OFFSHOT OF CELESTIAL PERFORMING ARTISTES ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (CPAAN); THE ADVANTAGEOUSNESS & THE UNPROFITABLENESS.
Every Organization whether religious or otherwise must have a standard operating system in order to have a balance structure for proper documentation and effective plan not to build a parallel future for the unborn generation.
Celestial Church of Christ has constantly been bedeviled with various administrative challenges in term of human management for a modernized and effective church of God. Recently a group of musicians in Celestial Church formed an association called “ Celestial Performing Artistes Association of Nigeria” (CPAAN). The selected Celestians musicians who established the association may have formed the association in order to check the misnormal and negative behavioral attitude of musicians in the fold.
However, I will be sharing my views concerning the establishment of the association on two perspective-
1) As a Concerned member in the Fold
2) As an Ethnomusicologists.
The observation will be in a way to call the attention of those in the corridor of authority to review, examine and draw a tactical structure to the fold that we all belong to.
The Ordinances of Celestial Church of Christ are instituted based on pre-determined purpose to serve specific importance; there is no ordinance without a pre-determined purpose and importance (Siwoniku 2019).
The Ordinances of Celestial Church is not a control based factor through individualism in the world but through the total control of God himself. Celestial Church is well-designed, a planned place of worship through the calling of Pa SBJ Oshoffa. The Church has her own tenent’s and doctrines in term of mode of worship; with a framework of constitutional provisions to guide the administrative setting of the Church.
WHAT DOES CELESTIAL CHURCH CONSTITUTION SAY ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN ASSOCIATION IN THE CHURCH.
The style of managing human resources and capital management are purely an administrative system; which Celestial Constitution has made provision of; in term of check and balance; however from section (1) to section (200) of the Church Constitution, there is no provision whatsoever for any creating of an association in the Church. With the above explanation of the provision of the Church Constitution; the establishment of Celestial Performing Artistes Association of Nigeria (CPAAN) is against the laws that guide the management of the Church.
VARIOUS PASTORAL FACTION IN THE CHURCH; UNDER WHICH FACTION DOES CPAAN STAND?
After the demise of the founding Pastor in 1985; the Church is yet to be free over the leadership tussle from various quarters, while this negative development has affected the evolution of the church in many ways. The executive of CPAAN can’t turn blind eyes to the fact that some questions seriously need urgent attention; under which pastoral directive will CPAAN operate? Maybe CPAAN will operate without any pastoral directive; whether from Ketu or from diocese or from Ajase. There must be a pastoral directive to the association since the Church Constitution dose not support the establishment of any association in the fold.
IS EVERY CHIOR MASTER IN CELESTIAL CHURCH AN AUTOMATIC MEMBER OF CPAAN.
The provision of establishing a parish in Celestial Church requires a choir department, and a member among the choir will be chosen to oversee the activities of the Choir. The Choir Master might not be a musician but such Individual must have basic knowledge about rudiment of music. However, does the establishment of CPAAN using the symbolization of Celestial Church of Christ name guarantee automatic membership of any Choir Master in Celestial Church irrespective of parish or faction in the Church?
WHO IS TO REGISTER CPAAN UNDER THE CAC LAW?
Nigeria is a sovereign state that operates under the federal law; it is one of the responsibilities of the Corporate Affair Commission to register any organization in the country. Celestial Church of Christ was first register on the 24th of November 1958. It is a well-known fact that the Ketu faction re-registered the Church with provision of the amendment law of the Corporate Affair Commission Act (as amended 2014).
With the provision of the law that exist on the proper running of an effective association in Nigeria; who will register CPAAN with the Corporate Affair Commission; Dose the CAC Act empower any individual to create an association for registration under a registered organization that has originally registered with the Corporate Affair Commission.
THE SECOND PERSPECTIVE WITH THEORY OF ETHNOMUSICOLOGY
Music can express social attitude and cognitive process; but it is useful and effective only when it is heard by the prepared and receptive ear of people who have shared or can share in some ways the cultural and individual experience of it’s creator. (Blacking 1973).
Celestial Church is a Christian rooted Church that preachs the teaching of God; the Church also used all available means to propagate the salvation of God to mankind, which music has continuously played a significant role to project the salvation of God.
ETHNOMUSICOLOGIST’S VIEW ON GOSPEL MUSIC
Baba Adetiran agreed that the elements of Yourba music employed in the Celestial Church of Christ include pentatonic melody (five-note scale), the call and response style of musical performance, the parallel 3rd and 5th harmonic scale, that showed that a large part of music of the Celestial Church of Christ is rooted in Highlife musical style, which is a common musical style in present Celestial Church of Christ today.
