Musical expressivity in choral singing
- Authors: Agenbag, Gustel
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Choral singing , Choirs (Music) Music -- Psychological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/13614 , vital:27257
- Description: This qualitative mini-treatise explores Musical expressivity in choral singing with reference to three High School choirs in the Port Elizabeth area. Singing with emotions is not only a facial expression of some sort. There are so many more aspects which could be applied in order for the choral performance to be of an outstanding nature and not merely a performance. The researcher questioned the possibility of introducing expressiveness into rehearsals and performance through the application of more expressive conducting techniques, more detailed musical aspects and a general sense of unity within the group. The choral conductor plays a primary role and should therefore be considered as the most important link between choir and excellence. Focus is put on specific warm up exercises and suggestions are put forward regarding the development of your own, personalized exercises which suits your own unique setup. Data was collected through open-ended interviewees of the three school choir conductors as well as data from current and past studies on various topics. The perceptions of these conductors were noted and the manner in which they apply Musical knowledge during their rehearsals. Research findings indicate that not enough emphasis is put on expressive singing during rehearsals. More research done by the conductors and attending workshops are recommended for personal growth and development.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Agenbag, Gustel
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Choral singing , Choirs (Music) Music -- Psychological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/13614 , vital:27257
- Description: This qualitative mini-treatise explores Musical expressivity in choral singing with reference to three High School choirs in the Port Elizabeth area. Singing with emotions is not only a facial expression of some sort. There are so many more aspects which could be applied in order for the choral performance to be of an outstanding nature and not merely a performance. The researcher questioned the possibility of introducing expressiveness into rehearsals and performance through the application of more expressive conducting techniques, more detailed musical aspects and a general sense of unity within the group. The choral conductor plays a primary role and should therefore be considered as the most important link between choir and excellence. Focus is put on specific warm up exercises and suggestions are put forward regarding the development of your own, personalized exercises which suits your own unique setup. Data was collected through open-ended interviewees of the three school choir conductors as well as data from current and past studies on various topics. The perceptions of these conductors were noted and the manner in which they apply Musical knowledge during their rehearsals. Research findings indicate that not enough emphasis is put on expressive singing during rehearsals. More research done by the conductors and attending workshops are recommended for personal growth and development.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Addressing the idiosyncrasies of contemporary notation in recorder compositions, with specific references to unconventional symbols in Music for a bird by Hans-Martin Linde and Sieben Stucke fur altblokflote by Markus Zahnhausen
- Authors: Bartle, Lynne
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Musical notation , Musical notation -- Study and teaching , Musical notation -- History , Music -- 20th century
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:8516 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/920 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1012065 , Musical notation , Musical notation -- Study and teaching , Musical notation -- History , Music -- 20th century
- Description: This treatise provides recorder performers and teachers with a guide to understanding the unconventional notation symbols encountered in Music for a Bird by Hans-Martin Linde and Sieben Stücke Für Altblockflöte by Markus Zahnhausen. Given the context of the overall history of notation, it argues that the idiosyncrasies of the unconventional notation symbols encountered in the recorder repertoire of contemporary composers such as Linde and Zahnhausen are by no means an anomaly. Throughout history, notated scores have functioned merely as incomplete guides to the reconstruction and the realization of musical works. Along with the decoding of these instructions, a host of acculturated meanings have always been taken for granted on the part of the writers of such guidelines. In the light of the modernist crisis and the resultant exacerbation of the gulf between composers and their audience, however, it would seem that the need for such acculturated intervention is greater then ever before. This treatise serves to bridge the gulf between the works of Linde and Zahnhausen on the one hand, and the average performer and teacher of the recorder on the other, by offering an analysis both of the meaning of the unconventional symbols these works contain as well as of the method according to which they should be executed on the recorder.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Bartle, Lynne
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Musical notation , Musical notation -- Study and teaching , Musical notation -- History , Music -- 20th century
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:8516 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/920 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1012065 , Musical notation , Musical notation -- Study and teaching , Musical notation -- History , Music -- 20th century
- Description: This treatise provides recorder performers and teachers with a guide to understanding the unconventional notation symbols encountered in Music for a Bird by Hans-Martin Linde and Sieben Stücke Für Altblockflöte by Markus Zahnhausen. Given the context of the overall history of notation, it argues that the idiosyncrasies of the unconventional notation symbols encountered in the recorder repertoire of contemporary composers such as Linde and Zahnhausen are by no means an anomaly. Throughout history, notated scores have functioned merely as incomplete guides to the reconstruction and the realization of musical works. Along with the decoding of these instructions, a host of acculturated meanings have always been taken for granted on the part of the writers of such guidelines. In the light of the modernist crisis and the resultant exacerbation of the gulf between composers and their audience, however, it would seem that the need for such acculturated intervention is greater then ever before. This treatise serves to bridge the gulf between the works of Linde and Zahnhausen on the one hand, and the average performer and teacher of the recorder on the other, by offering an analysis both of the meaning of the unconventional symbols these works contain as well as of the method according to which they should be executed on the recorder.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
Music education in the foundation phase
- Authors: Beer, Luzaan
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Music -- Instruction and study -- South Africa , Education -- Curricula -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:8525 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020302
- Description: Music education is an essential aspect of education. The South African school curriculum for the Creative Arts combines dance, drama, music and the visual arts. The curriculum uses a combination of the theories of Carl Orff, Emile Jaques-Dalcroze and Zoltán Kodály. Each of these music theorists and educationists have their own distinctive approach to teaching music. This study explores the theories of music education of Carl Orff, Emile Jaques-Dalcroze and Zoltán Kodály. These theories are applied in a critical analysis of both the South African curriculum and the curriculum of New South Wales. The researcher developed music activities to address the shortcomings of both the South African curriculum and the music texts.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Beer, Luzaan
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Music -- Instruction and study -- South Africa , Education -- Curricula -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:8525 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020302
- Description: Music education is an essential aspect of education. The South African school curriculum for the Creative Arts combines dance, drama, music and the visual arts. The curriculum uses a combination of the theories of Carl Orff, Emile Jaques-Dalcroze and Zoltán Kodály. Each of these music theorists and educationists have their own distinctive approach to teaching music. This study explores the theories of music education of Carl Orff, Emile Jaques-Dalcroze and Zoltán Kodály. These theories are applied in a critical analysis of both the South African curriculum and the curriculum of New South Wales. The researcher developed music activities to address the shortcomings of both the South African curriculum and the music texts.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Aspects of form and style in Beethoven's string quartets
- Authors: Biesheuvel, Barbara
