join us
to enter that city prepared for the Saints.

Solo: Onwu adighi n‘ala oma ahu, anya miri adighi ya, ita ahuhu, nkpoch‘iru, iru- uju n‘isu ude,
agaghi adi moli, ogabu ihe oke onu, iba nobodo oma ahuo, edoziri nye ndi nso.

Translation: No death in that beautiful land, no tears there, no suffering, disappointment,

mourning and groaning will never be there,it will be a great joy to enter that city prepared for the
Saints.

Solo: Nani nwo-ge nta onu uzo nke amara g‘emechi, ge nti oz'oma , Rapu ih‘ uwa, k‘h‘uwa we
ra-gi aka, igano n‘ichu ego ,Edesia aha ndi nso, iwe soro uwa la n‘iyi, ogaburu gi ihe aruo.

Translation: Just a little time remains for probation to close, listen to the gospel message, leave
the things of the world, so that worldliness may leave you, you may continue pursuing money till
the saints names are completed, and you perish with the world, it will be abomination to you.

Solo: Aka ka igba bia n‘uwa, aka k‘igagba-ala, ichu alili, oke ochicho, aku ikpadoro n‘uwa, ha
ganochiri g‘uzo, iwe ghara ‗isoro ayi, iba n‘obodo ‗ma huo edoziri ndi nso.

Translation: You came to the world with nothing, you will go with nothing, preventing shame,
covetousness and your earthly wealth will stand your way, and hinder you to follow us to enter
that city prepared for the Saints.

20. Onye Nwe Ayi Nasi Gi Bia

Onye new ayi nasi gi bia, anola odu i-bia, miri ozuzo ikpe azu neru nso, gini gegbochi nwam?

Translation: Our Lord is calling you, come, do not delay to come, the later rain is about to fall,
what shall prevent you from coming?

21. Bia Enyim

Bia enyim bia k‘isoro ayi baa n‘ubochi izu ike Chukwu, bia enyim bia k‘isoro ayi, k‘ighara ikwa
akwa nmakwara.

Translation: Come my friend and join us to enter into God‘s rest day. Come my friend and
follow us, so that you may not say had I known.
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22. Abum Obia N‘ebea

Abum obia n‘ebea, igwe bu u-lom, abum obia n‘ebea igwe bu ulom.

Translation: Iam a stranger here, heaven is my home. Iam a stranger here, heaven is my home.

23. Onabia N‘ike N‘ebube

Akwukwo nso agwawo anyi, Na Jisos gabia ozo, e onabia n‘ike n‘ebube. Oghayi imezu dika
akwukwo nso siri kwue, chetakwa n‘okwu ya nadi rue mgbe ebighebi, e onabia n‘ike n‘ebube.

Translation: The Bible tells us that Jesus is coming again, yes; He is coming with power and
glory. It must surely happen as the Bible predicted, remember that His words endures for ever,
yes, He is coming with power and glory.

24. N‘oke Ubochi Ahu

N‘oke ubochi ahu, n‘oke ubochi ahu, Jisos getiwara dika anyanwu, ayi ganuri onu, mgbe ayi
gezute ya, ayi gasi ya ayi elewo anya gi.

Translation: On that great day, on that great day, Jesus will appear like the sun, we shall be
glad, when we shall meet Him, we shall tell Him we have looked for Him.

25. Ayi Nazo Ije Ila

U---- ayi nazo ije ila, u--- obodo nke Chineke, u--- ayi nazo ije ila ebe nani Jisos bu eze. (aka ikpe,
aka nri)

Translation: oh---- we are marching to go, oh--- the beautiful city of God, oh---- we are
marching to where only Jesus is King.

26. Unu Mere Nk‘oma

Solo: N‘ubochi ahu mgbe Jisos gabia, ikpe ndi nile ikpe, ndi di ndu na ndi nwuru anwu,
ha gaputa n‘oche ikpe; ndi ajoo omume nile ka agachiba n‘oku, ndi eziomume nile
k‘ogasi bianu. Tuti: U-nu mere k‘o-ma, bianu zuru ike, u-nu emeriwo, u-nu emeriwo,
bianu naka nrim zurui-ke.
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Translation: On that great day when Jesus shall come, to judge everybody, the living and the
dead shall appear on the judgment seat. The unrighteous shall be cast into the fire, to the righteous
he will say come; you have done well, come and rest at my right hand side.

27. Neru Ulo

Neru ulo, neru ulo, Jisos nedu ayi, ayi ne-ru ulo, neru ulo, neru ulo, Jisos nedu ayi ayi ne-ru ulo.

Translation: Travelling home, travelling home, led by Jesus we are travelling home, travelling
home, travelling home led by Jesus we are travelling home.

28. Ala Eze Chineke

A-la eze Chineke nabia a-la eze Chineke nabia, i-kporo ndi nke ya, bu ndi rubere i-si n‘okwu ya;
ala eze Chineke.

Translation: The kingdom of God is coming; the kingdom of God is coming, to take His own,
those that were faithful to his word.

