The study sets to establish trends with regard to the role of the praise singer, the changes with regard to the traditional praise singer's rendition/performance and the material or content of his/her poetry. Thus the study highlights the distinction observed between the praise singer of the past and the present praise singer. The study also shows that the praise singer's performance, in terms of his/her role and content, is in the state of flux. The study also demonstrates that the singer of the past and the present praise singer have the same role and their chants or poetry or songs have the same effect. It also highlights situations where praises are chanted in modern times. These are graduation ceremonies, weddings, political gatherings and traditional ceremonies, for example, the annual rain making ceremonies. These events or occasions are inextricably linked to traditional praises. The study also highlights the fact that traditional praises present the history and heroic deeds of members of the clan to which the beneficiary belongs. They also express the deep feeling of royalty and loyalty. Like in the past they boost morale. / African Languages / M.A. (African Languages)

Ce travail a pour but principal de répondre à certaines difficultés de notation rencontrées par les compositeurs. Dans un premier temps, nous nous se proposons de montrer les limites du système d’écriture musicale occidentale (SEMO) dans la notation de certains éléments de la musique et, dans un deuxième temps, de montrer les avantages qu’offre l’utilisation de l’écriture multimédia (EM). Les résultats de ce travail, obtenus à partir de six « expériences-projets de composition », montrent l’efficacité de l’EM : un ensemble de procédés qui permettent l'utilisation simultanée de plusieurs modes de représentation de l'information (tels que textes, sons, images fixes ou animées, entre autres), servant à noter un message afin de pouvoir le conserver et le transmettre du compositeur à l’interprète. Dans le cadre de la composition musicale, l’EM, telle que nous l’avons employée ici, s’est montrée efficace pour noter les éléments suivants : le timbre, des nouveaux modes de jeu, des nouvelles techniques vocales, des instructions pour l’emploi des logiciels ; et aussi l’EM s’est montrée efficace pour l’intégration des éléments suivants dans les œuvres de musique mixte : le jeu d’un musicien de tradition orale, des modes de jeu tirés des musiques de tradition orale et exécutés par un musicien de tradition écrite, une langue tonale (et l’expressivité liée aux genres de musique de tradition orale dans les œuvres écrites. À l’ensemble de notations multimédia déjà existantes et disponibles pour la composition musicale, nous ajoutons deux types de notation qui se sont révélés efficaces dans cette recherche : la notation auditive et la notation d’un savoir-faire au moyen de la vidéo. / The main goal of this work is to solve some of the difficulties that composers encounter when notating music. Firstly, we describe how the Western musical notation (WMN) is limited when attempting to write specific musical elements. Secondly, we show the possible advantages that multimedia writing (MW) could offer on the notation of such elements. To address these issues, we used MW in six “experiments/composition projects” that were conceived to answer specific notation questions. The results obtained thereof allowed us to demonstrate the efficacy of MW for overcoming current limitations in music notation. More specifically, MW constitutes a group of procedures that allows to simultaneously represent information in different ways. This information could be either text, sounds, still or moving images, among others. Such procedures can be used to note down a message to further save it and transfer it from the composer to the performer. In the context of our experimental paradigms, MW has proven to be efficient for: the notation of timber, the integration of musicians from oral tradition in mixed music works, the incorporation of instrumental techniques drawn from oral tradition music into written music, the integration of a tonal language in a music score, the notation of new instrumental and vocal techniques, the guidance at using new software, and the incorporation of expressiveness associated to music styles of oral tradition into written works. We consider that two types of notation that proved to be efficient in this research could be added to the body of already existing MW, namely auditive notation and the notation of a know-how by the means of video.

In this study, I examined the awareness, perceptions of required knowledge, and perceived competency of Texas secondary choral music educators concerning the new musician health objectives included in the revised Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills standards (TEKS). A secondary purpose of this study was to identify the activities and variables that promote the development of these characteristics and prepare educators to address the standards in their instruction. Using a researcher-designed web-based survey instrument, I gathered data from participants who were actively teaching choir in secondary public schools in the state of Texas (N = 183). As part of the survey, participants reported the highest degree they had attained and field of study, the completion of choral methods and vocal pedagogy courses during their training, participation in professional development, and years of teaching experience. Findings revealed that a majority of participants (53.01%) were not aware of the health-related standards prior to taking the survey. A majority also did not consider each objective as required curricular components (hydration: 69.95%, vocal health: 39.89%, body mechanics: 61.75%, hearing protection: 68.85%, hygienic practice: 69.96%). Participants did rate themselves highly for perceived competency, a measure including adherence to competent practices and views of personal ability. There were no statistically significant main effects observed for any variable on awareness and perceptions of knowledge. I did observe significant main effects of degree level and major, professional development participation, and completion of a choral methods course for measures of perceived competency.

