ACE has joined The Maestro Online family
The wind that sweeps across the Maloti Mountains of Lesotho and the fertile valleys of the Eastern Cape has long carried the melodies of a continent — songs of struggle, of liberation, and of the quiet beauty of the African landscape. Today, those echoes find a new, global resonance. We are proud to announce that African Composers Edition (ACE) has joined The Maestro Online (TMO) family.
This union marks a significant milestone in the preservation and promotion of African art music. It is a reimagining of how the world interacts with the sheet music of the continent, ensuring that the works of composers such as Ephraim Amu, Joshua Pulumo Mohapeloa, Michael Mosoeu Moerane, Surendran Reddy and Justinian Tamusuza are not only archived but performed, studied, and celebrated by a new generation of musicians across the globe.
A Legacy of Scholarly Excellence
Since its inception, African Composers Edition has stood as a guardian of the continent’s musical heritage. Whether it is the rhythmic complexity of Mohapeloa’s choral anthems or the avant-garde “clazz” fusions of Reddy, ACE has focused on providing more than just scores; we provide context.
Our publications are distinguished by their commitment to academic rigour. We specialise in critical and performing editions that serve both the musicologist in the archive and the conductor on the podium. A hallmark of our catalogue is the use of dual staff–solfa notation, a system that respects the indigenous traditions of Southern African choral singing while bridging the gap to international standard notation. This dualism ensures that the choral repertoire remains accessible to those who learned through the tonic sol-fa tradition and those trained in the conservatoire.
The acquisition by The Maestro Online does not change this core identity. ACE will continue to operate as a specialist publisher, selling digital scores in South African Rand (ZAR) directly from our platform. The mission to translate African-language texts into English and to provide historical, geographical and cultural context for each work remains our “blanket of greenery” — a protective and nurturing layer for a living artistic legacy.
The Maestro Online: A New Educational Horizon
The Maestro Online Platform and Piano Improvisation Exam Board brings a distinctive educational infrastructure to the ACE catalogue. As an Ofqual-accredited online examination board, TMO prioritises a skills-based approach that values creativity, improvisation, and holistic musicianship.
Where traditional examination boards assess the reproduction of fixed texts, TMO’s Creativity Grades assess stylistic fluency and improvisatory imagination. This philosophy sits naturally alongside African art music, much of which draws on oral traditions of variation, ornamentation and re-creation that resist the notion of a single frozen text.
By joining forces, we are moving the scores from the library shelf into the hands of students pursuing internationally recognised qualifications. Performers studying ACE editions now have access to TMO’s masterclasses, digital tools, and an examination pathway that rewards creative engagement with this repertoire.
From the Archive to the Syllabus: The Creativity Grades
The most immediate fruit of this partnership is the inclusion of seven landmark ACE works in the TMO Creativity Grades syllabus. All seven appear in List C (Equity, Diversity & Inclusion), spanning Grades 5 to 8.
The selection represents a rich cross-section of the African art-music tradition — Southern African choral writing, Ugandan rhythmic vocabulary, and Reddy’s inimitable fusion of classical, jazz and vernacular styles.
Selected Works in the Creativity Grades
- Grade 5 (List C): Freedom in Unity (O.A.U. Anthem) for Piano — Joshua Pulumo Mohapeloa (Lesotho). A piano setting of a pan-African anthem, engaging the student with a piece of continental history through majestic harmonic writing.
- Grade 6 (List C): Morena Tlake (Piano Transcription) — Michael Mosoeu Moerane (South Africa). A piano transcription capturing the drifting clouds and rugged terrain of the Southern African interior.
- Grade 6 (List C): Ballad for Thomas (2005) — Surendran Reddy (South Africa). A characteristic example of Reddy’s ability to hold classical lyricism and jazz sensibility in a single line.
- Grade 7 (List C): Naakutendanga Emirembe Gyonna — Justinian Tamusuza (Uganda). A study in rhythmic drive drawn from Kiganda musical traditions.
- Grade 7 (List C): Don’t Give a Damn Blues — Surendran Reddy. Reddy at his most vernacular: blues form under a classical hand.
- Grade 8 (List C): Phil-Harmonie — Surendran Reddy. A virtuosic challenge for the advanced pianist, blending classical structure with the “clazz” style.
- Grade 8 (List C): African Funk for Felix (2005) — Surendran Reddy. A late-Reddy showpiece of groove, syncopation and pianistic bravura.
Continuity and Tradition
At the heart of this transition is a respect for the continuity of tradition. When a student performs a piece by Michael Mosoeu Moerane, they are engaging with a Southern African pioneer who wrote orchestral and choral music of real ambition during a period of profound social restriction. When they perform Mohapeloa, they enter a choral world in which Southern African indigenous idioms sit alongside a scholarly transcriber’s discipline.
The performing traditions behind these works are brought to life through TMO’s pedagogy, which encourages the student to hear the music before reading it — to feel the vocal contour, the percussive articulation, and the phrasing before committing it to the keyboard.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the acquisition change how I buy scores?
No. African Composers Edition continues to sell its digital scores in South African Rand (ZAR) directly through our website.
Can I use these ACE scores for a TMO exam?
Yes. Where a work is listed in the current Creativity Grades syllabus, you may purchase the score here on ACE and consult the TMO website for the requirements of your grade.
Will ACE still focus on scholarly research?
Yes. Critical editions, historical context, and linguistic translations remain our primary focus. TMO provides the educational platform through which that research reaches a wider audience.
Embark on a Musical Journey
We invite you to explore the TMO Creativity Grades or browse the ACE catalogue. Whether you are a conductor looking for a new anthem, a student preparing for a Grade 8 exam, or a researcher exploring the fertile ground of African art music, the union of ACE and The Maestro Online offers a world of discovery.
The melody remains. The rhythm continues. And now, the journey goes global.