On friday, a travelled to a smart new shopping and office complex to meet a chorister from the new University choir for an interview. The first thing that struck me was how close this very smart venue is to the venue where the alexandra Youth choir meets, and yet how different it is. Admittedly, the university choir does not rehearse here, and the choir students do not necessarily all stay in areas like this, but the divide between the two choirs is huge. The young man I was meeting is an upwardly mobile, young businessman, with a confident manner, and a career. He exudes an air of confidence and sophistication.
In conversation, I was interested to note that he appears to spend little or no energy on imagining South Africa through the medium of choral singing/music. He commented that the "African Music" which the choir had sung up to this point was "fun", but that he was unsure of its musical value. He mentioned that it was enjoyed by overseas audiences. He also explained that in his opinion, Afrikaans, as a germanic language, with a musical tradition with germanic roots, was not part of this category of "African Music." He commented that he enjoys singing earlier music particularly, and mentioned chant specifically. I got the impression that choral singing for him is a spiritual and emotional experience, and has a lot to do with immersing himself in an aesthetically pleasing art form, rather than being a social interaction. I doubt he would describe it as spiritual, though he used what I interpreted as religious terms to describe the experience of choral singing. He expressed a deep loyalty to the choir conductor, and, as I have observed before, has a lot of respect for her musically and personally, and therefore continues to sing with the choir despite the changes that are about to happen. I am really eager to continue interviewing his fellow choristers, as I hope to identify some sort of pattern in the way they discuss the musical experience, and what they anticipate for the choir's future.
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
some thoughts on a recent interview with a choir conductor
When I first decided to include choir of a particular local university in my study, it was mainly because they are at present undergoing a dramatic change, not only of name, but of character, and constituency, too. The reason for this change is that the former University has this year combined with a local technikon and a correspondence university, to form a new University. The result of this alone could be interesting, because the old university, traditionally, was a conservative, mainly white, largely Afrikaans university, while having made many inroads toward transformation in the past ten years, will inevitably face even greater changes as it combines with a university from a former black township, and previous hotbed of political activism, and a former technical college, now technical university.
The university choir was established in 1974, in what was at the time, an entirely white university. In 1994, South Africa made the transformation to democracy, and at around about that time, the university began admitting black students. It was also around this time, that the university Chorale was established. While the Choir specialized in music of the Western tradition, and some Afrikaans folk music, the Chorale sang almost entirely African music in black African languages. The choir had almost entirely white students. The Chorale had almost entirely black students. the polarity was glaring. This year, as the university is renamed, and the choir and chorale combine, and form a new choir. Students from both the Choir and the Chorale will begin auditioning for the new choir next week, and the choir will perform a mixture of Western and African music.
Yesterday, Friday the 4th of February 2005, I conducted an interview with the Music Director of the old choir, who will also be the director of the new choir. I would like to record some initial impressions I received from the encounter.
This music director, is an experienced and capable musician with an impressive CV. She is enthusiastic about the future of the choir, and about my research of them. I did receive the impression that she is a little apprehensive about teaching and performing African music with the choir, but is willing to invite guest conductors to assist with this task. Her desire to make a success of this change is infectious, and I am sure will contribute to the success of the endeavor.
While listening to a CD recorded by the old choir in 2003, I found myself constantly changing my mind about how to categorize them. They are certainly competent when performing Western music, but have just enough of a South African/Afrikaans inflection in their articulation to remind one of their South African origin. Their performances of music from the black African Choral Tradition sounds, as my supervisor once put it, like it is being performed by a "good, white South African choir." There is a high level of "Authenticity," but the choir does not always have the characteristic sound of many African Choirs, who make wide use of vibrato, and more chest voice than is used in this recording. Part of the reason for this is probably that the use of vibrato is a contested area of technique, generally frowned upon by Western-trained choral directors. Much of the African music recorded on this CD carries the energy one would expect from this music, but I sometimes felt that there was a certain less tangible spontaneity lacking. Something that really interested me was the very Western sound on the Afrikaans music performed.
I hope, when I next have the opportunity to interview the director, to follow up on her categorization of music, technique, and global choral trends.
to the director in question, thank you so much for your time, enthusiasm and invaluable assistance. I am so grateful for your co-operation and openness, and am really looking forward to working with you and your exciting choir.
