Browsing by Author "May, James"

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    Alban Berg's Lulu
    (1986) Naude Janet Joan; May, James
    This study is an analysis of the opera, Lulu, by Alban Berg, Concentrating on pitch organisation in relation to its dramatic context. An introduction cutlines Iulu' s conception, posthomous, history, libretto and Dramatic Persona. The first chapter represents an exposition of the opera's basic material. It includes a description of Berg's early and later row-derivations, and analysis of the Prologue, Schon's Sonata, alwa's Recitative-review and the Chorale, from Act I. The second chapter consists of a selection of numbers, demonstrating development towards the musical and dramatic climax of the work. This is exemplified by Geschwitz's Recitative, Schon's Arietta, 'Turrnltuoso, the exposition of Alwa's Rondo, Schon's Aria, Lulu's Lied, Schon's death and the Film Music, from Act II/1. The third chapter illustrates recapitulation of the opera's first half, by rreans of the Rondo's completion and Alwa 's Hymn, Lei tsektionen and role doubling, and Variations on Wedekind's lute rrelcdy, from Acts II/2 and III. Each chapter contains synopses of dramatic events 1n relation to the opera's formal design, to describe the context in which the analysed excerpts appear.
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    Alban Berg's Lulu
    (1986) Naude Janet Joan; May, James
    This study is an analysis of the opera, Lulu, by Alban Berg, Concentrating on pitch organisation in relation to its dramatic context. An introduction cutlines Iulu' s conception, posthomous, history, libretto and Dramatic Persona. The first chapter represents an exposition of the opera's basic material. It includes a description of Berg's early and later row-derivations, and analysis of the Prologue, Schon's Sonata, alwa's Recitative-review and the Chorale, from Act I. The second chapter consists of a selection of numbers, demonstrating development towards the musical and dramatic climax of the work. This is exemplified by Geschwitz's Recitative, Schon's Arietta, 'Turrnltuoso, the exposition of Alwa's Rondo, Schon's Aria, Lulu's Lied, Schon's death and the Film Music, from Act II/1. The third chapter illustrates recapitulation of the opera's first half, by rreans of the Rondo's completion and Alwa 's Hymn, Lei tsektionen and role doubling, and Variations on Wedekind's lute rrelcdy, from Acts II/2 and III. Each chapter contains synopses of dramatic events 1n relation to the opera's formal design, to describe the context in which the analysed excerpts appear.
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    Articulation in brass playing : the tongue - friend or foe?
    (2004) Ayers, Angela Gillian; Kierman, Sean A; May, James; Hofmeyr, Hendrik
    This dissertation attempts to demonstrate the role the tongue plays in articulation in brass playing. It briefly examines oral anatomy, physiology and theories on motor learning, and describes the tongue's position in producing English speech sounds. It shows how these positions are used to teach different articulation techniques on the various brass instruments. Articulation styles and (tonguing) exercises, which could aid in the improvement of tongue articulation, are highlighted. It is hoped that these highlights will add insight for both present and future brass teachers.
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    Brahms's Kreisleriana : Johannes Brahms's identification with Johannes Kreisler
    (2006) Krawitz, Justin; May, James
    This study examines Johannes Brahms's identification with E.T.A. Hoffmann's fictional character, Kapellmeister Johannes Kreisler. It seeks to develop a more representative understanding of the phenomenon than that which existed previously. Chapter 1 surveys existing scholarly examinations of Brahms's Kreisler identification and notes the inadequate wayin which knowledge of the phenomenon has manifested itself in the in the general literature on Brahms. It also clarifies terminology relating to Gérard Genette's theory of the paratext, which is later used to clarifiy the function of Brahms's references to Kreisler.