- Date: 1963
- Subjects: Beethoven, Ludwig van, 1770-1827 -- Quartets -- strings
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:2678 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007645
- Description: Many books have been written which deal with the subject of form and style in Beethoven's works. Most writers, however, seem to be satisfied with superficial descriptions - in some cases merely programatic - which do not explain the underlying problems and treatment of form. Furthermore, no book exists, to my knowledge, which delves so deeply and with such detail as to deduce with almost certain accuracy the inner coherency of the form. It is the aim of this analysis to approach the problem in this way. The edition used for this purpose is that one published by Ernst Eulenberg Ltd. London WI, which was edited from the autograph M.S. by Professor Dr. Wilhelm Altman. No comparisons are made with other editions, and possible printer's and other errors are not considered. I chose the works to be studied here, the three quartets Op. 59, for two reasons: 1) the string quartet medium is one of the most suitable types of instrumental music for the study of form, 2) the Op. 59 quartets belong to a period in Beethoven's life when he was particularly intent upon experimentation in form and development of dimension.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1963
- Authors: Biesheuvel, Barbara
- Date: 1963
- Subjects: Beethoven, Ludwig van, 1770-1827 -- Quartets -- strings
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:2678 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007645
- Description: Many books have been written which deal with the subject of form and style in Beethoven's works. Most writers, however, seem to be satisfied with superficial descriptions - in some cases merely programatic - which do not explain the underlying problems and treatment of form. Furthermore, no book exists, to my knowledge, which delves so deeply and with such detail as to deduce with almost certain accuracy the inner coherency of the form. It is the aim of this analysis to approach the problem in this way. The edition used for this purpose is that one published by Ernst Eulenberg Ltd. London WI, which was edited from the autograph M.S. by Professor Dr. Wilhelm Altman. No comparisons are made with other editions, and possible printer's and other errors are not considered. I chose the works to be studied here, the three quartets Op. 59, for two reasons: 1) the string quartet medium is one of the most suitable types of instrumental music for the study of form, 2) the Op. 59 quartets belong to a period in Beethoven's life when he was particularly intent upon experimentation in form and development of dimension.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1963
Composition portfolio
- Boesack, Lenrick Jonathan Angus
- Authors: Boesack, Lenrick Jonathan Angus
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Piano music , Prepared piano music , Saxophone music
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/56233 , vital:26786
- Description: This short composition portfolio comprises 40% of the requirements for the Master of Music Degree in performance and composition at Rhodes University. In addition to the music presented here, I played two public exam recitals of 70 minutes each. While I played piano as a child, my main instrument during my BMUS studies at the University of Cape Town (2004-2007) was the saxophone. In 2010 I was diagnosed with Polymyositis(an auto-immune desease) which particularly affected my breathing and therefore my ability to play the saxophone. For this reason I opted to play my recitals on the piano. The first recital focused on interpretations of Swing Era, Bebop and post-Bebop standards such as: Someday my prince will come, What is this thing called love, In your own sweet way, Eternal Triangle, Recordame, Peace, Dolphin Dance, Caravan and Some other blues. The second recital comprised of seven original compositions that were presented in trio, quartet and quintet settings.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Boesack, Lenrick Jonathan Angus
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Piano music , Prepared piano music , Saxophone music
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/56233 , vital:26786
- Description: This short composition portfolio comprises 40% of the requirements for the Master of Music Degree in performance and composition at Rhodes University. In addition to the music presented here, I played two public exam recitals of 70 minutes each. While I played piano as a child, my main instrument during my BMUS studies at the University of Cape Town (2004-2007) was the saxophone. In 2010 I was diagnosed with Polymyositis(an auto-immune desease) which particularly affected my breathing and therefore my ability to play the saxophone. For this reason I opted to play my recitals on the piano. The first recital focused on interpretations of Swing Era, Bebop and post-Bebop standards such as: Someday my prince will come, What is this thing called love, In your own sweet way, Eternal Triangle, Recordame, Peace, Dolphin Dance, Caravan and Some other blues. The second recital comprised of seven original compositions that were presented in trio, quartet and quintet settings.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Confronting Afrikaans diction challenges in non-Afrikaans mother tongue choirs
- Authors: Botha, Charlotte
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Choral singing -- Diction , Afrikaans language -- Diction
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:8529 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020956
- Description: This study is an initial attempt to identify the most common Afrikaans diction challenges experienced by non-Afrikaans mother tongue speaking choirs, and to explore means of confronting these challenges. No dedicated source exists for choral diction in Afrikaans as a foreign language. This study reviews personal views and literature from various fields that would inform several key elements necessary for the creation of such a source. The primary data for this study was collected through study questionnaires, completed by expert choral conductors who are highly regarded for their success in teaching and performing Afrikaans diction in non-Afrikaans mother tongue speaking choirs, in performance settings such as the ATKV-Applous Choir Competition. Through its proposition of methods for the improvement of Afrikaans diction practices in the non-Afrikaans choral setting, the study promotes the prolific composition of Afrikaans choral literature, and its ubiquitous inclusion in choral repertoire both in South Africa and abroad.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Botha, Charlotte
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Choral singing -- Diction , Afrikaans language -- Diction
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:8529 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020956
- Description: This study is an initial attempt to identify the most common Afrikaans diction challenges experienced by non-Afrikaans mother tongue speaking choirs, and to explore means of confronting these challenges. No dedicated source exists for choral diction in Afrikaans as a foreign language. This study reviews personal views and literature from various fields that would inform several key elements necessary for the creation of such a source. The primary data for this study was collected through study questionnaires, completed by expert choral conductors who are highly regarded for their success in teaching and performing Afrikaans diction in non-Afrikaans mother tongue speaking choirs, in performance settings such as the ATKV-Applous Choir Competition. Through its proposition of methods for the improvement of Afrikaans diction practices in the non-Afrikaans choral setting, the study promotes the prolific composition of Afrikaans choral literature, and its ubiquitous inclusion in choral repertoire both in South Africa and abroad.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
The tuba in solo and ensemble repertory : a critical perspective
- Authors: Bower, Danel
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Tuba -- Performance , Tuba -- History and criticism
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:8515 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/759 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1012064 , Tuba -- Performance , Tuba -- History and criticism
- Description: The topic of this research is to explore various aspects pertaining to the tuba and its role in music. The role of the tuba in modern performance practice is greatly dependent on the history of the tuba and the different roles that were fulfilled in the various eras. The study begins with an investigation into the most important predecessors of the tuba – the most prominent thereof being the ophicleide. The next field of study includes the role of the tuba in orchestras in different countries as well as the role that the tuba fulfills in various ensembles. There is a wide variety of brass instruments that were manufactured in the past and are still being produced today. Various improvements and adaptations of the tuba are listed and studied. Next the tuba is considered in its capacity as a solo instrument and the fact that the tuba can exist as a solo instrument is motivated. Even though it might not be evident that there are a large number of composers for this instrument, some of the most respected and influential composers of tuba music of all time are sighted in this study. Several famous and celebrated tuba players are mentioned and their accomplishments listed. Finally the three practical music examination institutions in South Africa are studied. Lists are compiled to assess the quality of the different examination options between these institutions and provide a suggestion of a preferred option.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Bower, Danel
