Journal of
Music and Dance

  • Abbreviation: J. Music Dance
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 2360-8579
  • DOI: 10.5897/JMD
  • Start Year: 2011
  • Published Articles: 23

Article in Press

EMOTIVE IMPACT OF SONG IN ORAL NARRATIVE: AN INSIGHT INTO IGBO FOLK TALE

Nwanaju, Uzoma

  •  Received: 06 June 2018
  •  Accepted: 06 June 2018
Oral literature or narrative is a characteristic feature of African culture in general and Igbo culture in particular. The lucidity of the narrative is dependent on the performer who formulates it in words on a specific occasion. This implies that what the actor or performer says most often is intuitive and dependent on the occasion. Folktale as an oral narrative genre is considered to be an imaginative (story) in prose form, often centered on myths and legends with song playing major role in its narrative. This study then looks at the use of song to ascertain its emotive impact in Igbo folktale. Personal experience and artistic approaches were adopted. Folktale is observed to have been a medium for moral education in Igbo land and the integrated songs help to drive home themes and further invoke catharsis in the participants (narrators and audience alike).

Keywords: Oral narrative, Igbo folktale, Song