This thesis is situated within the context of post-apartheid, post-1994 South Africa. Considering that South Africa only recently entered its second decade of democracy, it is not surprising that, within the context of the “New South Africa”, new identities and myths are continuously being constructed. It thus follows that the construction of identities is a contentious issue within South Africa today. The premise that serves as point of departure for this thesis is that narratives contribute to the construction of identities. It is argued that there exists no single, absolute or static identity and that both personal and collective identities are endlessly being negotiated and renegotiated. Within the context of the “New South-Africa” a variety of new voices are being heard and a variety of new narratives are being voiced. Consider as a case in point the far-reaching stories told in the hearings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The far-reaching political, economic and cultural paradigm shifts South Africa has undergone in the recent past also manifest in the production of meaning in popular visual culture and, more specifically, in the undeniably popular South African soap opera. In the scope of this thesis it is argued that South African soap opera constitute one possible South African narrative and consequently that South African soap opera may be instrumental in the construction of the new identities referred to earlier. The first section of this thesis is devoted to a literature overview comprising an overview of seminal sources on Cultural Studies, the South African context, narrative, identity, soap opera, gender and the other. This is done in order to situate the thesis within the context of Cultural Studies and also to achieve an awareness of the literature and research relevant to this study. Initially the thesis focuses broadly on narrative, its characteristics and the role narrative plays in the construction of identities. Here the theories of Paul Ricouer serve as a basis on which narrative is defined and analysed. Important concepts that come to bear in the relationship between narrative and identity include time, story, history and imagination. In examining narrative I come to the conclusion that narrative can be embodied and that a narrative body implies gender. It is argued that narrative may be gendered as feminine, and consequently that it constitutes some kind of other – in this case, other to the masculine. Although Edward Said’s Orientalism is acknowledged as the unofficial origin of the concept of the Other, and mention is made of Simoné de Beauvoir, it is essentially the concept of the other as theorized by Luce Irigaray that is seminal to this thesis. The focus is narrowed down to soap opera narrative which is again argued to be a feminine, but also female, narrative for a variety of reasons. Soap opera narrative is othered to various hegemonic orders the most important of which is western masculine narrative. An argument is made for the potential of this narrative of the other to give a voice to the other and consequently pose a site where dominant identities and hegemonic orders may be (re)negotiated. The final part of this thesis is devoted to applying all of the above to South African soap opera narrative. Concrete examples from four South African soap operas (Egoli – Plek van Goud/Place of Gold, Isidingo – the need, Generations and 7de Laan) are used to substantiate the argument that South African soap opera may be regarded as other and consequently that it creates a site where new South African identities are created and old identities are being negotiated. / Dissertation (MA (Afrikaans))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Afrikaans / unrestricted

This dissertation is the first study of François Campion’s (1686-1747) Avantures Pastorales Op.3 (1719), a collection of airs, interspersed within a connecting narrative. The story is a retelling of the myth of Damon and Philis, while the fifty-two interspersed airs are typical for the genre in the early-eighteenth century and provide emotional depth and commentary on the protagonists’ relationship. The dissertation features a critical analysis of the music, context and plot, alongside a critical edition. I will argue that although the Ballard firm held monopoly over the air publishing business, Campion found a market niche in the wealthy Parisian salons by publishing Avantures Pastorales in an innovative and creative format. He repackaged a very familiar product by adding a continuous, connecting narrative based on an ancient love myth to a collection of airs. In my guide for staging and performance, I argue that this collection would have had great appeal and most likely could have been performed at one of the Parisian salons, or in another intimate domestic context. The air had a central place during salon gatherings, as its performance allowed participants to express emotions of passionate love and courting that were socially prohibited in conversation. I also provide incipits and annotations that reveal the airs to be stylistically generic. Analyzing the expressed affects, however, showed that a rich representation of emotions complement and enhance the story, while also compensating for the overall quality of the music. I argue that the collection takes approximately three hours to perform and can be staged with a minimum of four singers, one narrator, and a harpsichord. In the Appendices, I provide a transcription, translation and a critical performing edition of Avantures Pastorales. This dissertation fills an important gap in the literature on François Campion and contributes to a complete picture of the history of the French air. / Graduate

The current study investigated the impact of delivering a jackpot on response rate and response allocation in two domestic dogs. For the purpose of this research, a jackpot was defined as a one-time, within-session increase in the magnitude of reinforcement. Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of delivering a jackpot in both single-operant and concurrent schedule procedures. Experiment 1 investigated the impact of a one-time, within-session increase in the magnitude of reinforcement on response rate in a single-operant procedure. Results of Experiment 1 showed no clear change in response rate after the delivery of the jackpot. Experiment 2 investigated the impact of a one-time, within-session increase in the magnitude of reinforcement on response allocation in a concurrent schedule procedure. Results of Experiment 2 showed an increase in response allocation to the jackpotted contingency in both subjects. These results suggest that a jackpot, as defined here, has no effect in single-operant procedures while having an effect in concurrent schedule procedures. These effects are similar to those reported in the magnitude of reinforcement literature.

This thesis presents extended program notes for a sixty-minute vocal graduate recital consisting of the following repertoire for soprano: “How Beautiful are the Feet of Them” and “He Shall Feed His Flock” from Messiah and “Lascia ch’io pianga” from Rinaldo by George Frederick Handel; “La morte d’Ophélie” by Hector Berlioz; the Swedish art songs “Vingar i natten” by Ture Rangström and “Jung fru Blond och jung fru Brunette” by Wilhelm Stenhammar; the contemporary art song “Animal Passion” by Jake Heggie; and the following arias and duets by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: “Mi tradi quell ‘alma ingrata” from Don Giovanni, “Bei Männern, welche liebe fuhlen” and “Papageno, Papagena” from Die Zauberflöte, “Deh vieni, non tardar o gioja bella,” “Venite inginochiatevi,” and “Via resti servita” from Le nozze di Figaro, and the Concert Aria “Ch’io mi scordi di te?...non temer, amato bene,” K.505. These works encompass a variety of styles, musical periods and forms spanning over four centuries. The recital itself is documented on the accompanying compact disc, while these program notes contain discuss historical context, musical analysis, and performance practice for this repertoire.

