Thesis (MMus (Music))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / Priaulx Rainier (1903-1986) was a South-African born composer whose highly original compositional style attracted great attention during her lifetime. She spent most of her life in England, but was inspired by the images and recollections of her youth in Africa. Despite the critical acclaim she received, little research has been done about her, both in South Africa and abroad. Additionally, the nature of existing sources is mostly not analytical, but rather provides an overview of her life or general aspects of her style. Although some conclusions have been drawn about her compositional style, they are not thoroughly substantiated by concrete analytical evidence. Also, the focus is mostly on her prominent rhythmic use (often linked by authors to the “African” element of her idiom), with an evident disregard of the other aspects of style, most notably with regard to pitch coherence. This research attempts to correct this unbalanced discourse by analysing one of her few solo piano works, the Barbaric Dance Suite (composed in 1949), and pointing out significant pitch relations, similarities and contrasts. The rationale for selecting this specific work originated from Rainier’s own pronouncement that “The Suite is a key to all my later music, for in the three DANCES, their structural embryo is, on a small scale, the basis for most of the later works.” Although the scope of the research did not allow for a comparative analysis, it is strongly believed that the conclusions reached in this study could also be applicable to many of Rainier’s other works, especially of the early period. The study consists of an introduction in which the Barbaric Dance Suite is contextualised, followed by the main body of the thesis that consists of a detailed analysis of each of the three movements. The foremost method of analysis used is set theory analysis, which could be briefly described as a method whereby (particularly atonal) music is segmented and categorised in pitch class sets. As set theory focuses exclusively on the dimension of pitch, traditional methods of analysis are employed to examine the other musical parameters. In the conclusion, the analytical results are contextualised with regard to existing pronouncements on Rainier’s oeuvre. The study also comments on the applicability of set theory as analytical system in Rainier’s music. The many complex pitch relations that were discovered by the intensive analysis of pitch content has given enough evidence to conclude that Rainier’s use of sonorities has been unjustly neglected in the discourse of this work and perhaps also in her musical style as a whole. It is hoped that further detailed analysis of her use of sonorities in other works could lead authorities to revise the insistent pronouncements on her rhythmic use in favour of a more balanced assessment of all aspects of her compositional style.

O objetivo principal desta dissertação é o de recuperar a dimensão atlântica da história social das musicalidades afro-brasileiras criadas por africanos escravizados e seus descendentes durante o último século de escravismo e ao longo das primeiras décadas do período pós-abolição. O foco recai, sobretudo, no entendimento dos movimentos de transposição histórica dos tambores de fricção, de determinadas áreas do continente africano para as Américas, sua importância na formação das comunidades e culturas musicais afro-brasileiras, especialmente naquelas relacionadas ao samba urbano carioca, bem como nas transformações que o processo de diáspora imprimiu na organologia e na performance realizada por meio destes tambores de fricção. Este estudo, como também o inventário realizado dos instrumentos musicais que compunham as paisagens musicais do Brasil e de determinadas sociedades da África Central, sustenta-se sobre fontes históricas variadas, desde representações iconográficas contidas em crônicas, relatos de viagem e etnografias de viajantes e estudiosos que percorreram as diversas sociedades do período, análise de exemplares de instrumentos africanos pertencentes a coleções museológicas, até a escuta e análise de diversos fonogramas disponibilizados por meios eletrônicos. / The main purpose of this work is to recover the Atlantic dimension of the social history of African - Brazilian musicality created by enslaved Africans and their descendants during the last century of slavery and throughout the first decades of the post-Abolition period. The focus is mainly on understanding the historical movements of transposition of the friction drums from certain areas of Africa to the Americas, its importance in the formation of African - Brazilian communities and musical cultures, especially those related to samba, as well as the transformations that the diaspora process printed on the instrument performance, and its organology. This research, and the inventory of musical instruments that composed the musical landscapes of Brazil and certain societies of Central Africa, is founded on various historical sources, from the iconographic representations contained in chronicles, travel accounts and ethnographies of travelers and scholars who visited the various societies of the period, and images of museum collections of African instruments, to phonograms made available by electronic means.

No description available.