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Tuba -- Performance , Tuba -- History and criticism
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:8515 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/759 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1012064 , Tuba -- Performance , Tuba -- History and criticism
- Description: The topic of this research is to explore various aspects pertaining to the tuba and its role in music. The role of the tuba in modern performance practice is greatly dependent on the history of the tuba and the different roles that were fulfilled in the various eras. The study begins with an investigation into the most important predecessors of the tuba – the most prominent thereof being the ophicleide. The next field of study includes the role of the tuba in orchestras in different countries as well as the role that the tuba fulfills in various ensembles. There is a wide variety of brass instruments that were manufactured in the past and are still being produced today. Various improvements and adaptations of the tuba are listed and studied. Next the tuba is considered in its capacity as a solo instrument and the fact that the tuba can exist as a solo instrument is motivated. Even though it might not be evident that there are a large number of composers for this instrument, some of the most respected and influential composers of tuba music of all time are sighted in this study. Several famous and celebrated tuba players are mentioned and their accomplishments listed. Finally the three practical music examination institutions in South Africa are studied. Lists are compiled to assess the quality of the different examination options between these institutions and provide a suggestion of a preferred option.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
A short composition portfolio
- Buitendag, Kingsley Alexander
- Authors: Buitendag, Kingsley Alexander
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Music -- South Africa Composition (Music)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:2632 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002297
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Buitendag, Kingsley Alexander
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Music -- South Africa Composition (Music)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:2632 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002297
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
The jazz divas an analysis of the musical careers of six New Brighton vocalists
- Authors: Butete, Netsayi
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Jazz musicians -- Research -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth Ethnomusicology -- Research -- South Africa Sex discrimination against women -- South Africa Sex discrimination in employment -- South Africa Apartheid -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:2633 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002298
- Description: There has been insufficient academic research on the music of the Eastern Cape in general and Port Elizabeth and New Brighton in particular. This study, as part of the International Library of African Music (ILAM)lRed Location Museum Music History Project (ILAMIRLMHP) - an oral history intervention to save the music history of New Brighton from extinction through research and documentation of the memories of veteran musicians - is focused on jazz vocalists. The primary objective of my study is to investigate, critically analyze, interpret and document the career experiences of six New Brighton jazz vocalists in the context of performing in the Port Elizabeth music industry during the apartheid and the post-apartheid eras. The secondary objectives are to stimulate research interests in music students and ethnomusicologists to pursue research on the music of Port Elizabeth and the Eastern Cape and to inspire and motivate the vocalists to continue making music with renewed zeal. A qualitative research paradigm informed the field research necessary for this study. The fieldwork paved the way for an eclectic framework of analysis grounded in Pierre Bourdieu's notions of habitus, field and capital, examining the impact of the context on the vocalists' habitus which influenced how they viewed and interpreted their past and current experiences in the performance field. Data obtained through extensive interviewing of New Brighton's contemporary female vocalists and their male counterparts revealed that they have no opportunity to make commercial recordings. The musicians have to migrate to Johannesburg to have successful music careers, although personality politics, greed and lack of professionalism also work against the musicians' success. The data shows that New Brighton musicians, both male and female, do not have enough performance opportunities and there are fewer chances to tour now than there were from the 1960s through the 1980s. As in the apartheid era, female vocalists are still discriminated against in terms of pay, and men discriminate in how they pay other male musicians. Analysis of the vocalists' jazz compositions revealed that their song lyrics depict a bona fide urban African culture and reflect the emotional needs of the society in which they live.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Butete, Netsayi
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Jazz musicians -- Research -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth Ethnomusicology -- Research -- South Africa Sex discrimination against women -- South Africa Sex discrimination in employment -- South Africa Apartheid -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:2633 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002298
- Description: There has been insufficient academic research on the music of the Eastern Cape in general and Port Elizabeth and New Brighton in particular. This study, as part of the International Library of African Music (ILAM)lRed Location Museum Music History Project (ILAMIRLMHP) - an oral history intervention to save the music history of New Brighton from extinction through research and documentation of the memories of veteran musicians - is focused on jazz vocalists. The primary objective of my study is to investigate, critically analyze, interpret and document the career experiences of six New Brighton jazz vocalists in the context of performing in the Port Elizabeth music industry during the apartheid and the post-apartheid eras. The secondary objectives are to stimulate research interests in music students and ethnomusicologists to pursue research on the music of Port Elizabeth and the Eastern Cape and to inspire and motivate the vocalists to continue making music with renewed zeal. A qualitative research paradigm informed the field research necessary for this study. The fieldwork paved the way for an eclectic framework of analysis grounded in Pierre Bourdieu's notions of habitus, field and capital, examining the impact of the context on the vocalists' habitus which influenced how they viewed and interpreted their past and current experiences in the performance field. Data obtained through extensive interviewing of New Brighton's contemporary female vocalists and their male counterparts revealed that they have no opportunity to make commercial recordings. The musicians have to migrate to Johannesburg to have successful music careers, although personality politics, greed and lack of professionalism also work against the musicians' success. The data shows that New Brighton musicians, both male and female, do not have enough performance opportunities and there are fewer chances to tour now than there were from the 1960s through the 1980s. As in the apartheid era, female vocalists are still discriminated against in terms of pay, and men discriminate in how they pay other male musicians. Analysis of the vocalists' jazz compositions revealed that their song lyrics depict a bona fide urban African culture and reflect the emotional needs of the society in which they live.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
(De)constructing the archive : an annotated catalog of the Deon van der Walt Collection in the NMMU Library
- Authors: Buys, Frederick Jacobus
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Music -- Bibliography -- Catalogs , Archives -- Catalogs , Tenors (Singers) -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:8526 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020585
