'n Musikus in die vreemde: die lewe en werk van Arnold Bosman

[摘要] English: Although I did not know Arnold Bosman (1957-2005) personally, I was compelled toundertake a biographical study of him. The story of his life and the fact that he, as ahighly talented South African musician, had to establish himself in a foreign countryamongst a strange culture, resulted in the writing of this thesis.Bosman's exceptional musical talent was evident since his childhood. During his teenshe achieved outstanding results. Eisteddfod-certificates, examination results, as well asperformances with various orchestras are proof of his dedication from a very young age.His musicianship manifested from this time on in a somewhat idiosyncraticalpersonality. Bosman showed certain likes and dislikes from a relatively young age andwas rather outspoken regarding certain topics of current interest. The political situationin South Africa, in particular the apartheids regime was but one topic which Bosmanstrongly opposed.These viewpoints obviously caused tension between Bosman and his parents as hisfather was a fervent Nationalist and also served in the diplomatic service of the SouthAfrican government. This presumed complex relationship with his parents perhaps alsoinfluenced other aspects of his life. According to arguments presented in this study,certain life changing decisions could have been influenced by this complex relationship.Certain events during his life as a teenager would have had a significant influence in hislife, and most probably contributed to some of the most important decisions that guidedhis life.Bosman's complexity had a far-reaching influence on his life. His search of a placewhere he could feel at home, as well as his own identity, were expressed in variouspoems as early as his high school years. Conspicuously he never really experiencedthe home-coming, not even during his adult life - except in his music where heassociated himself with place and time in a significant manner.Initially it was his search for a suitable university where he could further his studies thatforced him to make directive decisions. As Bosman expressed the desire to study tobecome a conductor during a time when there was no university in South Africa thatoffered studies of this nature, together with the assistance from his parents, he startedinvestigating the possibilty of studying abroad. The decision to undertake hisundergraduate studies at the University of Cape Town presented him with numerousproblems. The possibility of financial assistance from the University of Cape Town tofurther his studies abroad made it more of a reality.This period in Bosman's life also proved to be problematic. After a short period of studyin both England and Holland, he eventually decided to go to Italy where he studied atvarious music schools. Bosman settled in Italy in the early 1980's and for a long periodof time made a living as a freelance musician. During this time many piano recitals andappearances as accompanist for singers and instrumentalists, as well as his work as anassistant conductor, provided Bosman with a reasonable income. During this timeBosman's yearning to become a full-time conductor became increasingly apparent. Hislonging for a career as full-time conductor also became evident in some of his letters tohis parents. According to documents available for this research, it became clear that hestarted working regularly as an assistant conductor and sometimes appeared asconductor himself. To establish himself as a conductor in Italy, Bosman was forced tolive the disruptive life of a commuter for the majority of his life.In the early 1990's Bosman was introduced to the specialist ensemble Musica Rara.His appointment as musical director and conductor of this ensemble, finally offeredBosman the opportunity to fulfil his dream. His involvement with this ensemble toperform the more rare and unknown compositions of the masters in an authenticmanner, gave the main themes of his life, namely that of place and time, significantmeaning. The position he held with Musica Rara gave Bosman an artistic place(role/identity) where he metaphorically could belong and where he as musiciancould flourish.Apart from his complex relationship with his parents, his strained relationship with SouthAfrica lasted until his death. Although Bosman enjoyed significant success in Italy, heregularly investigated the possibility of performing in South Africa - as pianist, but moreso as conductor - in a temporary but also in a more permanent capacity. However, hewas never offered a permanent position, and there were but a few appearances duringthe last couple of years of his life.Because of these reasons I found it necessary to document and to put in perspective,the life and contribution of this important and internationally famed South African artist.

[发布机构] University of the Free State