Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this study an investigation into Arnold van Wyk’s song oeuvre — including the published and unpublished (completed and incomplete) songs — is done on the basis of the available composition sketches in the Arnold van Wyk Collection at Stellenbosch University. Firstly, Van Wyk as composer of art song in South Africa was put in perspective against the broader cultural context, especially in relation to Afrikaans poets who were his contemporaries. An overall view is also provided of possible influences that other composers had on his work. This provides an holistic picture of Van Wyk as composer of the art song. In his Juvenilia a surprisingly large amount of his music language is present, though not yet mature. Four prominent periods characterise the discussion of Van Wyk’s song oeuvre. In addition to these periods the study provides a summary that clearly shows his development as an art song composer as well as the musical devices which, in the course of time, became characteristic as part of his style in song writing. Owing to the fact that the setting to music of each song’s vocal part is analysed in close relationship to the source text, the complete text have been provided, with Afrikaans verbatim translations for the Latin and Old Dutch poems. Even though the composer sometimes only sets a couple of stanzas of the text, the complete poem is provided to properly orientate the reader. This allows the complete picture of each song to be taken into account. The relationship between each text and its setting to music of the song’s vocal part is analysed. This also applies to the illustrative meaning of where in the vocal range each text lies (the range as well as tessiture of the vocal part) and the illustrative use of intervals and other melodic devices such as melismas, setting to rhythmic patterns, etc. The accompaniment is investigated, regarding the relationship to and illustrative of the text, complementary to and in support of the vocal part as well as to which extent it supports the song’s formal design. Only the most prominent characteristics of Van Wyk’s highly complex harmonic usage are pointed out. An important aspect of this study is the investigation from a vocal technical point of view into how Van Wyk merged the writing of a vocal melody with his knowledge of the human voice, for instance in Van liefde en verlatenheid as well as in the Petronius songs. Where available, the history of how a song evolved is recorded in great detail, to illustrate the inception of a specific musical idea as well as its development and finalisation, but moreover, to allow the sketches to reveal how tedious (and sometimes even laid-back) the composition process took place most of the time. Van Wyk’s method and tempo of composing can be clearly deduced from the compositional sketches. These conclusions are confirmed and illustrated by his fairly regular dating of his work, and by information such as an address and/or some diary information that he occasionally added. Particulars like these are often included in this study, to shed light on the compositional process as well as on the composer as a human being. To avoid scanning numerous examples of notes, the C1 tot c3 way of spelling the notes is used. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In hierdie studie word Arnold van Wyk se liedoeuvre — die gepubliseerde asook die ongepubliseerde (voltooide en onvoltooide) liedere — ondersoek aan die hand van die beskikbare komposisiesketse in die Arnold van Wyk-versameling by die Universiteit Stellenbosch. Ten aanvang word Van Wyk as komponis van die kunslied in Suid-Afrika in perspektief tot die breër kulturele konteks geplaas, veral in verband met sy Afrikaanse digter-tydgenote. Daar word ook oorsigtelik verwys na moontlike invloede van ander komponiste op sy werk. ’n Omvattende beeld van Van Wyk as liedkomponis kom sodoende na vore. Verrassend baie van die musiektaal van sy liedkuns is reeds (wel nog in die kinderskoene) in sy juvenilia aanwesig. Vier prominente tydperke kenmerk die bespreking van Van Wyk se liedoeuvre en word telkens aangevul deur ’n samevatting waaruit sy ontwikkeling as liedkomponis duidelik blyk, asook watter musikale middele mettertyd as kenmerkend van sy liedstyl gevestig het. Omdat die verloop van elke lied sover moontlik aan die hand van die verloop van die teks omskryf word, word die volledige tekste deurlopend gegee, met Afrikaanse woordelikse vertalings by die Latynse en Oudnederlandse