Abstract:
The Magic Marimba is an orchestral composition by the South African composer Hans
Roosenschoon. Based on the opera Die Zauberflöte by W. A. Mozart, this work illustrates the
composer s ability to fabricate an entire composition from existing material in such a way that
is innovative and original. The concept of reimagining material from an existing source is
fortified by a series of techniques employed by the composer to transfigure material into a
new creation. It is the purpose of this study to examine these techniques and to provide a
detailed description of the stylistic elements within which these techniques have been
implemented. The stylistic elements that are considered in each of the three movements are
structure, melodic content, harmonic aspects and texture. Fascinating features that resulted
from this study include structural devices such as sound blocks that the composer utilised to
harness the music structurally, manipulation techniques to alter melodic extractions from the
opera to disguise the quotations and to recreate new and exciting gestures, the employment of
intricate pandiatonic clusters created through the superimposition of all pitches from diatonic
scales and the creation of the impression of dimensions through the textural landscape in this
work that moves through various degrees of densities in order to evoke the sensation of
tension and subsequent release. These concepts are thoroughly addressed and examined
through multiple illustrated examples and graphs.
The study includes a brief historical overview of the composition and explains the political
background as well as the composer s artistic response. This does not, however, form part of
the primary focus as it is beyond the scope of this study.
This study serves as a foundation for further researchers who wish to do a stylistic analysis of
any part of the composer s oeuvre.
