Towards a mapping of the marginal : readings of art songs by Nigerian, Ghanaian, Egyptian and South African composers

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2013.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: African art music practices of western origin have oftentimes been excluded from general discourses on western art music practices. In this study, close readings of selected art songs by twentieth and twenty-first century Nigerian, Ghanaian, Egyptian and South African composers serve to ‘map’ this music through challenging existing general discourses on art music composition, and genre-specific discourses on art song composition in Africa. The readings also serve to create new discourses, including ones that promote African crossregional engagements. In the first part of this dissertation, the readings take place in the contexts of the selected countries. The second section presents pre-selected discourses and theories as points of departure. Chapter 2 proposes to question how the theory of African vocalism can be expanded, and how animist materialism could serve as an alternative context in which to read the composition of art music in Nigeria and Ghana. Chapter 3 aims to answer which strategies in anti-exotic self-representation have been followed in twentieth-century Egyptian art song. Chapter 4 asks how South African composers of art song have denoted ‘Africa’ in their works, and how these denotations relate to their oeuvres and general stylistic practices. Chapter 5 interrogates how composers have dealt with the requirements of tonal languages in their setting of texts in such languages to music. Chapter 6 probes possible interpretations of composers’ display of the ‘objects’ of cultural affiliation, positing expatriate African composers as diplomats. Chapter 7 asks what the contexts are in which to read specific examples of African intercultural art music, without which the analyst might make an inappropriate (perhaps unethical?) value judgement. The conclusion presents a comparison of trends and styles in African art song to those in certain western song traditions. A discussion on folk and popular song styles as art is followed by a consideration of African vocalism in the context of the dissertation as a whole. A continuation of an earlier discussion on the compositional denotation of ‘Africa’ leads to a consideration of the ‘duty to denote’ in the context of western modernity.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Kunsmusiekpraktyke van westerse oorsprong in Afrika is gereeld van algemene diskoerse oor westerse kunsmusiekpraktyke uitgesluit. Stip-lesings van geselekteerde kunsliedere deur Nigeriese, Ghanese, Egiptiese en Suid-Afrikaanse komponiste dien in hierdie studie om die musiek op die ‘kaart te plaas’ deur in gesprek te tree met bestaande algemene diskoerse oor kunsmusiekkomposisie, asook genre-spesifieke diskoerse oor kunsliedkomposisie in Afrika. Die lesings dien ook om nuwe diskoerse te skep, insluitend diskoerse wat gesprekke óór die grense van verskillende streke in Afrika bevorder. Die lesings in die eerste helfde van die proefskrif vind plaas binne die kontekste van die geselekteerde lande. In die tweede deel word vooraf-geselekteerde diskoerse en teorieë as wegspringpunte gebruik. Hoofstuk 2 stel dit ten doel om te vra hoe die teorie van Afrikavokalisme (African vocalism) uitgebrei kan word, en hoe animistiese realisering (animist materialism) as alternatiewe konteks kan dien waarin die komposisie van kunsmusiek in Nigerië en Ghana gelees kan word. In Hoofstuk 3 word gepoog om uit te vind watter strategieë in anti-eksotiese self-uitbeelding gevolg is in twintigste-eeuse Egiptiese kunsliedkomposisie. Die doel van Hoofstuk 5 is om uit te vind hoe komponiste die vereistes van toontale in hul toonsettings van tekste in sulke tale hanteer het. Hoofstuk 6 ondersoek moontlike interpretasies van komponiste se aanbiedings van die ‘objekte’ van kultuuraffiliasie deur die postulering van geëmigreerde komponiste as diplomate. Hoofstuk 7 vra wat die kontekste is waarin spesifieke voorbeelde van interkulturele kunsmusiek uit Afrika gelees kan word, waarsonder die analis ‘n onvanpaste (dalk onetiese?) waardebeoordeling kan maak. Die slot bied ’n vergelyking van tendense en style in Afrika-kunsliedere met dié in sekere westerse liedtradisies aan. ’n Bespreking van volks- en populêre liedstyle as kuns word gevolg deur ’n oorweging van Afrika-vokalisme in die konteks van die proefskrif as geheel. ‘n Voortsetting van ’n vroeëre gesprek oor die komposisionele uitbeelding van ‘Afrika’ lei tot ‘n oorweging van die ‘plig om uit te beeld’ in die konteks van westerse moderniteit

From the Incompatible to the Provisionally Synthesised in the Music of Robert Fokkens

Tracing Lines, an album containing seven works written between 2001 and 2011 by the UK-based South African composer Robert Fokkens, was released in 2014. In this essay two works from this album, representing two important moments in the composer’s development, are analysed. Irreconcilable Truths for violin and piano (2002) displays the impossibility of synthesis when different entities collide; Africa for soprano and piano (2007) contains moments in which such entities synthesise. The aim is to provide a temporal link between these trends in order to highlight the evolution of the composer’s display of identity within the given time-frame. Subconscious sonic perceptions are outlined through general readings of ‘plain’ spectrograms, and Gestalt readings of melodic range spectrograms of the recordings of the works in question. In both Irreconcilable Truths and Africa, the ‘plain’ spectrograms contradict the ‘seminal trends’ assigned to each work. In contrast with my first perceptions upon hearing the recordings of the works, the Gestalt in Irreconcilable Truths is more pronounced than in Africa. Set theory analyses of the scores, which serve to outline the intuitive design of pitch relations in the score, are followed by a brief consideration of pitch-rhythm relations. From these relations I conclude that Irreconcilable Truths contains hidden foreshadowings of the forthcoming breakdown between different entities, and compensations for the boldness of the second entity. Africa, on the other hand, displays moments of almost unprepared synthesis of these entities, and at the same time parts with the idea of separate entities at a slower pace than expected. The results are read in the context of the composer’s negotiation of a South African identity