gedigte. Al toonset die komponis soms net enkele strofes van ’n gedig, word die hele gedig of ’n gedeelte daarvan nogtans verskaf ter wille van oriëntasie. Die geheelbeeld van die liedere word sodoende in aanmerking geneem. Die toonsetting van die stemparty word ondersoek veral met betrekking tot die woord-toonverhouding. Dit geld ook vir die illustratiewe betekenis van die plasing van die teks in die stemomvang, die omvang en tessituur van die stemparty en die illustratiewe gebruik van intervalle en ander melodiese middele soos melismas, ritmiese verklanking, en so meer. Begeleiding word ondersoek rakende die verwantskap met en illustratief van die teks en as aanvulling en ondersteuning van die stemparty asook in hoeverre dit die vormskema ondersteun. Slegs die opvallendste eienskappe van Van Wyk se uiters komplekse harmoniek word uitgewys. ’n Belangrike aspek van dié studie is dat Van Wyk se vereniging van melodiegewing en sy kennis van die menslike stem, onder meer in Van liefde en verlatenheid en die Petronius-liedere, ook uit ’n sangtegniese perspektief ondersoek word. Waar die ontstaansgeskiedenis van ’n lied beskikbaar is, is dit in fyn besonderhede geboekstaaf, om te toon wanneer ’n spesifieke musikale idee ontstaan het en hoe dit ontwikkel en finale beslag gekry het, maar meer nog, om die komposisiesketse self te laat verslag doen van die meestal werklik moeisame (soms trae) komposisieproses. Van Wyk se komposisionele werkwyse en die tempo van komposisie kan duidelik afgelei word uit die komposisiesketse. Dié gevolgtrekkings word gestaaf en toegelig deur die feit dat hy redelik getrou die werk gedateer en dikwels ook ’n adres en/of ’n stukkie dagboekinligting bygeskryf het. Laasgenoemde word dan meestal bygebring aangesien dit lig werp op die komposisieproses asook die komponis van dié liedere as mens gestalte laat kry. Om inskandering van talryke notevoorbeelde te vermy, word die C1 tot c3-skryfwyse gebruik.

Arnold van Wyk (1916 - 1983) frequently referred to the extramusical concepts of the elegiac, and of mournfulness, introspection and death when describing the intended content of his works. The import of these concepts seems to have been a constant element spanning his entire oeuvre. In this dissertation, William Kimmel's theory concerning the Phrygian Inflection and the Appearance of Death in Music is applied to Van Wyk's Five Elegies for String Quartet. Kimmel's theory is applied to the following parameters of each of the Five Elegies: melody, harmony and structure. In addition. the elements of rhythm, pulse, texture and timbre are investigated. Since Van Wyk often linked the concepts of death and protest, an interpretation of the work as music of protest is included in the final chapter of the study. It is concluded that Kimmel's theory has substantial--although not conclusive--validity in terms of the work under study. It is moreover possible to trace the inflection's presence through the parameters of pulse, rhythm, texture and timbre. In the absence of specific indications by the composer of the substance of the intended protest, observations in this regard are of a speculative nature. / Thesis (M.Mus.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1991.

Thesis (M.Mus.)--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Arnold van Wyk's monumental Night Music is regarded as one of the most important and original South African piano compositions. Night Music offers a legion of untapped timbre possibilities and certainly lends itself to the embodiment of the more expressive and versatile medium of the symphony orchestra. The orchestration of Night Music is an attempt to establish a version which, through utilizing a different medium of presentation, will elucidate Van Wyk's masterpiece and make it more accessible; not as a replacement of the original, but as an enhancement. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Arnold van Wyk se monumentale Nagmusiek word as een van die belangrikste en oorspronklikste Suid-Afrikaanse klavierkomposisies beskou. Nagmusiek bied 'n legio onontginde timbremoontlikhede en leen hom dus beslis tot die vergestalting daarvan in die meer uitdrukkingsvolle en veelsydige medium van die simfonie-orkes. Die orkestrasie van Nagmusiek is 'n poging om 'n weergawe daar te stel wat by wyse van 'n ander uitbeeldingsmedium Van Wyk se meesterstuk toelig en meer toeganklik maak, nie as plaasvervanger van die oorspronklike nie, maar as verlengstuk daarvan.