- Description: Deon van der Walt was, at the height of his career, considered the leading lyric tenor of his generation. In a career that spanned more than 25 years he performed in the great opera houses of the world and sang for the leading conductors of the time, sharing the stage with the best singers in the world. He was the first male South African to accomplish the so-called “grand slam” of opera, having sung in the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (London), Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna), La Scala (Milan) and the Metropolitan Opera House (New York). He was also a prolific oratorio and lieder singer, collaborating with the best artists the musical world had to offer. In addition he left a large recorded legacy, both published and unpublished. His untimely death on 29 November 2005 was extensively reported on both locally and abroad - a fact which again highlighted the importance of his personal and professional contribution to the international opera world.The Deon van der Walt Collection is the single most important key to unlocking the life and career of one of the most successful South African opera singers of all time. It was bequeathed to the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) Library the Deon van der Walt Trust in 2007. The collection is made up of an arbitrary assortment of books, documents, sound and video recordings that were left in van der Walt’s Zürich accommodations at the time of his death in 2005. It is housed in separate section on the lower level of the South Campus Library of the NMMU. The collection has been partially catalogued by the NMMU Library but left largely unattended for the last 6 years. The compiling of an annotated catalogue of this collection is the vital first step in connecting the dots of an extraordinary musical career that was hailed as one of the greatest of his time.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Buys, Frederick Jacobus
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Music -- Bibliography -- Catalogs , Archives -- Catalogs , Tenors (Singers) -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:8526 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020585
- Description: Deon van der Walt was, at the height of his career, considered the leading lyric tenor of his generation. In a career that spanned more than 25 years he performed in the great opera houses of the world and sang for the leading conductors of the time, sharing the stage with the best singers in the world. He was the first male South African to accomplish the so-called “grand slam” of opera, having sung in the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (London), Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna), La Scala (Milan) and the Metropolitan Opera House (New York). He was also a prolific oratorio and lieder singer, collaborating with the best artists the musical world had to offer. In addition he left a large recorded legacy, both published and unpublished. His untimely death on 29 November 2005 was extensively reported on both locally and abroad - a fact which again highlighted the importance of his personal and professional contribution to the international opera world.The Deon van der Walt Collection is the single most important key to unlocking the life and career of one of the most successful South African opera singers of all time. It was bequeathed to the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) Library the Deon van der Walt Trust in 2007. The collection is made up of an arbitrary assortment of books, documents, sound and video recordings that were left in van der Walt’s Zürich accommodations at the time of his death in 2005. It is housed in separate section on the lower level of the South Campus Library of the NMMU. The collection has been partially catalogued by the NMMU Library but left largely unattended for the last 6 years. The compiling of an annotated catalogue of this collection is the vital first step in connecting the dots of an extraordinary musical career that was hailed as one of the greatest of his time.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Composition portfolio
- Authors: Caplan, Anthony
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/6940 , vital:21202
- Description: Restricted access-thesis available at the Music Library
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Caplan, Anthony
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/6940 , vital:21202
- Description: Restricted access-thesis available at the Music Library
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2017
Howard Gardner's multiple intelligences theory, outcomes-based education and curriculum implementation in South Africa : a critique of music education in the general education and training phase
- Authors: Clench, Renate
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Music -- Instruction and study -- South Africa , School music -- Instruction and study -- South africa , Music in education , Intellect
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:8507 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1218 , Music -- Instruction and study -- South Africa , School music -- Instruction and study -- South africa , Music in education , Intellect
- Description: This study examines the current curriculum for primary schools in South Africa – Curriculum 2005 (C2005) and the subsequent Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNCS), with Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) as its fundamental educational approach - with specific reference to the place of music education in it. While the underlying principles and scope of this curriculum has many positive attributes, numerous studies have shown that there are still major stumbling blocks in the way of its successful implementation. Since the emphasis of the Arts and Culture Learning Area is on the nurturing of generic values and attitudes towards culture, it does not provide for sufficient development of subject-specific musical skills and knowledge. Instead this vital form of musical learning continues to be provided in the form of extra-curricular music programmes by those few schools who have the staff expertise and the funding to do so. Music therefore remains accessible only to the privileged few. .Although C2005 encourages and requires significant levels of integration in Learning Outcomes and Assessment Standards within and across Learning Areas, this is currently one of the least successful aspects of its implementation. This lack of success, it is argued, is in part the result of severe limitations in the training of teachers and the availability of necessary resources in schools, and in part the result of the curriculum’s own limited interpretation of integration. Psychologist Dr Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences is a holistic approach to education that stresses, amongst other things, that Musical Intelligence is one of eight vital forms of intelligence that should be accessible to all children. It is argued that educational approaches based on Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory provide some insights into the integration of Musical Intelligence with other forms of learning that may usefully be applied in C2005.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
- Authors: Clench, Renate
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Music -- Instruction and study -- South Africa , School music -- Instruction and study -- South africa , Music in education , Intellect
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:8507 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1218 , Music -- Instruction and study -- South Africa , School music -- Instruction and study -- South africa , Music in education , Intellect
- Description: This study examines the current curriculum for primary schools in South Africa – Curriculum 2005 (C2005) and the subsequent Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNCS), with Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) as its fundamental educational approach - with specific reference to the place of music education in it. While the underlying principles and scope of this curriculum has many positive attributes, numerous studies have shown that there are still major stumbling blocks in the way of its successful implementation. Since the emphasis of the Arts and Culture Learning Area is on the nurturing of generic values and attitudes towards culture, it does not provide for sufficient development of subject-specific musical skills and knowledge. Instead this vital form of musical learning continues to be provided in the form of extra-curricular music programmes by those few schools who have the staff expertise and the funding to do so. Music therefore remains accessible only to the privileged few. .Although C2005 encourages and requires significant levels of integration in Learning Outcomes and Assessment Standards within and across Learning Areas, this is currently one of the least successful aspects of its implementation. This lack of success, it is argued, is in part the result of severe limitations in the training of teachers and the availability of necessary resources in schools, and in part the result of the curriculum’s own limited interpretation of integration. Psychologist Dr Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences is a holistic approach to education that stresses, amongst other things, that Musical Intelligence is one of eight vital forms of intelligence that should be accessible to all children. It is argued that educational approaches based on Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory provide some insights into the integration of Musical Intelligence with other forms of learning that may usefully be applied in C2005.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
Composition portfolio
- Authors: Cooper, Corinne Jane
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Xhosa (African people) -- Music , Musical bow -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sound recordings in ethnomusicology -- South Africa , Dywili, Nofinishi. The bow project , Music -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/168338 , vital:41568
