Full Description
Mzilikazi Khumalo (1932-2021), an iconic figure in choral music in South Africa, rose to prominence as one of Africa's leading composers of art music. This is a work of music history.
Biographical essays on Khumalo's major works, including those for choir, orchestra, and opera are complemented by contextual studies of his compositions and arrangements as well as reflections on his roles as editor, conductor, and music director. Specifically in the context of South Africa's cultural and political transition from Apartheid to democracy, Khumalo's key role in establishing the Nation Building Massed Choir Festival, a multi-racial institution that forged an inclusive space for music, in the 1980s is discussed as evidence of his importance and relevance in South African culture.
Khumalo's major works are studied in relation to contemporary art music, choral composition, and traditional song. These are UShaka KaSenzangakhona (1996), an African epic, and Princess Magogo KaDinuzulu (2002), one of the first indigenous African operas. Khumalo's artistic collaborators provide insight into their experiences working on these major projects, documenting the relationships the composer cultivated with his peers. This volume addresses a lacuna in the literature on South African art music which until recently tended to focus on works in the classical tradition and shows that Khumalo is a composer without peer in his synthesis of classical and choral, traditional and contemporary.
Contents
List of Figures
Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Music of J.S. Mzilikazi Khumalo
Thomas Pooley, University of South Africa, Naomi André, UNC Chapel Hill, USA, Innocentia Mhlambi, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, and Donato Somma, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
1. Ugqozi: A Biography of James Steven Mzilikazi Khumalo (1932 - 2021)
Thomas Pooley, University of South Africa
2. An Interview with Diliza Khumalo
Thomas Pooley, University of South Africa
3. The National Anthem Committee
J.S. Mzilikazi Khumalo (ed. Ludumo Magangane), Composer and Independent Scholar, South Africa
4. Nation Building Massed Choir Festival: Collaboration between Professor J. S. M. Khumalo and Maestro Richard Cock
Richard Cock, Choral Music Director and Conductor, South Africa
5. The Use of Tonic Sol-Fa Notation by Professor Mzilikazi Khumalo
Ludumo Magangane, Conductor and Independent Scholar, South Africa
6. The Music for A Cappella Choir
David Smith, Musician and Independent Scholar, South Africa
7. The Evolution of UShaka as an African Epic
Robert Maxym, Conductor and Composer
8. Sigiya Ngengoma: Music Dancing History and Politics in UShaka KaSenzangakhona (1996)
Innocentia Mhlambi, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
9. The Unique Collaboration Behind the Opera Princess Magogo kaDinuzulu
Sandra de Villiers, Opera Africa
10. The Music of Princess Magogo kaDinuzulu
Megan Quilliam, Independent Scholar, USA
11. 'Walking in Thorns': Nested Contexts in the Creation of Princess Magogo kaDinuzulu
Donato Somma, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
12. Representing Princess Magogo in the Opera Princess Magogo kaDinuzulu
Kholeka Shange, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Works List of James Stephen Mzilikazi Khumalo (1932-2021)
Thomas Pooley, University of South Africa
Score: "Ma Ngificwa Ukufa" (1959) by J.S.M. Khumalo
Score: "Izibongo ZikaShaka" (1981) by J.S.M. Khumalo
Editor and Contributor Bios
Notes
Bibliography
Discography
Index
