The Times Do Not Permit

191 pages. Temps de lecture estimé 2h23min.
This biography of Michael Mosoeu Moerane (1904-1980) surveys the unique life, times and music of the first classically educated African composer in southern Africa.The Times Do Not Permit is the first extended overview of the life, times, and music of Michael Mosoeu Moerane (1904-1980), an African composer brought up in rural South Africa in the early twentieth century, one of many mission-trained musicians who wrote short a cappella choral works for churches and schools. It explores the political changes and social conditions that made life for Moerane both possible and impossible as a composer. He was the first black South African to qualify with a BMus degree in 1941. However, this caused difficulties for him both within the African choral circuit, where his advanced modernist style was considered strange and difficult, and within white concert life, from which he was largely excluded. Lucia describes his ancestry, upbringing, education and teaching career, and offers an analysis of his music: his famous symphonic poem, Fatšo La Heso, and four of his choral pieces, grouped to reflect the major themes he expressed. The Times Do Not Permit is supplemented with interviews with those who knew Moerane and ends with a coda of professional letters to, from, and about him that gives his voice a presence in the absence of much personal documentation.List of Illustrations Musical Examples Acknowledgements Acronyms and Abbreviations Map of Southern Africa showing key places in Moerane’s life Timeline of Political Events: 1880–1991 Preface Introduction: Moerane in Life and Literature Chapter 1 The House of Moerane Chapter 2 Moerane the Student Chapter 3 Moerane the Teacher and Composer Chapter 4 Moerane in Correspondence Chapter 5 The Symphonic Poem Fatše La Heso (My Country) Chapter 6 Moerane and the Choral Movement in Southern Africa Chapter 7 Moerane’s Spiritual Songs Chapter 8 Songs about Family, Community and Tradition Chapter 9 Songs of Love and Loss Chapter 10 Conclusion Appendix: Catalogue of Works by Michael Mosoeu Moerane Glossary of Musical Terms Notes Bibliography Index