The Voice of the Black Choir: Exploring the Sounds of Vernacular Language Singing in a Performance of Mzilikazi Khumalo’s UShaka

Abstract

This PhD thesis explores the phonetic attributes of one of South Africa’s dominant languages, isiZulu, and their sonic implications for choral singing. The research is located within the field of artistic research and explores all three categories of artistic research as set out by Henk Borgdorff. To this end, my creative work entails preparing, performing, and recording the epic choral work UShaka KaSenzangakhona by Mzilikazi Khumalo. This includes IPA transliteration and English language translation of UShaka’s chorus lyrics for preparation for rehearsals, choral sound experimentation and interpretation, which I document in Chapter 3 of the thesis. Chapter 2 is a micro-ethnography of contemporary general practices of training Black choirs. I describe the processes by which choirs learn to sing choral music, specifically examples of vernacular musics, and the criteria by which the resultant choral sound is judged. The ethnography of the choir employs fieldwork observation of choirs’ rehearsals and performances, interviews and focus group discussions with conductors and adjudicators, and draws on my experience as a Black choral conductor and adjudicator. My theoretical commitments integrate both decolonial and artistic research frameworks. By critically analysing existing literature and theories, I challenge the dominant Western narratives and practices of training the choral singing voice for the field of Black South African choralism. Performing the choral voice demonstrates the practical implications of decoloniality for Black choralism.