Prof Adedeji explained that Gospel musicians are ministers of God ministering through music, at the same time they are not scientifically disproved. A Gospel musicians use music to preach the good news in Christianity to both believer’s and unbeliever’s.
DO WE HAVE GOSPEL MUSICIANS IN CELESTIAL CHURCH OF CHIRST ?
The constant use of secular musical style in Celestial Church belong to the spectrum of musical category known as Popular Music under the theory of Africa Musicology. This refers to secular music styles basis on the textual contents, free dance accompaniment and other practices associated with the musical style, while majority of musicians in Celestial use the secularism method in singing during services in Celestial Church, it’s a negative stereotype of style to the music expert’s who believes that the use of secular musical theory being injected into Gospel music in Celestial Church don’t meet the standardization of Gospel Music in term of Musicology belief.
ARE ABEL DOSUNMU (MEGA 99), SEGUN IDOWU (NABI), SAMSON ADEKANBI (SAMMY P), ESTHER IGBEKELE, MICKY ABEL, TUNDE APATA, LANRE TERIBA, DARE MELODY, JANET OMOTOYOSI AJILORE ETC, GOSPEL MUSICIANS.
There is no song composed that would not have a beat, Gospel music which Celestial Church sing definitely fit into a particular musical style. Celestial Church authority are yet to give measures to manage the musical pattern that parishes should sing. Celestial Church is a free market of musical beats; be it Juju beat, Highlife beat, Fuji beat, Country Music beat, Rock beat, Calypso beat, Cha-Cha beat, Rumba beat etc; the rendition approach is the Acapella in the Church music style which are important; the style in Church music setting is referred to as the unaccompanied vocal music, especially the choral work and many of Celestial Church music are not familiar with this style. Celestial Church of Christ dose not have a born-style of music expect for our hymns book, while the Church allowed secular style of music in Celestial Church.
With the above artistes mentioned; through the live performance on stage outside the jurisdiction of Celestial Church; can we categorize them as Gospel Musicians or Secular Musicians?
There are some selected individual in the fold that base the style of their music on the theory of Gospel music; artistes such as veterans Steve Pelemoh (Bro-Bro), Remi Olabanji, and Akin Adebayo, while Femi Opalemo, Oluseyi Solagbade, Sola Allyson also base their performance on Gospel Music style.
THE USE OF SECULAR MUSIC STYLE IN CELESTIAL CHURCH BY CELESTIAL ARTISTES.
The use of secular styles in Gospel as secularism in nature, the sudden turn of musicians to freely express their music in the Church not conform with the standardization of style in Celestial Church.
The ethnomusicology has classification of music in the religious circle; such classifications are Church Music, Gospel Music, Contemporary Music.
CHURCH MUSIC
Church Music dose not accompany the use of secular styles in any ramification; base on the orthodox advocacy because professor Emeritus Nkeita once said that the indigenous churches and their musical tradition which are at variance with the doctrine of the orthodox church; singing in their native dialect, making use of traditional Instruments, vigorous drumming, exotic and energetic dance steps, spiritualism among other.
Church Music have (4) part harmony the common (SATB), the soprano, alto, tenor and bass voice; but the present part-voice is (MS, S, A, T, BA, B) Six-part harmony- Mezzo soprano, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone and bass voice.
GOSPEL MUSIC
A Gospel music is a brand of Christian religious music that dwells on telling others, especially outsiders, the good news in Christianity; it seeks to win other people’s conviction.
The Gospel Music under African Music highlighted Gospel Music on some factor-
The Logogenic Musical Style- This is a style that makes use of scriptural text, hymns, poem.
The Melogenic Musical Style- This is a style that injects the melody line in a text of superimposed form, the lead voice takes a long part of the composition.
The Pathogenic Musical Style- This is a common style in all compositional style in popular music; it is a call and response style.
Some artistes in Celestial Church have all the standard mentioned above; Professor Faseun;(an ethnomusicologist & a Celestian) in one of his paper “Yoruba Music in Christian Liturgy: The Celestial Church of Christ as a case study” explained the view of Celestial Church Music which doesn’t accommodate secular style of music.
Doctor Rotimi Olaosebikan (an ethnomusicologist & a Celestian) in one of his paper “Philosophical nexus between Orthodox and Indigenized Church Musical traditions; Wole Adetiran example of the Celestial Church Central Choir, Lagos” also highlighted the originalty of Celestial Music without basing his argument on the constant use of secular musical style in Celestial Church.
All the above explanation is not to condemn the Celestial Performing Artistes Association of Nigeria (CPAAN) nor to rubbish their effort; but to have a proper sustainability in the Church in order not to create a future misconception like the leadership tussle rocking the Church.
Brother Akinleye Emmanuel
A Concerned Celestian
B.A (Music) Ife, M.A (Music) Ife.