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Thesis (MMus (Music))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / This study consists of two parts. The first part focuses primarily on literature that discusses the biography in general, and then turns its focus more sharply on the music biography. A critical reading of three South African music biographies is conducted in order to identify tendencies or patterns in the biographical writing of musicians, especially performers. The second part of this thesis consists of a biographical case study of Pack. This particular biography makes no claim that it will not be faced with the same problems illustrated in the general discussion on biography as a discipline, but rather through the established critical frame claims to qualify and critically elucidate the biographical writing pertaining to Pack. This case study will underline one of the defining elements in the writing of lives of those figures who are considered less important, namely the limited resource material that tend to replicate the themes and stereotypes inherent in biographical writing. This practical problem causes an inevitable repetition of the intellectual difficulties of biographical writing. The purpose of this biography, which is the combination of different source materials and, is not necessarily to avoid these “myths”, but to identify it by critical reflection. With this approach, it is not the biography itself that becomes “critical”, but rather the reading and comprehension of the biography. Finally, the conclusion is reached that Betty Pack’s life as committed to paper and memory displays various themes and topoi characteristic of the music biography in general, rather than just the biographies of performers. The conventions of music biography, as consolidated in the biographical descriptions of composers, thus still provide the norms and forms for the biography of the performing artist.

Thesis (M. Mus.)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Who is Nellie du Toit and what is the extent of her career as singer and voice teacher? The void in South African historiography in respect to the life and work of South African performing artists gave rise to investigate the career of Nellie du Toit. Known as one of South Africa’s most illustrious opera singers of the 1960’s and 1970’s, who made her career exclusively in South Africa, she is regarded as one of the most sought after voice teachers. Her career as singer spanned almost three decades. As voice teacher her career of over forty years is still ongoing. This study traces her biographical details chronologically beginning with her youth years in a very musical family. Her full-time music studies took place at the South African College of Music in Cape Town, from 1950 to 1952. Here her singing teacher Madame Adelheid Armhold and Gregorio Fiasconaro, head of the Opera School, were influential in laying the foundations for her career. After a period of over a year in England Du Toit was one of several young South African singers to contribute to pioneering opera in South Africa, often sung in the vernacular. Du Toit sang in forty-five opera seasons for the Provincial Arts Councils in the seventeen years between 1963 and 1979, when her opera career ended. In 1986 she returned to the opera stage as the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss. This was also her final farewell as opera singer. The title role in Madama Butterfly can be regarded as her hallmark. Her stunning portrayal of Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor was regarded as a mile stone in South African opera history, as was her interpretation of Jenůfa. She was also hailed as a Mozart singer. Not only was she regarded as one of the world’s best “Butterflies” at the International Madame Butterfly Competition in Japan in 1970, but has she also been awarded three Nederburg Opera Prizes. Apart from opera, Du Toit gave numerous recitals of classical and light classical music, regularly sang in orchestral concerts and oratorio and was active as broadcasting artist. Her work as voice teacher always ran parallel to her singing activities. Her academic career at the Universities at Stellenbosch and Cape Town spanned fourteen years: from 1980 to 1993. Nellie du Toit’s achievements in music were laureated with the Medal of Honour from the Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1986 and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Stellenbosch in 1998. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Wie is Nellie du Toit en wat is die omvang van haar loopbaan as sangeres en sangpedagoog? Die leemte in Suid-Afrikaanse historiografie met betrekking tot die lewe en werk van Suid- Afrikaanse uitvoerende kunstenaars het aanleiding gegee tot hierdie ondersoek na die loopbaan van Nellie du Toit. Bekend as een van Suid Afrika se vermaarde operasangeresse van die 1960’s en 1970’s wat haar loopbaan eksklusief in Suid-Afrika gemaak het, word sy ook beskou as een van die mees gesogte sangpedagoë. Haar loopbaan as uitvoerende kunstenaar het oor byna drie dekades gestrek. Haar loopbaan as sangpedagoog, ná meer as veertig jaar, gaan steeds voort. Hierdie studie ondersoek haar lewe en loopbaan chronologies, beginnende met haar jeugjare in ʼn baie musikale gesin. Haar voltydse musiekstudies aan die Suid-Afrikaanse Musiekkollege in Kaapstad het van 1950 tot 1952 geduur. Hier het Madame Adelheid Armhold, haar sangpedagoog, en Gregorio Fiasconaro, hoof van die Operaskool, ʼn stewige fondament vir haar loopbaan gelê. Na ʼn tydperk van meer as ʼn jaar in Engeland, het Nellie du Toit een van die jong Suid-Afrikaanse sangers geword wat operabaanbrekerswerk in Suid-Afrika gedoen het. Du Toit het in vyf-en-veertig operaseisoene vir die Uitvoerende Kunsterade gesing in die sewentien jaar tussen 1963 en 1979, die jaar waarin haar operaloopbaan tot ʼn einde gekom het. In 1986 het sy na die operaverhoog teruggekeer in die rol van die Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier van Richard Strauss. Dit was ook haar finale vaarwel as operasangeres. Die titelrol in Madama Butterfly kan as Du Toit se kenteken beskou word. Haar merkwaardige uitbeelding van Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor is beskou as ʼn mylpaal in die Suid-Afrikaanse operageskiedenis. Dit geld ook vir haar vertolking van Jenůfa. Sy was ook hoog aangeskryf as Mozart-sangeres. Nellie du Toit is as een van die wêreld se beste “Butterflies” aangewys tydens die Internasionale Madame Butterfly Kompetisie in Japan in 1970. Daarbenewens het sy in Suid-Afrika drie Nederburg Operapryse ingepalm. Afgesien van opera het Nellie du Toit talryke uitvoerings van klassieke en ligte klassieke musiek gegee en gereeld in orkeskonserte, oratoria en as uitsaaikunstenaar opgetree. Naas haar loopbaan as uitvoerder het haar aktiwiteite as sangpedagoog byna ononderbroke voortgegaan. Haar akademiese loopbaan aan die Universiteite van Stellenbosch en Kaapstad het oor veertien jaar gestrek: van 1980 tot 1993. Nellie du Toit se prestasies in musiek is bekroon met die Erepenning van die Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns in 1986 en ʼn eredoktorsgraad van die Universiteit van Stellenbosch in 1998.

