Finding Home: An Exploration of South African Art Music through the Classical Saxophone and Collaborative Practice

Josie Mc Clure

This research project explores South African Art Music through collaborative practice and the classical saxophone. It begins by investigating the discourse surrounding South African Art Music through testimony collected from various conversations with South African composers, musicians and academics such as Dr Kevin Volans, Dr Antoni Schonken, Professor Hendrik Hofmeyr, Dr Cara Stacey and Arthur Feder. I began collecting the scores of South African saxophone compositions which led to the development of an online catalogue system to document these works -The South African Saxophone Catalogue. This catalogue forms the base - as well as the network - for how this research was developed. To further investigate the South African repertoire, I embarked on creative journeys with four South African composers through performer-composer collaboration. I decided to use this means of investigation as the relationship formed between myself and these composers shows a different level of engagement with this music, first-hand experience in the creation of this music as well as creating an open space for discourse. These collaborations were documented through reflections, audio and video recordings and are investigated in the form of case studies. The final artistic product was a concert featuring these new compositions in Cape Town, South Africa. The data collected was organised through an amalgamation of critical reflection and thematic analysis. Through this collective music-making, I discovered the variety in thought surrounding South African Art Music and paradoxically those who vigorously deny this term. I discovered the complexity both politically and socially that the term South African Art Music implies. In conjunction with my personal reflections, this exposition explores the ideas, opinions and art of individuals in various fields in the South African classical music scene who represent a variety of South African cultural backgrounds and generations.

The accordion layout proved to be the most effective means to present the list of works. If one clicks on the accordion, it gives information on the work such as instrumentation, premier information, programmatic information, and audio/videos of the work. One can also create links with this specific accordion to other parts of the site. This was helpful when creating the "List of Instrumentations" for instance.

To begin, I think it is important to mention that the website is by no means perfect. I had no prior experience in website design, so the final result was achieved through trial and error. I am still searching for ways to improve the layout and navigation of the catalogue to ensure that the user experience is straightforward and allows efficient access to information.

The catalogue's home page provides information on the catalogue, links to the catalogue as well as a means to submit a new work. Using the search and toolbars is the most effective means of navigating the website.

The catalogue is organised alphabetically according to the composer's surname. Each composer has a page that includes the works they have written, information on these works, biographical information and links to the composer's social media and contact information.

Here is an example below:

This part of my research was much more than an academic exercise or research for the sake of research. It allowed me to connect with other creatives, helped me network and was in essence the connecting force that spear-headed the trajectory of this exposition. Without compiling this catalogue, the majority of the collaborations would not have transpired.

The idea for the catalogue was born out of frustration when studying in South Africa. Frustration at not being able to partake in concerto festivals or competitions for a few reasons: 1) the parts were too expensive to acquire 2) no one knew the scope of what had been written by South Africans for the saxophone therefore repertoire choice was limited and 3) the frustration at not being able to take part in national competitions as finding a South African work that fit the criteria was difficult. This created exclusion from these events for classical saxophonists from around the country. This led me on an almost two-year journey in collecting scores and recordings of South African saxophone compositions - which I have finally transferred to an online platform: a website. Thus, The South African Saxophone Catalogue was born.

To begin, I needed to formulate a framework to see what is known and what's missing in the repertoire. I did this by sourcing previously existing catalogues which were often disjoint, disorganised and non-integrated. From perusing through these collections, it was clear that there were major gaps in the repertoire. To be able to have more of an idea of the scope that was missing - I had to make a public appeal. I decided to initiate a “call for scores” which consisted of me posting a flyer advertising a call for South African Classical Saxophone Works on social media platforms. Through this, composers contacted me with their music as well as other individuals giving me information on where to find works, composers that they had commissioned from as well as other “leads” that led to new potential discoveries. A substantial amount of the works were collected through emailing and contacting composers directly and sometimes the family members if the composer had passed. I collected a total of over 200 new compositions from over 60 composers.

I plan to continue this project into the future, and I hope it proves to be a valuable resource to those wishing to explore the South African repertoire composed for the instrument. This catalogue helped me immensely expand my network within the South African music scene and allowed me to connect with a variety of people who I may never have encountered. Thank you to everyone who shared their work, knowledge, advice and experience with me when creating this catalogue.

I am still actively trying to locate composers, scores and recordings. It is an ongoing investigation.

Chapter 4: Case Studies

I wanted to create a "List of Instrumentations" to ensure that users were able to search the repertoire based on instrumentation.

Visit the webiste by clicking here.

Here is a short video tutorial on the navigation of the site.

Here is an example of what one of the pages for a composer looks like. This will be elaborated on in the video below.

Here is an example if one were to click on "Saxophone and Electronics" in the List of Instrumentations. By hovering your cursor over the names of pieces, or composers, you will find links to that point in the site.

The flyer used in my "call for scores"

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