African Art Songs In Nairobi: Investigating Musical Idiomatic Expressions In Performance Practice

ABSTRACT The purpose of this project was to investigate musical idiomatic expressions in the performance of African art songs in Nairobi. The interest of the study came up after a voice recital was presented, and a variety of African and Western art songs were performed, but there was no clear distinction between the performance of the African and Western art songs. A cross section of the audience was in essence left wondering what could then define performance practice of an African art song. The study was guided by the following questions: (i) What are the characteristics of African art son…