The university choir was established in 1974, in what was at the time, an entirely white university. In 1994, South Africa made the transformation to democracy, and at around about that time, the university began admitting black students. It was also around this time, that the university Chorale was established. While the Choir specialized in music of the Western tradition, and some Afrikaans folk music, the Chorale sang almost entirely African music in black African languages. The choir had almost entirely white students. The Chorale had almost entirely black students. the polarity was glaring. This year, as the university is renamed, and the choir and chorale combine, and form a new choir. Students from both the Choir and the Chorale will begin auditioning for the new choir next week, and the choir will perform a mixture of Western and African music.
Yesterday, Friday the 4th of February 2005, I conducted an interview with the Music Director of the old choir, who will also be the director of the new choir. I would like to record some initial impressions I received from the encounter.
This music director, is an experienced and capable musician with an impressive CV. She is enthusiastic about the future of the choir, and about my research of them. I did receive the impression that she is a little apprehensive about teaching and performing African music with the choir, but is willing to invite guest conductors to assist with this task. Her desire to make a success of this change is infectious, and I am sure will contribute to the success of the endeavor.
While listening to a CD recorded by the old choir in 2003, I found myself constantly changing my mind about how to categorize them. They are certainly competent when performing Western music, but have just enough of a South African/Afrikaans inflection in their articulation to remind one of their South African origin. Their performances of music from the black African Choral Tradition sounds, as my supervisor once put it, like it is being performed by a "good, white South African choir." There is a high level of "Authenticity," but the choir does not always have the characteristic sound of many African Choirs, who make wide use of vibrato, and more chest voice than is used in this recording. Part of the reason for this is probably that the use of vibrato is a contested area of technique, generally frowned upon by Western-trained choral directors. Much of the African music recorded on this CD carries the energy one would expect from this music, but I sometimes felt that there was a certain less tangible spontaneity lacking. Something that really interested me was the very Western sound on the Afrikaans music performed.
I hope, when I next have the opportunity to interview the director, to follow up on her categorization of music, technique, and global choral trends.
to the director in question, thank you so much for your time, enthusiasm and invaluable assistance. I am so grateful for your co-operation and openness, and am really looking forward to working with you and your exciting choir.
Friday, February 04, 2005
Discourse analysis online
Discourse analysis online This is such a great journal. I love that people are finally taking the on-line research idea seriously. Now if we can only get the musicological community to follow suit.... still, my lecturer for Ethnomusicology for this year suggested earlier that we use e-mail for between lecture discussions, so perhaps we're getting there
An even scarier story
Well, if the first one wasn't scary enough, when I went to the police to report that little incident, they wouldn't even take a report. After explaining the story to the officer in charge, he asked me "what crime was actually comitted?" I explained that I considered it harassment, and attempted hijacking, and he said that unless a real crime was committed, there is nothing they can do. In other words, when I land up dead, then they'll take a statement. No wonder so many South Africans carry guns, when the police aren't interested in preventing crimes, but only mopping up afterwards.
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
OERL : PD Modules : Administering Questionnaires : Key Topics
OERL : PD Modules : Administering Questionnaires : Key TopicsIt's amazing what you can find when you look for it. As you might have guessed, I'm searching for research methodology, and related info. Specifically, right now, questionnaires
scary stories. (LOL)
I think, for the first time ever, I understand why so many people live in so much fear all the time. Last night, I was returning home from a choir practice, when some idiot in a souped up red car started following me. I didn't even notice, at first. He just seemed to keep pace with me, and I was watching the road, so I didn't even think to look at the person in the car next to me. It was when I tried to change lanes to turn off toward my house that I realised something wasn't right. No matter how fast or slow I went, this car kept pace with me, and wouldn't let me get into the turning lane. I missed the first turn, but the road narrowed further, ending the lane that he was in, and so at last I was in the lane I wanted to be in. I was just approaching the turn, when he pulled in front of me again, and this time, slowed right up, and put on his hazard lights. I pulled around him again, and just as I got alongside him, he once more sped up. Once more, he pulled in front of me, and slowed up, putting his hazards on, but his time, I just kept going slowly, and ducked into a shopping centre parking lot. He reversed in the middle of the road, and followed me into the lot, and out the other end, and then, once around the block. By this time, I was so afraid, I was shaking. I called my parents on my cellphone, and headed for the nearest police station. I think he realised where I was headed, or maybe he saw me talking and assumed I was on the phone to the police. either was, he finally left me be, and I rode home. Needless to say, I locked myself in very carefully once I arrived home, left lights on all over the house, and took a different rout to varsity this morning. I hate feeling so afraid. I think I need to take some more self-defence classes. I've already put all relevant emergency numbers on voice and speed dial on my cell-phone, and my stun gun sits on my lap as I drive.
And now, I just feel numb.
And now, I just feel numb.
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