Browsing by Subject "Music"
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- ItemOpen Access20th-century serial thought and its development from performed to electronic music.(1966) Mears, Guy Edgar FrankUnable to copy abstract from PDF document
- ItemOpen AccessA chronicle of cultural transformation: ethnography of Badagry Ogu musical practices(2020) Kunnuji, Joseph; Bruinders, SylviaThis thesis examines the musical practices of Badagry Ogu people from both historical and contemporary perspectives and provides strategies for their further integration into the changing social and economic landscape characteristic of 21st-century Lagos. Badagry emerged as a Nigerian town bordering the Republic of Benin in the 19th-century colonial delineation processes, which neglected ethnic frontiers. Consequently, Badagry Ogu people, being a minority ethnic group and geographically peripheral in Nigeria, have been politically, economically and socially marginalized for generations. Using ethnographic methods in studying selected indigenous musical bands (Gogoke, Gigoyoyo, Kristitin and Akran Ajogan), a biographical sketch of master drummer Hunpe Hunga, and an applied ethnomusicology method of collaborative music composition and arrangement, I chronicle the musical heritage of Badagry Ogu people. In addition, I suggest an approach for its recontextualisation into different creative economies. I engage Thomas Turino's framework for identity and social analysis, including the concepts of cultural cohorts and cultural formations, in exploring the different attitudes, among Badagry Ogu people, towards indigenous music. I advocate for and outline a contemporary approach for musical recontextualisation as a means of inclusivity and economically empowering performers of indigenous Ogu music in Badagry. This thesis includes my additional arrangements to the studio recordings of Gogoke. The recontextualisation process, which commenced with Gogoke's recording of indigenous instruments and vocals in Badagry Lagos Nigeria, reached its full fruition in the overdubs of Western musical instruments in Cape Town, South Africa. To further explore the theme of inclusivity, I examine current gender practices in Ogu communities evident in the gendered musical practices of contemporary Badagry. With its indepth analysis of Ogu genres, musical instruments, gender issues and a framework for recontextualising African indigenous musics, this thesis, while filling the gap in the study of ethnic minorities in Nigeria, is a significant contribution of the nuanced artistic practices of Badagry Ogu people to African music scholarship.
- ItemOpen AccessA collection of diverse theoretical, philosophical and sociological writings on various aspects of the sonata principle(1974) Christopher BallentineThe diverse works presented in these two volumes bear a sit;nificant relationship· to ca.ch other and to a common underlying theme, whi.ch may be said to be an attempt to enlarge our aYmreness of the nature and the possibilities of the Sonata Principle. All were expressly written for publication; one has already been published.
- ItemOpen AccessA comparative style-critical analysis of representative piano works by Alberto Ginastera with specific reference to his application of the Malambo dance rhythm(2023) Preller, Ivan; Watt, MartinThere is currently insufficient academic literature on the South American composer Alberto Ginastera and his compositional mastery. Ginastera's music is meticulously put together to create some of the most original examples of South American music in the twentieth century. He incorporated numerous Argentinian rhythmic and melodic elements into his music. The assimilation of the malambo dance rhythm, a fast-paced and heavily syncopated rhythmic device, within his music features throughout his vast oeuvre. This dissertation analyses and compares a selection of piano works written by Alberto Ginastera. The selected works are representative of the assimilation of the malambo dance rhythm within a selection of piano compositions. These piano works represent Ginastera's compositional output from one his first published works to his last published work, allowing for a thorough investigation into the composer's development over an extensive timespan. This study seeksto understand how Ginastera's assimilation of the malambo dance rhythm developed from his objective nationalistic works to his subjective nationalistic works, and finally to his neo-expressionist works. It takes an integrative approach to investigate how the musical parameters surrounding the utilisation of the malambo dance rhythm are applied, in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the composer's compositional style. The conclusion of the study shows how the musical parameters surrounding the malambo dance rhythm occurrences develop organically, with different techniques being applied interchangeably in an increasingly sophisticated manner. Due to the limited academic sources on Alberto Ginastera, additional research is needed to further comprehend and appreciate the works of the composer and his influence on classical music in the twentieth century.