'O Hidden Face!' : an analysis and contextualisation of Priaulx Rainier's 'Requiem'

Thesis (MMUS (Music))--Stellenbosch University, 2010.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The South African-born British composer Priaulx Rainier (1903-1986) wrote her Requiem (1955-1956) for solo tenor and choir to a text by surrealist poet David Gascoyne. The poem (completed in 1940) contradicts the commemorative genre of the requiem and instead anticipates the prospective victims of the war that was to come. Due to the disturbances caused by the war, Rainier only started working on the music fifteen years later in 1955. Existing discourse on Rainier has been shaped by the thoughtless regurgitation of opinions, reviews and clichéd biographical models. Since very few detailed analyses of Rainier’s works exist, this thesis attempts to address this gap in research on this composer. It therefore aims to contribute to a more balanced, evidence-based discourse. The significance of the Requiem is that it was said by commentators to indicate a period of increasing abstraction in Rainier’s oeuvre. The findings regarding tonality in this work may therefore serve as a point of reference in future analyses of works preceding and following the Requiem. In the literature review, recurring issues in the discourse on Rainier (such as the numerous references to her childhood in Natal as an influence on her works and the descriptions of her works as possessing a masculine gender identity) is highlighted. The contextualisation that follows includes a reception-based periodisation of Rainier’s works and a “biography” of the Requiem, with a special focus on the intersection between the symbolic world of David Gascoyne and the Requiem and the sculptor Barbara Hepworth’s influence on Rainier’s work. Underpinning these contextual considerations is a set theory analysis of the work that attempts to illustrate the composer’s aspiration towards musical abstraction as a creative force. The findings of the analysis are also contextualised with regard to existing notions of Rainier’s style and tonality in her music.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die Suid-Afrikaans gebore Britse komponis Priaulx Rainier (1903-1986) se Requiem (1955-1956) vir solo-tenoor en koor is ’n toonsetting van ’n gedig deur die surrealistiese digter David Gascoyne. Die gedig weerspreek die gedenkende karakter van die requiem genre deurdat dit vooruitwys na die slagoffers van die oorlog wat op hande was. As gevolg van die onderbrekings wat deur die oorlog veroorsaak was, het Rainier eers vyftien jaar later, in 1955, aan die musiek begin werk. Die ondeurdagte herhaling van opinies, resensies en biografiese clichés kenmerk huidige diskoers oor Rainier. Aangesien daar min gedetailleerde analises van Rainier se werke in die literatuur bestaan, poog hierdie tesis om bestaande leemtes in die navorsing oor Rainier te vul. Dit streef ook na die ontwikkeling van ’n meer gebalanseerde, bewysgebaseerde diskoers. Die belang van hierdie werk setel hoofsaaklik daarin dat dit volgens sommige bronne dui op ’n kenteringsmoment in Rainier se oeuvre, waarna haar werke meer abstrak geword het. Die bevindinge rakende tonaliteit in hierdie werk kan dus dien as ’n verwysingspunt vir toekomstige analises van Rainier se werke wat die Requiem voorafgaan en volg. Herhalende elemente in die diskoers oor Rainier (soos die invloed van haar kinderjare in Natal op haar werke en die beskrywings van ’n manlike gender-identeit in haar werke) word in die literatuurstudie uitgelig. Die konstekstualisering wat volg bestaan uit ’n literatuur-gebaseerde periodisering van haar werke en ’n “biografie” van die Requiem wat fokus op die verhouding tussen simboliek in die werke van David Gascoyne en die Requiem en die invloed van die beeldhouer Barbara Hepworth op Rainier se werke. Die kontekstualisering word gevolg deur ’n ‘set’-teorie-analise van die werk waarin gepoog word om die komponis se strewe na musikale abstraksie as kreatiewe inspirasie aan te toon. Die bevindinge van die analise word dan vergelyk met die bestaande opvattinge oor styl en tonaliteit in Rainier se werke.COMPOSITIONS: In Paradisum for SATB choir 2 Droom for mezzo-soprano and piano: 11 • Kuspad 14 • Sy 17 • Glasblaser 20 • Glasprater 23 String trio arrangements from Droom: • Glasblaser 26 • Glasprater 30 Het Hom! for tenor saxophone 34 The beauty in sorrow for string quartet: 37 • First Movement 40 • Second Movement 49 • Third Movement 54 Symphonata for orchestra: 61 • First Movement 62 • Second Movement 66 • Third Movement 71 • Fourth Movement 7