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    The concept and development of the Yepes ten-string guitar : a preliminary investigation
    (1992) Kazandjian, Fred; Wagner, Dietrich; May, James
    The purpose of this study is to provide a broader understanding of the Yepes ten-string guitar. Since its inception, twenty-eight years ago, no authoritative work has been published providing inferential detail which explains the concept and development of the Yepes guitar. As a result, this instrument has been, and still is, criticized by some, largely from ignorance or lack of knowledge about the instrument. In an attempt to rectify this situation and make the instrument's extended possibilities known, the author has undertaken extensive research and has interviewed, amongst others, leading international authorities associated with the Yepes ten-string guitar. As a result of these efforts, a clearer and more positive understanding of the instrument has emerged. This in turn has become the foundation on which this dissertation has been written. The opening chapter of this dissertation provides an overview, showing how the guitar emerged and developed before the concept of multi-string guitars became established in Europe, during the second half of the eighteenth century. Aspects pertaining to the early guitar's physical features, performance practices, music, tuning and stringing methods are discussed. Several multi-string vihuelas and guitars are also mentioned. The following chapter presents a survey of numerous experiments carried out during the 1770-1900 period; to 'improve' the capabilities of the guitar. Here a number of early multi-string instruments related to the Yepes ten-string guitar are discussed. These include guitars with added basses, guitars with added trebles, guitars with added basses and trebles, and guitars with multiple necks. The third chapter shows how out of an enormous variety of eccentric forms of the guitar, some professional guitarists opted for multi-string guitars (with added basses) as their instruments, whilst others preferred the six-string variety. The music of guitarist-composers who composed for multi-string guitars is discussed alongside those who wrote specifically for the six-string guitar. The rationale for the tuning and disposition of strings on most of these multi-string guitars, past and present, as well as several illustrations showing their physical features are included. The penultimate chapter comprises an interview with Narciso Yepes and other leading figures associated with the ten-string guitar. The reasons behind Yepes' unique concept for the ten-string guitar, arguments for and against the instrument, as well as its tuning and problems related to playing this instrument are discussed. The chapter includes an inquiry(with examples) showing how the ten-string guitar can be used, amongst other things, to facilitate the playing of difficult passages in music originally composed for the six-string guitar. The extension of the repertoire with music composed specifically for this instrument is also briefly discussed. A comprehensive discography of recordings made by Narciso Yepes on the ten-string guitar is presented in the appendix. A more detailed discussion of the ten-string guitar repertoire in the twentieth century is presented in the final chapter. It includes several compositions originally intended for the traditional guitar, which have become associated with the Yepes guitar. At least five compositions composed and dedicated to Narciso Yepes by various composers are also examined. It is concluded that this instrument clearly offers more than what has been assumed over the past twenty-eight years.
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    Conductors of the Cape Town Municipal Orchestra, 1914-1965 a historical perspective
    (2012) Alkema, Sjoerd; May, James
    This thesis profiles the conductors of the Cape Municipal Orchestra since its inception in 1914 until the resignation of David Tidboald in 1965. After the introductory Chapter 1, Chapter 2 includes a historic review of the period before 1914. It also highlights the influences leading towards the inauguration of the Cape Municipal Orchestra. Chapters 3-7 discuss the permanent conductors who conducted between 1914 and 1954. The following list extends from the dates of their first concerts up to their resignations, or up to the date of their final concerts: Theo Wendt (from 28 February 1914 to 30 September 1924: a period of about 10 years). Leslie Heward (from 17 July 1924 to 31 May 1926: a period of about 2 years). William Pickerill (from 5 May 1927 to 12 October 1946: a period of about 19 years). Geoffrey Miller as Associate Conductor (from 31 October 1946 to 19 February1948: a period of nearly two years). Enrique Jordá (from 19 February 1948 to 31 December 1953: a period of nearly five years). Assistant and guest conductors are discussed within these chapters. Chapter 8 discusses guest conductors from January 1954 until June 1960. Here they are organised chronologically accordingto their first appearances. Chapter 9 deals with the period of David Tidboald's conductorship (from 20 August 1960 to1 July 1965). The concluding remarks of Chapter 10 briefly touch on such aspects as the number of premieres, recurrence of works mentioned in this thesis, and the guest conducting system.
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    Cuban Artist, Leo Brouwer, and his solo guitar works: Pieza Sin Titulo To Elogio de la Danza. A contextual-analytical study.
