n most cultures of the world, the creative act of composition may be defined simply as the transformation of pre-existing material into new, individualized structures. The precompositional resource may be a system such as the hierarchical arrangement of triads that forms the basis of Western tonality, a set of formulas that generates such genres as Gregorian chant and West African storytelling, or even a rigidly defined set of relationships such as those inherent in a twelve-tone row. In each case, the precompositional elements provide a framework for the analysis and interpretation of the composition. Ghanaian culture, like most West African cultures, contains an unusual variety of precompositional models. These include the structure of drum language, various dance forms, the musico-dramatic genre of storytelling, and most important of all, the structures that make up the spoken languages. What exactly is the nature of these precompositional elements and how can they be used compositionally? It is the intention of this paper to set up some criteria for answering these questions by examining the nature of the precompostional resources of the traditional music of two language groups, Akan and Ewe, and how these resources are utilized in the music of the leading composer of classical music in Ghana, Dr. Ephraim Amu (b. 1899). Amu's works reveal a remarkable variety of organizational procedures, and it is evident that he consciously sought to provide a rapprochement between the requirements of the precompositional elements of language and his own compositional choices. His works therefore provide a unique paradigm for the study of other West African classical composers.