29. Ha Gburu Onye Nwe Ayi Jisos

Lenu ha gburu ‗onye Nwe ayi Jisos lee, ha kpogide ya n‘obe, e—ha mere ya ihe‘ochi, bu onye
nodighi ihe‘omere.

Translation: See they killed my Lord Jesus, behold they nailed Him to the cross, yes, they
made Him a laughing stock, He who did nothing wrong.

30. Mgbe Emesiri Jisos Baptism

Mgbe emesiri Jisos bap-tism o-lu si n‘elu igwe daa. Mgbe emesiri Jisos bap-tism, o-lu si n‘elu
igwe daa. Kaa bu okparam nkem huru n‘anya onye ihe ya dim ezi nma nuru olu ya, nka bu
okparam nkem huru n‘anya onye ihe ya dimezi nma nuru olu ya.

Translation: After the baptism of Jesus, a voice was heard from heaven, saying, this is my
beloved Son, in whom Iam well pleased hear you His voice.

31. Mu gefe lakuru Nnam

A-si na mu nwere nku, ‗ge-fe, ‗ge-fe, a-a-asi na mu nwere nku‘gefe lakuru Nnam n‘igwe.
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Translation: If I had wings, I will fly, I will fly. Oh If I had wings, I would have flown to meet
my Father in heaven.

32. Moo Nso

Mgbe Jisos si n‘elu ‗wa rigo n‘igwe, okwere nkwa nke Moo Nso, ha wee noo n‘out olu n‘ olile
anya n‘chere mgbe o-gabia. Ha dum na-tara ike n‘ubochi pentikost no-tu, no-tu, ihe ha dum wee
too ndi Jew dum uto, igwe madu chegharia.

Translation: Before Jesus ascended back to heaven, He promised to send the Holy Spirit, and the
disciples were together in one accord waiting for the promised Holy Spirit. All received power on
the day of penticost one by one; the Jews were pleased with them, and many people repented.

This is a reference to the promise of the Holy Spirit that will empower the disciples to do more
exploit for God when their master is taken away from them to heaven. In order to be empowered,
they were instructed to remain at Jerusalem while waiting for the promise. They did not wait there
aimlessly; the waiting provided an ample opportunity for them to right the wrongs, forget about
self and focus on the work they were commissioned to do for their master. As soon as they
amended their ways, the Holy Spirit descended on them on penticost day. See Acts chapter 2.
This song teaches the need for obedience and readiness at all time.

33. Tutu Amua Gi

Tutu amua gi, amaram onye ibu, tutu amua gi amaram onye ibu, gini mere iji nafuli onwe gi elu,
gini mere ina-anya isi, ibu onye, ibu onye, ibu onye madu, obu aja k‘ibu, tutu amua gi, amaram
onye ibu.

Translation: Before you were born, I knew who you are, before you were born, I knew whom
you are. Why are you liting yourself up, why are you proud? Who are you, who are you mankind,
you are but sand. Before you were born I knew you.

34. Jisos Bu Uzo

Jisos bu uzo, uzo na eziokwu na ndu, onye nke kwere na ya, genwe ndu ebighebi, wee nwebigaya
oke.
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Translation: Jesus is the way, the truth and the life; whosoever believes in Him, shall have an
abundant eternal life.

35. Moo Nso Na Nwanyi Analu Ohuu Nasi

Moo Nso Na Nwanyi ahu, ana-lu ohu nasikwa, bia, bia, bia aa, o-nye nanu, ya sikwa bia. (2times)
onye akpiri nakpo nku ya bia, onye akpiri nakpo nku ya bia, onye nanu, bia nara miri nke ndu ahu
n‘efu, bia nara miri nke ndu ahu n‘efu, onye nanu,ya sikwa bia.

Translation: The Spirit and the Bride say come, the Spirit and the Bride says come. He who
hears say come, say come, he who hears come and take the water of life freely.

36. Jehova Nagba Uwa Oto

Le ka Jehovah nagba uwa oto onemekwa k‘otogboro n‘efu, mee ka ndi bi n‘ime ya gbasaa, n‘ihi
k‘odiri onye uku, ka odiri onye nta.

Translation: See how God is making the world naked, He is making it to lie in waste, and
dispersed its inhabitants, because as it is for the great, so is also for the lowly.

37. Oke Ihe Di Ebube

Lenu oke ihe di ebube nke negosi n‘obiba nke onye new ayi din so, aghara nile, aghara ganogide
rue mgbe uwa gagwu.

Translation: Behold wonderful things that show the coming of our Lord is near. War, Wars shall
continue till the end of the world.

38. Onu Uzo Oma Neche

Onu‘zo oma neche, ndi nketa nke ala eze, ndi gabia n‘ime ihunanya Nna. Ndi were okwukwe nara
iwu Chineke, site n‘obara nke Jisos Kraist.

Translation: A beautiful gate is waiting for the Citizens of the Kingdom, those that are coming
with the love of the Father; those that accepted the law of God through faith in the blood of Jesus
Christ.
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Koros: Onu ‗zo ‗ma neche, Onu ‗zo ‗ma neche, onye obula nke gabia ugbua, oge neme ngwa
igwu mgbe agemechi onu uzo, dika mgbe emechiri Iden, Onu ‗zo ‗ma neche, oneche mu na gi,
k‘ayi were onu lo-t‘lo.

