Analytical perspectives on selected South African compositions, with a focus on Aural Sonology

Abstract

This mini-dissertation explores three analytical perspectives on compositions by three South African composers: Jeanne Zaidel-Rudolph’s Four minim for cello and piano (1982, revised in 1992), Hendrik Hofmeyr’s Partita Africana for piano (1999–2006) and Hans Roosenschoon’s Timbila for orchestra (1985). The first perspective came from existing analyses of the works in question, the second from my own Aural Sonology analyses of the same works, and the third from interviews with the composers themselves. Aural Sonology is an analytical method where the aim of analysis is the sonic aspect of the music; music as it is aurally perceived. Listening intentions are used to guide the analyst’s attention towards extra-musical ideas (Thoresen, 2006:4). These extra-musical ideas are defined by using a taxonomical analysis in the aural isotopy category. This analysis then helps the analyst with the observations of form-structure. The synthesis of the three analytical perspectives offered a means for presenting South African compositions, through a holistic application of a systematic-formalistic method, to enable a better understanding of the music in a consistent strand of a musical gestalt. This serves as an alternative to a persistent emphasis on musical content and stylistic understanding