Composition Portfolio

- Bessey, Warren Gregory

Title
Composition Portfolio
Creator
Bessey, Warren Gregory
ThesisAdvisor
Brukman, Jeffrey James
ThesisAdvisor
Bethke, Andrew-John
Subject
Composition (Music)
Subject
Zulu (African people) Songs and music
Subject
Music Cross-cultural studies
Subject
uMkabayi kaJama
Subject
Nandi
Subject
Nobility South Africa Zululand History
Date
2023-04-10
Type
Academic theses
Type
Master's theses
Type
text
Identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/10962/404940
Identifier
vital:70123
Description
Excerpt from Introduction: My interest in the Zulu royal family intensified as I began to read many stories and have lengthy conversations with members of the Zulu royal family and others, including Dr Maxwell Shamase (University of Zululand), about Zulu history. I was struck by the power and prowess of Princess Mkabayi (1750-1843). The elders were said to be speechless when she spoke. According to Shamase, a common Zulu expression which references Mkabayi’s well-known verbal skill is Umuntu ukhuluma kome umlomo, and translates as [like Mkabayi] the speaker speaks clearly and leaves no room for misunderstandings and misinterpretations. I found her to be a brilliant strategist with a servant heart and one whom history had not given due credit, and I was inspired to bring her story to life by setting it to music. I wanted to explore whether or not the events surrounding Mkabayi led to a change of consciousness among the Zulu nation, and I used this as a theme for my symphonic work about her. The lives of Queen Nandi (King Shaka’s mother) and Princess Mkabayi (King Shaka’s aunt) made for fascinating stories I had been privileged to discover, and I felt they were South African treasures to be elevated and shared with the world. The two works listed above form part of my repertoire based on Zulu royal history which are collectively known as “The Royal Trilogy,” and I have come to think of them as part of a developing “urban classical repertoire”. The Royal Trilogy is a set of three compositions with 33 independent scenes linking historical events and people. It includes the following entitled symphonic works for full orchestra: Nandi iNdlovukazi yezi Ndlovukazi (hereinafter “Queen Nandi”), Inkosazane Mkabayi (hereinafter “Princess Mkabayi”), and iNkosi uShaka: Umbono, Isizwe, Isiphetho - King Shaka: A Vision, A Nation, A Destiny (hereinafter “King Shaka”). Nandi premiered on 22 September 2016 as part of “A Musical Tribute Celebrating 200 Years of the Zulu Monarchy,” and “Mkabayi” premiered on 6 September 2018 under a programme titled “Princess Mkabayi: Celebrating Heritage Month”. Both pieces were performed at the Durban City Hall by the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra with a mass Zulu choir (combination of the Clermont Community Choir, Prince Mshiyeni Choir, and Thokozani Choral Society) for socio-economic and ethnically diverse audiences. The final work, “King Shaka,” is expected to premiere in 2023. A future adaption of the Royal Trilogy is envisioned as an Afro Fusion Contemporary Ballet.
Description
Thesis (MMus) -- Faculty of Humanities, Music & Musicology, 2023
Format
computer, online resource, application/pdf, 1 online resource (69 pages), pdf
Publisher
Rhodes University, Faculty of Humanities, Music & Musicology
Language
English
Rights
Bessey, Warren Gregory
Rights
Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons "Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike" License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/)
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SOURCE1 BESSEY-MMUS-TR23-12.pdf 2 MB Adobe Acrobat PDF
SOURCE2 PDF 1 MB Adobe Acrobat PDF
SOURCE3 PDF 577 KB Adobe Acrobat PDF
SOURCE4 PDF 523 KB Adobe Acrobat PDF
SOURCE5 PDF 1 MB Adobe Acrobat PDF
SOURCE6 MP3 Audio File (Tagged) 6 MB MP3 Audio File (Tagged)
SOURCE7 MP3 Audio File (Tagged) 5 MB MP3 Audio File (Tagged)
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