O objetivo principal desta dissertação é o de recuperar a dimensão atlântica da história social das musicalidades afro-brasileiras criadas por africanos escravizados e seus descendentes durante o último século de escravismo e ao longo das primeiras décadas do período pós-abolição. O foco recai, sobretudo, no entendimento dos movimentos de transposição histórica dos tambores de fricção, de determinadas áreas do continente africano para as Américas, sua importância na formação das comunidades e culturas musicais afro-brasileiras, especialmente naquelas relacionadas ao samba urbano carioca, bem como nas transformações que o processo de diáspora imprimiu na organologia e na performance realizada por meio destes tambores de fricção. Este estudo, como também o inventário realizado dos instrumentos musicais que compunham as paisagens musicais do Brasil e de determinadas sociedades da África Central, sustenta-se sobre fontes históricas variadas, desde representações iconográficas contidas em crônicas, relatos de viagem e etnografias de viajantes e estudiosos que percorreram as diversas sociedades do período, análise de exemplares de instrumentos africanos pertencentes a coleções museológicas, até a escuta e análise de diversos fonogramas disponibilizados por meios eletrônicos. / The main purpose of this work is to recover the Atlantic dimension of the social history of African - Brazilian musicality created by enslaved Africans and their descendants during the last century of slavery and throughout the first decades of the post-Abolition period. The focus is mainly on understanding the historical movements of transposition of the friction drums from certain areas of Africa to the Americas, its importance in the formation of African - Brazilian communities and musical cultures, especially those related to samba, as well as the transformations that the diaspora process printed on the instrument performance, and its organology. This research, and the inventory of musical instruments that composed the musical landscapes of Brazil and certain societies of Central Africa, is founded on various historical sources, from the iconographic representations contained in chronicles, travel accounts and ethnographies of travelers and scholars who visited the various societies of the period, and images of museum collections of African instruments, to phonograms made available by electronic means.

The music industry worldwide is rapidly evolving as a result of commercial, technological and demographic developments. The magnitude of the strategic impact of these developments on the South African music industry is evaluated in terms of internal and external factors, such as the intrinsic industry growth levels, ability to adapt to change, the consumer buying power, audio-visual piracy and counterfeiting, literacy, employment and the prevalence of HIV/AIDS. Collected data from public domain and proprietary music industry sources are transformed and presented in terms of the competitiveness of the South African music industry, from which key points for strategic leverage are identified. These key points of strategic leverage include education and training, relevant music industry research, the formalisation of the music industry strategy process and the development of alternative marketing, sales and distribution channels. In comparison to specific benchmark countries, the South African music industry has significant technological and socio-economic challenges and opportunities that need to be addressed in order to become a competitive co-evolutionary participant in the world music industry. South Africa, as an emerging world player, is ideally positioned for the development and implementation of new technological and commercial systems, such as the download distribution channel. This however, requires the collaborative participation of government departments, educational institutions, public and private enterprises. In particular, in-depth research on the local music industry is needed, which should include the collection of relevant statistical data. This study presents suggestions for some strategic interventions, including an application of the Porter DNA-model. / Dissertation (MMus (Music Technology))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Music / MMus / unrestricted

New digital distribution and value capture models have emerged on the global music industry scene in the last ten years. These models are highly dependent on a strong underlying communications and broadband internet infrastructure which is largely present in most developed markets. South Africa, however, is a developing country whose broadband infrastructure is still nascent and not as widely available or accessible. Due to the permeation of mobile technology, most broadband internet access is likely to occur through the mobile networks in most developing markets. This stands in stark contrast to developed markets where broadband internet access occurs primarily via fixed line infrastructure with mobile as a secondary option.This research set out to investigate whether digital value distribution and value capture models which succeeded in developed countries would be suitable for the South African music industry given the broadband infrastructure constraints and the different internet access methodologies prevalent in this developing market. This research employed an exploratory research methodology in order to investigate this question and found that a mixture of value distribution and value capture models would address the entire market requirement, with mobile-centric digital distribution models being most suitable for mass market deployment. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

MAAS / Department of Music

MAAS / Centre for African Studies / This study explored the adaptability of indigenous African marriage songs to piano. Music education has always been biased towards Western music content to the exclusion of local musical traditions. A vast amount of musical repertoire within indigenous African societies exists. Formal music education, however, seems oblivious of this resource despite some educators decrying the dearth of materials. There is a need for music curriculum which is located within an African context and which includes indigenous African musical practices. Such need is also expressed in the new Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) document. This study explored the feasibility of building a repertoire of indigenous songs for classroom purposes. A number of songs, were collected, transcribed, analysed then placed in various levels of difficulty. These were then matched with the requisite proficiency levels congruent to other graded piano regimes commonly used in the school system. The assumption is that the adaptation and arrangement of indigenous marriage songs will help to bring indigenous African musical practices into modern music education space. Furthermore, it is envisaged that the philosophical understanding and the knowledge attendant to music practices yielding these songs and the context in which they are performed will form the basis for further advancement.

This study aims to describe how the basic elements of music are synthesised and manipulated to create a composition in the musical style called Third stream music. This is done through a comprehensive description of the background of this musical style and a detailed analysis of a case study Third stream work, Invictus: Orchestral Prelude in 3 Movements, by the South African composer Noel Stockton and commissioned by the South African Music Rights rganisation. Copyright / Dissertation (MMus)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Music / unrestricted

No description available.