Thesis (MMus) -- University of Stellenbosch, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study aims to present a cultural monograph of two contemporary South African musicians, Mantombi Matotiyana and Maxanjana Mangaliso. Both musicians are highly regarded and respected for their exceptional musical abilities within their community and society, as well as abroad. This study furthermore wishes to make a contribution towards the establishment of 'experience-based' ethnomusicological field research in South Africa. In keeping with these aims, the material, which has been assembled from personal interviews with Matotiyana and Mangaliso, is in narrative. It is based on their personal memories, recollections and perspectives, as well as their views about and attitudes towards their songs, all aspects of composition, instruments and performance. The study therefore looks at the interaction between the lives and the songs of Matotiyana and Mangaliso and relates it to their relevant experiences. The musicological study of Matotiyana's songs further illuminates her particular style, as well as her contribution to contemporary Xhosa bow songs in general, especially within the broader context of Xhosa musical traditions. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie poog om 'n kulturele monografie van die twee kontemporêre Suid- Afrikaanse musici Mantombi Matotiyana en Maxanjana Mangaliso voor te lê. Beide kunstenaars word as gevolg van hul buitengewone musikale bekwaamhede besonder hoog aangeskryf en gerespekteer, sowel binne hul eie breë gemeenskap asook in die buiteland. Terselfdertyd poog hierdie studie om 'n bydrae te maak tot die vestiging van die sg. "experience-based" tipe etnomusikologiese veldwerk in Suid-Afrika. Dienooreenkomstig word die inligting wat deur middel van persoonlike onderhoude met Matotiyana en Mangaliso versamel is, in verhaalvorm aangebied. Dit is gebaseer op hul eie herinneringe en perspektiewe, asook hulopvattings t.o.v. hul liedere, alle aspekte van hul komposisie, hul instrumente en opvoerings. Die studie kyk gevolglik na die wisselwerking tussen die twee musici se lewens en hul musiek en bring hul eie ervarings in hierdie verband ter sprake. Verder verskaf die analitiese studie m.b.t. die liedere van Matotiyana insig in haar unieke styl en bydrae tot eietydse Xhosa boogmusiek, veral binne die breër konteks en tradisies van Xhosa musiek in die algemeen.

In this thesis I have given a factual account of Georg Gruber's contribution to music education in South Africa by giving a short biography and studying a) his philosophy of music education, b) the content of the music courses offered at Rhodes University during his occupancy of the Chair (1955-1972), c) the content of the music courses offered at the University of Fort Hare from 1974-1977, d) his contribution to choral education, e) his publications in the field of music education. I have given an evaluation of selected vocal compositions: a) Two masses, b) Terra Nova , c) Two African cantatas, i) Ukucula Ematola and ii) Izango ZakwaNtu , and seven arrangements of real folksongs from several different countries: a) Coventry Carol and Sweet Nightingale, b) Die Alibama, c) Merck tog hoe sterck, d) Entre Ie Boeuf et l'Ane gris, e) Aba Heidschi-bum-beidschi and f) Cheder Katan. Through the above study I have drawn conclusions regarding his compositional techniques prior to coming to South Africa as shown in the two mass compositions a nd the changes which occurred after being exposed to African music. The attention to detail in his arrangements and their sheer simplicity show his skill and craftsmanship also in this genre. Appendices of the works discussed have been submitted in a separate file and Appendix 8 lists all his available folksong arrangements.

