Todd Matshikiza

Todd Matshikiza (1921-1968) Musician, composer, journalist and broadcaster.

Biography

Todd Tozama Matshikiza, born in Queenstown, the son of Samuel Bokwe Matshikiza and Grace Ngqoyi Matshikiza. They were a family of renowned musicians; his mother was a noted soprano, and his father played the organ in the Anglican Church. Matshikiza was the youngest of seven children. His sisters were Grace (Girlie) and Winifred, and his brothers Gordon, Meekly, Sipho and Themba. All the children of the Matshikiza household were taught music from an early age.

Matshikiza had his early education at St. Peter's, Rosettenville. He matriculated at Adams College and then studied at the Lovedale Teacher's Training College, where he later taught English and Mathematics in the high school until 1947. Here he was able to exploit his natural gifts and he started a musical society and a dramatic group.

In 1947 he accepted a teaching post at Ermelo High School in the Eastern Transvaal, but left after a short spell to establish himself in Johannesburg. In the same year he met his future wife, Esme Sheila Mpama, a student social worker. They were married in 1950. Matshikiza taught for a while at Moroka High School and later established a private music school (the Todd Matshikiza School of Music) to teach the piano. But he was chiefly concerned with Johannesburg's jazz world. In order to survive that precarious existence, he worked for Vanguard Booksellers, and later as a salesman for the Gillette Razor Blade Company.

In 1960 he left South Africa to make a new life for himself in England. He occasionally played the piano in London nightclubs and resumed his career in journalism. He freelanced for various British journals, writing a series called 'Todd in London' for Drum readers back home and broadcasting for the African Service of the BBC. In 1961 he published an autobiographical book, Chocolates for my wife.

In 1964, he took up an offer from the fledgling Zambian government to be a newscaster and producer for the Zambian Broadcasting Corporation. He left broadcasting to become music archivist for the Zambian Information Service in 1967, travelling extensively to collect traditional Zambian music. However, he was dispirited by the fact that he could see no early prospects of being able to return to South Africa (where he had become a 'banned' person).

He died in exile in 1968. Todd and Esme had a daughter, Marian Linda, and a son, John Anthony.

Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance

Misrepresented by the chronichlers of the King Kong project as an untrained amateur, he was actually a highly accomplished musician. A successor of African vaudeville impressario Motsieloa, he worked with several bands as pianist, including the Harlem Swingsters and the Jazz Dazzlers, was Drum magazine’s music editor, and a serious composer.

As a writer

In 1952, he became, along with Henry Nxumalo, one of the original writers of the new Drum magazine, then edited by Anthony Sampson. He wrote musical criticism and also covered a large range of urban subjects, making piercing social commentary in such regular columns as With the lid off. His journalistic career continued when he left Drum for the Golden City Post. His articles include “How Musicians Die” (1953) and “Jazz Comes to Jo’burg” (1957).

His autobiographical account of his time in London (Chocolates for my Wife) was published by Hoddder and Stoughton in 1961.

The first half of With the Lid Off: South African Insights from Home and Abroad 1959-2000, by Todd Matshikiza and John Matshikiza, a book published by Mail and Guardian Books in 2001, is a collection of Todd Matshikiza's Drum magazine columns. An elegant writer, his columns exude humour without reducing the daily struggles of ordinary black South Africans for survival and a better life.

As composer

Matshikiza composed many choral works and songs which were heard regularly over the radio. Among his compositions are a musical praise poem for Trevor Huddlestone called Makhalipile (“The Undaunted One” – 1953) and a cantata for 200 voices and a 70 piece orchestra called Uxolo (“Peace”), commissioned for the 70th anniversary of Johannesburg (1956).

The Johannesburg choir which entertained the Queen mother during her Rhodesian visit sang Todd's beautiful farewell melody "Hamba Kahle" and at her request she was presented with a special recording of this song.

The lyrics for his songs were written in a witty combination of Xhosa and English. As a jazz musician his most notable work was as a pianist with the Manhattan Brothers and the Harlem Swingsters. He toured South Africa with both these groups, and also travelled to Lorenzo Marques (now Maputo) in neighbouring Mozambique.

Between 1957-59 he helped write the synopsis, composed the music and wrote the Nguni lyrics for the musical King Kong and in 1960 collaborated with Alan Paton on the musical show Mkhumbane.

Sources

Tucker, 1997. 127-128.

Book review by Vuyo Mvoko, Leadership SA, 30 June 2001.

https://www.flatinternational.org/template_volume.php?volume_id=158

https://sahistory.org.za/people/todd-tozama-matshikiza

Various entries in the NELM catalogue.

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