Igbobuagu: An Exploration of Performance Practices, Aesthetics, and Symbolism in Igbo Traditional Instrumental Music

Author

Anderson Isiagu, Claremont Graduate UniversityFollow

Date of Award

2025

Degree Type

Open Access Dissertation

Degree Name

Music, PhD

Program

School of Arts and Humanities

Advisor/Supervisor/Committee Chair

Bill Alves and Robert Zappulla

Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member

Joti Rockwell

Terms of Use & License Information

Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Rights Information

© 2025 Anderson Isiagu

Keywords

African Music Aesthetics, Colonial Impact on African Music, Igbo Instrumental Symbolism, Igbo Traditional Music, Igbobuagu Performance Practice, Indigenous Soundscapes of Nigeria

Subject Categories

Music

Abstract

This dissertation investigates Igbobuagu , a traditional instrumental music genre from Affa, Enugu State, Nigeria. Through a variety of methods–including analyses of existing recordings and musical transcription, personal communication, informal interviews, and verification with local experts–it examines the genre’s performance practices, aesthetic values, and symbolic elements, revealing Igbobuagu as a living archive that encodes communal values and historical memory. Drawing on the communal philosophies articulated by J.H. Kwabena Nketia, Meki Nzewi, and John Miller Chernoff et al., the study highlights Igbobuagu as a participatory tradition where collective performance reinforces community identity and social cohesion. Using a semiotic perspective that treats musical elements as cultural texts, the research demonstrates how Igbobuagu ’s rhythms, instrumentation, and symbolic layers function as dynamic cultural texts that balance formal structure with lived experience. Practical implications include strategies for cultural preservation and education, while broader discussions situate Igbobuagu within global conversations on African musical resilience amid globalization. This study not only calls for greater scholarly focus on grassroots music traditions but also underscores the critical role of indigenous art forms as repositories of identity and collective memory, advocating for sustained efforts to ensure their survival in the modern era.

ISBN

9798315729051

Recommended Citation

Isiagu, Anderson. (2025). Igbobuagu: An Exploration of Performance Practices, Aesthetics, and Symbolism in Igbo Traditional Instrumental Music. CGU Theses & Dissertations, 951. https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/951.