abstract: Late nineteenth-century French art song, also known as mélodie, is one of the most important genres in a classical singer’s repertoire and it cannot be ignored. Its creation represents a marked improvement over the song form of French Romance which dates from the eighteenth century. French art song was not introduced to China until the establishment of the New Republic of China in 1949. In the decades since then, French art song seems less favored by Chinese singers, when compared to Italian songs and German Lieder. Having studied both in China and the United States, the author realized that for Chinese native speakers, singing French art song is a difficult challenge. Two main problems immediately present themselves: the language barrier and the obstacle of a basic understanding of French poetry. The author’s purpose here is to examine these problems and try to help Chinese singers by offering them a systematic path toward correct French pronunciation, a brief discussion of poetic imagery often seen in French poetry, and a selected bibliography of sources on French poetry to advance their comprehension. First, the paper will introduce the phonology of Pinyin (Chinese Phonetic Alphabet), the system used in China to teach Chinese (Mandarin) and compare it with the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet), which is universally used by people in the West to learn the pronunciation of most languages. The document will then show the sounds that are most challenging for Chinese singers and will give some suggestions and vocal exercises to help singers better pronounce French diction. Secondly, the author will examine a few poems used in French songs to point out some of the cultural differences between China and Western countries and identify the challenges in understanding the meaning of selected French art songs from the perspective of a Chinese singer. Since an exhaustive study of French poetry would be another broad topic to be researched, the author will offer only basic suggestions and a brief annotated bibliography of sources at the end of this research project. It is the author's hope that this document will benefit Chinese singers and voice teachers by acquainting them with French diction and by helping them to appreciate French song literature. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Music 2019

Behind the Scenes of The Steve Taylor Story: A Documentary is the written companion to a 39-minute documentary film entitled, The Steve Taylor Story. The film explores the controversial career of Christian musician Steve Taylor. It also chronicles the ideology of the Christian subculture in America through the hegemony of the dominant Christian culture and Steve's actions in opposition to it.

Concert dress has both a psychological and a physical impact on female performers (Griffiths 2011). This research study aimed to examine the meaning of concert dress in the performances of female classical vocalists. This research was a qualitative study, using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) as a qualitative strategy of inquiry. The research participants included six experienced South African female classical vocalists between the ages of 30 and 55 and a South African concert dress designer based in New York. The research results suggested that, in view of the powerful influence of concert dress on the formation of a first impression, concert dress is, without a doubt, an important part of a performance. The meaning of concert dress is influenced by a number of factors. The study found that concert dress has a deep psychological impact on most of the participants and a physical impact on all the participants. The psychological effects of concert dress manifested in feelings of confidence and empowerment and also in the participants’ impression of body image. On the other hand, the physical effects of concert dress manifested in either comfort or discomfort, a positive/negative effect of dress on the singing technique and even injury as a result of an ill fit. In addition, if concert dress has a physical impact, this may manifest as a psychological impact and vice versa. Other factors which contributed to the selection of concert dress included the audience, personal style, and the criteria for concert dress. This study also explores modern trends such as body-focused dress. The participants agreed that concert dress should be a balanced representation of both the selected repertoire and the singer’s individuality. Although there are many factors which contribute to the meaning of concert dress to a female classical vocalist, all the participants cited a universal requirement, namely, it is essential that concert dress is comfortable. Key words: female classical vocalist, concert dress, performance, body image, repertoire, empowerment through dress, inhibiting factors of dress. / Dissertation (MMus)--University of Pretoria, 2015. / Music / Unrestricted

This study explored the experiences of prominent jazz vocalists regarding the collaboration between the vocalist and pianist during duo performances. The work relationship between a jazz vocalist and accompanist is a unique phenomenon due to the improvisatory and collaborative nature of jazz. Effective co-performer interaction and communication are two essential components within an improvisational music setting. A spirit of spontaneity ir required in order for improvisation and interpretation to take place in real-time and on stage; aspects which cannot be duplicated or replicated during rehearsals. A qualitative research approach was employed by means of a collective case study, exploring the views and experiences of three prominent South African and three international jazz vocalists. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews. Furthermore, artefacts including audio and audio-visual recordings of each of these performers were studied to ascertain aspects of the vocal-piano collaboration. Thematic data analysis presented four main themes: (1) individuality; (2) interactive relationships; (3) musicianship; and (4) the present moment. The findings revealed that the roles of both partners within the vocal-piano duo collaboration are evenly distributed, yet have distinctive functions. Each new performance between the same vocal-piano duo is an innovative execution, a skilful and artistic equilibrium. It embodies a companionship playing out on stage in view of an audience, yet with the subtle sharing of musical messages. / Mini Dissertation (MMus)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / UP Postgraduate fund / Music / MMus / Unrestricted

The aim with this research is to improve and apply vocal tools in duo performance with a pianist, and to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be an expressive vocalist. To answer this, the study has following research questions:  What tools are needed to become a more expressive vocalist?How can those vocal expressions be applied in collaboration with a pianist? How can such collaboration improve our joint expression in duo performance?  The result chapter presents the process of improving the vocal expressive tools through imitation, dividing expressive tools into mood and/ or feeling enhancing tools, and planning of vocal expressive tools. It is further developed with collaborative interpretations of three songs, Smile (Chaplin, 1936), A Case of You (Mitchell, 1971), and I Shall Be Released (Dylan, 1968), in order to apply the expressive tools and study the joint expressions. By using stimulated recall and open coding, the collaborative interpretations were studied to reflect over the progress.  The study concludes that awareness of how to apply expressive tools contributes to being able to express the intended expression without feeling it. In addition to being able to control one's vocal techniques it is useful for an expressive vocalist to contain aspects such as facial expressions, body movements, visible interaction between co-musician(s) and visible interaction between performer and perceiver. By becoming aware of what tools one uses where, and why one uses them, it develops the understanding of how the tools can be used to enhance the individual and joint expression in duo performance.  For the pianist's perspective on the collaborative outcome, read her study in Mellberg (2022).

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Monitoring is hugely important for musicians in any type of live situation for them to provide a good musical performance, and In-ear Monitoring (IEM) is increasingly popular among both musicians and audio engineers. Despite this, there has been little research on the topic and musicians and audio engineers would benefit from knowing more about the system, to utilize it in the best way possible. Because of the potentially added issues with structure borne sound, the study has chosen to focus on vocalists that use IEM. Through interviews with both Less experienced IEM users and Experienced IEM users, this study aims to find out what issues IEM users experience in live situations. Other than perceived issues, the study investigates how issues evolve with increased experience, comparing the two user groups, what solutions can be found and how an IEM mix should be for a vocalist. Through a Thematic analysis, the study reaches the conclusion that the main issue with the IEM system for vocalists is isolation from the surrounding world, and that the isolation leads to other perceived issues such as worsening the live feeling and obstructing contact with the audience. The study also concludes that there is a clear connection between monitoring and musical performance with poor monitoring leading to worse performance. The main solution observed is habit with the system, good communication between the audio engineers and musicians and an understanding for both sides workflow to increase efficiency in mixing. With this knowledge, further research can be made to increase the understanding for musicians and audio engineers respectively, and audio engineers and musicians can already focus on increasing cooperation.