Abstract

The symphonic poem Fatše La Heso (My Country) was composed in 1941 by Michael Mosoeu Moerane (1904–1980) as a requirement for completing a BMus degree curriculum through Rhodes University College, which in those days was a satellite campus of the University of South Africa (Unisa). This article argues that both the writing of this work and its subsequent reception history have been adversely affected by various factors, beginning with the fact that Moerane was the first black South African orchestral composer and there have been almost no others since. This was Moerane's only work for full orchestra and he is better known as a composer of choral music in tonic solfa notation, but for historical reasons, the fields of African choral and European orchestral composition have not coincided. The work reflects Moerane's Pan- African sympathies and is avowedly nationalistic. Information about the work and about Moerane has always been scant; and finally, Moerane tried in vain to get the work published. He reacted suspiciously when Percival Kirby—with whom he had previously corresponded about the work—began to ask him personal questions in 1966, saying, “The times do not permit.” In this article, the genesis of Fatše La Heso is explained, its structure and relations to African themes are described, and its reception history is explored, in order to promote a better and fairer understanding of this work's personal, historical, political, and cultural significance.

摘要

交响诗《FatšeLa Heso》（我的祖国）它由Michael Mosoeu Moerane（1904-1980）于1941年组成，是通过罗兹大学学院（当时是南非大学（Unisa）的附属校园）完成BMus学位课程的要求。本文认为，该作品的写作及其随后的接受历史都受到各种因素的不利影响，首先是莫埃兰（Moerane）是南非第一位黑人管弦乐作曲家，此后几乎没有其他人。这是Moerane唯一为整个管弦乐队创作的作品，他是著名的以补品Solfa表示法创作合唱音乐的作曲家，但由于历史原因，非洲合唱和欧洲管弦乐创作的领域并不重合。该作品反映了莫埃兰人对泛非的同情，并被宣称是民族主义的。关于这项工作和有关Moerane的信息一直很少。最终，莫埃兰（Moerane）徒劳地尝试将作品发表。当Percival Kirby（他之前曾与之进行过通讯）在1966年开始问他个人问题时，他做出了可疑的反应，说：“时代不允许。” 在本文中，解释法塔赫·拉·赫索（FatšeLa Heso），描述其结构和与非洲主题的关系，并探讨其接受历史，以促进对作品的个人，历史，政治和文化意义的更好和更公正的理解。