This study assessed music educators' health literacy, musician health literacy, and intentions to teach the health-related Fine Arts TEKS in ensembles. An online survey was developed using the integrated behavior model, Newest Vital Sign (NVS), and Musician Health Literacy Questionnaire (MHL-Q19). Texas music educators who taught secondary band, choir, or orchestra were recruited via email and social media. Results: This survey yielded N = 207 respondents, with 43%, 29%, 14.5%, and 13.5% teaching band, choir, orchestra, and multiple ensembles, respectively. Most participants (67.6%) demonstrated adequate health literacy by answering at least four items correctly on the NVS. Attitude (p =.47) and personal agency (p =.30) were significant predictors of behavioral intention, while perceived norm was not (R2 =.484). Including NVS total score and MHL-Q19 total score in the model showed that while both factors improved the model (ΔR2=.038), only NVS total score was significant (p =.26) in predicting behavioral intention. Music educators in this study had adequate health literacy, which may contribute to their intentions to teach health concepts in ensembles. However, future efforts to improve these intentions should focus on bolstering perceived norms and personal agency by providing music educators with opportunities to take charge of implementing these concepts in their classrooms while showing that other stakeholders (i.e., campus administration, parents of students, and music educator colleagues) are also invested in presenting health concepts to student-musicians.

No description available.

This study investigates the work of the performer, composer, educator, music therapist and activist Sharon Katz. Beginning in 1992, Katz made history in apartheid South Africa when she formed a 500-member choir that showcased both multi-cultural and multi- lingual songs in their staged the production, When Voices Meet, which incorporated music, songs and dance, intended to assist in promoting a peaceful transition to democracy in South Africa. The success of the concerts of When Voices Meet led to Katz securing sponsorships to hire a train, “The Peace Train”, which transported 130 performers from city to city with media crews in tow. The performers’ mission on this journey was to create an environment of trust, of joy, and of sharing through music, across the artificially-imposed barriers of a racially segregated society. This investigation includes several areas of inquiry: The South African Peace Train; the efforts of the non-profit Friends of the Peace Train; Katz’s work with Pennsylvania prisoners and boys at an American Reform School; the documentary When Voices Meet, and the American Peace Train Tour of July 2016, bringing the message of peace and harmony through song to racially and socio-economically divided Americans on a route that started in New York and culminated with a concert at UNESCO’s Mandela Day celebrations in Washington D. C. These endeavours are examined within the framework of musical activism. The multi-faceted nature of Katz’s activism lends itself to an in-depth multiple case study. Qualitative case study methodology will be used to understand and theorise musical activism through detailed contextual analyses of five significant sets of related events. These include Katz’s work as a music therapist with prisoners in Pennsylvania and a Boys’ Reform School; as activist with The South African Peace Train of 1993; as humanitarian with Friends of the Peace Train; in making the documentary, When Voices Meet, and as activist with the American Peace Train Tour of 2016. In documenting the grass-roots musical activism of Sharon Katz, I hope to contribute towards a gap in South African musicological history that would add to a more comprehensive understanding of musical activism and its role in social change. / Art History, Visual Arts and Musicology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Musicology)