- ItemOpen AccessA critical discussion of the twelve-tonal idiom of Anton Webern and criticism of its assessmant by some natable theorists(1973) Everson, Cromwell; Prof. Gunter PulvermacherWebern took over from Schoenberg, and others, and elevated the art of music to an auditory mathernatics. "It is given only to powerful spirits to travel this razor edge. Lesser ones 1 ack the requisite inner certainty. Indeed Webern never pandered to popular taste. iii Every tone he wrote was dictated to by musical necessity ·and logic. No other composer has shown such iron consistency in the development of his art as Webern has. In him we find an evolutionary growth which consistently advanced the frontiers of music and presented the world with a series of masterpieces which,regrettably,are too seldom performed. Yet during his life Webern was scandalously neglected and misunderstood. It pains one to think that the Genius who created the Orchestral Variations uttered these heart-rending words: "Now, my dear chap, say your piece and exert your influence, I beg of you. If only some notice at all could be taken of my work!" It 2 But History plays amazing quirks% Within ten years or so after these words were written Webern became the dominating influence in twentieth century music. His ascent. was so glittering that Posterity named periods in honour of him, that world-famous composers reconstructed their thinking .to write in the Webernite manner. There are few who have attained such a manifestation of power to determine an artistic direction by sheer influence or reaction. Thus we have approached this study of Webern with awe a~d the further we have progressed,the greater has our expression of admiration and humility become.
- ItemOpen AccessA critical discussion of the twelve-tonal idiom of Anton Webern and criticism of its assessmant by some natable theorists(1973) Everson, Cromwell; Prof. Gunter PulvermacherWebern took over from Schoenberg, and others, and elevated the art of music to an auditory mathernatics. "It is given only to powerful spirits to travel this razor edge. Lesser ones 1 ack the requisite inner certainty. Indeed Webern never pandered to popular taste. iii Every tone he wrote was dictated to by musical necessity ·and logic. No other composer has shown such iron consistency in the development of his art as Webern has. In him we find an evolutionary growth which consistently advanced the frontiers of music and presented the world with a series of masterpieces which,regrettably,are too seldom performed. Yet during his life Webern was scandalously neglected and misunderstood. It pains one to think that the Genius who created the Orchestral Variations uttered these heart-rending words: "Now, my dear chap, say your piece and exert your influence, I beg of you. If only some notice at all could be taken of my work!" It 2 But History plays amazing quirks% Within ten years or so after these words were written Webern became the dominating influence in twentieth century music. His ascent. was so glittering that Posterity named periods in honour of him, that world-famous composers reconstructed their thinking .to write in the Webernite manner. There are few who have attained such a manifestation of power to determine an artistic direction by sheer influence or reaction. Thus we have approached this study of Webern with awe a~d the further we have progressed,the greater has our expression of admiration and humility become.
- ItemOpen AccessA critical discussion of the twelve-tonal idiom of Anton Webern and criticism of its assessmant by some natable theorists(1973) Everson, Cromwell; Prof. Gunter PulvermacherWebern took over from Schoenberg, and others, and elevated the art of music to an auditory mathernatics. "It is given only to powerful spirits to travel this razor edge. Lesser ones 1 ack the requisite inner certainty. Indeed Webern never pandered to popular taste. iii Every tone he wrote was dictated to by musical necessity ·and logic. No other composer has shown such iron consistency in the development of his art as Webern has. In him we find an evolutionary growth which consistently advanced the frontiers of music and presented the world with a series of masterpieces which,regrettably,are too seldom performed. Yet during his life Webern was scandalously neglected and misunderstood. It pains one to think that the Genius who created the Orchestral Variations uttered these heart-rending words: "Now, my dear chap, say your piece and exert your influence, I beg of you. If only some notice at all could be taken of my work!" It 2 But History plays amazing quirks% Within ten years or so after these words were written Webern became the dominating influence in twentieth century music. His ascent. was so glittering that Posterity named periods in honour of him, that world-famous composers reconstructed their thinking .to write in the Webernite manner. There are few who have attained such a manifestation of power to determine an artistic direction by sheer influence or reaction. Thus we have approached this study of Webern with awe a~d the further we have progressed,the greater has our expression of admiration and humility become.
