Amakwaya refers to the tradition and performance practice of choirs in South Africa that emerged from the mission-schools in the nineteenth century and is manifest today in the annual competitions held by various Teachers' Associations or company-sponsored events like the National Choir Festival. This choral practice, combining Western music styles with African tradition, bears the marks - both social and aesthetic - of colonial and missionary influences, and is closely linked to the emerging black middle class, their process of negotiating identity, and their later quest for a national culture. Many aspects of contemporary amakwaya performance practice, it is argued, including the recent interest of many members of the amakwaya community in opera, can be understood through an analysis of the social dimensions of these choirs. Particular attention is given to the role played by competitions and the sectionalised repertoire. The criticisms made in this regard flow from an understanding of the social meaning and aesthetic thrust of the tradition, from the author's practical involvement with the choirs, and from extensive discussions with choristers and conductors. The first part of the thesis is concerned with identifying the role played by European values such as those of education and progress, in the self-understanding of the emerging missioneducated black South African elite in the second half of the nineteenth century. An initial tendency towards uncritical imitation and attempts at assimilation ended in the experience of rejection by the settler community and isolation. It was followed, in the last quarter of the nineteenth century, by a complex negotiation between traditional and modern values. With political, social and economic mobility restricted in white South Africa, the black middle class turned towards artistic expression such as choral singing in order to define and express a distinctively African concept of civilisation. In this process, amakwaya performance developed into a powerful means whereby class identity and consciousness could be constructed and communicated. The second part looks into the framework of amakwaya, and at the mission schools and colleges they attended and the competitions they organise. As a result of the practice of hymn singing, participation in a choir soon became an important part of the leisure time activities of the early mission converts. This formative phase of amakwaya is illustrated in a case study of one of the most influential schools in Natal, Adams College, near Amanzimtoti, where the first black South African School of Music was established. In order to promote the values important to the missionaries as well as their converts - discipline, progress, and success - competitions were encouraged at the mission stations. These became models for the competitions which today are the main feature of amakwaya practice. The voices of various members of the community are used to present a critical evaluation of the positive and negative aspects of present-day competitions. The last part of the thesis concentrates on amakwaya repertoire, particularly as it is represented at important choral competitions such as the National Choir Festival. This part also attempts to facilitate an understanding of the genesis, structure and aesthetic of the sectionalised repertoire, which consists of neo-traditional songs, Western compositions, and choral works composed by mission-educated musicians. Strict adherence to the sectionalised repertoire is a unique feature of amakwaya performance practice to the present day. / Thesis (Ph.D.-Music)-University of Natal, 2002.

This thesis introduces the reader to rock music in Durban from 1963 to 1985, tracing the development of rock in Durban from rock'n'roll to hard core punk. Although the thesis is historically orientated, it also endeavours to show the relationship of rock music in Durban to three central themes, viz: the relationship of rock in Durban to the socio-political realities of apartheid in South Africa; the role of women in local rock, and the identity crisis experienced by white, English-speaking South Africans. Each of these themes is explored in a separate chapter, with Chapter Two providing the bulk of historical data on which the remaining chapters are based. Besides the important goal of documenting a forgotten and ignored rock history, one central concern pervades this work. In every chapter, the conclusions reached all point to the identity crisis experienced both by South African rock audiences and the rock musicians themselves. The constant hankering after international (and specifically British) rock music trends both by audiences and fans is symptomatic of a culture in crisis, and it is the search for the reasons for this identity crisis that dominate this work. The global/local debate and its relationship to rock in South Africa has been a useful theoretical tool in the unravelling of the identity crisis mentioned above. Chapter Four focusses on the role of women in the Durban rock scene and documents the difficulties experienced by women who were rock musicians in Durban. This is a small contribution to the increasing field of womens' studies, and I have attempted to relate the role of women in rock in Durban to other studies in this field. / Thesis (M.Mus.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1995.

This dissertation is an analysis of historical change within those cultural industries involved in the production and dissemination of popular music. Through an analysis of the relationship between the recording and radio industries within the United States, during the period 1976-1985, the manner in which crises within these industries arise and are resolved is traced. The emergence of such musical forms as "disco" and "New Wave", and the manner in which these forms have been integrated within the functioning of the music-related industries, are central concerns of the dissertation. At the same time, more general theoretical hypotheses concerning the role played by taste in the creation of audiences for different categories of popular music are elaborated and employed within the study of specific musical genres.

"The study examines two decades in the musical life of Ballarat, a regional city in south-eastern Australia. Beginning at the time of the 1851 gold rush, it covers the period in which Ballarat grew from a rough mining camp to an established city with a socially and ethnically diverse population of over 40,000 people. The thesis pursues the aim of looking at the music practices of the community in ways that will further our understanding of the significance of music in the lives of the people."--Abstract. / Doctor of Philosphy

"The study examines two decades in the musical life of Ballarat, a regional city in south-eastern Australia. Beginning at the time of the 1851 gold rush, it covers the period in which Ballarat grew from a rough mining camp to an established city with a socially and ethnically diverse population of over 40,000 people. The thesis pursues the aim of looking at the music practices of the community in ways that will further our understanding of the significance of music in the lives of the people."--Abstract. / Doctor of Philosphy

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Orientador: Rita de Cassia Lahoz Morelli / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Filosofia e Ciencias Humanas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-10T15:23:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Sunega_FernandaAlves_M.pdf: 1198744 bytes, checksum: 05e2319aaf71dd5f21e0a9447eade0c0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008 / Resumo: De acordo com Néstor Garcia Canclini, em ¿Cidades e cidadãos imaginados pelos meios de comunicação¿, a sociedade está submetida a uma ¿urbanização que desurbaniza¿, onde os meios de comunicação atuam de maneira a criar vínculos entre os bairros, periferias e centro. Diante da heterogeneidade urbana, para este autor, a mídia apresenta um espetáculo reconfortante onde a população sente-se incluída nas mais diversas manifestações da cidade. Surge então a questão principal que será abordada neste trabalho: a rádio comunitária assume o papel das mídias, na definição de Canclini, estabelecendo um elo com a cidade ou reforça a localidade em que está inserida? A partir da pesquisa em rádio comunitária do Jardim das Bandeiras, periferia da cidade de Campinas, é possível analisar o fluxo de informações originado nessa territorialidade focalizando a experiência local de um programa de rap e seus atores sociais / Abstract: According to Néstor Garcia Canclini, in "Cities and citizens imagined by media", the society is submitted to a "urbanização que desurbaniza", where media acts in order to create links among districts, peripheries and downtown. Canclini believes that due to the urban heterogeneity, the media presents a reinvigorating show where the population is included in several city manifestations. Then appears the ultimate issue which will be treated in this work: does community radio take over the media¿s role, as defined by Canclini, establishing a link with the city or does it reinforce the place where it is inserted? Starting from the research in community radio of the Jardim das Bandeiras, periphery of the Campinas city, it is possible to analyze the information flow originated in that territoriality focusing the local experience of a rap program and their social actors / Mestrado / Antropologia Social / Mestre em Antropologia Social

One of the greatest mysteries in the history of music is the castrato singers of the Baroque era. Castration has existed for many thousands of years, but for the first time in history, it was used for artistic purposes. Who were these men who seemingly gave up their masculinity for the sake of music? By examining the time period and circumstances in which these musicians lived, an answer may be found. Exploring the economic, social, and political structure of the 17th and 18th centuries may reveal the mindset behind such a strange yet accepted practice. The in-depth study of their lives and careers will help lift the veil of mystery that surrounds them. Was their physical sacrifice a blessing or a curse? Was it worth it?

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MAAS / Department of Music