Facts about Classical Music -Tunde Sosan

The resident pianist of the Muson Centre, Onikan in Lagos, Dr. Tunde Sosan, in this interview with ADA DIKE sheds light on how classical music appeals to people.

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Tunde Sosan (Photo by Ada Dike)

When one listens to a combined version of some works and hears different tunes, he or she would be confused to rate it as Jazz, Caribbean, Classical and so on.

Concerning this year’s on-going 18th MUSON Festival he states: “I would be conducting from the piano at this year’s MUSON festival myself. Though coordinating it is quite challenging and fun at the same time, I am looking forward to it.

“Nowadays, you have a conductor who conducts everything and you just relax and play your part. But when you conduct the orchestra, you have to think outside the box. You need to know the entire orchestra. Orchestra is one of the best I have ever worked with. They are getting better by the day. Mine is a 40-man orchestra,” he said.

Being a Classical musician, he explains how he sees the hip-hop, Rhythm and Blues artistes by saying that: “I am a kind of person that doesn’t compare, but I know that I was opportune and actually privileged to play Classical music, though I also play other forms of music. I believe every artist has their own style and it depends on you as a person. If you decide on what the music is all about. If you are really interested in knowing something, fine.

 “You spend time going to learn about it. So when I started Classical music, it was a very intense programme. It gave me that platform to go and learn other things. But one thing about it is that if you are very good in Classical music, you can be good in any other kind of music. Jazz, Caribbean, Contemporary or whatever kind of music, is very easy with time because it gives you an edge over all other mediums. So I believe if you know Classical, you have an edge. “

Is there going to be a meeting point for Classical and Hip-hop music to merge? He was asked: “It is possible. For example, if you pick a song by 2Face such as ‘African Queen’, it is made up of four set of chords –‘Do La Fa So’.  That is the thing you will get from beginning to the end of the music. If you want to arrange the song in a classical way, you use those four chords. Yu pick out the chords and now say, instead of repeating it every time so that it doesn’t sound boring to the listener, you then say okay, let’s use the original idea by doing it the way he did it before and the second time, maybe, you get a bass to do it on that progression. Maybe, the arrangement was coming from there; you can now decide to go from there. Did you see how classical music works? It is not limited to one way. You take it through range of possibilities.”

In terms of doing music the normal market way by collaborating with other artistes, the great grandson of the music legend, Dr. T.K.E. Philips, has this to say: “Yes, it is possible but you know classical art has its own kind of audience. The style is different but that does not mean we cannot branch to other kinds of music. I have not tried it but I am one of those that are looking forward to things like that. Let’s use a practical example, If I am giving a concert with 2Face and it happens that he comes on stage and just said four words, “You’re my African Queen” and that is all he says from the beginning to the end.  He starts singing and everybody is getting excited and starts applauding. I now come on stage and sit on a piano and they say he is not singing but just playing any boring music. I now start singing the song that is totally different, some may be interested in it, some may sing, some may cry. That is how Classical music does to individuals. It actually has a way of playing on audience’s mood. It has a way of making you feel about something. It is totally different but I haven’t thought of doing collaboration but it could be joined together.”

Sosan’s musical career was influenced by his grandmother, Arinola Sosan, and his church organist and master of music, Cathedral Church of Christ, Lagos, Mrs. Tolu Obajimi

He graduated from the Lagos University Teaching College of Medicine as a physiotherapist.

He holds Bachelor’s degree in Music with a specialty in Piano and Organ performance of Trinity College of Music, Greenwich, England. He honed his skills under the tutelage of Raymond Banning, an ex professor of piano at Trinity College of music, London.

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Nowadays, you have a conductor who conducts everything and you just relax and play your part. But when you conduct the orchestra, you have to think outside the box. You need to know the entire orchestra. Orchestra is one of the best I have ever worked with. They are getting better by the day. Mine is a 40-man orchestra.