The main focus of hip hop music is on the beats and the lyrics. Hip hop lyrics. performed as 'rap' (fast poetic rhymes) address topics such as self-portrayal, roots, life, location, time and space. From its beginnings, hip hop music in KwaZulu-Natal has been bilingual with artists performing in isiZulu and English. In addition, expressions from isiTsotsi or other forms of youth language are used in performances as well as on records and mixtapes. Therefore, hip hop music from KwaZulu-Natal offers excellent material for the analysis of the relation between language choice and construction of identity amongst urban youth. This treatise investigates this matter, taking the question of ethnicity in post-apartheid South Africa into account. Five artists who rap and perform predominantly in isiZulu provide their lyrics for the sociolinguistic analysis which takes a close look at the content and translatability of each text. Certain topics addressed in hip hop lyrics in isiZulu are languagespecific and seem to be (almost) untranslatable. These topics may be related to cultural concepts and 'common knowledge' which are based in Zulu traditions. Moreover, the analysis of the lyrics shows that isiZulu-speaking hip hop artists from KwaZulu-Natal who rap in their mother tongue merge common hip hop themes with traditional concepts of Zulu culture. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2007.

This paper explroes the notion that the human body plays a predominant role in the act of writing, and examines how Gloria Anzaldua's concept of writing from the body, which she calls conocimiento (Spanish term for consciousmess), is manifested in Alanis Morissette's lyrics.

This dissertation examines selected love lyrics composed during the 1930s by Cole Porter, whose witty and urbane music epitomized the Golden era of American light music. These lyrics present an interesting paradox – a man who longed for his music to be accepted by the American public, yet remained indifferent to the social mores of the time. Porter offered trenchant social commentary aimed at a society restricted by social taboos and cultural conventions. The argument develops systematically through a chronological and contextual study of the influences of people and events on a man and his music. The prosodic intonation and imagistic texture of the lyrics demonstrate an intimate correlation between personality and composition which, in turn, is supported by the biographical content. / English / M.A. (English)

This study examines popular female Christian vocalists of the 1970s and 1980s, their images and their contemporary Christian music (CCM) lyrics. This literature illustrates how music becomes popular, and also how it becomes a powerful source of communication, which prompts popular culture and society to buy into its style and lyrics. The implications of this study illustrates the importance of image and lyrics and how certain female CCM vocalists had greater influences, impact and had the ability to make changes within their female audiences towards Christianity.

This dissertation examines selected love lyrics composed during the 1930s by Cole Porter, whose witty and urbane music epitomized the Golden era of American light music. These lyrics present an interesting paradox – a man who longed for his music to be accepted by the American public, yet remained indifferent to the social mores of the time. Porter offered trenchant social commentary aimed at a society restricted by social taboos and cultural conventions. The argument develops systematically through a chronological and contextual study of the influences of people and events on a man and his music. The prosodic intonation and imagistic texture of the lyrics demonstrate an intimate correlation between personality and composition which, in turn, is supported by the biographical content. / English / M.A. (English)

Childhood friends Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal founded the band Tears for Fears, and were the two primary members from 1982-1990. Their songs describe the struggle of coping with childhood abuse. This thesis analyzes the rhetorical aspects of their lyrics, emphasizing how the words of their songs express the fundamental human response to abuse, and the painful process of recovery. It explores how the songwriters use the psychological theories of Arthur Janov and Carl Jung to scaffold their experience of working through emotional trauma; and how they combine those theories with astrological symbolism to explore the idea of destiny. This thesis uses a combined rhetorical and psychological approach to analyze the manner in which the ethos and pathos inherent in the lyrics generated recognition, understanding, and sympathy in the listener.

Spanish composer María Teresa Prieto (1895-1982) belongs to a group of Spanish exiles who left their country for Mexico as a result of the Spanish Civil War. She arrived in Mexico in 1936 and developed her compositional career in there. Her first composition after her arrival in the new country was the song cycle Seis Melodías, a work that includes six songs with poetry by Ricardo de Alcázar, Juan Ramón Jiménez, Federico García Lorca, and María Teresa Prieto herself. This document analyzes each one of the songs, both musically and poetically, as well as the relationship between music and text. Seis Melodías' structural organization as a cycle is very particular, since Prieto organized the cycle in pairs—namely I and II, III and IV, and V and VI—each group with strong poetic and thematic unity. The songs belonging to this cycle, present the duality of being independent and dependent at the same time, given that each song stands by itself, but together they create a meta-narrative that progresses from hope to desolation, not as a political statement, but as a homage to, as well as a lament, for the Spanish land and freedom. The cyclical nature of this work is accomplished by Prieto through motivic unity, a clear harmonic plan, and poetic relationships between the songs.

