Thesis(M. Mus.) -- Stellenbosch University, 1994. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between developing the voice and freeing the voice. The ultimate aim of developing the singing voice is expression through the medium of sound. For this to happen, a singer's voice has to function free and resonant. Every song demands certain expressive qualities, and the singing instrument should be able to react to a wide range of impulses. The singing instrument should be freed to enable optimal functioning, while authentically conveying powerful emotions. Developing and freeing the voice is a psycho-physical process. A person's psycho-physical functioning is manifested in body posture. As it were, the body conforms to a person's predisposition and muscle use. Muscle condition, muscle use and the singer's psychological state of mind influence the way in which sound is produced. Sensory perception, the body and breathing in balance, and the use of the body as singing instrument is discussed in chapter two. During the teaching of singing it is imperative that singers develop free habits and expectations. A process of releasing the voice is needed, because stressful habits and distorted sound-expectations have become part of the singer's performance. This inhibits expression in sound and causes the singing apparatus to operate ineffectively. The proper balance between effort and result is often disturbed. In chapter three it is pointed out that more attention should be paid to psycho-physical aspects, including psychological hindrances, the mind, motivation and body language. The teacher-pupil relationship and fear can also influence the development of the voice. In the process of freeing the voice, the Alexander technique can contribute to recognition of malfunctioning and tension in the body. A new and expanded approach to teaching and learning is needed - this will enable the singer to fully participate through thought, physical sensing, feeling and intuitive functions during teaching sessions. All these components interact with each other to support the singing process and develop good technical skills. In chapter four activities which can contribute to the freeing process of the voice and psycho-physical development are discussed. Activities used to promote the integration of all components are game playing as aid to singing development, characterisation as tool for personality and emotional development, imagery and imagination, and voice and movement. In the final chapter some conclusions and directives are given for future teaching of singing, with recommendations about areas in which more research is needed, including development of mental concepts in singing, sound and movement, and the role and influence of feeling and emotion during the singing process. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie studie is 'n ondersoek na die verband tussen stemontwikkeling en stembevryding. Tydens sangstemontwikkeling is die uiteindelike doelwit ekspressie - om deur middel van klank uitdrukking te kan gee. Om dit te laat gebeur moet 'n sanger se stem vry en resonant klink. Elke lied stel sekere vereistes ten opsigte van uitdrukking en die sangapparaat behoort te kan reageer op 'n verskeidenheid van impulse. Die sangapparaat moet vry wees om optimaal te funksioneer en kragtige emosies getrou te verklank. Stemontwikkeling en stembevryding is 'n psigo-fisiese proses. Liggaamshouding IS 'n uiting of manifestasie van die mens se psigo-fisiese funksionering. Die liggaam neem as 't ware die vorm van die persoon se ingesteldheid en spiergebruik aan. Die toestand van spiere, die funksionering van spiere en die persoon se psigiese toestand het 'n invloed op die klank. Sensoriese waarneming, die liggaam en asemhaling in balans en die gebruik van die liggaam as sanginstrument word in hoofstuk twee bespreek. In sangonderrig is dit noodsaaklik dat sangers vrye gewoontes en verwagtinge sal ontwikkel. In Bevrydingsproses is dus nodig omdat spanningsvolle gewoontes en verwronge klankverwagtinge deel geword het van die sanger se denkwyse as gevolg van wanbegrippe oor sang. Dit inhibeer klankuitdrukking en laat die sangapparaat oneffektief funksioneer. Die korrekte verhouding tussen inspanning en resultaat is dikwels versteur. In hoofstuk drie word aangetoon dat in sangonderrig meer aandag gegee behoort te word aan psigo-fisiese aspekte, waaronder psigiese blokkerings, die denke, motivering en liggaamstaal. Ook die onderwyser-sanger-verhouding en vrees kan stemontwikkeling beinvloed. In die stembevrydingsproses kan lesse in die Alexandertegniek heelwat bydra tot die herkenning van wanfunksionering en spanning in die liggaam. 'n Nuwe en uitgebreide benadering tot onderrig en leer is dus wenslik, sodat die sanger tydens sangonderrig in sy totaliteit betrek kan word in sy denk-, fisiessintuiglike, gevoels- en intultiewe funksies. Al hierdie komponente werk interafhanklik saam om die sangproses te onderhou en goeie tegniese vaardighede te laat ontwikkel. In hoofstuk vier word aktiwiteite bespreek wat kan help met stembevryding en psigofisiese ontwikkeling. Die aktiwiteite wat integrasie van alle komponente bevorder, sluit in spel as hulpmiddel vir sangontwikkeling, karakterisering as middel tot persoonlikheids- en emosionele ontwikkeling, beeldingspel en verbeelding, en stem en beweging. In die finale hoofstuk word gevolgtrekkings en rigtingwysers vir toekomstige sangonderrig gemaak, met aanbevelings oor areas waaroor meer navorsing nodig is soos denkontwikkeling vir sangers, stem en beweging, en die funksionering en invloed van gevoel en emosie tydens die sangproses.