    (2000) Kronenberg, Clive; May, James
    The thesis investigates wide-ranging issues central to the Cuban artist, Leo Brouwer (b. 1939). Although considered by some scholars as perhaps the most significant living composer for the guitar in the twentieth century, Brouwer has not achieved the wide acclaim he deserves. This stems mainly from the North American Embargo imposed upon the Cuban nation for some forty years. Part I of the thesis explores issues concerning the artist's homeland and life. Part II examines a selection of solo guitar works from the composer's national stylistic period, 1956 â 1964. Analyses are presented of the composer's early works from 1956-57, Tres Apuntes (1959), Etudes Simples (1960-61) and Elogio de la Danza (1964). The analyses aim towards illustrating the artist's close association with his national culture, combined with his purpose of structuring universal art forms. Attention is drawn to the artist's employment of (1) Afro-Cuban national and traditionally tonal elements fused with more advanced compositional techniques (2) Idiomatic and pragmatic guitar techniques designed for the inexperienced player. Integrated into the thesis are discussions on some historically significant composers, performers and tutors who shaped Brouwer's artistry. Appendix A contains all the music scores which have been discussed in detail, Appendix B is a transcription of personal interviews by the author with Leo Brouwer conducted at the 1998 Nurtingen Guitar Festival in Germany and Appendix C presents official Cuban perspectives on the Cuban Revolution and the imposed North American Embargo.
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    The French flute tradition
    (2003) Stoltz, Liesl; May, James
    The French flute tradition is remarkable and is admired by flautists, teachers and students of the flute all over the world. The dissertation researched the development of this tradition from the pre-Baroque period through to the modern era and tried to determine the underlying factors that stimulated its development specifically in France. The first key was added to the flute in France and with this the Hotteteres created the blueprint for the modern flute of today. During the Classical period the conservative French retarded the development of the instrument and the repertoire for the flute by initially rejecting additional keys.
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    The historical development of the clarinet with special reference to its musical repertoire
    (2010) Wei, Yu-Chi; May, James
    The dissertation investigates the mechanical development of the clarinet from the eighteenth century to the end of the nineteenth century.
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    The jazz piano style : a comparative study of bebop, post-bebop and modern players
    (2006) Lilley, Andrew; May, James
    The study embraces a need to document the jazz piano style through analytical representation of key players in the jazz tradition. While there are several educational books outlining method, there is little material discussing jazz style in the context of influential piano players. Educator and author, David Baker, has undertaken to introduce several books from this perspective for some of the more influential horn players (Baker 1982). A search for the jazz style of Bud Powell, Thelonius Monk or Horace Silver, however, will reveal little material and where available this constitutes mostly short biographical information often occupying less than a paragraph within a chapter of historical context. Thomas Owens, for example, discusses the bebop style in 'Bebop, The Music and the Players' (Owens, 1995). He mentions most of the key players for each instrument and discusses their respective stylistic traits. The work is very informative from an overall perspective but serves only to introduce a broad understanding of the players listed. There is very little in-depth analytical discussion or comparative study on style. The subject base is too large for this kind of detail.
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    Modality in the piano music of Gabriel Faure
    (1981) Hofmeyr, Hendrik Pienaar; May, James
    The complete synthesis of the principles of modality and tonality is one of the most remarkable features of the harmonic style of Gabriel Faure. This survey primarily deals with instances of modal usage, and with their integration into the tonal framework. Faure was not the first composer to introduce modal elements into the nineteenth-century harmonic idiom, Probably the most influential pioneer in this field was Anton Reicha (1770-1836
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    Number symbolism in music : the harmony of the spheres and George Crumb's Makrokosmos, Volume I
    (1997) Pienaar, Elizabeth Angele; May, James
    The Pythagoreans, for whom certain numbers held a mystical significance, stressed the connection between music and mathematics. Their concept of the universe was of an integrated, well-ordered system, which expressed the rules of music and mathematics on earthly and planetary levels. This philosophy was adapted by the early Christian church, and numbers that symbolise elements of the Christian faith can be found in medieval compositions. Bach's use of symbolism in sacred works is a continuation of this tradition, but there are numbers of personal significance as well. The numbers ten and twenty-three in Berg's music refer specifically to Hanna Fuchs and himself and have an important structural function. Crumb's compositions are characterised by allusions, especially to music of the past; the symbolic qualities are visual, aural and numerical. Makrokosmos, Volume I (Twelve Fantasy-Pieces after the 'Zodiac for Amplified Piano) is the first in a cycle of four compositions inspired by the stars. Astrological and spiritual numbers-three, four, twelve, seven and five appear to have determined the structural parameters of the pieces.
