Jacques Philip Malan (24 October 1917 - 20 June 2012) was a South African musicologist who held several prominent positions in South African music throughout his career. He was also the editor of the South African Music Encyclopedia, published in four volumes by Oxford University Press between 1979 and 1986.
Jacques Philip Malan was born on 24 October 1917 in Bloemfontein. He undertook his early musical training at the Free State Music School. In 1940, he received his teaching and performer's licentiates from the University of South Africa, and in 1943 a BA degree from Grey University College (later the University of the Orange Free State, and now the University of the Free State). [1] Malan was the first South African to undertake musicological studies overseas, completing his doctoral studies at the University of Vienna with a thesis on the content and form of the motifs in Handel's oratorios under the supervision of Erich Schenk in 1954. [2]
Malan was responsible for the establishment of a music department at Potchefstroom University College for Christian Higher Education (which became the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education (PU for CHE) in 1951 and is now known as the North-West University) in the 1940s. [3] In 1960, he was appointed as the head of the music department at the University of Pretoria. Under his guidance, the department's research had a strong focus on South African and particularly Afrikaans topics. [4] During his time at the University of Pretoria, he also compiled and edited the South African Music Encyclopedia , a process which lasted from 1960 to 1986. [5] In 1978, Malan left the University of Pretoria to join the Human Sciences Research Council as the head of its Research Centre for South African Music. [6]
In the early stages of his career, Malan concentrated on Afrikaner church music, as evidenced by his publications from 1961 to 1964. Over time, his focus shifted towards the organization and reform of South African music education and research, reflecting a growing emphasis on the intellectual life of universities. This shift is evident in his inaugural professorial address, where Malan described the university as a crucial element in shaping and reflecting the consciousness of the "volk". [7] He argued that a civilized society depends on the university's role as a research center, training hub, and cultural focal point, contributing to a vibrant intellectual life.
In her master's thesis, Carina Venter identifies Malan as a scholar whose discourse is marked by nationalism and Christianism. She argues that Malan's critique of Afrikaans church music echoes the racially charged ideologies of Apartheid, particularly through themes of Afrikaner unity and segregation. [8] Venter also identifies themes of national goals, integration, order, and racial segregation in Malan's other work, noting that his stance on ethnomusicology was aligned with apartheid's ideals of separate development. [9]
Malan has been critiqued by scholars such as Christine Lucia, who describes him as a "political activist waiting to exploit 'the possibilities of a new kind of (white) critical inscription'", placing his scholarship within the "discursive realm of political activism". [10]
However, in her PhD dissertation, Mieke Struwig argues for a more nuanced perspective of Malan. Struwig argues that Malan recognized the importance of indigenous music for developing an authentic South African compositional style and was aware that white appropriation of Black music would be problematic. [11] She also highlights that Malan opposed the politicization of music studies, though this stance itself could be seen as political. [12] While Struwig acknowledges that Malan was not "an apartheid ideologue", she points out that his scholarly activities were complicit in the intellectual project of apartheid. [13]
Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd, also known as H. F. Verwoerd, was a Dutch-born South African politician, scholar in applied psychology, philosophy, and sociology, and newspaper editor who was Prime Minister of South Africa and is commonly regarded as the architect of apartheid and nicknamed the "father of apartheid". Verwoerd played a significant role in socially engineering apartheid, the country's system of institutionalized racial segregation and white supremacy, and implementing its policies, as Minister of Native Affairs (1950–1958) and then as prime minister (1958–1966). Furthermore, Verwoerd played a vital role in helping the far-right National Party come to power in 1948, serving as their political strategist and propagandist, becoming party leader upon his premiership. He was the Union of South Africa's last prime minister, from 1958 to 1961, when he proclaimed the founding of the Republic of South Africa, remaining its prime minister until his assassination in 1966.
Die Stem van Suid-Afrika, also known as "The Call of South Africa" or simply "Die Stem", was the national anthem of South Africa during the apartheid era. There are two versions of the song, one in English and the other in Afrikaans, which were in use early on in the Union of South Africa alongside God Save the Queen and as the sole anthem after South Africa became a republic. It was the sole national anthem from 1957 to 1994, and shared co-national anthem status with "God Save the King/Queen" from 1938 to 1957. After the end of apartheid, it was retained as a co-national anthem along with "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" until 1997, when a new hybrid song incorporating elements of both songs was adopted as the country's new national anthem, which is still in use.
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The Afrikaner Broederbond (AB) or simply the Broederbond was an exclusively Afrikaner Calvinist and male secret society in South Africa dedicated to the advancement of the Afrikaner people. It was founded by H. J. Klopper, H. W. van der Merwe, D. H. C. du Plessis and the Rev. Jozua Naudé in 1918 as Jong Zuid Afrika until 1920, when it was renamed the Broederbond. Its influence within South African political and social life came to a climax with the 1948-1994 rule of the white supremacist National Party and its policy of apartheid, which was largely developed and implemented by Broederbond members. Between 1948 and 1994, many prominent figures of Afrikaner political, cultural, and religious life, including every leader of the South African government, were members of the Afrikaner Broederbond.
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Afrikaner nationalism is an ethnic nationalistic political ideology created by Afrikaners residing in Southern Africa during the Victorian era. The ideology was developed in response to the significant events in Afrikaner history such as the Great Trek, the First and Second Boer Wars and the resulting anti-British sentiment and Anti-communism that developed among Afrikaners and opposition to South Africa's entry into World War I.
Boeremusiek is a predominantly instrumental form of folk music that originated in South Africa. Initially intended to accompany informal social dancing, Boeremusiek developed through a fusion of European, African, and American musical traditions. While it remains a symbol of white Afrikaans-speaking South Africans, particularly among rural and working-class communities, the genre carries complex socio-political associations.
Johannes du Plessis Scholtz was a South African philologist, art historian, and art collector.
Johan Adam Heyns (1928–1994) was an Afrikaner Calvinist theologian and moderator of the general synod of the Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk (NGK) in South Africa. He was assassinated at his home in Waterkloof Ridge, Pretoria.
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Johannes Albertus Munnik Hertzog was a South African politician, Afrikaner nationalist, cabinet minister, and founding leader of the Herstigte Nasionale Party. He was the son of J. B. M. (Barry) Hertzog, a former Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa.
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The Federasie van Afrikaanse Kultuurvereniginge is a non-profit, non-governmental Afrikaans cultural organisation. Founded in 1929, it celebrated its 85th year in 2014. Its offices are situated at the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria.
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Lodewicus Johannes du Plessis (1897-1968) was a South African academic, alternative Afrikaner political philosopher, and Calvinist.
The South African Music Encyclopedia is an encyclopedia of South(ern) African musicians and music. Its four volumes were published in 1979, 1982, 1984, and 1986 under the editorship of Afrikaans music scholar Jacques Philip Malan in both English and Afrikaans. Commissioned by the South African Music Council in 1960, the work was ultimately overseen by the Human Sciences Research Council and published by Oxford University Press.
Albertus Jacobus Johannes Troskie is a South African organist, composer, and music historian, recognized for his significant contributions to church music in South Africa. He was the founder of the Southern African Church and Concert Organists’ Society (SAKOV), an organization that has played a key role in church music across the region.
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