Cape Town Harmonies Memory, Humour and Resilience Armelle Gaulier & Denis-Constant Martin AFRICAN MINDS Published in 2017 by African Minds 4 Eccleston Place, Somerset West, 7130, Cape Town, South Africa
[email protected] www.africanminds.org.za 2017 All contents of this document, unless specified otherwise, are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. All photographs by Denis-Constant Martin unless otherwise noted. ISBNs 978-1-928331-50-6 PRINT 978-1-928331-51-3 e-Book 978-1-928331-52-0 e-Pub Copies of this book are available for free download at www.africanminds.org.za ORDERS For orders from Africa: African Minds Email:
[email protected] For orders from outside Africa: African Books Collective PO Box 721, Oxford OX1 9EN, UK Email:
[email protected] Published with the support of: Dedicated to Anwar Gambeno & Melvyn Matthews whose support and assistance contributed decisively to our research on Kaapse Klopse and Malay Choirs Anwar Gambeno (left) and Melvyn Matthews (right) Contents Acknowledgements vii Foreword xiii Prologue xvii INTRODUCTION 1 Part One: Memory and Processes of Musical Appropriation CHAPTER 1 Music behind the music: Appropriation as the engine of creation 39 CHAPTER 2 In the footsteps of the future: Musical memory and reconciliation in South Africa 59 Part Two: Nederlandsliedjies and Notions of Blending CHAPTER 3 The nederlandsliedjies’ “uniqueness” 77 CHAPTER 4 The meanings of blending 107 Part Three Moppies: Humour and Survival CHAPTER 5 Assembling comic songs 135 CHAPTER 6 Behind the comic 179 vi CONCLUSION Memory, resilience, identity and creolisation 219 Appendix 1 – Nederlandsliedjies lyrics 237 Appendix 2 – Cape Malay Choir Board adjudication reports 247 Appendix 3 – Moppie lyrics 253 References 321 Interviews with musicians, judges and experts 335 Acknowledgements ARMELLE GAULIER I to Cape Town from July to October 2006 to study moppies or comic songs.