- ItemOpen AccessA cultural biography of an acclaimed Queen of Xhosa music, Madosini Manqineni, and her contributions to Xhosa cultural music(2005) Plaatjies, Mzikantu Zungula; Hansen, DThe main objective of this study is a musical ethnography on Madosini Manqineni, a prominent individual in African cultural music today, with an established reputation abroad, but who has not yet been given any attention in scholarship. This study was motivated by my great admiration and respect for Madosini, who is recognized as a "specialist musician", a notion that did not exist in pre-colonial times. In this study I am concerned with biography, which also needs some historical data. My writing comes from my position as a professional musician who was also a long-term student of Madosini. Although certain areas of her life are not fully available to me, I set out to explore how and why she became a professional musician, the social circumstances which encouraged her to cultivate her music, first in the customary way, which later became more individual and personal. Chapter 1 places the subject in her historical and cultural background, with a summary of main events in Mpondomise history and Madosini's family predecessors of the Dosini clan. Chapter 2 looks at events in Madosini's childhood which laid the foundation of her musical career, experiences of sets of customs, social and musical, in a rural/traditional environment; restrictions of a physical defect which encouraged concentration on self-accompanied song, and song stories. Chapter 3 concerns Madosini's handling of the intsomi tradition, but also contains critical debate on intsomi as 'folk tale' as an 'oral literature', with reference to earlier scholars; the Xhosa approach to intsomi and an example of such by Madosini, in the Xhosa language, with English translation. Chapter 4 looks at Madosini as a teacher, composer and musical specialist, and contains a detailed account of my experiences as her student; Madosini's idiosyncratic procedures in bow performance practice, in song composition, and their impact on my career as a professional musician. Chapter 5 provides a summary of the preceding chapters and a commentary on Madosini's contributions to Xhosa music. The dissertation ends with an epilogue, paying tribute to Madosini, whose achievements continue to encourage young musicians to promote cultural music and to take new directions with it, thereby ensuring its continuity down the generations.
- ItemOpen AccessA guide to national socialism : the Third Reich and Richard Wagner(1986) McCalman, Godfrey Kevin; Mr . Stuart ReinerThis study of Richard Wagner's life and works and their supposed influence on Adolf Hitler and the founders of the Third Reich was prompted by the readily available amount of extremely divergent opinion on the subject. Remarks such as the following are common: As long as Wagner's operas continue to be performed there remains the possibility of a return to some National-Socialist doctrine of salvation. 1 German intellectuals would not have opened their arms quite so readily to Hitler if they had not been prepared for it by Wagner, Bayreuth and the Wagnerians. 2 Wagner was He cared for monster who should prove a self-centred egotist of the worst kind. absolutely nobody. He was an anti-Semitic took other men's wives and money - he fascinating to play. 3 The music of the Nazis is not the Prelude to Die Meistersinger but the Horst-Wessel lied, they deserve nothing better and no other respect can be paid them. 4 The mere mention of Wagner's name in this connection often is enough to provoke considerable ho still ty, particular I y amongst Jews, and an almost inevitable reference to the Nazi regime.
- ItemOpen AccessA study of time in twentieth-century musical ritual: a musico-philosophical development from Debussy (through Stravinsky, Webern and Messiaen) to Stockhausen, in the utilization of musical time and ecstatic musical involvement for the purpose of transcending the consciousness of Real Time and Space.(1976) Pienaar, Sarah JohannaThe study rests on a fundamental premise: The artist, in his art, reflects the consciousness of his time. "Man of a given time and place, in creating the ideological and artistic systems by which he has expressed himself, has projected into his philosophy, his literature, and his art a reflection of t he same fundamental preoccupations. These preoccupations, which may be expressed in various media, are those of his time and of its material, moral, economic, social and spiritual circumstances. The genius of the individual serves only to give a more universal and eternal significance to them through the amplitude 1 and quality of his vision."
- ItemOpen AccessA study of time in twentieth-century musical ritual: a musico-philosophical development from Debussy (through Stravinsky, Webern and Messiaen) to Stockhausen, in the utilization of musical time and ecstatic musical involvement for the purpose of transcending the consciousness of Real Time and Space.(1976) Pienaar, Sarah JohannaThe study rests on a fundamental premise: The artist, in his art, reflects the consciousness of his time. "Man of a given time and place, in creating the ideological and artistic systems by which he has expressed himself, has projected into his philosophy, his literature, and his art a reflection of t he same fundamental preoccupations. These preoccupations, which may be expressed in various media, are those of his time and of its material, moral, economic, social and spiritual circumstances. The genius of the individual serves only to give a more universal and eternal significance to them through the amplitude 1 and quality of his vision."
- ItemOpen AccessA study of time in twentieth-century musical ritual: a musico-philosophical development from Debussy (through Stravinsky, Webern and Messiaen) to Stockhausen, in the utilization of musical time and ecstatic musical involvement for the purpose of transcending the consciousness of Real Time and Space.(1976) Pienaar, Sarah JohannaThe study rests on a fundamental premise: The artist, in his art, reflects the consciousness of his time. "Man of a given time and place, in creating the ideological and artistic systems by which he has expressed himself, has projected into his philosophy, his literature, and his art a reflection of t he same fundamental preoccupations. These preoccupations, which may be expressed in various media, are those of his time and of its material, moral, economic, social and spiritual circumstances. The genius of the individual serves only to give a more universal and eternal significance to them through the amplitude 1 and quality of his vision."
