Download 80 Igbo Gospel Worship
Jan Dominquez
When many African American communities migrated from rural to urban life during the first half of the twentieth century, they brought their worship culture with them. Echoing the ways of the single-room churches of the agrarian South, the storefront churches of the northern cities became the key setting for the development of Gospel.
During the 1930s, Gospel music emerged from the coalescing of three types of musical activity: a) the hymn style of Charles Albert Tindley (1851-1933) a Philadelphia minister who composed hymns based on negro spirituals, adding instrumental accompaniments, improvisation and "bluesified" third and seventh intervals; b) the minimalist, solo-sung "rural Gospel" tunes that appeared as a counterpart to the rural blues; and c) the uninhibited, exuberant worship style of the Holiness-Pentecostal branch of the Christian church.
One of the highlights of my childhood was having to listen to a variety of Igbo gospel songs on a regular basis, especially on Sundays when my parents were at home all day. We had the complete video albums of some of the artistes. There were familiar faces like those of Paul Nwokocha, Njideka & Gozie Okeke (the voices behind Akanchawa), Father Mbaka, Chinyere Udoma, Blessed Samuel and Chioma Jesus. Then there were the not-so-common names like Sis. Chinenye Samuel and Evang. Chimere Nwenu. With the help of these angelic voices, our home had a fair share of that surreal divine presence that seems to envelope every Christian household on Sundays.
Igbo Christian Music (also referred to as Igbo gospel music) is an Igbo traditional musical genre written, performed, and sung to narrate or express Christian faith, values, or topics.[1] The genre is vibrant and spiritually uplifting. It combines Christian religious themes such as Praise, hymnals, worship, and other Christian themes with traditional Igbo musical/cultural versions or elements.[2][3] It reflects the fusion of faith, cultural identity, and musical expression within the Igbo Christian community.[4]
Gospel songs are a kind of motivational Christian music that has become a major part of Nigerian music. In the 1960s the Evangelical Church of West Africa Choir was popular, and in the early 1970s Bola Aare, Ebenezer Obey and later, Panam Percy Paul, Onyeka Onwenu, Tope Alabi, and Kefee were notable. Also, in the early 1970s and 80s Arch Bishop Benson Idahosa's choir, The Christian Redeemed Voices were known for their gospel sound. Idahosa would purchase instruments for the choir.[citation needed]
The act of singing gospel songs is a practice that was brought into Nigeria about late 15th century, by Portuguese Catholic who had arrived Benin city at this time for missionary work.[1] These songs were mostly rendered then during Church worship service. They took the form of monophonic liturgy like the Gregorian chant - these are songs without polyphony and not written (rendered in parts) but having only one line of melody. By mid-19th century, missionary activities (which had diminished earlier) had revived in Nigeria. This time around, it was championed by the Church Missionary Society (CMS), which is owned and funded by the Church of England (Anglican Communion). At this time, the activities of CMS centered mostly around South-west, Nigeria. The CMS introduced a different genre of Church music that involved congregational singing of hymns led by a choir.
Another landmark in the birth of Nigeria gospel songs was in the person of the late Ikoli Harcourt Whyte.[3] He was a leprosy patient. For 45 years (until his death in 1977 at the age of 72), he lived in a leprosy colony in Uzuakoli, Abia State, Nigeria. The colony was owned by the Methodist Church.
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