Thesis (MMus (Music))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / The Libertas Choir occupies an exceptional place in the history of choral music in South Africa, especially in the Western Cape. The research on this choir is presented here in the form of a historical study, tracing the details chronologically from a politically inspired mass choir in 1986 to the founding of the Libertas Choir in 1989, and then following its history until the end of 2006. The first three chapters contain highlights of the first 17 years (1989-2006) while the subsequent chapters contain compositions specifically composed or arranged for the choir, a profile of the conductor, issues that the choir faced as well as an insight into the choir as “ambassador” for South Africa. Documenting the history of this multiracial choir in South Africa, the thesis includes an account of the contribution the choir has made to the development of music in a multicultural society as well as how it has fostered the belief that music sets no social or cultural boundaries. This study also documents the choir’s contribution to the development of multicultural choir performances. The research covers indigenous South African music that has been performed by the choir, as well as new compositions and choral arrangements that were instigated and disseminated by the choir. A selection of programmes sung by the choir during this time is included.

Thesis (MMus (Music))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / The evolutionary origins of music, defined as “an intentional action in which complex, learned vocalizations (and/or instrumentally produced sound) are combined with the movement of the body in synchrony to a beat” is investigated through an appraisal of the musilanguage theory and relevant literature. The biological adaptations allowing the production and perception of music are identified and their evolutionary histories investigated. The critical adaptations that made rhythmical body movement possible evolved around 1.6 million years ago. These include habitual bipedalism and changes in the vestibular system. There is almost no fossil evidence to inform on the timing and nature of the complex, learned vocalization. However, that the thoracic vertebrate canal had modern proportions by 600 000 years ago indicates that archaic humans were able to achieve the respiratory control necessary to sing. The size of this canal is a proxy for the number of nerve cells that control respiration via the intercostal and abdominal muscles. Musicality is essential to the human mind. Infants are born with rudimentary musical skills with regard to melody, temporal sequences and vocal and bodily imitation. These capabilities are central to the newborns’ innate ability to elicit care by synchronizing their vocal and bodily actions with that of the caregivers. Musical rhythm is further used to entrain bodily and neural oscillations and this permit the creation of trust and social bonding. It is concluded that protomusic developed between 1.6 million and 600 000 years ago. Protomusic consisted of entrained rhythmical whole body movements initially combined with grunt-like vocalizations. The evidence investigated cannot be used to infer the origins of modern music. KEYWORDS: Music, Evolution, Synchronisation, Melody, Dance, Bipedality, Vestibular system, Thoracic vertebrate canal, Infant-directed communication, Neural entrainment

Thesis (MMus) (Music))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING:In Suid-Afrika, soos in ander lande, gebeur dit dikwels dat sangers in een of ander stadium van hul loopbaan met stemmoeilikheid/’n stemprobleem te doen kry. Die mees algemene reaksie is om ’n oor-, neus- en keelspesialis (ONK-spesialis) te besoek vir hulp. Die sangaktiwiteit vereis egter ’n baie fyn gebalanseerde kondisie van die sangapparaat en dit blyk dat die oorsprong van die meeste stemprobleme onder sangers funksioneel van aard is. Daarom word daar van die veronderstelling uitgegaan dat die mees suksesvolle behandelingsroete vir die sanger met ‘n stemprobleem ‘n integrale interdissiplinêre benadering behels wat nie net die ONK-spesialis insluit nie, maar ook ‘n spraakterapeut en sangpedagoog. Anders as in Suid- Afrika, word hierdie interdissiplinêre benadering alreeds algemeen toegepas in lande soos die VSA en Brittanje. Hierdie studie vind plaas vanuit die oogpunt van die sangpedagoog en identifiseer die nodige kennis en praktiese ondervinding wat sodanige sangpedagoog sal benodig om suksesvol as deel van ’n interdissiplinêre span in die behandeling van sangers met stemprobleme te funksioneer. Om hierdie doel te verwesenlik, neem die studie die vorm van ’n gevallestudie aan waarin die navorser binne die bestek van verskeie maande konsultasies met sangers met stemprobleme binne ‘n mediese stemkliniek onder leiding van ’n ONKspesialis prakties geobserveer het. Deurgaans word sodanige gevallestudies weergegee en bespreek. Dit sluit o.a. die rol van elk van die interdissiplinêre spanlede, oorsake en behandeling van tipiese stemprobleme onder sangers, asook die spesifieke rol van die sangpedagoog in die behandelingsproses, in. In die geheel het hierdie studie getoon dat daar ’n groot leemte en onkunde onder baie sangers bestaan (veral amateursangers) wat die nodige sorg en hantering van hul sangstem betref. Hiperfunksionele stemproduksie a.g.v. foutiewe stemgebruikgewoontes, afwesigheid van sangopleiding en onkunde op die gebied van stemhigiëne en -sorg was opvallend. Dit blyk dat die sangpedagoog, in noue samewerking met die ONK-spesialis en spraakterapeut, ‘n kritieke leemte kan vul in die gespesialiseerde opvoeding en behandeling van sangers met stemprobleme. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In South Africa, as in other countries, singers frequently happen to experience voice problems at some or other stage in their career. The general reaction to this problem is to seek help from an ear, nose and throat specialist (ENT specialist). Seeing that the activity of singing requires such a finely balanced condition of the vocal instrument, it seems that the origin of most voice problems singers experience are of a functional nature. This study is based on the premise that the most successful way of treating an artist with a voice problem is via an integrated interdisciplinary team approach, which includes an ENT specialist as well as a speech therapist and a singing pedagogue. Unlike in South Africa, this interdisciplinary approach is already common practice in countries such as the USA and the UK. The study is conducted from the viewpoint of a singing pedagogue. It identifies the knowledge and practical experience the singing pedagogue would require to function successfully as part of an interdisciplinary team in the treatment of singers with voice problems. To succeed in this goal the study takes on the form of a case study. The researcher practically observed consultations with singers over several months in a medical voice clinic under the leadership of an ENT specialist. These case studies are reflected and discussed throughout this thesis. Amongst others, this includes the role of each member of the interdisciplinary team, the causes and treatment of typical voice problems amongst singers, as well as the specific role of the singing pedagogue in the treatment process. It is found that a great deal of ignorance exists amongst many singers (especially amateur singers) in respect of the necessary care and management of their singing voice. Hyperfunctional voice production due to incorrect voice-use habits, the absence of vocal training and ignorance regarding vocal hygiene and voice care were encountered frequently.

