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Reading Darius Brubeck’s The Maskanda: thoughts on decolonization and music
Thesis (MMus)--Stellenbosch University, 2024.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
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| _version_ | 1867614025678848000 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | January, Brent Reece |
| author2 | Muller, Stephanus |
| author_browse | January, Brent Reece Muller, Stephanus |
| author_facet | Muller, Stephanus January, Brent Reece |
| author_sort | January, Brent Reece |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MMus)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/131680 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:45:28.762Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/131680 Reading Darius Brubeck’s The Maskanda: thoughts on decolonization and music January, Brent Reece Muller, Stephanus Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Music. Maskanda Brubeck, Darius -- Composition Guitar music -- South Africa -- History and criticism Zulu (African people) -- Music Decolonization UCTD Thesis (MMus)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis performs a close reading of Darius Brubeck’s composition, The Maskanda, for solo guitar. It does this by considering the context of Zulu maskanda music that inspired its composition. In particular, The Maskanda was inspired by Sipho Mchunu after Brubeck attended a workshop by Mchunu on maskanda music, held at the Centre of Jazz and Popular Music at the University of Natal. During this workshop, Mchunu discussed and demonstrated the context and connotations of his maskanda music, such as specific tuning, the type of music played when people dance, competitive methods of playing, music for walking, music for respecting elders, and music for recreation. The Maskanda has four movements: “Introduction”, “He praises his ancestors…”, “the old people dance…”, and “And he makes the people laugh”. All four movements reflect the music discussed in Mchunu’s workshop and are expressions of maskanda music as interpreted by Brubeck. I explore the extent to which Brubeck’s composition appropriates and formalizes maskanda guitar styles (and) performance practices in notation. The first chapter gives an overview of the history of maskanda music. It starts with definitions and the early origins of maskanda, followed by an overview of instruments used in maskanda music, and further explores common musical characteristics, styles, and prominent performers of maskanda music. Chapter two is a close reading of Brubeck’s The Maskanda. This allows a consideration of Brubeck’s composition in the context of music-theoretical characteristics prevalent in specific maskanda guitar styles; isizulu, umzansi and isishameni. The third chapter is an exploration of decolonial perspectives on maskanda. Specifically, I ask how Brubeck’s engagement with maskanda could be understood as a form or decolonial praxis, or not. I do this through considering Kofi Agawu’s five basic principles of form in African music: call and response, variation, additive form, a narrative impulse, and moment form. I conclude that even though notation as a form of composition is a way of closing and fixing music to the page, performances can act as a way of re-opening the score. Through adaptations of the score and by using it as a guide more than a score that has to be strictly adhered to, Brubeck’s The Maskanda can be understood as an example of decolonial artistic engagement with an indigenous musical practice. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In hierdie tesis word ’n stiplees van Darius Brubeck se solo-kitaar komposisie, The Maskanda, aangebied. Dit word gedoen teen die agtergrond van Zulu maskanda-musiek wat die werk geïnspireer het. In die besonder, is The Maskanda geïnspireer deur Sipho Mchunu nadat Brubeck ’n werkswinkel deur Mchunu oor maskanda musiek bygewoon het by die Sentrum vir Jazz en Populêre Musiek aan die Universiteit van Natal. Tydens hierdie werkswinkel het Mchunu die konteks en herkomste van sy maskanda musiek bespreek en gedemonstreer, soos spesifieke stemming, die tipe musiek wat tydens dans gespeel word, mededingende speelmetodes, musiek vir wandel, musiek om ouer mense te vereer, en musiek vir ontspanning. The Maskanda het vier bewegings: “Introduction”, “He praises his ancestors…”, “the old people dance…”, en “And he makes the people laugh”. Al vier bewegings is aantoonbaar in gesprek met die musiek wat in Mchunu se werkswinkel bespreek is, en verteenwoordig interpretasies van maskandamusiek deur Brubeck. Ek ondersoek die mate waarin Brubeck se komposisie ontleen is aan maskanda kitaarstyle en - praktyke, en hoe dit hierdie style in notasie formaliseer. Die eerste hoofstuk verskaf ’n oorsig van die geskiedenis van maskandamusiek. Dit begin met definisies en die vroeë oorspronge van maskanda, gevolg deur ’n oorsig van instrumente wat in maskandamusiek gebruik word, en verder verken dit algemene musikale eienskappe, style en prominente uitvoerders van maskandamusiek. Hoofstuk twee is ’n stiplees van Brubeck se The Maskanda wat my in staat stel om Brubeck se komposisie te verstaan aan die hand van die musiekeoretiese eienskappe wat algemeen voorkom in spesifieke maskanda kitaarstyle: isizulu, umzansi en isishameni. Die derde hoofstuk is ’n verkenning van dekoloniale perspektiewe op maskanda. In die besonder oorweeg ek hoe Brubeck se gebruik van maskanda verstaan kan word as ’n vorm van dekoloniale praxis, of nie. Ek doen dit deur te kyk na Kofi Agawu se vyf basiese beginsels van vorm in Afrika-musiek: stelling en antwoord, variasie, bygevoegde vorm, narratiewe vorm, en impulsvorm. Ek kom tot die gevolgtrekking dat, alhoewel notasie van ’n musikale komposisie ’n manier is om musiek af te sluit en onveranderbaar te maak, uitvoerings van die werk kan dien as ’n manier om die partituur dinamies en oop te hou. Deur die aanpassing van die partituur en deur dit as ’n riglyn eerder as voorskrif vir uitvoering te gebruik, kan The Maskanda verstaan word as ’n voorbeeld van dekoloniale artistieke ontlening uit ’n inheemse musikale praktyk. Masters 2025-02-05T11:20:36Z 2025-02-05T11:20:36Z 2024-12 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/131680 en Stellenbosch University xiii, 77 pages : music application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Maskanda Brubeck, Darius -- Composition Guitar music -- South Africa -- History and criticism Zulu (African people) -- Music Decolonization UCTD January, Brent Reece Reading Darius Brubeck’s The Maskanda: thoughts on decolonization and music |
| title | Reading Darius Brubeck’s The Maskanda: thoughts on decolonization and music |
| title_full | Reading Darius Brubeck’s The Maskanda: thoughts on decolonization and music |
| title_fullStr | Reading Darius Brubeck’s The Maskanda: thoughts on decolonization and music |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reading Darius Brubeck’s The Maskanda: thoughts on decolonization and music |
| title_short | Reading Darius Brubeck’s The Maskanda: thoughts on decolonization and music |
| title_sort | reading darius brubeck s the maskanda thoughts on decolonization and music |
| topic | Maskanda Brubeck, Darius -- Composition Guitar music -- South Africa -- History and criticism Zulu (African people) -- Music Decolonization UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/131680 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT januarybrentreece readingdariusbrubecksthemaskandathoughtsondecolonizationandmusic |