CASTRO, Wagner José Silva de. No tom da canção cearense: do rádio e TV, dos lares e dos bares na era dos festivais (1963-1979). 2007. 200f. Dissertação (Mestrado em História) - Universidade Federal do Ceará, Departamento de História, Programa de Pós-Graduação em História Social, Fortaleza-CE, 2007. / Submitted by Raul Oliveira (raulcmo@hotmail.com) on 2012-06-28T16:29:18Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2007_Dis_WJSCastro.pdf: 15201433 bytes, checksum: 7beb02540e8452689a9ee56aa1254c6e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Maria Josineide Góis(josineide@ufc.br) on 2012-07-20T14:01:36Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2007_Dis_WJSCastro.pdf: 15201433 bytes, checksum: 7beb02540e8452689a9ee56aa1254c6e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2012-07-20T14:01:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2007_Dis_WJSCastro.pdf: 15201433 bytes, checksum: 7beb02540e8452689a9ee56aa1254c6e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / This work aim is to tell about, through interviews and bibliographic sources, the history of a cultural and musical revolution that derived from Fortaleza, in the sixties. This movement involved the radio, theater, plastic arts and politics, specially in relacion to music and musician, his life experience and social condition. The confluence of cultural expressions and producing spaces, at the beginning of 60’s: Alberto Nepomuceno Conservatory, groups as Cactus and Gruta, Phisics and Arquitecture Institutes and the Law College. Some pubs as Balão Vermelho, Estoril and Anísio were of fundamental importance for congregating young artists and spread out their compositions. Famous festivals which happened in the second half of 60’s, particularly the IV Festival of Ceará’s Popular Music and other ones in those years attracted TV interest and put these composers in contact with great national names. So, the target of this study is to feed the comprehension of how these new artists moved, including composing by order and using important musical events as a spring-board for their careers. Fighting to get a place in the brazilian phonographic market, they became known, in the whole country as “Pessoal do Ceará”. / Este trabalho busca, através das entrevistas e fontes escritas, narrar a História de um movimento cultural e musical que se originou em Fortaleza, nos anos 60, envolvendo o rádio, o teatro, as artes plásticas e a política, especialmente a relação, músico e música, suas experiências de vida e condição social. A confluência de movimentos culturais e espaços produtores, no início dos anos 60, Conservatório, grupos como o Cactus e o Gruta, os Institutos de Física e Arquitetura e a Faculdade de Direito. Os Bares, Balão Vermelho, Estoril e Anísio foram de fundamental importância para a aproximação dos jovens artistas e produção musical. Os Festivais produzidos na segunda metade dos anos 60, particularmente o IV Festival da Música Popular do Ceará, o I Festival da Música Popular Aqui e os Festivais Nordestinos com eliminatórias em Fortaleza foram decisivos para que os jovens artistas acreditassem nos trabalhos, favorecidos também pelos programas de televisão, “Porque Hoje é Sábado” e o “Show do Mercantil”, incentivando-os em suas apresentações no contato com artistas consagrados. Portanto, a preocupação central será a compreensão de como esses artistas moveram-se em busca do sucesso e suas inserções no ambiente musical, participando de programas como “Proposta”, fazendo música por encomenda, usando o Festival de Brasília e o III e o IV Festival Universitário da Música Popular Brasileira como vitrine, vergando os entraves para alcançar uma maior receptividade no mercado fonográfico a nível local e nacional, conhecidos como “Pessoal do Ceará”.

The purpose of the study is to examine similarities between the role as a songwriter with the role as an entrepreneur, as well as the conceptions about working with songwriting. To examine this three questions was asked: What similarities are there between the role as a songwriter and the role as an entrepreneur? What characteristics are described as important to succeed as a songwriter compared to those of an entrepreneur? What conceptions are there about working with songwriting? As a foundation for the thesis the history of the music industry is depicted in its own chapter with focus on the sales of music from the 15th century until today. The chapter describes how the music industry for a long time used sheet music as the main way to distribute new music. In the end of the 19th century the record industry started to emerge with the development of record players. During the 20th century the industry went through a lot of changes where new technology like the radio and the TV became important channels to reach a bigger audience. In the beginning of the 21st century the record sales plummeted as the music market became more and more dominated by different streaming services. The thesis empirical data is based on eight interviews, including a group interview, conducted in Los Angeles with four Swedish and seven American informants. It is also based on a forum thread from a Swedish music forum on the internet. The results from the interviews are first described in an overview and then divided into three categories; aspiring songwriters, songwriters in the music industry and informants working with songwriters. The results from the interviews shows that a songwriter should be a good person to collaborate with, be good at establishing important contacts in the music industry, and pay attention the administrative work of accounting, contracts and agreements. From the forum thread of the music forum disappointment is expressed about how DJ’s do not single handedly write and produce all the music they are attributed to in the media.   The analysis shows that professional songwriters have much in common with entrepreneurs because they both need to take risks, be creative, and start business. The similarities between the conceptions of what is required to succeed as a professional songwriter with what it takes to succeed as an entrepreneur includes having a good idea, having a supportive environment as well as being involved in marketing, sales and administration. Furthermore, the analysis shows that the work of songwriting is often glorified or overlooked, which creates misleading representations of what the work of a songwriter actually consists of.