An ethnological essay about two open daycares in Söderköping, one by the Swedish church and one by the community. -How to integrate refugees and there children in the social enviroment in the town.The benefits of the daily activites at the open daycares by singing and interacting with other children. In the ethnological essay I spend 3 days at the community daycare and 3 days at the daycare by the Church. After my field time I interview the daycare teachers and the priest about integration in the daycare. The essay has also got a interview with the civil servants at the social office in Söderköping aout integration. / En etnologiskt uppsats om integration på den öppna förskolan i Söderköpings kommun.Den ena öppna förskolan som bedrivs av kommunen och den andre öppna förskola som bedrivs av svenska kyrkan.-Vad finns det för fördelar med den öppna förskolans aktiviteter som sång och lekar för barn med utländsk härkomst för att lättare komma in i samhället.  Under min etnologiska fältstudie var jag 3 dagar på den kommunala öppna förskolan och 3 dagar på kyrkans öppna förskola. När min tid på fältet var färdig intervjuades förskolepedagogerna både i kyrkans öppna förskola och den kommunala öppna förskolans pedagoger och prästen inom kyrkans öppna förskola.För att få ett större förståelse om integration intervjuades några anställda ur socialkontoret.

Thesis (MScIng)--University of Stellenbosch, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: A singing voice can be manipulated artificially by means of a digital computer for the purposes of creating new melodies or to correct existing ones. When the fundamental frequency of an audio signal that represents a human voice is changed by simple algorithms, the formants of the voice tend to move to new frequency locations, making it sound unnatural. The main purpose is to design a technique by which the pitch and formants of a singing voice can be controlled independently. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Onafhanklike formant- en toonhoogte beheer toegepas op ’n sangstem: ’n Sangstem kan deur ’n digitale rekenaar gemanipuleer word om nuwe melodie¨e te skep, of om bestaandes te verbeter. Wanneer die fundamentele frekwensie van ’n klanksein (wat ’n menslike stem voorstel) deur ’n eenvoudige algoritme verander word, skuif die oorspronklike formante na nuwe frekwensie gebiede. Dit veroorsaak dat die resultaat onnatuurlik klink. Die hoof oogmerk is om ’n tegniek te ontwerp wat die toonhoogte en die formante van ’n sangstem apart kan beheer.

My Master of Fine Arts thesis film is a 60-minute film that blends documentary and feature film elements entitled Who Is Singing There. It’s a story about Totem, a rock band formed seven years ago. Right before it was to release its second album, lead singer Suming and drummer A-shing were determined to leave the group. Band members held a meeting to work out a solution. Before they knew it, however, they were reminiscing about the time they took part in music competitions in from 2003 to 2005. They realized that the root to why they were coming apart could be traced back to that time and if they wanted the band go any further, they needed not only to rekindle their passion for music but something more. This is an account of the filmmaking process from the initial idea to the finished film. / text

This thesis provides analysis of the networks of power and authority, which interconnect commonly referenced sources of knowledge about Tuvan throat singing. These sources–books, websites, performances, a documentary film, CD liner notes, and the individuals involved in their production–comprise a substantial portion of contemporary public discourse that represents Tuva and its musical practices to the English speaking world and serve to produce “experts” and “expert knowledge” of throat singing. This work also shows how public discourse of Tuva forms an “authentic”, homogenous, romanticized and spiritualized pan-Asian identity centered on the practices of throat singing, shamanism, and nomadism. The conclusion offers an explanation as to why the public discourse focused on Tuvan throat singing locates the “authentic” in rural Tuva, why throat singing is so often aligned with the spiritual, the healing, and the eternal, and why such conceptions serve to benefit the careers of those involved with the production of such an image. This chapter also explores whether or not representing Tuva with an idealized and romanticized image places Tuvans and related ethnic groups at a disadvantage socially, politically, and economically. / text