- Description: In June 2014, I was introduced to Christine Dixie by a film maker I had worked with on a previous project. Christine was looking for a composer who could arrange a soundtrack around musical themes that she had commissioned from Jared Lang to accompany her video installation To Be King (Dixie 2014. Jared composed five different melodies that I wove into a palette of sounds that comprised the soundtrack. To Be King was exhibited at the National Arts Festival in 2014 as part of the Main Festival. It moved to Cape Town in 2015 and 2017, to Venice and London in 2017, and to Lithuania in 2018. In 2017, Christine approached me to compose a soundtrack for a different work, based again on seventeenth century Spanish artist, Velázquez’ painting ‘Las Meninas’ (1656), but this time, using a series of sculptures representing the different figures in the painting, a reinterpretation with strong Eastern Cape (South Africa) themes and associations. Christine proposed reimagining the figures in the painting by clothing them in Shweshwe 1 material and placing African masks on each of them, masks that she had sought out during her travels around Africa. The use of Shweshwe material, ties the figures very closely to the Eastern Cape, and in particular, close to where I grew up in Alice, just 60 kilometres away from where it is manufactured in King William’s Town. Alice is important in the unfolding of this portfolio as Ntsikana, purportedly the first Xhosa person to be converted to Christianity and a prophet, lived in Peddie (which is about 70 kilometers from Grahamstown and Rhodes University) and Gqora, near the Kat River District which is located in the Amathola District near Alice. (Kumalo 2015, p.26). Alice is steeped in history, and is the town where Lovedale Mission Station was founded in 1824 and later, the Lovedale Press in 1861. Therefore, this project felt close to my roots, hence this interaction between Western and African cultures is very relevant to my world view and has impacted on my scoring of this music. I was initially challenged by the idea that the project would require a deeper understanding of traditional Xhosa music and while I had been exposed to Xhosa culture while growing up in Alice, my formative years were largely shaped by the culture of my Christian parents who immigrated to South Africa from England during the 1960s. During the first decade of the twentieth century, in my capacity as a sound engineer, I was tasked with recording and mastering a double CD called The Bow Project. Various South African composers were invited to transcribe and paraphrase or reimagine traditional Xhosa bow music for the classical string quartet. The uhadi songs 2 of Nofinishi Dywili formed the basis for many of these intercultural explorations, and I recorded and mastered the string quartets as well as 12 individual recordings of Dywili’s music. I spent many hours listening to Dywili’s recordings while I mastered them, but though I was very familiar with how they sounded, I realised, as I started compiling this portfolio, that I was not familiar with their notation and rhythmic structures. I approach sound engineering with a very different ear and sonic perspective to that of a composer. To learn more about uhadi bow music I visited the International Library of African Music (ILAM) which is housed by Rhodes University in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape. Here I consulted with sound engineer and African music specialist, Elijah Madiba, on Xhosa instruments and traditional music-making. With Madiba’s assistance I listened carefully to different bow performances and examined a variety of instruments. After this introduction I loaned a selection of recordings from the ILAM collection and listened to them as carefully as I could. Every time I listened, I seemed to hear something different, both melodically and rhythmically. To gain a deeper understanding of how this music was created I decided to transcribe some of the songs. Following a steep learning curve I completed transcriptions of two songs with my transcriptions including a wealth of vocal parts. As my ears grew accustomed to the sound world I heard additional counter melodies. Notating the rhythms using staff notation was challenging, as this music is created according to a different format, but I am familiar with staff notation and if I was going to use this material while composing then I needed to remain with that which was familiar. I finally settled on notating with shifting time signatures and the first song is scored in bars of 3/4, 4/4, and 2/4 while the other song uses 3/4, 2/4. It was a very worthwhile exercise and after completion I humbly set about composing the eleven pieces that would musically express Dixie’s new work: Worlding the White Spirit Maiden (2019).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Cooper, Corinne Jane
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Xhosa (African people) -- Music , Musical bow -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sound recordings in ethnomusicology -- South Africa , Dywili, Nofinishi. The bow project , Music -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/168338 , vital:41568
- Description: In June 2014, I was introduced to Christine Dixie by a film maker I had worked with on a previous project. Christine was looking for a composer who could arrange a soundtrack around musical themes that she had commissioned from Jared Lang to accompany her video installation To Be King (Dixie 2014. Jared composed five different melodies that I wove into a palette of sounds that comprised the soundtrack. To Be King was exhibited at the National Arts Festival in 2014 as part of the Main Festival. It moved to Cape Town in 2015 and 2017, to Venice and London in 2017, and to Lithuania in 2018. In 2017, Christine approached me to compose a soundtrack for a different work, based again on seventeenth century Spanish artist, Velázquez’ painting ‘Las Meninas’ (1656), but this time, using a series of sculptures representing the different figures in the painting, a reinterpretation with strong Eastern Cape (South Africa) themes and associations. Christine proposed reimagining the figures in the painting by clothing them in Shweshwe 1 material and placing African masks on each of them, masks that she had sought out during her travels around Africa. The use of Shweshwe material, ties the figures very closely to the Eastern Cape, and in particular, close to where I grew up in Alice, just 60 kilometres away from where it is manufactured in King William’s Town. Alice is important in the unfolding of this portfolio as Ntsikana, purportedly the first Xhosa person to be converted to Christianity and a prophet, lived in Peddie (which is about 70 kilometers from Grahamstown and Rhodes University) and Gqora, near the Kat River District which is located in the Amathola District near Alice. (Kumalo 2015, p.26). Alice is steeped in history, and is the town where Lovedale Mission Station was founded in 1824 and later, the Lovedale Press in 1861. Therefore, this project felt close to my roots, hence this interaction between Western and African cultures is very relevant to my world view and has impacted on my scoring of this music. I was initially challenged by the idea that the project would require a deeper understanding of traditional Xhosa music and while I had been exposed to Xhosa culture while growing up in Alice, my formative years were largely shaped by the culture of my Christian parents who immigrated to South Africa from England during the 1960s. During the first decade of the twentieth century, in my capacity as a sound engineer, I was tasked with recording and mastering a double CD called The Bow Project. Various South African composers were invited to transcribe and paraphrase or reimagine traditional Xhosa bow music for the classical string quartet. The uhadi songs 2 of Nofinishi Dywili formed the basis for many of these intercultural explorations, and I recorded and mastered the string quartets as well as 12 individual recordings of Dywili’s music. I spent many hours listening to Dywili’s recordings while I mastered them, but though I was very familiar with how they sounded, I realised, as I started compiling this portfolio, that I was not familiar with their notation and rhythmic structures. I approach sound engineering with a very different ear and sonic perspective to that of a composer. To learn more about uhadi bow music I visited the International Library of African Music (ILAM) which is housed by Rhodes University in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape. Here I consulted with sound engineer and African music specialist, Elijah Madiba, on Xhosa instruments and traditional music-making. With Madiba’s assistance I listened carefully to different bow performances and examined a variety of instruments. After this introduction I loaned a selection of recordings from the ILAM collection and listened to them as carefully as I could. Every time I listened, I seemed to hear something different, both melodically and rhythmically. To gain a deeper understanding of how this music was created I decided to transcribe some of the songs. Following a steep learning curve I completed transcriptions of two songs with my transcriptions including a wealth of vocal parts. As my ears grew accustomed to the sound world I heard additional counter melodies. Notating the rhythms using staff notation was challenging, as this music is created according to a different format, but I am familiar with staff notation and if I was going to use this material while composing then I needed to remain with that which was familiar. I finally settled on notating with shifting time signatures and the first song is scored in bars of 3/4, 4/4, and 2/4 while the other song uses 3/4, 2/4. It was a very worthwhile exercise and after completion I humbly set about composing the eleven pieces that would musically express Dixie’s new work: Worlding the White Spirit Maiden (2019).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