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this project, contextual readings of four works by Arnold van Wyk are developed. They are the Symphony No. 1 in A Minor, the First String Quartet, the Duo Concertante and the Missa in illo tempore. These readings are grounded in richly detailed descriptions of the compositional processes, drawing on material such as sketches, autographs, diaries, correspondence and reception documents, as well as in structural analyses of Van Wyk’s music and of certain peer compositions. Each reading is set in a separate theoretical frame, resulting in a multi-perspectival consideration of Arnold van Wyk’s music that partakes in a range of current disciplinary discourses. The First Symphony is discussed in the discursive context of English Sibelianism, and Arnold van Wyk’s dialogue with Sibelius’s symphonic works is investigated through comparisons of Van Wyk’s and Sibelius’s applications of two-dimensional sonata form and tragic reversed sonata form. The reading so developed sheds new musical light on the difficulties of Van Wyk’s position as a colonial composer residing in the centre of a crumbling Empire. The compositional process of Van Wyk’s First String Quartet is described in juxtaposition with the compositional process of Bartók’s Sixth String Quartet, and the similarities and differences of the two narratives and the two compositions highlight a second aspect of Van Wyk’s colonial identity, namely the ambiguity of his return to South Africa from England, neither of which place could signify “home”. The reading of the Duo Concertante focuses on the Elegia from that work, interpreting the piece as part of a network of intertextual connections, including Van Wyk’s model for this piece, Martin Peerson’s (1580-1650) The Fall of the Leafe, Gerald Finzi’s Elegy for Orchestra Op. 20, entitled The Fall of the Leaf, as well as Van Wyk’s own theme for the Rondo of the Duo, to which he made various musical references in the Elegia which are associated with the concept of “prophecy”. This intertextual reading considers Van Wyk’s continuing problematic identification with the English musical culture and tradition, compounded by his uncomfortable place in the stifling cultural establishment of apartheid South Africa. Van Wyk’s Missa in illo tempore is interpreted in a post-apartheid context. The work purports to react to the conditions in London in 1945 at the end of the Second World War (when Van Wyk first started to work on it) as well as the conditions in apartheid South Africa in 1977-1979 (when he completed the work as a commission for the Stellenbosch Tercentenary Festival). The reading considers the ethics of art that intends to respond to situations of suffering, drawing on post-Holocaust art scholarship as a theoretical frame. In developing interpretations of compositions that have never been studied in such detail or with such theoretical rigour before, the thesis makes a significant contribution to Arnold van Wyk studies, and in its application of a range of methodological tools in order to construct poetic hermeneutic readings that are grounded in musical and contextual materials, it also represents a meaningful methodological innovation. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In hierdie projek word kontekstuele lesings van vier werke deur Arnold van Wyk ontwikkel. Hulle is die Simfonie Nr. 1 in A Mineur, die Eerste Strykkwartet, die Duo Concertante en die Missa in illo tempore. Hierdie lesings is gegrond in ryk-gedetailleerde beskrywings van die komposisieproses, waarby materiaal soos sketse, outograwe, dagboeke, korrespondensie en resepsiedokumente gebruik word, asook in strukturele analises van Van Wyk se musiek en van sekere eweknie-komposisies. Elke lesing word in ʼn afsonderlike teoretiese raamwerk gestel, sodat ʼn veelperspektiewelike oorweging van Arnold van Wyk se musiek resulteer wat deelneem aan ʼn verskeidenheid hedendaagse dissiplinêre diskoerse. Die Eerste Simfonie word bespreek in die diskursiewe konteks van Sibelianisme in Engeland, en Arnold van Wyk se dialoog met Sibelius se simfoniese werke word ondersoek deur vergelykings van Van Wyk en Sibelius se toepassings van twee-dimensionele sonatevorm en tragies-omgekeerde sonatevorm. Die lesing wat sodoende ontwikkel word, werp nuwe musikale lig op die moeilikhede van Van Wyk se posisie as koloniale komponis woonagtig in die sentrum van ʼn verkrummelende Ryk. Die komposisieproses van Van Wyk se Eerste Strykkwartet word beskryf in jukstaposisie met die komposisieproses van Bartók se Sesde Strykkwartet, en