Judith Weir (b. 1954) composed King Harald’s Saga: Grand Opera in Three Acts for Unaccompanied Solo Soprano Singing Eight Rôles (1979) for radio broadcast. She wrote the libretto for the opera based on Snorri Sturluson’s book, King Harald’s Saga. This opera illustrates Weir’s remarkable compositional style, including her treatment of the libretto in narrative style and her representation of multiple characters by one singer. Despite Weir’s fame as an opera composer, King Harald’s Saga is rarely performed owing to three major musical and performing challenges. These challenges are performer’s ability to delineate eight separate characters (dramatic challenges), to sing wide leaps and long melismas (vocal challenges), and to perform a cappella with wide leaps and complex rhythms (musical challenges). This dissertation presents a performance guide for the soprano addressing these three challenges and suggesting possible solutions. Such a guide will assist the soprano in preparing and performing this grand opera, which thus far has not received the due attention and appreciation of either performers or audiences.

All information for this study was obtained by original source documents, interviews with the principal participants and the personal observations of the writer. A complete transcript of interviews with Daron Aric Hagen Michael Haithcockand Robert De Simone are included as appendices. In1961 the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) created its commissioning project for the purpose of contracting prominent composers to contribute works of high quality to the growing wind repertoire. Recently, CBDNA commissioned works that sought to collaborate with other disciplines within the artistic community. These collaborative works added new depth to the wind repertoire and helped advance the genre to new levels of prominence. CBDNA commissioned Daron Aric Hagen to write an opera using winds in the pit. He titled the work Bandanna, based on Shakespeare's Othello. Hagen contracted Paul Muldoon to write the libretto. A consortium of 79 member schools contributed to the project. A total of $100,000.00 was paid to the composer. The Director of Bands at Baylor University conducted the premiere performance of Bandanna during the 1999 CBDNA convention on 25 February 1999. Hagen assigned instrumental, thematic and harmonic attributes to each character. There are literally thousands of interactions between these elements that weave a tight pattern of organic unity into the entire work, making it exceptionally rich with symbolism and innuendo. Though still in its infancy, the uniqueness of this work both in the manner in which it came into being and through its artistic merits are fascinating. Only the future will determine whether Bandanna has true longevity or will fade into the background as a historical curiosity.

This dissertation focuses on the clarinet music of Luigi Bassi (1833-1871), an Italian clarinetist and composer. Biographical information and performance history for Luigi Bassi are included. Bassi wrote 27 works for clarinet, including 15 opera fantasies or transcriptions. Most of his works are housed in the Milan Conservatory library. This document provides analysis of all but two of Bassi's 27 works. For Bassi's pieces with ties to opera, I identified his source material and discussed the ways in which he manipulated the material. A brief synopsis of each opera is included. This study serves as a performance guide for those seeking to perform Bassi's clarinet works.

Over the last quarter-century, scholars have taken a unified approach in discussing form in Italian and French opera of the nineteenth century. This approach centers around the four-part aria and duet form begun by Bellini, codified by Rossini, modified by Verdi, and dissolved by Puccini. A similar trajectory can be seen in French opera in the works of Meyerbeer, Gounod, and Massenet; however, only Meyerbeer and Gounod have received significant critical attention. This is in part due to Massenet's reception as a "composer for the people," a title ill fitting and ripe for reconsideration. This dissertation will examine duet forms in Massenet's oeuvre and will focus on the gradual change in style manifest in his twenty-five operas. Massenet's output can be divided into three distinct periods delineated by his approach to form. Representative works from each period will show how he inherited, interpreted, thwarted, and ultimately rewrote the standard formal conventions of his time and in doing so, created a dramaturgical approach to opera that unified the formerly separate number-based elements. Massenet's longevity and popular appeal make him the quintessential French opera composer of the fin de siècle and the natural choice for examining reconstructed conventions.

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Juche philosophy, the reigning ideology of North Korea, has governed the country for over half a century. All realms, including politics, economy, society and culture, in North Korea are ruled by Juche philosophy. North Korean music has also been strongly influenced by the philosophy. It is regarded as a perfect tool to indoctrinate the philosophy to the public. This study aims to interrogate how North Korean music has been transformed under Juche philosophy and the perception of the North Korean governors about music, by examining the political platforms and rules set by the North Korean government for musicians and music associations and the specific features in the music that can be identified as being influenced by the Juche philosophy. Although the dissertation restates much of the existing research on the topic, it is one of the first academic works that provides with the detailed analysis on North Korean music (specifically the Moranbong band) of the current Kim regime. The Revolutionary Opera Sea of Blood and the Moranbong band embody Juche philosophy. Sea of Blood is one of the most representative musical pieces created during the Il-Sung Kim and Jung-Il Kim regimes. The opera contains an anti-Japanese plot and emphasises the autonomous (Juche) spirit and socialism. The Moranbong band has played the role of spokesman for the Jung-Eun Kim regime. All the reaction of the North Korean government against internal and external political issues is shown in concerts of the band. It is no exaggeration to say that all the arias and songs performed in the opera and the band concerts contain political messages. In this dissertation, the musical structure and characteristics of the opera and the band are thoroughly analysed to illustrate the relationship between North Korean music and Juche philosophy. / Dissertation (MMus)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Music / MMus / Unrestricted