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Episode details

Radio 3,08 Jul 2026,59 mins

SeriesFela Sowande and the Art Music of Nigeria

The Life and Legacy of Little Ayo Bankole

Composer of the Week

Available for 28 days

Donald Macleod turns to Ayo Bankole, a central figure in the generation after Fela Sowande. With Alexander Douglas, he traces Bankole’s early years in Lagos, where his musical gifts were recognised and shaped within church and school life. Studies in London and Cambridge opened up new musical worlds while also placing him within a very different cultural environment. His music reflects these experiences, drawing together Yoruba traditions and European forms in piano pieces, songs and larger works. A return to Nigeria in the 1960s brought a new phase of teaching, research and composition. Egun Variations in G major Ayo Bankole Rebeca Omordia, piano Variations for Little Ayo Ayo Bankole Rebeca Omordia, piano Nigerian Suite: I–V Ayo Bankole Rebeca Omordia, piano Three Yoruba Songs Ayo Bankole Omo Bello, soprano Rebeca Omordia, piano Ya Orule Ayo Bankole Rebeca Omordia, piano Piano Sonata No. 2 in C major “The Passion”: I–III Ayo Bankole Rebeca Omordia, piano Produced by Ellie Ajao for BBC Audio Wales & West.

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Tracklist

  1. Track
    Artist
  2. 1.
    Egun Variations
    Egun Variations
    Ayo Bankole
  3. 2.
    Variations for little Ayo
    Variations for little Ayo
    Ayo Bankole
  4. 3.
    Nigerian Suite
    Nigerian Suite
    Ayo Bankole
  5. 4.
    3 Yoruba Songs
    3 Yoruba Songs
    Ayo Bankole
  6. 5.
    Ya Orule
    Ya Orule
    Ayo Bankole