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    Pelléas et Mélisande as symbolist opera
    (2009) Spies, Maria Margaretha; May, James
    Claude Debussy (1862-1918) has more often than not been labelled an Impressionist, implying that his music parallels the art of the Impressionist painters; this is because in his work musical colour takes precedence over form and design (Jarocinski, 1976: 11). However, it has been documented that Pelléas et Mélisande is considered to be the masterpiece of French Symbolism (Lesure, 2001). This is the only opera that Debussy completed during his lifetime, and in it he succeeded in combining words and music in a way he could realise his musical ideals.
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    The piano music of Peter Klatzow : a stylistic analysis of selected works
    (2001) Odendaal, Andries Albertus; May, James; Herbst, Anri
    The piano music of Peter James Leonard Klatzow forms an integral part of his musical output. An analysis of these works may provide useful insight into the compositional style of this South African composer. Jan LaRue's theory of stylistic analysis formed the inspiration for the analytical approach of the thesis, and the main focus of this analysis is the 1994 composition, From the Poets. This work is analysed in terms of use of sound, harmony and melody in order to attempt an understanding of how these elements impact and contribute to the sense of structure. Other works that have been completed since 1980 are analysed in terms of the main motivic and harmonic material, with occasional reference to other musical parameters that are important for an understanding of the musical discourse.
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    Pitch organisation in Hendrik Hofmeyr's Alleenstryd
    (2003) May, James
    Hendrik Pienaar Hofmeyr is one of South Africa’s most frequently commissioned and performed composers. Very little research dealing with his work has been published. In an attempt to address this, the current article will look at the song cycle Alleenstryd, a work of seminal importance in the evolution of Hofmeyr’s musical language. The various types of pitch organisation which had been emerging in earlier works by the composer are here for the first time organised into a fully integrated and coherent system. The opening melodic and harmonic material of the work undergoes constant change throughout the cycle in a highly organised process which is groundbreaking in its originality. The principles applied here have later become the mainstay of Hofmeyr’s mature style, which has evolved from such diverse influences as African music and the works of Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Szymanowski and Arnold van Wyk. His work is characterised by an adherence to expanded tonality, directness of expression, contrapuntal fabrics and an exceptional sense of orchestral colour.
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    Sound emanating from the Self : an investigation of the role sound and music in the healing of disturbed Self states
    (2006) Anderson, Helen Elizabeth; May, James; Malcolm, Charles
    This thesis is an exploration of the therapeutic role of sound and music in the healing of disturbed psychic states. The study draws upon Jungian theory of the Self as well as music theory, and argues for the centrality of sound and music as an expression of the archetypal Self. This will be argued by reference to the Pythagorean Principles of ratio and harmony and will show that the structure of sound contains within it innate archetypal mandala formations. These mandalas are expressed by the mother in the mother-infant dyad in the form of musical mandalas and serve to link the post-uterine Self of the infant with that of the Self of the mother. The initial musical mandala is that of the lullaby. Being rhythmically soft, gentle and containing, lullabies fully embody the mother/infant/world/Self scenario. As the child develops, these musical mandalas evolve into the nursery rhyme, which serves the additional function of expressing archetypal imagery. The archetype of sound is further explored by a discussion of the archetypal significance of the string and woodwind instruments. Being representative of the archetypal principles of the masculine and feminine, it is hypothesized that these instruments are expressive of soul and spirit within the psyche. Finally, two case studies are examined in detail and through these the author tracks the effects of the archetypal properties of sound and music on the restoration of the Self. The Pythagorean principles are highlighted as existing innately within the human psyche. In addition, in these case discussions, the expression of sound as being instrumental in the creation of image formation is revealed. Both cases presented with severe disturbances that had proved to be intractable to conventional psychotherapeutic intervention. The thesis indicates how the healing occurs through the evocation of sound mandalas. These are differentially evoked by different instruments and are also conveyed in the lullaby and nursery rhyme variations. These tonal evocations of the archetypes lead, through the therapies, to an integration of the preverbal and verbal strata of the Self. These two cases illustrate how sound and music resonate with the mandalas of the psyche and in doing so mobilize them into producing an inner order. In addition, not only do sound and music give realization to the inner experiences of these mandalas but also do so with considerable therapeutic effect.