Music interventions have been shown to improve parent-child interactions (e.g., Lyons, 2000; Mackenzie & Hamlett, 2005; Nicholson et al., 2008; Oldfield et al., 2003) and maternal sensitivity (Nicholson et al., 2008). However, there are currently no studies of Canadian parents’ perceived motivations for, and their experiences participating in, singing classes with their infants. Therefore, more information is needed on Canadian parents’ experiences, and motivations for, participating in singing classes with their infants in order to better understand and support healthy parenting behaviours and infant development.. Specifically, the research questions guiding this preliminary inquiry, were: (1) What do parents identify as factors motivating them to participate in parent-infant singing classes? and (2) What do parents identify as the benefits of participating in parent-infant singing classes? Interviews were conducted with four mothers who were attending parent-infant singing classes. Two music instructors involved in the parent-infant singing classes were also interviewed to learn more about the content and functioning of the classes. Additionally, the Parenting Sense of Competency Scale (PSOCS) and the Key to Interactive Parenting Scale (KIPS) were administered to gain additional information related to parent participation in parent-child singing groups (i.e., parenting behaviours and parental sensitivity), and to triangulate data from parent interviews. Four themes emerged from the parents’ interview data: (1) mothers’ motivations, (2) enhanced parenting, (3) parents’ enhanced view of self, and (4) predictors of change. Parents described their development of music-based parenting tools they perceived to have helped them better regulate their infants’ emotions and behaviours, strengthen their parent-child relationship, and support their child’s language and musical development. In addition, parents described the positive development of their view of self as demonstrated by decreases in reported parenting guilt, normalization of parenting struggles, and an increased focus on success. Moreover, preliminary findings raised questions about additional variables that may enhance growth of parenting skills to foster language and musical development and parental self-efficacy, such as using repetition, routines and structure, and developing supportive relationships with classmates and instructors. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Welsh-born harpist and composer John Thomas performed for audiences throughout Europe serving as the harpist to Queen Victoria of England. He was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Music, yet remained loyal to his Welsh heritage throughout his life. He began composing at the age of 16 while still a student at the Academy and continued arranging and composing repertoire for harp well into the Twentieth Century.This document will show that John Thomas was instrumental in the development of virtuosic harp literature and the recognition of the double-action pedal harp as a concert instrument while maintaining a strong sense of Welsh Nationalism as demonstrated in his original compositions. Like the Welsh harpists and composers before him, Thomas collected and preserved Welsh Airs. In addition, Thomas participated at numerous Eisteddfoddau, lectured on the history of the Welsh Harp, and wrote the "Welsh Music History" article in the first edition of the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. However, unlike his predecessors, Thomas composed for the modern pedal harp and employed virtuosic techniques heretofore unexplored in Welsh harp music.Though this harpist, composer, and music historian produced a prolific output of virtuosic works and historical writings, very little has been documented on his life and career. There are no complete works lists in print. Many of Thomas' manuscripts and published works remain out of print in the National Library of Wales. The Groves Dictionary of Music and Musicians contains only a brief article on this composer's life and career.Thomas is internationally recognized as a leading composer and performer among harpists of the Nineteenth Century. His works are still performed by harpists in recitals at international conferences and competitions including the World Harp Congresses. Further, Thomas' students became touring performers and made a significant mark on the performing arena throughout much of the Twentieth Century.