A study of Oliver Messiaen's song-cycles Poèms pour mi, Chants de terre et de ciel, and Harawi
- Authors: Donkin, Deborah Jean
- Date: 1992
- Subjects: Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992 Song cycles--Interpretation (Phrasing, dynamics, etc.)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:2635 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002300
- Description: This thesis ventures into the relatively neglected world of twentieth century vocal music, via the three song cycles of Oliver Messiaen. The song cycle is a comparatively young genre, generally dated from Beethoven's An die ferne Geliebte or by some, even later to Schubert's Die schone Miillerin. Nevertheless, considerable changes have taken place in the 160 years which separate Messiaen's cycles from those of the 'pioneers' mentioned above. A fuller appreciation of twentieth century cycles is facilitated by observing this evolutionary process and placing the works within an historical and cultural perspective. Such an introduction is provided in part one of this thesis, along with relevant details on the life and interests of Messiaen. The latter information gives insight into the compositions themselves and may satisfy the reader's curiosity on the origin of some of the more unexpected techniques or ideas Messiaen llses. Before embarking on a study of the cycles, it is necessary to look at the highly individual musical language of the composer. Section two undertakes this task in some depth, wherever possible relating the explanations directly to the songs which follow. In order to clarify the text and to simplify the exercise for the reader, numerous musical examples have been used. This contributes to the apparent bulk of this section. The main emphasis of the thesis is the detailed study of the 20 songs contained in Poemes pour Mi, Chants de Terre et de Cief and Harawi. The third section of the thesis deals with this material thoroughly and systematically, dividing it up into musical and extra-musical aspects. The texts are considered in terms of Surrealist, religious, Nature, numerological and, in the case of Harawi, mythological and Peruvian folk symbolism. The relationship of text to music is studied and evelopments highlighted. Musically, the study is further sub-divided into piano part and vocal part. In each case, an extensive exploration of the techniques required of the performer is presented. This makes possible the subsequent categorisation of the songs on the basis of similarities in the musical means. Conclusions reached show a progressive development through the three song cycles in the composer's handling of the text, his treatment of the voice, his use of the piano and his expansion of the voice-piano relationship. This body of solo vocal literature emerges as typical of Oliver Messiaen's compositional style in general and therefore properly representative of the meticulous craftsmanship with which his works are constructed. The detailed analysis of all aspects of the songs contributes original material to scholarship on Messiaen and on song cycles in the twentieth century.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1992
- Authors: Donkin, Deborah Jean
- Date: 1992
- Subjects: Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992 Song cycles--Interpretation (Phrasing, dynamics, etc.)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:2635 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002300
- Description: This thesis ventures into the relatively neglected world of twentieth century vocal music, via the three song cycles of Oliver Messiaen. The song cycle is a comparatively young genre, generally dated from Beethoven's An die ferne Geliebte or by some, even later to Schubert's Die schone Miillerin. Nevertheless, considerable changes have taken place in the 160 years which separate Messiaen's cycles from those of the 'pioneers' mentioned above. A fuller appreciation of twentieth century cycles is facilitated by observing this evolutionary process and placing the works within an historical and cultural perspective. Such an introduction is provided in part one of this thesis, along with relevant details on the life and interests of Messiaen. The latter information gives insight into the compositions themselves and may satisfy the reader's curiosity on the origin of some of the more unexpected techniques or ideas Messiaen llses. Before embarking on a study of the cycles, it is necessary to look at the highly individual musical language of the composer. Section two undertakes this task in some depth, wherever possible relating the explanations directly to the songs which follow. In order to clarify the text and to simplify the exercise for the reader, numerous musical examples have been used. This contributes to the apparent bulk of this section. The main emphasis of the thesis is the detailed study of the 20 songs contained in Poemes pour Mi, Chants de Terre et de Cief and Harawi. The third section of the thesis deals with this material thoroughly and systematically, dividing it up into musical and extra-musical aspects. The texts are considered in terms of Surrealist, religious, Nature, numerological and, in the case of Harawi, mythological and Peruvian folk symbolism. The relationship of text to music is studied and evelopments highlighted. Musically, the study is further sub-divided into piano part and vocal part. In each case, an extensive exploration of the techniques required of the performer is presented. This makes possible the subsequent categorisation of the songs on the basis of similarities in the musical means. Conclusions reached show a progressive development through the three song cycles in the composer's handling of the text, his treatment of the voice, his use of the piano and his expansion of the voice-piano relationship. This body of solo vocal literature emerges as typical of Oliver Messiaen's compositional style in general and therefore properly representative of the meticulous craftsmanship with which his works are constructed. The detailed analysis of all aspects of the songs contributes original material to scholarship on Messiaen and on song cycles in the twentieth century.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1992
Analysing from experience : Gustav Mahler’s Quartetsatz for piano and strings
- Authors: Du Plessis, Jacques
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Mahler, Gustav, 1860-1911. -- Quartet, piano, violin, viola, cello, A minor , Musical analysis , Music appreciation , Phenomenology and music
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:2696 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017818
- Description: Musical analysis has traditionally been located within the context of musicology. It is therefore an activity usually considered the purview of music scholars rather than practical musicians. The musical analyses produced by music scholars therefore provide us with intellectual understandings of musical works, rather than insights into the experience of listening to or playing music. In this thesis, I will propose that those agents involved in practical music-making can produce insights into musical works that are as valid as the work of traditional music scholarship. I will attempt to re-conceptualize the position of the ‘knower’ or ‘experiencer’ - the performer - of music as one with primary access to knowledge of a musical work, and therefore ideally suited to offer analyses of these works. The establishment of the performer as a bearer of central analytical knowledge functions in direct opposition to the traditional distinction between ‘theory’ and ‘practice’. My thesis will trace the Platonic origins of the philosophical separation of practice and research, and as an alternative to the traditional separation of practice and research, I shall explore the concept of Practice-Based Research (PBR). My exploration of PBR will be informed by phenomenological approaches to music scholarship. As a field of enquiry which concerns itself with experience, the phenomenology of music suggests that the mind and body of the practitioner are important sources of musical insight. To address this issue, Bourdieu’s notion of habitus will be explored. The habitus will be shown to contain a vast network of socio-cultural codes informing the practitioner’s relationship with the musical work. A central aim of this thesis is to explore the possibilities of using practice-based research as the foundation for the study and analysis of a composition, in order to allow for a deeper understanding of the work by means of the generation and harnessing of practical knowledge. Thus, the theoretical outline of PBR provided in this thesis will be applied to a piece of practical performance-based analysis. As such, an analysis of Mahler’s Quartetsatz will be used as the basis on which to draw knowledge in this project.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Du Plessis, Jacques
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Mahler, Gustav, 1860-1911. -- Quartet, piano, violin, viola, cello, A minor , Musical analysis , Music appreciation , Phenomenology and music