Text in English with abstracts in English, isiZulu and Xhosa / Page numbering of table of contents inconsistent with dissertation. Appendix A : Full transcription only of Tip toe by Lacey May / What is it about the vocal melodies of popular music that make you want to listen again and again? This music-theoretical study applies principles of Gestalt psychology and theories of expectation to a study of melodic hooks in 21st-century popular music. The hypothesis tested here is that melodic hooks are a vital element in “catchiness”. Transcription and analysis of melodies by major recording artists is used to explore the note-to-note basis for melodic hooks. The analysis of recordings by Adele, Carly Rae Jepsen, Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke shows how factors of repetition, familiarity, simplicity, resolution, ambiguity of key, and expectation all contribute to the sense of catchiness in music. A listener-response study was used to test the experience of catchiness in the case studies, and corroborates the hypothesis that catchiness depends principally on expectation as an overarching factor. The study also uses auto-ethnographic reflection on the practice of song-writing to give insight into strategies for creating catchy popular songs. The experience of composing a pop song, and releasing it on air, provides unique insight into the artistic process. The results of all these studies show that the perceptual principle of expectation is a crucial factor in the experience of catchiness. / Ingabe yini eyenza iminkenenezo yomculo odumile ikukhange futhi ikuhehe ufise ukuwulalela kaninginingi? Lolu cwaningo lwethiyori yomculo lusebenzisa imigomo ye-Gestalt psychology kanye namathiyori alokho okulindelekile (theories of expectation) ukucubungula nokuhlaziya amavesi eminkenenezo emnandi futhi ekhangayo yomculo odumile wekhulunyaka lama-21. Ihayiphothesisi ehlolwayo lapha wukuthi amavesi eminkenenezo emnandi futhi ekhangayo ayingxenye esemqoka kakhulu “ekukhangeni” komculo. Ukubhalwa nokuhlaziywa kweminkenenezo yabaculi abayizikhondlakhondla abaqopha umculo kuyasetshenziswa kulolu cwaningo ukucubungula inothi nenothi levesi lomnkenenezo omnandi futhi okhangayo. Ukuhlaziywa komculo oqoshiwe ka-Adele, Carly Rae Jepsen, Pharrell Williams kanye no-Robin Thicke kuyabonisa ukuthi izinto ezinjengokuphindaphinda, ukujwayeleka komculo othile, ubulula bomculo, ukuguquka kwenothi lomculo libe ngumnkenenezo ohlabahlosile (resolution), ukungaqondakali nokungaqiniseki ngokhiye womculo (ambiguity of key), kanye nalokho okulindelekile, konke kuyizinto ezilekelelayo futhi ezifaka isandla ekukhangeni komnkenenezo womculo. Ucwaningo lwendlela abazizwa ngayo abalaleli bomculo lwasetshenziswa ukuhlola ukuthi bakhangekile yini labo balaleli bomculo, kwizincwaningo-zigameko zokulalelwa komculo, futhi lolu cwaningo lwasekela lwaphinda lwaqinisekisa ihayiphothesisi ethi ukukhanga komnkenenezo womculo kuncike ikakhulukazi kulokho okulindelwe ngumlaleli womculo njengombandela-ngqangi wokuheheka nokukhangeka kwakhe. Ucwaningo lusebenzisa futhi nokuzibandakanya komcwaningi (auto-ethnographic reflection) enqubweni yokubhalwa kwamaculo ukuze athole ulwazi olunzulu futhi aqondisise kahle amaqhingasu okuqamba izingoma ezidumile ezinomnkenenezo omnandi futhi okhangayo. Ukuzibandakanya enqubweni yokuqamba ingoma yomculo we-pop, kanye nokuyikhipha ukuze idlalwe emisakazweni, kuhlinzeka ngethuba eliyingqayizivele lokuqonda ngokujulile inqubo yokwenza umculo. Imiphumela yazo zonke lezi zincwaningo iyabonisa ukuthi umgomo wendlela-kuhumusha izinto ngokwalokho okulindelekile wumgomo osemqoka kakhulu ekufikelweni komuntu ngumuzwa wokukhangwa nokuhehwa ngumnkenenezo. / Zingantoni izandi ezimnandi zokuvuma ezivakalayo zomculo odumileyo okubangela ufune ukuwuphulaphula njalo njalo? Olu phononongo lomculo ngokwenkcazelo eyingcingane lusebenzisa imigaqo-siseko yemeko yengqondo iGestalt (Gestalt psychology) kunye neengcingane (theories) zokulindelweyo kufundo lwezandi ezinomtsalane okubambayo kumculo wenkulungwane yama-21 Ulwazi oluyingcamango engenabungqina oluhlolwe apha kukuba izandi ezimnandi zokuvuma ingoma ziyinto ebalulekileyo "ekubambeni lula". Ukubhalwa kunye nohlalutyo lweengoma ezenziwa ngabaculi abaphambili bokushicilela kusetyenziselwa ukuphonononga isiseko senowuthi ukusuka kwenye ukuya kwenye inowuthi ngokwezibambo zokuvakala kwezandi. Uhlalutyo lokushicilela luka-Adele, Carly Rae Jepsen, Pharrell Williams kunye noRobin Thicke kubonisa indlela izinto eziphindaphindwayo, zokuqheleka, zobulula, ukusombulula, nobumbolombini kwikhi kunye nokulindelweyo konke kunegalelo kumba wokutsalwa ubanmbeke emculweni. Uphononongo lokusabela komphulaphuli lwasetyenziswa ukuvavanya amava okufumana ifuthe lomtsalane kwizifundo zabucala, kwaye zihambelana nengcinga yokuba ukubamba kuxhomekeka ikakhulu kulindelo njengeyona nto iphambili. Olu phononongo lukwasebenzisa imbonakalo ezenzekelayo kwinkcazo yenzululwazi ngeentlanga kumsebenzi wokubhalwa kwengoma ukunika ukuqonda ngeendlela zokuyila ingoma ezimnandi ezidumileyo. Amava okuqamba ingoma ye-pop, kunye nokuyikhupha emoyeni, inika ingqiqo eyahlukileyo kwinkqubo yobugcisa. Iziphumo zazo zonke ezi zifundo zibonisa ukuba umgaqo-siseko wengcingane yokulindelweyo luphawu olubalulekileyo kakhulu kumava okubamba. / Art History, Visual Arts and Musicology / M. Mus. (Musicology)