Foreign sounds on common grounds : Nigerian migrants in Malta, congregational Christian music, and integration

Abstract

The aim of this dissertation is to investigate the interrelationship between music and migration as transpiring during a Nigerian congregational Christian mass celebration held in Malta. This is done through the application of methods and theories as proposed by the field of ethnomusicology. Related literature offers a background to the themes that transpire in the course of discussion as well as provides good understanding of the ethnomusicological theories and methods employed in the present research, such as ethnography and its application to the study of musical performance. The ethnography employed in this work implied on-site fieldwork and documentation. In the course of research, characteristics of African music in congregational Christian music were observed, described in writing and analysed. Audio recordings of congregational music during the above mass were transcribed into western notation and analysed in the wider context of African music. Findings from the field refer back to material included in the literature review chapter. This dissertation also suggests possible projects inspired by applied ethnomusicology.