Afrikaans Art Song Literature: A Translation and Pronunciation Guide

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Christian Bester (Assistant Professor of Voice, Assistant Professor of Voice, Oklahoma State University) Bronwen Forbay (Associate Professor of Voice, Associate Professor of Voice, Furman University)

Afrikaans Art Song Literature

A Translation and Pronunciation Guide

Christian Bester (Assistant Professor of Voice, Assistant Professor of Voice, Oklahoma State University), Bronwen Forbay (Associate Professor of Voice, Associate Professor of Voice, Furman University)

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English

Oxford University Press Inc
17 September 2025

Other performing arts; Western "classical" music; Translation & interpretation; Grammar & vocabulary

Afrikaans art song literature is a fascinating but neglected genre, largely inaccessible to non-native speakers outside South Africa. For the first time, this translation and pronunciation guide makes Afrikaans art songs available to an English-speaking audience. Compiled by two music scholars and professional performers, it provides original International Phonetic Alphabet transcriptions and word-for-word translations in English. The selection represents some of the most beloved and beautiful Afrikaans poems from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, set by highly respected composers.

As well as the poems themselves, the authors give a brief history of Afrikaans art song literature, information on influential composers and poets, and useful footnotes about the unique geography, culture, landscapes, and peoples of South Africa. The book concludes with a pedagogical lyric diction guide and lists of resources for obtaining sheet music. Afrikaans Art Song Literature is an invaluable book for all musicians who want to perform or teach this little-known repertoire worthy of inclusion among the greats of the art song literature canon.

By: Christian Bester (Assistant Professor of Voice Assistant Professor of Voice Oklahoma State University), Bronwen Forbay (Associate Professor of Voice, Associate Professor of Voice, Furman University)
Imprint: Oxford University Press Inc
Country of Publication: United States [Currently unable to ship to USA: see Shipping Info]
Dimensions: Height: 20mm, Width: 178mm, Spine: 254mm
Weight: 728g
ISBN: 9780197660812
ISBN 10: 0197660819
Pages: 344
Publication Date: 17 September 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , College/higher education , Undergraduate , Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Christian Bester is Assistant Professor of Voice at Oklahoma State University. Along with numerous critically acclaimed operatic roles, Christian is a sought-after recitalist, concert performer, and clinician with regular stage appearances and masterclasses throughout the United States. Bronwen Forbay is Associate Professor of Voice at Furman University. She is an avid recitalist, concert performer, and masterclass clinician whose operatic successes include critically acclaimed performances of Mozart's Queen of the Night with the Wolf Trap Opera Company and the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor with the Cape Town Opera.