Translation:

A beautiful gate is waiting; a beautiful gate is waiting for anyone that will come now. Time is
running out, when the gate will be closed like when the Eden gate was closed. A beautiful gate is
waiting for me and you to gladly come back home.

Onu uzo oma neche, onechere gi taa, nihi na ibu oluaka Chuku, ochoghi ka ila, nodoku nke ala
muo, onu uzo oma nechere gi ta

Translation:

A beautiful gate is waiting, it is waiting for you, because you are the handwork of God, he does
not want you to perish in hell, a beautiful gate is waiting for you today.

Onu uzo oma neche, ndi nele anya Jisos, ndi kwere na Kraist nazoputa, onu uzo ma neche ndi
nadighi ada mba, n‘ije ozi nke osiri ayi je.

Translation:

A beautiful gate is waiting for those who are expecting Christ‘s return, those who believe that
Christ saves, a beautiful gate is waiting for those who are not weary in doing the things Christ
wants us to do.

39. N‘ikpe Azu Nk‘Uwa

N‘ikpe azu nke uwa, n‘ikpe azu nk‘uwa, otutu ihe iriba ama gadi na anyanwu na onwa, otutu ihe
iriba ama gadi n‘uwa, otutu ihe iriba ama gadi na anyanwu n‘onwa, otutu ihe iriba ama gadi
n‘uwa.

Translation: In the last days, in the last days of the earth, there shall be many signs in the Sun
and the Moon; there shall be many endtime signs in the World.
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40. Paradise

Call: (O paradise) Response: Paradise ala izu ike, onye gaju, ala izu ike.(O paradise) paradise ala
izu ike, onye gaju, ala izu ike.

Translation: O paradise, who will ever say no to the land of repose. This song is usually
performed at the grave side during interment. It reminds the living that death is inevitable. When
it occurs, the deseased can not say no to unconscious rest at death.

41. Elu Igwe

E-lu igwe bu ulo nke Chineke, e-lu uwa bu olu aka ya, a-la eze bu ulo ndi Mozi ya, ayi nile
gezukota.

Translation: Heaven is the home of God, the earth is His handiwork, and the Kingdom is the
house of His angels; all of us shall gather together in God‘s Kingdom.

42. Oge Nabia

O-ge nabia mgbem gaghi adikwa n‘uwa, o-ge nabia mgbem gakwusi i-bu abu, o-ge nabia mgbe
ijem n‘uwa gagwu, mgbem no nezi‘ke n‘ala bu a-ja. Ole ebe ka ijem n‘uwa gedurum jee, n‘oku
moo, mobu nala eze nke onye new ayi, n‘aka nri mobu n‘ala eze nke Chi-neke, ole ebe ka ijem
gagwusi?

Translation: The time is coming when I shall no longer be in this world, the time is coming
when Ishall stop singing, the time is coming when my journey here on earth shall end, when Ishall
be resting in the grave. Where shall my journey on earth lead me to, to hell fire or to God‘s
kingdom, to the right hand or the left hand of God, where shall my journey on earth end?

43. Otu Ubochi Di

Otu ubochi di e mgbem gapu najoo uwa nka, ndi enyim gachom ha agaghiahukwam ozo, mgbem
mu geje ikoro onye nzoputam otum si je ije n‘uwa.

Translation: A day is coming, yes, when I shall depart from this sinful world, my friends shall
look for me but they will not see me again; when I shall go to tell my Savior how I walked in the
world.
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44. Gee Nti Kam Gwa Gi

Ge nti kam gwagi ihe madu bu, madu dika okoko osisi n‘ohia, nke kponwuru mgbe anwu wara,
owee kubie ume nwua.

Translation: Listen let me tell you what human beings are, human beings are like fig trees in
the bush that weathers when the sun is shining, and stops its breath and dies.

45. Otu Ubochi

Otu ubochi di mgbem ga-ada n aura onwu na elu uwa nka, mgbm gechere onye nzoputam rue u-
bochi oma ahu. Ole ebem gano mgbe olu gada ni‘gwe? Mu gekeka oke na nbilite nonwu nke ezi
omume?

Translation: A day is coming when I shall sleep the sleep of death in this world; when I shall
wait for my Savior till He comes. Where shall I be when the trumpet shall sound from heaven?
Shall I take part in the resurrection of the righteous?.

46. Ole Ebe Bu Ulom?

O-le ebe bu ulom, ole ulom o-nye mara? E-bem gano mgbem nwuru la na ili izuru ike? Nokporo
uzo onwu mgenwe olile anya, nochichiri ili mgenwe olile anya, mgbe opi ike ga-ada, ole ebem
gala, mgbe Jisos gabia ikporo ndi ya?

Translation: Where is my home, where is my home, who knows? Who knows where I shall be
when I die and go to rest in the grave? On the road of death, shall I have hope? In the darkness of
the grave shall I have hope? When the trumpet shall sound, where shall I go, when Jesus shall
come to redeem His people?
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Appendix 2 Transcribed Songs

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songs
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songs
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songs
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songs
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songs
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songs
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songs