Naklanke van Arnold van Wyk se Poerpasledam vir fluit en klavier
Date
2017-09-09
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
LitNet
Abstract
Hierdie artikel word aangebied as ’n kurering van die naklanke van die Suid-Afrikaanse komponis Arnold van Wyk (1916–1983) se enigste komposisie vir dwarsfluit en klavier. Hierdie komposisie dra die ongewone titel Poerpasledam. Poerpasledam, in korrup-uitgespreekte Afrikaans vertaal vanuit pour passer le temps (“om die tyd te verwyl”) sou kon dui op onskuldige tydsverwyling. Die werk is in 1944 gekomponeer, uitgevoer, verwerk, en in 1981 weer uitgevoer in die huidige weergawe wat vandag tot beskikking van dwarsfluit-klavierduospelers is. Die ooglopende teenwoordigheid van geweld en oorlog in bepaalde kontekste van die werk blyk ’n invalshoek te wees wat die titel van die werk met aspekte soos tydsverwyling en pligsbesef verbind. Die ontstaanskontekste van hierdie komposisie word met vier openbare uitvoeringskontekste van die werk (1945, 1981, 2014 en 2016) in verband gebring. Metodologies maak die artikel gebruik van artistieke navorsing se verweefde benaderingswyses om kennis omtrent die spesifieke komposisie te ontsluit. Argivale bronne, tesame met twee eietydse uitvoerings deur die artikelskrywer as dwarsfluitspeler, werp lig op die herkontekstualiserings van elke uitvoering en ondersoek só die “potensiaal” vir betekenis in die inherente struktuur wat in die uitgevoerde konteks van die werk “verwesenlik” word. Die artikel sein verskeie naklanke van Poerpasledam as skepping. As naklank staan Poerpasledam uiteindelik as metonimiese instansie van skepping en herskepping en belig so die rol van kuns te midde van sosiale onreg en oorlog. As verdere naklank vind die artikelondersoek aangetrokkenheid tot die kurator Okwui Enwezor se voorstel dat kurering aanhou poog om die “inhoudsopgawe” van musiekkuns in eietydse kontekste te verbreed.
Arnold van Wyk, a South African composer of classical music (1916–1983), lived in London for almost eight years, initially to enroll for a two-year music course. Due to the outbreak of the Second World War, he remained in London for longer. During his stay there he composed Poerpasledam for piano duet (Muller 2008, 2014). The title of this composition is a corrupted Afrikaans version of the French pour passer le temps as pronounced in the prevalent vernacular in French-speaking districts of the Western Cape. To “pass the time”, or “while away the time” may have been Van Wyk’s artistic response to the pervasive presence of war. This article explores some of the originating circumstances and four performance contexts of Van Wyk’s Poerpasledam, the piano duet that he (then) reworked for flute and piano duo in 1981. The article asks what the contemporary cultural significance of Poerpasledam, judged “a minor work” by Muller (2008:68), may amount to. In order to begin to answer this question, the article poses as a curation that exhibits aspects of Poerpasledam. Curating, an interface between art, artists, public and institution, acts as a theoretical frame that engages critical meaning-formation in order to sound the actual and metaphorical reverberations of Poerpasledam.
Arnold van Wyk, a South African composer of classical music (1916–1983), lived in London for almost eight years, initially to enroll for a two-year music course. Due to the outbreak of the Second World War, he remained in London for longer. During his stay there he composed Poerpasledam for piano duet (Muller 2008, 2014). The title of this composition is a corrupted Afrikaans version of the French pour passer le temps as pronounced in the prevalent vernacular in French-speaking districts of the Western Cape. To “pass the time”, or “while away the time” may have been Van Wyk’s artistic response to the pervasive presence of war. This article explores some of the originating circumstances and four performance contexts of Van Wyk’s Poerpasledam, the piano duet that he (then) reworked for flute and piano duo in 1981. The article asks what the contemporary cultural significance of Poerpasledam, judged “a minor work” by Muller (2008:68), may amount to. In order to begin to answer this question, the article poses as a curation that exhibits aspects of Poerpasledam. Curating, an interface between art, artists, public and institution, acts as a theoretical frame that engages critical meaning-formation in order to sound the actual and metaphorical reverberations of Poerpasledam.
Description
CITATION: Pauw, M. 2017. Naklanke van Arnold van Wyk se Poerpasledam vir fluit en klavier. LitNet Akademies, 14(3):88-132.
The original publication is available at https://www.litnet.co.za
The original publication is available at https://www.litnet.co.za
Keywords
Van Wyk, Arnold, 1916-1983, Flute music, Piano music
Citation
Pauw, M. 2017. Naklanke van Arnold van Wyk se Poerpasledam vir fluit en klavier. LitNet Akademies, 14(3):88-132.