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:2696 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017818
- Description: Musical analysis has traditionally been located within the context of musicology. It is therefore an activity usually considered the purview of music scholars rather than practical musicians. The musical analyses produced by music scholars therefore provide us with intellectual understandings of musical works, rather than insights into the experience of listening to or playing music. In this thesis, I will propose that those agents involved in practical music-making can produce insights into musical works that are as valid as the work of traditional music scholarship. I will attempt to re-conceptualize the position of the ‘knower’ or ‘experiencer’ - the performer - of music as one with primary access to knowledge of a musical work, and therefore ideally suited to offer analyses of these works. The establishment of the performer as a bearer of central analytical knowledge functions in direct opposition to the traditional distinction between ‘theory’ and ‘practice’. My thesis will trace the Platonic origins of the philosophical separation of practice and research, and as an alternative to the traditional separation of practice and research, I shall explore the concept of Practice-Based Research (PBR). My exploration of PBR will be informed by phenomenological approaches to music scholarship. As a field of enquiry which concerns itself with experience, the phenomenology of music suggests that the mind and body of the practitioner are important sources of musical insight. To address this issue, Bourdieu’s notion of habitus will be explored. The habitus will be shown to contain a vast network of socio-cultural codes informing the practitioner’s relationship with the musical work. A central aim of this thesis is to explore the possibilities of using practice-based research as the foundation for the study and analysis of a composition, in order to allow for a deeper understanding of the work by means of the generation and harnessing of practical knowledge. Thus, the theoretical outline of PBR provided in this thesis will be applied to a piece of practical performance-based analysis. As such, an analysis of Mahler’s Quartetsatz will be used as the basis on which to draw knowledge in this project.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
The role of the cadence as determining factor of phrasing of the organ toccatas, preludes and fantasias of Johann Sebastian Bach
- Authors: Du Plooy, Jacobus Stephanus
- Date: 1996
- Subjects: Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750 -- Criticism and interpretation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:2636 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002301
- Description: This study examines the phrasing of J.S. Bach's preludes, toccatas and fantasias for organ. Consequent upon Bach's silence on the subject and the inadequacy of available sources, the cadence has been used as a means to determine the phrasing of these works. The goal of this thesis is to identify those characteristics of the cadence that can assist the performer in two ways: On the one hand, to select the appropriate type of break between phrases, and, the other hand, selecting the appropriate changes in tempo and articulation essential to the shaping of phrases. The term, 'cadence', therefore, applies not merely to an isolated entity of two chords, but rather to a broader formula including the progressions towards and away from it. This investigation follows an eclectic approach. Accordingly, the exploration of various sources is combined with diverse methods of analyses. The first method is a detailed structural analysis of Bach's cadential progressions, and more specifically, the way in which he integrated the basic musical elements into them. This shows the points of tension and relaxation, two musico-psychological effects fundamental to any decision regarding phrasing. The second method puts Bach's cadences within the context of the larger musical structure, including the 'extra-musical' (i.e. grammatical, rhetorical and 'affective') forms. This method organises cadences according to their various punctuation functions, hence main and secondary cadences. The cadences of twenty-eight works - those works of which the authenticity is more or less secure - are analysed. Descriptions cover a selection from these works considered to be the most representative. A significant number of examples, induding performing suggestions, accompany and elaborate in detail on all descriptions of cadences. An application of the findings is presented by an analysis and di scussion that elaborates in detail on the suggested performance of two works, BWV 542 and 541. These two works epitomize, and simultaneously form the culmination of the two principal styles (i.e. the improvisatory and motorically-orientated) prevalent in Bach's free organ works. Examination of the findings of this study and implications for further research conclude this thesis.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1996
- Authors: Du Plooy, Jacobus Stephanus
- Date: 1996
- Subjects: Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750 -- Criticism and interpretation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:2636 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002301
- Description: This study examines the phrasing of J.S. Bach's preludes, toccatas and fantasias for organ. Consequent upon Bach's silence on the subject and the inadequacy of available sources, the cadence has been used as a means to determine the phrasing of these works. The goal of this thesis is to identify those characteristics of the cadence that can assist the performer in two ways: On the one hand, to select the appropriate type of break between phrases, and, the other hand, selecting the appropriate changes in tempo and articulation essential to the shaping of phrases. The term, 'cadence', therefore, applies not merely to an isolated entity of two chords, but rather to a broader formula including the progressions towards and away from it. This investigation follows an eclectic approach. Accordingly, the exploration of various sources is combined with diverse methods of analyses. The first method is a detailed structural analysis of Bach's cadential progressions, and more specifically, the way in which he integrated the basic musical elements into them. This shows the points of tension and relaxation, two musico-psychological effects fundamental to any decision regarding phrasing. The second method puts Bach's cadences within the context of the larger musical structure, including the 'extra-musical' (i.e. grammatical, rhetorical and 'affective') forms. This method organises cadences according to their various punctuation functions, hence main and secondary cadences. The cadences of twenty-eight works - those works of which the authenticity is more or less secure - are analysed. Descriptions cover a selection from these works considered to be the most representative. A significant number of examples, induding performing suggestions, accompany and elaborate in detail on all descriptions of cadences. An application of the findings is presented by an analysis and di scussion that elaborates in detail on the suggested performance of two works, BWV 542 and 541. These two works epitomize, and simultaneously form the culmination of the two principal styles (i.e. the improvisatory and motorically-orientated) prevalent in Bach's free organ works. Examination of the findings of this study and implications for further research conclude this thesis.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1996
Effects of selected modes of digital distribution on music consumerism, with reference to the album format
- Authors: Du Preez, Liska
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Sound -- Recording and reproducing -- Digital techniques , Music -- Technological innovations , Music and the Internet
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:8504 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1427 , Sound -- Recording and reproducing -- Digital techniques , Music -- Technological innovations , Music and the Internet
- Description: In this digital age many listeners of music now purchase albums from online digital music stores instead of buying a physical album from the record store. This has created a concern with many regarding the future of the album as a physical medium. This study investigates the impact of the possible death of the album on certain listening habits, the activity of record collecting, the creation of large-scale musical works, music consumerism, and its implications for the creative process on music as art and sound-recording quality. Three realisations have led to the problem statement. Firstly, the album might not have a future in the digital age. Secondly, downloadable songs might not be able to recreate an album experience. The third realisation is that the possible death of the album could create new, exciting challenges to artists as they strive to create art. This study is exploratory in nature - and no hypothesis was generated. The research necessitates qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual approaches. Furthermore, the investigation has led to the collection of mostly new data, constituting a “primary data design” through the implementation of qualitative listening experiments and a focus group, using full-time NMMU students between 18 and 25 years of age. It is herein argued that digital distribution might possibly have an effect on the perception of the album format and might possibly still be a relevant listening experience, valued by young people. Singles and albums are collectable; and good albums are considered artistic and comparable to the large-scale musical works of the past. If the concept of an album does not die out, then high fidelity formats should be able to re-invent the album experience. Listening experiences other than the album experience do exist, and they could generate new ways for artists to create musical art.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Du Preez, Liska
