Moshoeshoe, Tsoha

Mohapeloa must have composed ‘Moshoeshoe, Tsoha’ before October 1966, because verse 1 was sung on 3 October 1966 at Lesotho’s Independence Day celebrations and the text appeared in the souvenir programme. At its first performance, writes an anonymous author in the Maseru (Lesotho) newspaper The Echo on 5 October 1973, Moshoeshoe, Tsoha “was sung by a choir about 300 strong amid gentle raindrops while the statue of Moshoeshoe I was being unveiled by His Majesty Moshoeshoe II as part of [the] first Independence celebration”. The writer goes on to quote Mohapeloa as saying that he considered this his best song, “because it has the very African touch in its beat. [Elsewhere] I have been forced to compose rather exotic melodies because western oriented people prefer the kind of melodies that they heard in western church music. Personally, I prefer to compose and listen to music that reflects my culture and taste as a Mosotho of Lesotho”. The score was published with an additional verse in Cape Town in 1976 as song No. 6 of 25 in Meluluetsa ea Ntšetso-pele le Bosechaba Lesotho (Anthems for the Development of the Lesotho Nation).