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Sounds of suffering : a creative response to human suffering and emotional pain in the form of a contemporary composition

Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2020.

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Main Author: Ghayem, Nina
Other Authors: Roosenschoon, Hans
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University 2020
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access_status_str Open Access
author Ghayem, Nina
author2 Roosenschoon, Hans
author_browse Ghayem, Nina
Roosenschoon, Hans
author_facet Roosenschoon, Hans
Ghayem, Nina
author_sort Ghayem, Nina
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv Stellenbosch University
description Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2020.
format Thesis
id oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/107911
institution Stellenbosch University (South Africa)
language English
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:43:30.254Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository
publishDate 2020
publishDateRange 2020
publishDateSort 2020
publisher Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
publisherStr Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
record_format dspace
source_str SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository
spelling oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/107911 Sounds of suffering : a creative response to human suffering and emotional pain in the form of a contemporary composition Ghayem, Nina Roosenschoon, Hans Ludemann, Winfried Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Department of Music. Composition (Music) Musical analysis UCTD Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2020. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This doctoral dissertation is intended as a contribution to the field of practice-based research in music, more specifically in the area of composition. It presents a study on the topic of human suffering in which theoretical and creative work are integrated so as to provide a view on the subject from the perspective of the researcher as composer. Throughout their history and in all cultures humans have been confronted by the phenomenon of pain and suffering as an integral part of life and have been dealing with it in various ways. This also applies to artists, who have responded to the phenomenon with the respective creative means at their disposal. For a twenty-first century composer the devices that were developed by composers in past centuries to represent or express pain and suffering are no longer viable. Therefore, to respond creatively to this phenomenon in a way that is contemporary, musically sensitive and stylistically appropriate, I explore the potential which the sounds of actual human voices expressing pain and suffering offer me for my compositions. The aim of the project, therefore, was to record and analyse the expressive quality of human voices in a state of suffering so as to understand their particular characteristics and then to exploit these characteristics for my creative work. For this purpose I undertook extensive fieldwork, during which I recorded vocal expressions of pain by people in a state of suffering, more specifically the expression of grief in the form of mourning at funerals conducted at public cemeteries. These sound samples were then analysed by means of SPEARsound analysis software. The results provided me with raw sound material for my creative work, which, in turn, led to the portfolio of compositions offered as part of this dissertation. Ultimately, the challenge was to find a theoretical basis on which to base the entire project and to integrate its various parts, i.e. cultural awareness, fieldwork, questions of compositional style, the possibilities offered by software and the actual creative work, into a coherent whole. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie doktorale proefskrif is bedoel as `n bydrae tot die veld van praktyk-gebaseerde navorsing in musiek, meer spesifiek tot die gebied van komposisie. Dit bied `n studie aan oor die onderwerp van menslike pyn en lyding, waarin teoretiese en kreatiewe werk geïntegreer word om `n blik op die onderwerp te verskaf vanuit die perspektief van die navorser as komponis. Deur die geskiedenis heen en in alle kulture is mense gekonfronteer met die verskynsel van pyn en lyding as `n onlosmaaklike deel van die lewe en het hulle op verskillende wyses daarop gereageer. Dit geld ook vir kunstenaars, wat op telkens verskillende maniere en met die onderskeie kreatiewe middele tot hul beskikking daarop geantwoord het. Vanuit die perspektief van `n een-en-twintigste-eeuse komponis het die middele wat deur komponiste in vroeëre eeue ontwikkel is om pyn en lyding uit te druk hul geldigheid verloor. Om dus kreatief op pyn en lyding te antwoord op `n wyse wat eietyds, musikaal sensitief en stilisties toepaslik is, ondersoek ek die potensiaal wat die stemme van mense in `n werklike toestand van pyn en lyding vir my skeppende werk inhou. Die doelwit van die projek was dus om die ekspressiewe kwaliteit van menslike stemme wat pyn en lyding uitdruk op te neem, te analiseer, die kenmerke daarvan te ondersoek en dan vir my kreatiewe werk te ontgin. Vir hierdie doel het ek uitgebreide veldwerk onderneem, waartydens ek die vokale uitdrukking van pyn en lyding deur mense by openbare begrafnisse opgeneem het. Hierdie klankmonsters is dan met behulp van SPEAR sagteware ontleed. Die resultate het klankmateriaal tot my beskikking gestel wat op sy beurt tot die kreatiewe werk gelei het wat ek as komposisieportefeulje by hierdie proefskrif insluit. In die laaste instansie was die uitdaging om `n teoretiese grondslag vir die projek as geheel te vind en waarby die verskillende dele, naamlik kulturele bewustheid, veldwerk, kwessies van komposisiestyl, die potensiaal van sagteware en die uiteindelike kreatiewe werk, uiteindelik tot `n koherente geheel geïntegreer kan word. Doctoral 2020-02-11T10:17:50Z 2020-04-28T12:08:56Z 2020-02-11T10:17:50Z 2020-04-28T12:08:56Z 2020-03 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/107911 en Stellenbosch University [8], 133 leaves : illustrations (some color) audio/mp3 audio/mp3 audio/mp3 audio/mp3 application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
spellingShingle Composition (Music)
Musical analysis
UCTD
Ghayem, Nina
Sounds of suffering : a creative response to human suffering and emotional pain in the form of a contemporary composition
title Sounds of suffering : a creative response to human suffering and emotional pain in the form of a contemporary composition
title_full Sounds of suffering : a creative response to human suffering and emotional pain in the form of a contemporary composition
title_fullStr Sounds of suffering : a creative response to human suffering and emotional pain in the form of a contemporary composition
title_full_unstemmed Sounds of suffering : a creative response to human suffering and emotional pain in the form of a contemporary composition
title_short Sounds of suffering : a creative response to human suffering and emotional pain in the form of a contemporary composition
title_sort sounds of suffering a creative response to human suffering and emotional pain in the form of a contemporary composition
topic Composition (Music)
Musical analysis
UCTD
url http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/107911
work_keys_str_mv AT ghayemnina soundsofsufferingacreativeresponsetohumansufferingandemotionalpainintheformofacontemporarycomposition