- ItemOpen AccessAbstract geometry in the motets of Dunstable and Dufay. Volume 1 and 2(1983) Rommelaere, Paul Frederick MarieThis dissertation has been inspired by architectural studies showing the extent to which the medieval architect was steeped in geometrical and mathematical thinking. Researchers such as Lesser, von Simson and Wittkower have shown that, from its overall proportion to its most intimate detail of ornamentation, the Gothic cathedral is derived from the sacred lore of numbers and its concommitent geometric procedures, notably quadrature and triangulation. With a single basic dimension, the Gothic architect developed all the measurements of his ground plan and elevation by geometrical means, using the square and the triangle as his module. Dimensions are related, for example, by squares of which the area diminishes or increases in geometric proportion:
- ItemOpen AccessAfrican music and its use in the school: an investigation(1981) Petersen, Alvin Benito; Rink, MThe purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the educational possibilities of African music in all schools. To the best of the author's knowledge, African music is almost completely ignored in most non-African schools in South Africa, and where it is taught, the essential elements which make the music "African" are almost completely ignored. It seems deplorable that such a rich musical resource has hardly been tapped in the non-African school. This state of affairs comes about because of negative attitudes towards things African in general and towards the African in particular. In his research in the Western Cape, the author has found that Africans no longer play traditional musical instruments such as the bow and that there is an increasing tendency to move away from traditional musical instruments in favour of Western ones. It is hoped therefore that this dissertation will lead to an appreciation of African music at all schools and that it will somehow contribute towards the revival of bow-playing in urban African communities, because a large part of this dissertation is devoted towards bow-playing and its possible uses in the school. This dissertation is in two parts: the first is a broad systematic introduction to African music, with special reference to African music in South Africa. In this section musical aspects such as form, harmony and rhythm are discussed separately. The influence of speech on song and categories of Nguni song are also included in this section. There are also detailed descriptions of some of the instrumental types in Africa and their uses in society. It should be stressed that the. terminology used in both parts, for example, 'cross-rhythm', is not necessarily the terminology used by the Africans, but is used here to facilitate understanding by all.
- ItemOpen AccessAfrican music and its use in the school: an investigation(1981) Petersen, Alvin Benito; Rink, MThe purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the educational possibilities of African music in all schools. To the best of the author's knowledge, African music is almost completely ignored in most non-African schools in South Africa, and where it is taught, the essential elements which make the music "African" are almost completely ignored. It seems deplorable that such a rich musical resource has hardly been tapped in the non-African school. This state of affairs comes about because of negative attitudes towards things African in general and towards the African in particular. In his research in the Western Cape, the author has found that Africans no longer play traditional musical instruments such as the bow and that there is an increasing tendency to move away from traditional musical instruments in favour of Western ones. It is hoped therefore that this dissertation will lead to an appreciation of African music at all schools and that it will somehow contribute towards the revival of bow-playing in urban African communities, because a large part of this dissertation is devoted towards bow-playing and its possible uses in the school. This dissertation is in two parts: the first is a broad systematic introduction to African music, with special reference to African music in South Africa. In this section musical aspects such as form, harmony and rhythm are discussed separately. The influence of speech on song and categories of Nguni song are also included in this section. There are also detailed descriptions of some of the instrumental types in Africa and their uses in society. It should be stressed that the. terminology used in both parts, for example, 'cross-rhythm', is not necessarily the terminology used by the Africans, but is used here to facilitate understanding by all.
- ItemOpen AccessAlban Berg's Lulu(1986) Naude Janet Joan; May, JamesThis 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.
- ItemOpen AccessAn analysis Franza Lisz's stylistic development as manifested by the three compositional stages of the12 etudes, op.1 (1826), the douze grandes etudes (1838) and the final version, etudes d'execution transcendante (1851).(1992) Cilliers, DIndividual etudes need to be related to their reworked and/or revised counterparts in the other sets, and on the other hand, comparisons also have to be drawn between general stylistic aspects as they are contained within each individual set. In addition, whole sets require stylistic comparison with one another. A total of 37 pieces are involved, all of which share various degrees of similarity in style and content. The first chapter deals with style so that it traces general procedures in the various compositional stages under the separate headings of rhythm, melody, harmony, etc. Examples are included in order to support findings. To compensate for a measure of detail lost in this process, the second chapter offers a detailed description of the evolution undergone towards the final versions of two etudes. The fact that no gradual chronological evolution had taken place among the various versions of the pieces, posed a difficulty to organisation. The second and third sets are more closely related to each other than the first and second sets. The second set contains new compositions loosely related to the first set, and the third set represents a revision of the second. In addition, the second version never constitutes the final masterpieces and it is at best regarded as an initial manifestation of the final concept. Other than providing the key scheme and basic thematic ideas, the first set does not have much bearing on the later sets. As a result, only two main sets emerge, the second comprising the later two versions. It is because of all these factors that the order of discussion in the second chapter may appear strange at first.