Psychobiographies use psychological theory as a paradigm within which to re-awaken an individual’s life story. The psychobiographical approach historically tended to be neglected within the South African context. The aim of the current study was to explore and describe the life of Ralph John Rabie through the use of psychobiography. Ralph John Rabie (1960 – 2002) was a South African Afrikaans singer-songwriter, journalist and playwright, also known as Johannes Kerkorrel. He challenged the cultural system and the government and was arguably the most prominent member of the Alternative Afrikaans Movement until his suicide on 12 November 2002. To some he betrayed the identity of post-apartheid Afrikanerdom and to others he became an icon in the homosexual community. No existing literature to date has adopted a psychological stance on this controversial South African figure. His own writings and published material by others were utilized to illuminate his life and its many dimensions. Richard C. Schwartz’s Internal Family Systems Model (1995) was used to analyze the multiplicity and inner workings of Rabie’s personality. The influence of external systems is also discussed. The data collection and analysis were conducted according to Yin’s (1994) analytic generalization, which consists of using theoretical guidelines as a framework to select relevant data and develop a matrix as a descriptive framework for organizing and integrating the data. Alexander’s (1988) nine proposed guidelines assisted in the process of data analysis, together with the Internal Family Systems Model (1995). The findings of the study indicate that subpersonalities in different roles could be identified in Rabie’s life as described by Schwartz (1995). The different subpersonalities interacted with each other and assumed roles to protect Rabie. The findings of the study also indicated that these subpersonalities used stories to obtain power and influence within Rabie’s personality structure. The subpersonalities were successful in making Rabie influential and famous within the Afrikaans music industry and they helped Rabie change rigid Afrikaans cultural beliefs that were present within the Apartheid system. The findings further indicate how important it is for subpersonalities to work together and how a fragmented system is difficult to contain.

Thesis ( MMus (Music))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / Steven De Groote (1953-1989) was one of the most successful pianists to have emerged from South Africa. His international reputation rests largely on the fact that he won first prize in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 1977, the only South African to date to have achieved this feat. As such he must be recognized as an important figure in the music history of South Africa. Because the performing musician’s product is transitory in nature and therefore his/her legacy is not tangible in all respects, the introduction to the thesis discusses the specific methodological problems arising from this fact in respect of the writing of a biography. The focus in this biography is on De Groote’s numerous achievements and especially on his career as concert pianist. It includes a discussion of his formative years, his subsequent years of study and the influence of competitions, and more specifically the 1977 Van Cliburn competition on his career. Discussion of his pianistic style, De Groote as teacher and his love for chamber music is also included. De Groote’s contribution to the South African musical scene is highlighted, especially his honorary professorship at the University of Stellenbosch during 1986 and 1987, as are his master classes in this capacity and his regular performances in South Africa. His role as a South African musician abroad is also examined. The biography is concluded with a brief discussion of his airplane accident and the influence this had on his career as a pianist and on his playing.

During the middle decades of the twentieth century, the exiling from South Africa of jazz musicians, including The Blue Notes, brought the discourses of local jazz, its performance culture and repertoires, to international attention. This process points to jazz’s global reach and raises questions about its adoption by differently constituted cultural subjects. Arjun Appadurai’s arguments about global homogenisation and heterogenisation come into play here, and have special significance today, when the study of jazz performance and history is increasingly part of the music education of young South Africans. Questions about who ‘owns’ jazz and what constitutes its authenticity loom large, as do questions about its global entanglement. The careers of The Blue Notes emerge from a background of South African syncretic musical performance; as such, they belong within the protracted history of African cultural engagement with European and American mediations of modernity. Among other issues, my thesis examines the use of jazz-influenced repertoires in the narration of cultural identities in postcolonial South Africa, under apartheid, and in exile. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master’s Degree in Technology: Chiropractic, Durban University of Technology, 2010. / Background: Professional orchestral string musicians are exposed to many physical and psychological stressors due to demands placed on them from playing their instruments. The prevalence of performance-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMD’s) in this highly skilled group of individuals has been investigated internationally, consistently showing a high injury rate. There is however, a paucity of literature documenting the prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries in South African professional orchestral string players. It is hypothesized that South African trained orchestral string musicians may be at a greater risk for PRMD development due to the unique training and performance environments encountered in this country. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the demographic and injury profile; prevalence rate of current injury and risk factors for musculoskeletal injury in South African professional orchestral string musicians. Method: The study utilized a self administered quantitative questionnaire distributed to all string players in the three professional orchestras in South African in a semi-supervised fashion. SPSS version 15.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois, USA) was used to analyze the data. A p value < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. iv v Results: There were 27 respondents, with the average participant being a Caucasian, right handed, non-smoking female, 37.11 years of age, 1.5631 meters tall, with a weight of 62.96 kilograms (BMI = 25.768) who exercised regularly (primarily in the gym). A bachelors degree in Music was the most commonly awarded qualification, obtained between the years 2000 and 2009, from a University outside of the Republic of South Africa. The prevalence of PRMD’s in the sample was 63% (n = 17), with a 95% confidence interval of 42.4% to 80.6%.In this study there was a high rate of injury (6.53 PRMD’s per player over a 12 month period), equating to 111 reported injuries in a population of 27 string players. The upper back (defined as the area between the shoulder blades) was the most commonly injured part of the body (77.8%, n = 21), followed by the upper extremity, mainly the shoulder (70.4%, n = 19). No statistically significant relationships were found in determining and confirming expected risk factors in the string players. Conclusion: Professional orchestral string musicians in South Africa suffer from a high rate of injury which is comparable to international studies of the same nature

MAAS / Department of Music.