While human speech and the human voice generate acoustical energy up to (and beyond) 20 kHz, the energy above approximately 5 kHz has been largely neglected. Evidence is accruing that this high-frequency energy contains perceptual information relevant to speech and voice, including percepts of quality, localization, and intelligibility. The present research was an initial step in the long-range goal of characterizing high-frequency energy in singing voice and speech, with particular regard for its perceptual role and its potential for modification during voice and speech production.In this study, a database of high-fidelity recordings of talkers was created and used for a broad acoustical analysis and general characterization of high-frequency energy, as well as specific characterization of phoneme category, voice and speech intensity level, and mode of production (speech versus singing) by high-frequency energy content. Directionality of radiation of high-frequency energy from the mouth was also examined. The recordings were used for perceptual experiments wherein listeners were asked to discriminate between speech and voice samples that differed only in high-frequency energy content. Listeners were also subjected to gender discrimination tasks, mode-of-production discrimination tasks, and transcription tasks with samples of speech and singing that contained only high-frequency content. The combination of these experiments has revealed that (1) human listeners are able to detect very subtle level changes in high-frequency energy, and (2) human listeners are able to extract significant perceptual information from high-frequency energy.

Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur sångpedagoger beskriver att de arbetar med röstregister i sin undervisning, vilka olika röstbegrepp informanterna använder sig av samt hur de förklarar dessa för eleverna. Med denna studie vill jag få en bild av hur terminologin påverkar undervisningen när samma register förklaras på olika sätt. Jag har utgått från kvalitativa intervjuer för att på så sätt få en mer utförlig bild av sångpedagogers uppfattningar och handlingar. Jag har intervjuat fyra sångpedagoger i olika genrer för att se om det finns någon skillnad i val av begrepp utifrån vilken genre de arbetar inom. För att kunna tolka och försöka förstå informanterna på ett djupare sätt har jag använt mig av ett hermeneutiskt förhållningssätt. Jag har också analyserat datamaterialet utifrån ett didaktiskt perspektiv.   Resultatet visar att informanterna anser att det finns för många begrepp när det gäller röstregister och att det skulle vara bra att sortera upp dem och minska antalet på dem. Samtidigt anser informanterna att sången är viktigare än hanteringen av begreppen. Genom att förklara begrepp utifrån specifika genrer samt vara tydlig med vad ett register är skulle terminologin kunna berika undervisningen. / The purpose of this study is to investigate how vocal teachers work with vocal register in their teaching; which voice terms the informants use and how they explain these to the students. With this study I want to get a picture of how the terms affect the teaching, when the same register is explained in different ways. I have used qualitative interviews to get a more detailed picture of the vocal teachers’ opinions and actions. I have chosen four vocal teachers in different genres in order to find if there are different choices of words between the music genres they work in. To be able to interpret and understand the informants in a deeper way I have used a hermeneutic perspective. I have also analysed the data from a didactic point of view.    The results show that the informants find too many terms connected to the vocal register and that it would be good to categorise and minimize the number of them. At the same time the informants believe that the singing is more important than the use of the terms. Explaining the terms within the genre, and by making clear what a register is, should enrich the education.

Denna studie syftar till att utveckla kunskap om hur professionella klassiska sångare förbereder sig och hanterar scenframträdanden. Studiens frågeställningar har varit hur klassiska sångare uppfattar vikten av mental förberedelse inför scenframträdanden och vilka funktioner de uppfattar att mental träning och scenisk beredskap har inom sångutbildning på olika nivåer. För att få svar på mina frågeställningar använde jag mig av kvalitativa intervjuer med fyra professionella klassiska sångare.Resultatet visar att informanterna lägger stor vikt på instuderingsprocessen i sin mentala förberedelse inför ett scenframträdande. Instuderingen ska påbörjas i god tid innan en konsert och genomföras metodiskt med fokus på teknik, text, musik och scenisk utformning. Studien visade också att informanterna hade tydliga rutiner under konsert-/föreställningsdagen. Det som mentalt skulle hanteras för att lyckas med ett scenframträdande var att kunna vara i nuet och att omvandla nervositet till en kreativ energi. / The purpose of this study is to develop knowledge about how professional classical singers prepare for and handle performances. The questions of the study have been what classical singers regard about the importance of mental preparation before a performance, and what functions mental training and stage preparation have at different levels in vocal education. To find the answers to these questions I interviewed four professional classical singers.The result shows the importance of an accurate learning of the music, technique and expression prior to performance. The study also demonstrated that the informants had well- developed routines for the day of their performance. To make a mentally well-controlled performance, the informants had to be present on the stage, and be able to transform stage fright into creative energy.