die ooreenkomste en verskille van die twee narratiewe en die twee komposisies belig ʼn tweede aspek van Van Wyk se koloniale identiteit, naamlik die dubbelsinnigheid van sy terugkeer na Suid-Afrika uit Engeland, twee plekke waarvan geeneen die betekenis van sy “tuiste” kon dra nie. Die lesing van die Duo Concertante fokus op die Elegia uit daardie werk, en dit interpreteer die stuk as deel van ʼn netwerk van intertekstuele verbindings, insluitende Van Wyk se model vir hierdie stuk, Martin Peerson (1580-1650) se The Fall of the Leafe, Gerald Finzi se Elegie vir Orkes Op. 20, getiteld The Fall of the Leaf, asook Van Wyk se eie tema vir die Rondo van die Duo, waarna hy verskeie musikale verwysings in die Elegia gemaak het wat geassosieer word met die konsep van “profesie”. Hierdie intertekstuele lesing beskou Van Wyk se aangaande problematiese identifisering met Engelse musiekkultuur en –tradisie, vererger deur sy ongemaklike plek in die verstikkende kulturele establishment van apartheid Suid-Afrika. Van Wyk se Missa in illo tempore word in ʼn post-apartheid konteks geïnterpreteer. Die werk stel sigself voor as reaksie op die toestande in Londen in 1945 teen die einde van die Tweede Wêreldoorlog (toe Van Wyk die eerste keer daaraan begin werk het) asook die toestande in apartheid Suid-Afrika in 1977-1979 (toe hy die werk voltooi het as ʼn opdrag vir die Stellenbosch Drie-Eeue Fees). Die lesing oorweeg die etiek van kuns wat ten doel het om te reageer op situasies van lyding en gebruik post-Holocaust kunsstudies as teoretiese raam. In sy ontwikkeling van interpretasies van komposisies wat nog nooit in soveel besonderhede of só teoreties nougeset bestudeer is nie, maak die tesis ʼn beduidende bydrae tot Arnold van Wyk studies, en in sy toepassing van ʼn verskeidenheid metodologiese hulpmiddels om poëtiese hermeneutiese lesings te konstrueer wat gegrond is in musikale en kontekstuele materiale, verteenwoordig dit ook ʼn betekenisvolle metodologiese vernuwing.

Thesis (MMus (Music))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / Arnold van Wyk was a composer and a pianist. He recorded his largest work for piano, Night Music (1958), on LP in 1963. Steven de Groote performed Night Music on 21 July 1984 at the Cheltenham International Festival of Music. This live performance was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on 24 September 1984 and a copy of this broadcast exists in the Arnold van Wyk collection in the J.S. Gericke Library at Stellenbosch University. Night Music is a perfect example of Van Wyk’s compositional techniques for the keyboard. It demands a considerable musical imagination and piano technique from the performer. The score of Night Music contains many detailed instructions regarding the different musical parameters and it also encloses unusual terms such as glacial or lugubre. It shows that the composer is extremely concerned to control all aspects of the performance and expects great depth of interpretation of the performer. Analysing the score of Night Music together with a performance by the composer enables one to consider two versions of “authenticated text”. The comparison between Arnold van Wyk’s recording, score and Steven de Groote’s performance allows the researcher to draw conclusions about score fidelity as a condition for “authenticity” in performance. Therefore, the primary aim of this research project is to yield interesting perspectives on notions of authenticity in performance with regard to these two particular performances of Night Music. The main body of this thesis consists of four chapters. In Chapter One a philosophical discussion about authenticity in performance is presented. Chapter Two focuses on the contextualisation of the work under discussion, including the reception and a short analysis of Night Music. It is followed by Chapter Three which compares the pianism of Arnold van Wyk and Steven de Groote. These latter two chapters form the background of the comparative performance analysis of the renditions of Night Music by these two performers which are presented in Chapter Four. Through the careful comparative analysis of Arnold van Wyk’s and Steven de Groote’s performances of Night Music it was possible to observe that a composer can present a version of his work that departs quite radically from the score. As “authenticity in performance” strives to honour the composer’s intentions as notated in the score, this discrepancy illustrates the controversial nature of the discourse on the “authentic” in music.