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Sound -- Recording and reproducing -- Digital techniques , Music -- Technological innovations , Music and the Internet
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:8504 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1427 , Sound -- Recording and reproducing -- Digital techniques , Music -- Technological innovations , Music and the Internet
- Description: In this digital age many listeners of music now purchase albums from online digital music stores instead of buying a physical album from the record store. This has created a concern with many regarding the future of the album as a physical medium. This study investigates the impact of the possible death of the album on certain listening habits, the activity of record collecting, the creation of large-scale musical works, music consumerism, and its implications for the creative process on music as art and sound-recording quality. Three realisations have led to the problem statement. Firstly, the album might not have a future in the digital age. Secondly, downloadable songs might not be able to recreate an album experience. The third realisation is that the possible death of the album could create new, exciting challenges to artists as they strive to create art. This study is exploratory in nature - and no hypothesis was generated. The research necessitates qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual approaches. Furthermore, the investigation has led to the collection of mostly new data, constituting a “primary data design” through the implementation of qualitative listening experiments and a focus group, using full-time NMMU students between 18 and 25 years of age. It is herein argued that digital distribution might possibly have an effect on the perception of the album format and might possibly still be a relevant listening experience, valued by young people. Singles and albums are collectable; and good albums are considered artistic and comparable to the large-scale musical works of the past. If the concept of an album does not die out, then high fidelity formats should be able to re-invent the album experience. Listening experiences other than the album experience do exist, and they could generate new ways for artists to create musical art.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
An exploration of James Dreier’s Standard Tune Learning Sequence in a self-directed learning environment : an interpretative phenomenological analysis
- Authors: Ellis, Stephen James
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Dreier, James Drum -- Performance -- Studies and exercises Drum -- Methods -- Self-instruction Drum -- Instruction and study Drummers (Musicians)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:2680 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011312
- Description: This qualitative case study was undertaken in order to explore the experiences of drum set students who apply themselves to James Dreier’s Standard Tune Learning Sequence (STLS) in a self-directed learning environment. These experiences ultimately shed light on how best to implement Differentiated Instruction to the STLS. The study draws on the experience of three adult drum students under the instruction of the author. The students were provided with the STLS and left to proceed with it on their own. They were asked to keep a record of their progress in the form of a learning journal. These learning journals were used, in conjunction with transcribed interviews and learner profiles, as data for this study and as such were subjected to Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The study recognizes three factors which affect the student’s successful progression through the STLS: readiness, interest and meaning. Each factor is discussed in relation to literature on differentiated Instruction. Recommendations are made regarding the implementation of Differentiated Instruction to the STLS.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Ellis, Stephen James
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Dreier, James Drum -- Performance -- Studies and exercises Drum -- Methods -- Self-instruction Drum -- Instruction and study Drummers (Musicians)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:2680 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011312
- Description: This qualitative case study was undertaken in order to explore the experiences of drum set students who apply themselves to James Dreier’s Standard Tune Learning Sequence (STLS) in a self-directed learning environment. These experiences ultimately shed light on how best to implement Differentiated Instruction to the STLS. The study draws on the experience of three adult drum students under the instruction of the author. The students were provided with the STLS and left to proceed with it on their own. They were asked to keep a record of their progress in the form of a learning journal. These learning journals were used, in conjunction with transcribed interviews and learner profiles, as data for this study and as such were subjected to Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The study recognizes three factors which affect the student’s successful progression through the STLS: readiness, interest and meaning. Each factor is discussed in relation to literature on differentiated Instruction. Recommendations are made regarding the implementation of Differentiated Instruction to the STLS.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
study of the personality of Franz Liszt with special reference to the contradictions in his nature
- Authors: Ensor-Smith, Beryl Eileen
- Date: 1984
- Subjects: Liszt, Franz, 1811-1886
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:2691 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013323
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1984
- Authors: Ensor-Smith, Beryl Eileen
- Date: 1984
- Subjects: Liszt, Franz, 1811-1886
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:2691 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013323
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1984
Gender, rock and the electrical guitar : A post -structural reading
- Fourie, Jeandre, Potgieter, Zelda
- Authors: Fourie, Jeandre , Potgieter, Zelda
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Rock Music -- History -- Criticism , Gender identity in Music
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/46880 , vital:39721
- Description: Rock ‘n’ roll and, by extension, the electric guitar, is widely considered as a “gendered field of practice” (Leonard 2015: 184), governed by the hyper-masculine ideal (Hartman and Schmid 2014: 60). Both function as extensions of masculinity, representing an ideological binary of male superiority and female inferiority. This manifests concretely in the perceived disparity regarding gender representation amongst rock musicians, particularly guitarists, and often leads to somewhat one-dimensional views about the misogyny associated with the genre (Gracyk 2001: 182-183). However, by applying a post-structural reading and deconstructing the binary according to a theoretical framework inspired by the works of Julia Kristeva -- presented in a Hegelian dialectical model, with additional insight drawn from the works of Jacques Lacan and Sigmund Freud- it becomes apparent that the male claim to, and overrepresentation within,the genre is a multifaceted issue, born of a combination of natural and social constructionist factors.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Fourie, Jeandre , Potgieter, Zelda
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Rock Music -- History -- Criticism , Gender identity in Music
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/46880 , vital:39721
- Description: Rock ‘n’ roll and, by extension, the electric guitar, is widely considered as a “gendered field of practice” (Leonard 2015: 184), governed by the hyper-masculine ideal (Hartman and Schmid 2014: 60). Both function as extensions of masculinity, representing an ideological binary of male superiority and female inferiority. This manifests concretely in the perceived disparity regarding gender representation amongst rock musicians, particularly guitarists, and often leads to somewhat one-dimensional views about the misogyny associated with the genre (Gracyk 2001: 182-183). However, by applying a post-structural reading and deconstructing the binary according to a theoretical framework inspired by the works of Julia Kristeva -- presented in a Hegelian dialectical model, with additional insight drawn from the works of Jacques Lacan and Sigmund Freud- it becomes apparent that the male claim to, and overrepresentation within,the genre is a multifaceted issue, born of a combination of natural and social constructionist factors.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020