Roelof Temmingh’s Kantorium:a reflection on suffering and redemption

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Date
2009
Authors
Viljoen, Martina
Viljoen, Nicol
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
English: Roelof Temmingh’s Kantorium (2003/4), a large-scale work for choir, soloists and orchestra, won the prestigious Helgaard Steyn award in 2006. Temmingh commented briefly on his extremely difficult personal circumstances during its creation. Should a composer suffer in order to produce great music? This question raises the wider problem of contextuality, as well as concomitant theoretical/philosophical considerations. Profoundly religious in nature, the work, whose text is in German, was written for a European audience by an Afrikaans-speaking composer in post-apartheid South Africa. It does not embody any clearly overt political values, nor does it attempt to serve as a repository of cultural identity. Moreover, according to the composer, his personal circumstances were not a prerequisite for its creation.
Afrikaans: Roelof Temmingh se Kantorium (2003/4), ’n grootskaalse werk vir koor, soliste en orkes, het die prestigieuse Helgaard Steyn-prys in 2006 verwerf. Temmingh het kortliks sy uitermate moeilike persoonlike omstandighede tydens die ontstaan daarvan geskets. Is dit nodig dat ’n komponis ly om groot musiek te skryf? Hierdie vraag raak aan die breër probleem van kontekstualiteit en aan samegaande teoreties/filosofiese oorwegings. As ’n diep religieuse uiting is die werk, getoonset op ’n Duitse teks, deur ’n Afrikaanssprekende komponis in post-apartheid Suid-Afrika vir ’n Europese gehoor geskryf. Dit bevat geen openlik waarneembare politieke waardes nie, en poog nie om te dien as ’n neerslag van kulturele identiteit nie. Ook was die komponis se persoonlike omstandighede volgens sy eie uitspraak geen voorvereiste vir die skepping daarvan nie.
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Keywords
Temmingh, Roelof, Kantorium, Helgaard Steyn award, Composer, Afrikaans-speaking composer
Citation
Viljoen, M., & Viljoen, N. (2009). Roelof Temmingh's Kantorium: a reflection on suffering and redemption. Acta Academica, 41(2), 50-76.