Steven DeGroote is one of the most successful pianists to have emerged from
South Africa. His international reputation rests largely on the fact that he won
first prize in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (in 1977); the
only South African to date to have achieved this feat. As such he is an
important figure in the music history of South Africa. His untimely death at
the age of 36, however, brought an unexpected end to a developing career.
Consequently he is still unknown to many South African music lovers. Nearly
no literature exists to keep the memory of DeGroote’s achievements alive and
the available material regarding his Van Cliburn win constitutes only bare
facts and no deeper insights.
The aim of this article is, therefore, to examine Steven DeGroote’s
participation and win in the 1977 Van Cliburn Competition and the
consequent development of his career; all within the context of the Cold War.
The research design can be described as a qualitative and historical approach
to the compilation of a chronological timeline regarding the political
atmosphere before and during the 1964 First Tchaikofsky International
Competition for violinists and pianists; Lavan Cliburn’s participation and
triumph at the Tchaikofsky Competition; the founding of the Van Cliburn
International Piano Competition in Fort Worth; DeGroote’s participation and
win at the 1977 Van Cliburn Competition; as well as his subsequent career
(Leedy and Ormrod 2010:164; Mouton 2001:170). The research data exhibited
recurring patterns (Leedy and Ormrod 2010:164; Mouton 2001:170), namely
those of the Cold War and its undercurrents of nationalistic agendas that could
be the connecting factor between the divergent Van Cliburn events and also an
explanation for them. Since the historian’s objective is not only to describe
historical events, but also to give credible reasons for their occurrence, the aim
of this research is to establish whether the Cold War between the West and the
East in fact had an influence on DeGroote’s participation and win in the 1977
Van Cliburn Competition, as well as on the development of his subsequent
career.
The data used is obtained from interviews with DeGroote’s family, friends,
colleagues and other eyewitnesses; archival material, which includes letters,
articles from magazines, newspapers and academic journals; as well as documentary programmes (Leedy and Ormrod 2010:165; Babbie and Mouton
2001:283).
It emerged that Cold War agendas, consummated through preferences
regarding nationalistic musical stereotypes as embodied by the Russian
participants Alexander Toradze and Youri Egorof as well as the American
Jeffrey Swann, together with the political situations prevailing in these
countries, played a determining role in the moulding of public sentiment
regarding these artists. It is clear, however, that the South African DeGroote’s
distinctive Mozart interpretation and versatility impressed the Van Cliburn
judges to such an extent that he was named the winner; in contrast to previous
Van Cliburn competitions, where either an American or a Russian pianist won.
Although prevalent in the 1977 Van Cliburn Competition, Cold War agendas
had no influence on the outcome of this event.
There are a number of extra-musical factors which contributed to the
negativities DeGroote experienced during the first few years after his Van
Cliburn win: the difficulties surrounding the arrangements for his Carnegie
Hall debut could not be adequately addressed; his taste in repertoire was too
intellectual for the general public; the influential music critic John Ardoin cast
a doubtful light on DeGroote’s Van Cliburn win, since he did not satisfy the
public’s demand for a superstar-pianist; and furthermore, DeGroote alienated
the music critic community through an ill-considered remark regarding
Ardoin.
It also became apparent that DeGroote’s South African citizenship in the
apartheid era caused a number of influential music industry figures and
institutes to withdraw their support from DeGroote as the then Van Cliburn
winner. It is, however, impossible to determine the extent to which this
negativity towards South Africa and its citizens in the international community
due to apartheid influenced the development of DeGroote’s career.
Steven DeGroote is een van die suksesvolste pianiste wat Suid-Afrika nog
opgelewer het. Hy is die enigste Suid-Afrikaner wat tot op hede daarin kon
slaag om die Van Cliburn Internasionale Klavierkompetisie se gesogte eerste
prys te verower. As sodanig is hy ’n belangrike figuur in die Suid-Afrikaanse
musiekgeskiedenis. DeGroote se onverwagte afsterwe op die jeugdige
ouderdom van 36 jaar het egter ’n voortydige einde aan ’n ontwikkelende
loopbaan gebring. Gevolglik is hy steeds vir vele Suid-Afrikaanse
musiekliefhebbers onbekend. Die doel van hierdie artikel is om Steven
DeGroote se deelname aan en sege in die 1977 Van Cliburn Internasionale
Klavierkompetisie en die ontwikkeling van sy loopbaan in die lig van die
Koue Oorlog tussen die Weste en die Ooste van naderby te beskou. Die
navorsingsontwerp van hierdie ondersoek kan beskryf word as ’n kwalitatiewe
historiese benadering tot die daarstelling van ’n chronologiese tydlyn en die
verskaffing van ’n moontlike verklaring vir hierdie gebeure (Leedy en Ormrod
2010:164; Mouton 2001:170).
Dit het na vore gekom dat alhoewel Koue Oorlog-agendas nie ’n wesenlike
invloed op die uitslag van die 1977-Van Cliburn-kompetisie en DeGroote se
loopbaan daarná gehad het nie, dit wel teenwoordig was in voorkeure
aangaande nasionalistiese musikale stereotipes – soos verpersoonlik deur die
Russiese Aleksander Toradze en Joeri Egorof, en die Amerikaanse Jeffrey
Swann – onder die Van Cliburn-stigting-organiseerders en -beoordelaars en
die publiek. Daar is verder verskeie buitemusikale faktore geïdentifiseer wat
die oorsaak was vir die negatiwiteite wat DeGroote gedurende die vroeë jare
van sy loopbaan ervaar het. Die belangrikste hiervan is DeGroote se Suid-
Afrikanerskap in die apartheidsera wat veroorsaak het dat talle invloedryke
musiekbedryffigure en -instansies hul steun aan hom onttrek het.