No description available.

Musiken som kompositör och regissör är en uppsats om hur vi som utövande sångare och kompositörer omedvetet verkar i en tradition som har sina rötter i en kompositionsteknik och estetik som hade sin storhetstid för tre till fyrahundra år sedan, nämligen affektläran.Som bas för min undersökning ligger min egen komposition, operan ”Post office”, med ettlibretto baserat på Charles Bukowskis roman med samma namn. Operan är komponerad utan att jag hade någon som helst kännedom om affektläran, och jag ställer därför frågan om jagomedvetet har komponerat utifrån en tradition som går tillbaka till 1600- och 1700-talet. Jaghar använt mig av en analysmetod där jag väljer ut vissa stycken ur operan, vilka sedan haranalyserats textligt och musikaliskt utifrån affektlärans tekniker. Jag har även med hjälp av en observation av ett antal sångare, som fått framföra delar av min opera, undersökt om det retoriskt-gestiska agerandet i barockens opera omedvetet kan leva kvar hos dagens sångare. Resultatet av musikanalysen är att jag faktiskt omedvetet förhållit mig till en affektläratradition vad det gäller det musikaliska uttrycket. Att sångarna dessutom upplevde min musik på ett sätt som stämde överens med mina musikaliska intentioner visar att de har del i samma tradition. Resultatet av sångobservationen pekar däremot mot att den tradition av gestisk teknik som utvecklades i barockoperan inte på samma sätt som affektläran lever kvar bland dagens sångare. / The essay ”Musiken som kompositör och regissör” (Music as Composer and Director) is an essay about how we as composers and singers subconsciously are influenced by a tradition that experienced its glory days three to four centuries ago, namely the ”affektenlehre” As the basis for my research, I have used my own composition, the opera ”Post office” witha libretto based on Charles Bukowski’s novel with the same name.The opera was composed without having any kind of knowledge about the ”the affektenlehre”. In it, I ask the question if I have subconsciously composed in a tradition datingback to the seventennth and eighteenth centuries. I analyse four excerpts from the opera bothlyrically and musically. The second part of my research is also based on the same tradition, but from an actingperspective of the vocalist. While observing vocalists sing excerpts from my opera, I haveattempted to find gestures that are related to the manner in which performers acted in baroque opera during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.The result of my analysis demonstrates that I have indeed composed my opera according tothe musical tradition which the vocalists, who are part of my observation, acknowledge, before they have read the lyrics of the excerpts of the opera. The observation of the vocalists indicates however, that the tradition of rhetorical gestures that emerged during the Baroque opera, does not exist on a subconscious level in the minds of vocalists.

The Book of Psalms has occupied a privileged place in Christianity from its earliest years, but it was not until the sixteenth century that metrical versifications of the Psalms became popular. Because of the notable influence of Martin Luther and John Calvin, the musical phenomenon of metrical psalm singing spread throughout Protestant circles on the European mainland and in Britain. These versifications knew no boundaries among Protestants: reformers and parishioners, kings and laypeople, men and women, young and old memorised and sang the metrical psalms. In England and Scotland, the versifications written by Thomas Sternhold and John Hopkins became the most popular, as editions of these texts were printed in England from 1549 to 1828. The present study considers these metrical versifications and their melodies as they were printed and performed in England and Scotland from their inception until the final Scottish edition appeared in 1640. In particular, this study asserts that the years from 1560 to 1640 saw the development and reinforcement of two distinct ecclesiastical psalm cultures, one in England and the other in Scotland. Though based on a common foundation in the Sternhold and Hopkins texts, English and Scottish metrical psalmody preserved their distinct natures. However, both traditions also influenced their counterparts. The present study considers these cross‐influences and their effect on the tensions between conformity with foreign influences and fidelity to established practice in both countries. This study finally seeks to fill two significant gaps in current scholarship. It first compares the developments in English and Scottish metrical psalmody in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Secondly, it considers the relationships between psalm tunes and their texts, with a closer musical analysis of the tunes than has previously been attempted.

