The word "reconciliation" as used in this dissertation is symbolic in two ways: the conciliation and reconciliation that characterized the national programs following the end of the war between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the defunct Republic of Biafra, and the synthesis of cross-cultural musical traditions within the symphonic tradition. The Reconciliation Symphony is used to represent these two polarities. It is a program symphony in four movements. It is based on the traumatic events of the thirty-month war (July, 1967 to January, 1970) between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the defunct Republic of Biafra. Its imaginative evocation results in the creation of sonic symbols of events and a synthesis of the Western and African musical traditions. This symphony integrates traditional African instruments, folk songs and rhythms. It also recreates and demonstrates the African practice of the fusion of music, dance and spectacle. It is intended that the synthesis of the Western techniques and African resources found in this symphony will lead to the development and advancement of new musical resources, forms, and an innovative extension of symphonic knowledge and practice. This composer believes that cross-cultural musical elements should be integrated into the symphonic tradition. These elements should not be transformed and disguised in such a manner that the essentials of the cultural tradition from which they are derived are destroyed and negated, but in such a way that the traditional materials borrowed or quoted may remain a distinct part of the overall piece of work. This dissertation is two-fold: the score of the musical composition and an historical analytical paper. The paper is organized into two parts. Its first part briefly introduces the nature of the symphony. It discusses the reason for the choice of styles and techniques, provides some examples of the Western and African musical languages, composers and their works as they relate to this symphony, and discusses the significance of this symphony in terms of musical synthesis. The second part of this paper deals with the program of the symphony, its language and analysis, making cross-references to the Western forms and techniques. It also discusses areas of musical synthesis used in the piece. The symphony has the following instrumentation: 2222/4231/tim., 3 perc., kbd/strings/chamber choir (dancers). It is approximately twenty seven minutes in duration.

Bibliography: p. 61-62.