TSHIANZWANE MUSIC: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PHYSICAL STRUCTURE AND ABSTRACTIONS IN CULTURAL PROGRESS AND CHANGE by Thapedi Shadrack Mashianoke Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTERS IN MUSICOLOGY at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA SUPERVISOR: Prof. Marc Duby DATE February 2013 Declaration ii Summary Title: Tshianzwane Music: the relationship between physical structure and abstractions in cultural progress and change In this dissertation, I explore music styles from Tshianzwane village in HaMakuya, in the Limpopo Province of South Africa, particularly malende, tshigombela, and children‘s songs. I consider the music styles as embedded in their extra-musical physical structure and abstractions; social rituals; frame of reference; forms of habitus; social order; cultural capital; social meanings, behaviour, power hierarchy, status, space, agency, institutions; formal-informal education and means; symbols; musical instruments; dance; religion; ancestor worship; traditional health practice; norms and values; mentorship and rites of passage. I further explore how and why music performers and other cultural patterns at Tshianzwane interpenetrate with each other and their living space through social roles; demonstration-imitation learning method; enculturation; dialectics of normative-interpretive, embodiment-hexis or cues, internalization- externalization, surface-deep structure, conscious-unconscious level, qualitative- quantitative understanding of music styles and genres and local-foreign context; means of communication; reinterpretation and redefinition of concepts. In conclusion, I consider how people and cultural patterns at Tshianzwane, through interpenetration, form progressing and changing social web; social connections; attachments; trance; state of flux in cultural patterns; synthesis of cultural patterns; embedded contexts; shared culture and resultant cultural patterns. Since cultural patterns, as a result of interpenetration, reflect each other, I point out the challenges in socio-spatial mapping of forms of habitus and cultural patterns. In my dissertation, I use John Blacking‘s work as my primary theoretical framework. Furthermore, I use Pierre Bourdieu‘s theoretical framework, and Hugh Tracey‘s and David Dargie‘s audio CDs on African tribal music to enrich my theoretical ground. I collected my field data at Tshianzwane in collaboration with Joseph Morake and Ignatia Madalane (students), Dr Susan Harrop-Allin (supervisor), Samson Netshifhefhe, Obert Ramashia, Paul Munyai and Musiwalo (informants). iii Key words: music culture, extra music culture, physical structure, abstractions, frame of reference, habitus, cultural capital, bodily hexis, interpenetration, social web. iv Acknowledgements I acknowledge the inspiration of my late grandfather, my father‘s father, who offered for my project with his heart-felt pride ideas on amaHlubi of Zangele origin. I talked to him on 2 May 2010 and that strengthened my ideas for this project, as well as provided new ones. Briefly, it is a good idea for a person to study his racial or ethnic social meanings as much as it is to study that of other races and ethnic groups, because today we live in interpenetrating cultures. Social interaction and interpenetration would be fulfilling if humans thoroughly knew one another. While some people would infer that money and material goods make the world go round, I can confidently declare that conflicting social meanings make the world go round. Money and material goods primarily serve to promote social meanings. I also acknowledge the contributions to my field data of Dr Susan Harrop-Allin, Ignatia Madalane, Joseph Morake, Samson Netshifhefhe, Paul Munyai, Obert Ramashia, Musiwalo and all the performers and interviewees at Tshianzwane. To avoid repetition, the roles of these people in this project are detailed in the glossary and subsequent chapters. I further acknowledge my previous internal and external supervisors at the University of South Africa, Thokozani Mhlambi and Dr Mogomme Masoga and my current supervisor, Prof. Marc Duby. I can sing Prof. Marc Duby‘s praises forever but, briefly, he is the person who has made my academic life at the University of South Africa a success. I also acknowledge the great contribution that my previous educators and fellow students have made in my academic life. Since 1988, when I began my academic career, my educators and fellow students have had to provide extra support for me because I am partially sighted. I come from a materially and financially needy family. For my entire schooling career so far, my family have provided the material and financial support they could. However, my previous educators and fellow students, the Department of Labour and the financial aid departments at the University of the Witwatersrand v and the University of South Africa respectively have contributed a significant share of the material and financial support, especially for my tertiary education. I also need to take this opportunity to acknowledge the material and financial contribution made by individuals from various walks of life, some of whose names I have forgotten. Finally, I need to make a special note of Sisekelo Pila, my fellow student at the University of the Witwatersrand, who financed and paid for my basic needs for my first year at the University of South Africa. It is important to note that my journey to this level of my academic career has been a true test of faith and strength. vi Table of Contents Declaration ........................................................................................................... ii Summary ............................................................................................................. iii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................. v Table of figures ................................................................................................. xiii List of illustrations ............................................................................................ xv Glossary ........................................................................................................... xviii CHAPTER 1: Introduction .............................................................................. 1 1.1 BACKGROUND ........................................................................................................... 1 1.2 FRAME OF REFERENCE AND RESEARCH QUESTION ........................... 1 1.3 OUTLINE OF CHAPTERS ....................................................................................... 4 1.4 APPENDICES ................................................................................................................ 6 CHAPTER 2: Literature survey ..................................................................... 7 2.1 JOHN BLACKING’S BIOGRAPHY ...................................................................... 7 2.1.1 Teaching career ......................................................................................... 7 2.1.2 Childhood and early years........................................................................ 7 2.1.3 Music interests and theory ....................................................................... 8 2.2 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ........................................................................... 8 2.2.1 Migration and local development ............................................................ 8 vii 2.2.2 Music style and musical abstract ............................................................. 9 2.2.3 Music and social texture ......................................................................... 10 2.2.4 Music and social change ......................................................................... 10 2.2.5 Music and trance ..................................................................................... 11 2.2.6 Musicmaking and material .................................................................... 11 2.2.7 Music and shared experience ................................................................. 12 2.2.8 Music and racial-ethnic web .................................................................. 13 2.3 BLACKING’S IDEAS ON MUSIC AND SOCIAL ORDER ......................... 14 2.3.1 Cultural capital and social roles ............................................................ 14 2.3.2 Music and social interpenetration ......................................................... 16 2.3.3 Musical change and social change ......................................................... 17 2.3.4 Mentorship and rite of passage .............................................................. 20 2.3.5 Music and witchcraft .............................................................................. 21 2.3.6 Music and bodily hexis ........................................................................... 21 2.4 GENERALISATION ON ORAL MUSIC FRAMES OF REFERENCE EXPLORED IN THIS DISSERTATION ............................................................ 23 2.4.1 Ethnic frames of reference ..................................................................... 23 2.4.2 Some of the music instruments .............................................................. 24 2.4.3 Some of the key practices and concepts ................................................ 24 2.4.4 Informant-researcher relationship and post-fieldwork data .............. 25 2.5 CONCLUSION ..........................................................................................................