- ItemOpen AccessAn exploration of the gender and sexual dynamics for women performers in the Cape Town jazz community(2020) George, Aimée; Tiffin, Amanda; Bennett, JaneThis research explores the dynamics of gender, sexuality and power for women performers within the jazz community in Cape Town. Although the history and development of South African jazz has been extensively researched, very few texts mention the presence and impact of women performers and has yet to include how questions of gender, power and sexuality influence both the cultures of jazz and the experiences of women jazz artists. The current study is strongly influenced by feminist theory, which seeks to uncover experiences obscured by patriarchal epistemologies. A qualitative methodology is used to ensure each narrative remains at the forefront of the research. Interviews were conducted with jazz women musicians involved in various roles within the jazz industry in Cape Town. These semi-structured interviews allow for these women to narrate their turbulent musical journeys. What is revealed and subsequently further explored are the rich identity politics involved in being women “performers”, what is assumed and expected of them, the role “boys clubs” play in their exclusion, and the pressures and implications of stringent gender stereotypes, beauty ideals and vicious hyper-sexualization. Moreover, I explore the analytics of power within this specific culture and its' effect on jazz women. Their accounts reveal how the Cape Town jazz community remains saturated with gender stereotypes and is seemingly committed to continuing violent displays of misogyny. The study argues that despite the prevalence of this misogyny, women jazz artists actively design strategies which skilfully and innovatively allow them to pursue influential careers, deepening the meaning of “jazz” in Cape Town and beyond. The research thus both extends the analysis of feminist jazz theorists in Cape Town, and suggests that understanding the contemporary dynamics of gender and sexuality in South African jazz artists' experience deserves more research.
- ItemOpen AccessAn investigation into gender dynamics in saxophone teaching methodology in South Africa(2023) Laity, Ashley; Tiffin, AmandaThis dissertation investigates the physiological differences between men and women with regards to the breathing process, and how this may impact women saxophonists' learning experience in jazz pedagogy in South Africa. Breath control and techniques are fundamental for woodwind instrument musicians. Universally, although there are woodwind publications that address breathing techniques and breath control, there is little mention of these physiological differences and what adjustments can be made in teaching to aid these differences. This research is rooted in the critical pedagogy framework, which seeks to conscientize both the student and the teacher through transformation in conversation and education. Quantative comprehensive literature review of medical research and a comprehensive review of woodwind pedagogical publications were conducted. Qualitative methodology was used to ensure the learning experience of women saxophonists remained the focal topic. Interviews were conducted with both male and female saxophone jazz educators and performers in the music industry in South Africa. These semi-structured interviews allow for all interviewees to narrate their own teaching philosophies and learning experiences in saxophone. The interviews were then analysed, and common themes were identified and explored. The physiological differences and their impacts for women saxophonists generate a gendered bias in the music industry, where it is assumed that these performers are not able to perform to the same standard as their male counterparts as they are women – the biological predisposition for difficulty in breathing is not taken into consideration for women performers. Accounts given by interviewees revealed a lack of awareness of the physiological differences between males and females, and consequently a lack of adjustment of teaching techniques to adjust for these differences. The failure to account for the difference in needs for female saxophone students was revealed to have contributed to gendered bias, and exacerbated anxiety-related medical developments. This dissertation argues the impact of these physiological differences, and suggests what adjustments can be made in the saxophone curriculum in South Africa to help aid women players who are predisposed to breathing difficulties. This study further argues that despite these differences, women performers are fully capable of performing with the same skill as their male counterparts, and covert bias within the saxophone curriculum should be addressed - thus the conscientization of jazz saxophone education in South Africa. This dissertation extends the critical education and sociology of music framework and suggests that implementing a solid framework for breathing techniques in saxophone that incorporates physiological differences deserves further research.
- ItemOpen AccessAn analysis of the musical style of Miriam Makeba(2009) Xaluva, Nomfundo; Lilley, AndrewThe motivation behind this study is to explore the musical style of the late Miriam Makeba. The intention is that it will add a valuable contribution to the study of South African musicians and those subsequent scholars, with a common interest, will use the work to further the analytical study of the musical style of South African jazz.