Ce travail de thèse vise à améliorer notre compréhension des mécanismes sous-tendant la perception et la mémorisation des structures sonores complexes. Nous avons étudié les corrélats comportementaux et cérébraux de la perception et de la mémoire auditive pour des notes isolées, des séquences musicales et des séquences de mots, chez des auditeurs typiques et dans l'amusie congénitale, un trouble permanent de la perception de la musique. En utilisant des approches comportementales, nous avons démontré que les déficits des individus amusiques dans la dimension de la hauteur sont liés à des déficits à la fois durant l’encodage des sons courts et dans la rétention à court terme de l'information musicale. En utilisant des mesures neurophysiologiques (IRM, MEG, IRMf) nous avons démontré l’existence d’anomalies anatomiques et fonctionnelles dans le cerveau amusique, principalement dans les cortex frontal et auditif droits. De plus des anomalies fonctionnelles ont été observées à la fois durant l'encodage, la rétention et la reconnaissance de l'information mélodique lors d’une tâche de mémoire à court terme. En revanche, pour le matériel verbal, les participants amusiques recrutaient des régions cérébrales similaires à celles des contrôles, ceci suggérant que des ressources neuronales distinctes sous-tendent la mémoire tonale et verbale. A partir des conclusions de ces trois premières études, nous avons exploré deux approches visant à renforcer les capacités de traitement de la hauteur dans l'amusie: 1) en étudiant si des connaissances implicites du système musical occidental tonal pouvaient améliorer leurs capacités de mémoire à court terme pour les notes, et 2) en explorant si les capacités d’encodage altérées des participants amusiques pouvaient être améliorées par des interactions audio-visuelles. Ces études ont été encourageantes et pourraient guider la conception d'outils de réhabilitation dans ce déficit. Enfin, il convient de souligner que nos recherches contribuent également à améliorer la compréhension des mécanismes sous-tendant le traitement de la musique en général, un domaine de recherche émergeant qui fait le parallèle avec le traitement du langage / The aim of this PhD thesis is to further our understanding about how humans perceive and nmemorize complex sound structures. We investigated the behavioral and cerebral correlates of auditory perception and memory for isolated tones, musical sequences, and verbal material both in typical listeners and in individuals presenting a lifelong disorder of music perception that has been referred to as congenital amusia. Using behavioral approaches, we demonstrated that amusic individuals’ deficits in the pitch dimension are related to impairments both in the encoding of short tones and in the short term retention of pitch information. Using multimodal neuroimaging methods (MRI, MEG, fMRI) we observed anatomical and functional abnormalities in the amusic brain, mostly in the right frontal cortex and in the right auditory cortex. Functional abnormalities were observed at each level of processing in short-term memory tasks, that is for encoding, retention, and retrieval of the melodic information. In contrast, for verbal material, amusic participants recruited similar brain regions as those observed for controls, thus suggesting that separate neural resources support tonal and verbal memory. Based on the conclusions made on these first three studies, we explored two approaches aiming to boost pitch processing abilities in amusia; 1) by investigating whether implicit knowledge of the western tonal musical system could influence their short-term memory abilities, and 2) by exploring whether amusic individuals’ altered encoding of short tones could be improved by audio-visual interactions These investigations were encouraging and provide the first steps toward designing tools of rehabilitation in this musical disorder. To conclude, it is worth underlining that these studies also improve our understanding of music processing in general, which is the subject of an increasing research domain that is often making the parallel to language processing