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    The South African clarinet concerto : An examination of the clarinet genre within the South African context
    (2014) Carter, Justin Munro; May, James
    In exploring the South African Clarinet Concerto, this discourse focusses on nine pieces that have been written within this genre and within the South African context. With this in mind, the aim is to look at each of these works, and then examine them from their points of origin, through to their stylistic conception and their musical characterisation. Up to this point, there has been very little discourse, almost none in fact, that has focussed on this genre within the South African Classical music domain, and as such this research hopes to break some ground by taking this broad look at the clarinet concerto genre from a local standpoint. While at the same time bringing insights and reflections upon these pieces from the composer's points of view, and then commenting and analysing the formal structure and harmonic language they contain. Ultimately, by examining all the sides of this musical story, and by keeping in mind the historical context and more in-depth examinations of the solo clarinet parts, this aspiringly ground-breaking discussion looks towards highlighting what amounts to a much undervalued genre within South African Music.
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    A study and catalogue of French flute music written between 1945 and 2008
    (2010) Stoltz, Liesl; May, James
    French contemporary flute works are seldom performed outside France, and most of the composers are relatively unknown to the rest of the world. These works often include new instrumental performance techniques, known as ‘extended techniques’ or avant-garde techniques, which were developed by prominent flute performers in collaboration with composers. The study and performance of works which include extended techniques remain daunting to most South African flautists. Extensive research reveals no existence of a catalogue which represents all French composers and their works for flute after 1945. There is also a great shortage of available literature which prevents flautists, especially outside of Europe, from studying these works. The main objective of this dissertation is to fill this void.
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    The chamber music of Hendrik Hofmeyr: an investigation and stylistic analysis of selected works
    (2019) Carter, Justin; May, James
    Hendrik Hofmeyr, professor and head of composition at the South African College of Music at the University of Cape Town, is probably the most performed and commissioned composer living in South Africa today. Chamber music forms an integral part of Hofmeyr’s musical output. The overwhelming majority of these works have been produced in the last ten years, demonstrating his growing interest in this genre of music. Furthermore, this demonstrates musicians’ increasing desire for Hofmeyr to compose more chamber works, as most of these compositions are commissions or requests, intended to be premiered and played by specific artists or ensembles. His chamber works already include seven duo sonatas, two trios with piano, two string quartets and a clarinet quintet, among many other lesser works. Indeed, of his roughly 190 numbered compositions, at least 29 are original chamber works (15% of the total). These are also supplemented with several important arrangements within the genre. With this in mind, the research presented here aims to explore each of these major chamber works, contextualise them, as well as examine them from their points of origin, their stylistic conception and musical characterisation. This analysis should provide useful insights into the compositional style of this South African composer. The guidelines of stylistic analysis presented by Jan LaRue form the inspiration for the analytical approach to be taken.1 Up to this point, there has been little discourse, especially in terms of analysis or comprehensive research, which has focussed on any of the chamber works by Hofmeyr. As such this research hopes to break new ground by investigating this important portion of his oeuvre, while at the same time bringing insights and reflections upon these pieces from the composer’s points of view, and then analysing and commenting on the formal structure, harmonic language, melodic writing and musical detail they contain as well as the sound world they create. Ultimately, by comprehensively examining Hofmeyr’s chamber music, and by keeping in mind the historical context, this aspiringly ground-breaking discussion looks towards highlighting what amounts to a much under-valued body of work within South African music.