Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

1-1-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.M. in Music

First Advisor

George W.K. Dor

Second Advisor

Obianuju A. Njoku

Third Advisor

Michael C. Gardiner

School

University of Mississippi

Relational Format

dissertation/thesis

Abstract

Christianity is the largest religion in the world with a population of over two billion. More than ever before, the rapid growth of this religion is getting more diverse due to a great variety of doctrines and practices that it accommodates. From the inception of Christianity, music has been prominent and a powerful bedrock of its religious worship. This thesis, underpinned by the paradigm of sound as a social structure as espoused by Steven Feld, examines the intersectional identities in the music culture of the Deeper Christian Life Ministries (DCLM) in Nigeria. This research aims to fathom the musical functions of the focus group and understand how their music reflects societal idiosyncrasies as well as ethnic and national identity. In addition, the survey elucidates the relations between sound events and the social structures of the specified church. Moreover, I explored how music serves as a partial defining homology of all DCLM congregations while acknowledging regional stylistic differences. I conducted individual interviews with choir directors, choir members, pastors, church members using semi-structured interview guides. Findings from the research have yielded the history of the church and its music ministries. Thematic analysis of data also showed the meaning, continuity, and changes in the worship music tradition of the DCLM as well as intersections of gender, ethnicity, and other identities in the musical practice of the DCLM.

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