L'objectif de la thèse est de saisir, pour Rome en tant que capitale européenne de la musique, et dans la continuité des récents travaux historiques sur les capitales culturelles, les modalités et les temporalités d'une profonde transformation des milieux musicaux et des conditions sociales et culturelles de l'exercice de la musique au cours du XVIIIe siècle, phénomène qui a accompagné l'évolution des styles et des goûts musicaux en Europe. La recherche est centrée sur l'étude des « métiers de la musique » : elle analyse les lieux et institutions d'exercice, les pratiques observables dans chacun d'eux, en prenant en compte leurs singularités comme leurs imbrications ou porosités, ainsi que le déroulement des carrières, à partir d'évaluations quantitatives comme de la reconstitution de parcours individuels. Elle vise, grâce à des archives variées (archives de la Congrégation de Sainte-Cécile, archives privées des grandes familles aristocratiques, archives notariales, archives paroissiales, archives des chapelles et des théâtres), à appréhender les conditions sociales des musiciens, en s'attachant aux revenus, aux hiérarchies, aux protections et aux mobilités. Au cours du XVIIIe siècle, on assiste à une recomposition du paysage musical romain. Bien que la désaffection pour la musique sacrée fragilise le marché musical urbain, Rome reste l'un des principaux foyers musicaux européens. La ville se convertit progressivement, mais avec succès, à la musique profane, en particulier à l'opéra, ce qui conduit à modifier non seulement l'offre musicale, mais aussi l'organisation de la profession. / The aim of this thesis is to catch how and when musical circles as well as social and cultural conditions in musical practice deeply changed in Rome - as the European capital of music- during the 18th century ; and that, as part of the recent historical work on cultural capitals. This phenomenon went hand in hand with the evolution of musical styles and tastes in Europe.The research is based on the study of "musical professions": it is an analysis of the places and institutions in which music was practised, the different practices with their peculiarities as well as their abilities to mingle together. It also analyses how careers develop, using quantitative assessments and records of individual careers.It aims, thanks to various archives (from the Congregation of St Cecily, great aristocratic families, notary offices, parishes, choirs and theatres) at understanding the living conditions of the musicians: incomes, hierarchy, protections, mobility. It has been necessary to study the social network and the family environment of the musicians, as well as their relations with other people, and their professional environment. During the 18th century, a reshaping of the Roman musical landscape can be observed. In spite of the declining interest for sacred music, which weakens the market of music in town, Rome remains one of the most important musical places in Europe. The town slowly but successfully converts itself to secular music, and more especially to opera music; and this leads to a change, not only in musical offers, but also the organization of the profession. / Lo scopo della tesi è di capire, per Roma capitale musicale europea, nella continuità dei recenti lavori storici sulle capitale culturali, le modalità e le temporalità di una profonda trasformazione dei “milieux” musicali e delle condizioni sociali e culturali della prassi musicale nel corso del Settecento, fenomeno che ha accompagnato l’evoluzione dei stili e dei gusti musicali in Europa. La ricerca s’incentra sullo studio degli “mestieri della musica”: analizza i luoghi, le istituzioni legate alla musica e la prassi osservabile in ciascuna di loro, tenendo in conto la loro singolarità, i loro intrecci o le loro porosità, lo sviluppo delle carriere, a partire da valutazioni quantitative e dalla ricostituzione di percorsi individuali. Grazie all’analisi di vari archivi (archivi della Congregazione di Santa Cecilia, archivi privati di grandi famiglie aristocratiche, archivi notarili, archivi parocchiali, archivi di cappelle musicali e di teatri), mira a comprendere le condizioni sociali dei musicisti, facendo riferimento ai redditi, alle gerarchie, alle protezioni e alle mobilità. E’ stato necessario interrogare le rete sociali e l’entourage familiale, relazionale e professionale dei musicisti, localizzare i luoghi di residenza nel tessuto urbano e studiare le realtà istituzionali, economiche e sociali che facevano da sfondo alla loro vita professionale. L’adattamento degli individui o delle famiglie di musicisti alle diverse offerte e risorse della città, le dinamiche d’inserimento nel “mercato musicale” e la società urbana, sono stati al cuore di questa riflessione. Il discorso è partito, per quanto possibile, dalle prassi all’interno di questi mestieri, predendo in conto le loro singolarità. E’ quindi stato studiato l’insieme della comunità musicale nelle sue diverse componenti e i suoi multipli aspetti. Nel corso del Settecento, si assiste ad una ricomposizione del paesaggio musicale romano. Anche se la disaffezione per la musica sacra rende fragile il mercato musicale urbano, Roma rimane uno dei principali centri musicali europei. La città si convertì, progressivamente ma con successo, alla musica profana, in particolare all’opera, questo condusse a modificare non soltanto l’offerta musicale ma anche l’organizzazione della professione.