Educators have claimed that listening to music in a second or foreign language (L2) can provide fun and motivating educational material and that singing can enhance the L2 learning process by improving listening and speaking skills, pronunciation, intonation, and vocabulary. Experiments have shown that under certain conditions, a sung presentation of linguistic material can facilitate verbal learning in the native language. To date, however, there is very little research evidence that singing can increase L2 skills. This thesis begins to methodically evaluate whether listening to songs and singing in a new language can facilitate L2 learning, compared to practising L2 material through more traditional, speech-based instructional methods. The research studies also explore the extent to which individual di erences (IDs) between learners may mediate any observed benefits of using songs in L2 instruction. The first two studies examine under controlled experimental conditions whether singing can support adults’ beginning-level modern language learning compared to speech over a short time period. Results indicate that when no significant group di erences exist for the ID measures, an instructional method that incorporates L2 singing can facilitate short-term learning and memory. Results also showed that IDs between learners, in particular previous language learning experience, musical abilities, mood, and motivation, can mediate the benefits of L2 learning through a singing method. The third study describes a four-week, classroom-based arts intervention exploring the e ects of incorporating songs and dramatic dialogues into the L2 curriculum, both in terms of learning outcomes and the adolescents’ opinions. In addition to increases in French skills, many children reported that the dramatic and musical activities had increased their confidence to speak in French. There was also an overall preference for listening to songs and more children reported that the songs repeated in their heads after class. The thesis concludes by discussing practical implications for L2 instruction and proposes a framework to guide future research exploring how and why singing can support modern foreign language learning.

Manuel Garcia 11 (1805-1906) is perhaps the greatest teacher of voice in history, and his approach, stated in A Complete Treatise on the Art of Singing, Parts One (1841) and Two (1847), became one of the principal methods of vocal instruction during his time. By tracing Garcia 11's methodology, based on the Italian Schools of Singing and be1 canto opera, it will become clear that his type of voice building holds many of the keys needed to unlock the voices of singers today. Analysis of Garcia II's vocal treatises, combined with first hand research conducted with faculty throughout three prominent Canadian university voice programs, will further substantiate the claim that Garcia 11 is a pivotal figure within the landscape of vocal pedagogy, also putting to rest several misconceptions (i.e. vocal onset and the coup de la glotte, and vocal registers) concerning his teachings. Respected internationally for his contributions to the worlds of classical voice and opera, performance practice, voice science, and pedagogy during his lifetime, Garcia II's theories on vocal production remain intact in current vocal pedagogy, despite shifts in the paradigms of musical, cultural, social and vocal aesthetics.

Bis heute ist noch kein Druckwerk der litauischen religiösen rituellen Volksgesänge mit Noten eingeteilt nach ethnographischen Gebieten der Republik erschienen; es gibt auf diesem Gebiet noch keine eigenen Traditionen. Einen ersten Versuch machte der Autor mit seinem Buch \"Der Kreuzweg von Zemaiciq Kalvarija. Leichenschmausgesänge\" (mit Noten). Die hier zusammengefaßte Studie ist eine Fortsetzung seines früher erschienenen Werkes. Sie betrifft schon nicht mehr Zemaitija, sondern Kleinlitauen mit seiner reichen Geschichte, ethnokulturellen Vergangenheit, zahlreichen Liedern und besonders eigenartigen religiösen Ritusgesängen, die in der evangelisch-lutherischen Gemeinde noch lebendig sind.

Aus Anlaß einer Ausstellung zum 150jährigen Bestehen des Gesang- und Musikvereins Feuchtwangen e.V. wurde die Idee eines "Fränkischen Sängermuseums" aufgegriffen. 1988 erhielt Dr. Friedhelm Brusniak vom Fränkischen Sängerbund (FSB) den Auftrag zur Ausarbeitung eines Konzeptentwurfs, bei dem allerdings der ursprüngliche Plan eines regionalen Museums für die Geschichte des Chorwesens zugunsten einer Wiedererrichtung des ehemaligen Deutschen Sängermuseums (DSM) aufgegeben wurde.