His last academic position was at Kent State University in Ohio , from , where he remained with his wife Eleanor McKinney, until his retirement in He died in in Ravenna, Ohio from complications associated with a stroke. Do you find this information helpful? A small donation would help us keep this accessible to all. He retired in Sowande composed all manner of pieces, from organ works, choral works and songs, to solo and orchestral compositions.
His most recognised work is perhaps the African Suite , which — like much of his work — brings together European and West African musical influences. Yes, some of his music has been recorded… Excerpts from his African Suite appear an album by the Chicago Sinfonietta, titled African Heritage. Latest features See more Latest features. More From ClassicFM. Browse by See more Browse by.
From , he was an organist and choirmaster at the West London Mission of the Methodist Church until , and a considerable amount of organ music dates from this period.
These are based on Nigerian melodies that gave a special appeal to the Black members of his congregation in the early years of migration from the African continent and the Caribbean. Also, during this time, he became known as a dance pianist, bandleader, and Hammond organist, playing popular tunes of the day. Most of these show a strong influence of Anglican Church music combined with Yoruba pentatonic melodies. The final movement of African Suite became known to Canadian audiences as the theme of the popular CBC music program Gilmour's Albums and is now a Canadian orchestral standard.
He also wrote a significant amount of secular and sacred choral music, mainly a cappella. He went back to Nigeria to scholarly work with the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation and later the University of Ibadan. In he worked to Howard University in Washington, D.
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