380:(mouth bow) are played. In performances, these instruments produce two main pitches: an open string serving as the ground note and a stopped note a whole tone above. However, skilled players, like Madosini, bring out the overtones of these instruments, which significantly shape the melodies. The melodies strictly adhere to these fluctuating chords, maintaining a tonal consonance typical of traditional Xhosa music. This harmonic simplicity contrasts with the rhythmic complexity of her music, characterized by irregular and asymmetrical patterns built around units of duple or triple pulses. Although these patterns are repeated, each iteration is nuanced, incorporating slight variations in timing, emphasis, color, and attack. This approach creates a musical experience that, while simple on a macro level, is highly detailed and improvisational on a micro level.
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beyond mere performance; it represented a profound cultural expression that challenged the notion of music as a static entity. For
Madosini, music was a dynamic act that varied with each performance. Even after her passing, her work continues to serve as a bridge between the rural and the urban, the traditional and the modern, and the local and the global, leaving behind a legacy of haunting beauty and deep cultural resonance.
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Madosini's music and persona were deeply rooted in the oral traditions of the
Mpondomise clan. She was known not just as a musician but also as a storyteller, composer, and cultural custodian, embodying the traditional aspects of her people through her performances. Her artistic identity was informed
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Madosini's music exemplifies the cyclic perception of time in traditional
African music, celebrating recurring structural elements in each performance and emphasizing the moment rather than linear development. This idiomatic style underscores the artistry and spontaneity inherent in African musical
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resulted in the recording of an
African/Jazz fusion CD under the name of AmaThongo and various concerts around Africa. Madosini and Pedro performed together at many music festivals as well as story telling and poetry festivals around the world, notably the Medellin International Poetry Festival in
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Though she spent nearly two decades in Langa, Cape Town, Madosini maintained strong ties to her cultural roots in the village of
Mkhankatho, Libode district. Her music was celebrated internationally for its authenticity and was often performed at world music festivals such as WOMAD. Her art went
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serves as an intervention that addresses the complexities of South Africa's pluralistic society. Huyssen's composition respects the integrity of
Madosini's music while framing it within a context for dialogue with European classical elements. It urges society to recognize and preserve cultural
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is a composition by Hans
Huyssen, featuring Madosini. Commissioned by Robert Brooks for the ICMF 2002, this work is an intercultural collaboration that merges European classical instruments (clarinet and string quartet) with traditional Mpondomise instruments played by Madosini, such as the
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by the rich oral histories, cultural practices, and communal nature of Xhosa music-making. Madosini's performances were often described as highly individual and expressive, while also staying true to traditional idioms. She drew on various forms of oral tradition, including
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to comfort her, sparking a lifelong dedication to Xhosa music. Largely self-taught, Madosini did not receive formal education but devoted her life to perfecting Xhosa musical traditions under her mother's tutelage.
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Madosini's music is characterized by a harmonic structure that revolves around only two basic chords. This reflects the idiomatic nature of traditional Xhosa music and the way indigenous instruments like the
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Madosini, the second-born child of her mother, Manjuza, showed an early interest in traditional Xhosa instruments. After being diagnosed with polio at the age of 12, her mother taught her to play the
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Madosini experienced significant health challenges in her later years. In 2019, she suffered a heart attack while performing in France and was later diagnosed with
416:. Her profound impact on preserving and promoting Xhosa indigenous music was recognised by the bestowal of an honorary doctorate from Rhodes University in 2020.
355:" ("Weed, old woman!"), revisits themes of cultural preservation, concluding with a haunting vision of the future where indigenous sounds risk fading away.
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149:, was a South African musician, singer, and cultural custodian. She was celebrated for her mastery of traditional Xhosa musical instruments such as the
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351:" ("I see Madiba") is a praise song for Nelson Mandela, expressing gratitude for his role in fostering intercultural dialogue. The final movement, "
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316:(Jew's harp). This fusion creates a dynamic exchange between African and European musical idioms, exploring their coexistence and interaction.
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Madosini's career spanned decades, during which she collaborated with a wide array of musicians, including South
African artists
161:(Jew's harp). Madosini was regarded as a "national treasure" and a leading figure in the preservation of Xhosa indigenous music.
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347:" ("The train from Umtata"), symbolizes the migration from rural to urban life, mapping South Africa's cultural geography. "
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186:(narratives), integrating them into her art in a way that reflected both the past and her own creative improvisations.
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The composition is divided into seven movements, each inspired by
Madosini's traditional songs. It opens with "
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Madosini recorded her first album in 1974, contributing eight songs for a recording linked to an adaptation of
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Despite her success, Madosini remained committed to her cultural roots, dividing her time between her home in
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Her breakthrough in the international music scene came in the late 1990s when she collaborated with
Professor
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treasures like Madosini, bridging divides and highlighting the importance of intercultural collaboration.
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performed during a sold-out European tour. She also performed at prestigious festivals, including
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Huyssen, Hans (2014). ""The Songs of Madosini" – Musical differences in a composite design".
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Mfinyongo, Thandeka (2023). "In Memoriam – Latozi 'Madosini' Mpahleni (1943–2022)".
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in 2020. However, she recovered and was awarded an honorary doctorate in music from
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Madosini died from heart failure on 23 December 2022, at St. Mary's Hospital in
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229:(1998). This project, recorded in Johannesburg, was critically acclaimed.
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https://iamtranscriptions.org/performers/mrs-madosini-latozi-mpahleni/
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Uhadi (gourd bow), umrhubhe (mouth bow), isitolotolo (Jew’s harp)
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in 2020. In September 2022, she was formally honored by
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552:"Honorary doctorate from Rhodes for Xhosa music legend"
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577:"Citation for Madosini Manqina"
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285:Colombia.
221:and later
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333:Imfihlelo
165:Biography
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618:Madosini
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202:titled
200:Macbeth
184:amabali
329:Umjeko
130:Labels
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