Degrees Held
- BMus (UCT)
- MMus (Rhodes)
- MSM (SMU)
- MTh (UKZN)
- PhD (UCT)
- FTCL (Trinity College, London)
Research interests
- Christian hymnody in South Africa
- Localisation of church music in South African communities
- Multiculturalism and multiligualism in Christian congregations
- Ritualism and its rise in South Africa in the late nineteenth century
Teaching Interests
- Music theory
- Christian worship and history
SelectedPublications and Creative Output
Books
Journal Articles
Chapters in Books
Books
- Bethke, A (2024). Isingeniso Esiyisisekelo Emkhakheni Womculo. Pietermaritzburg: UKZN Press. [isiZulu translation of Introduction to Music Fundamentals: A Guide for Students]
- Bethke, A (2023). Anglican Ritualism in Colonial South Africa: Developments and Discourses between 1848 and 1888. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Press.
- Bethke, A (2015). Celebrating the Seasons: Themes and Symbols of the Christian Year. Johannesburg: ACSA Publishing.
Journal Articles
- Bethke, A; N Makala and N Mncube (2025), “The Choral Compositional Technique of Sibusiso Njeza: An Analysis of Three Compositions”. Muziki, 1-30.
- Bethke, A (2024), “The Hymn Texts and Tunes of the Reverend Owen Franklin: A Brief Introduction, Discussion and Analysis”, Vir Die Musiekleier, vol. 44:32-63.
- Bethke, A (2023), “Light from Darkness: A Case Study of Conflict Transformation through Music-based Intervention during the Rape Crisis Protests at Rhodes University in 2016”. Alternation, vol. 41: 368-392.
- Bethke, A and M Khuzwayo (2023), “Qinisela Sibisi and the Zulu Mass: An Investigation into Sibisi’s Musical Background, His Compositional Process and the Zulu Mass”. Vir die Musiekleier, vol. 43: 78-106
- Bethke, A (2022), “A Southern African Multilingual Hymn Collection: A Critical Reflexive Analysis”. Journal of Theology for Southern Africa, vol. 172: 40-59.
- Bethke, A (2021), “A Historical Overview and Description of the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Ceremonial and Academic Attire”. Transactions of the Burgon Society, vol. 21: 17-37.
- Bethke, A (2021), “Laying the Foundations for a New Approach to Music Theory at the University of KwaZulu-Natal: Creating isiZulu Terms to Foster Deep Learning and Challenging the Western Gravity of Staff Notation”. Alternation, vol. 38c: 565-580.
- Bethke, A (2021), “John William Colenso’s Collection of Psalms and Hymns for St Peter’s Cathedral, Pietermaritzburg: Context, Analysis and Christological Implications”. Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae, vol. 47, no. 3: 1-36.
- Bethke, A (2020), “Fledgling South African Anglicanism and the Roots of Ritualism”. Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae, vol. 46, no. 3: 1-18.
- Bethke, A (2020), “Examples of Anglican Ritualism in Victorian South Africa: Towards an Understanding of Local Developments and Practice”. Journal of Anglican Studies, vol.18, no. 2: 162-179.
- Bethke, A (2019), “John Heavyside’s Manual of Psalmody for Public Worship of 1839: South Africa’s First Anglican Collection of Metrical Psalms and Hymns”. Muziki, vol. 16, no. 1: 74–99.
- Bethke, A (2019), “Ingoma and St Matthew’s Tune Book: Two South African Missionary Tonic Sol-fa Hymn-tune Collections”. Journal of Musical Arts in Africa, vol. 16, no. 1-2: 1 – 27.
- Bethke, A (2018), “An Emerging Local Musical Voice at Grahamstown Anglican Cathedral: Experiments in Localisation”. Culture and Religion, vol. 19, no. 3: 273- 297.
- Bethke, A (2018), “A Transfiguring Tradition of Anglican Music: An Analysis of Localised and Experimental Church Music at the College of the Transfiguration”. South African Journal of Musicology, vol. 36/37: 311-346.
- Bethke, A (2017), “Responding to Xenophobia through Sacred Music: A Self-Reflexive Analysis and Discussion of A Chamber Eucharist”, Vir die Musiekleier, vol. 37: 27-50.
- Bethke, A (2017), “The Transforming Idioms of South African Hymn Tunes: Diminishing Residues of Colonial Harmonic Systems and the Reinterpretation of Hymn Tunes”. Muziki, vol. 14, no. 1: 7-25.
- Bethke, A (2017), “A Brief History of Anglican Liturgy in Southern Africa: Liturgical Developments from 1908-2010”. Journal of Anglican Studies, vol. 51, no. 1: 58-87.
- Bethke, A (2017), “Building New Traditions of Multicultural and Multilingual Hymnody: An Analysis of New South African Hymns by John Gardener”. The Hymn, vol. 68, no. 1: 14-22.
- Bethke, A (2017), “Glimpses into the Music and Worship Life of a Victorian Colonial Cathedral: The Anglican Cathedral Church of St Michael and St George in 1900 (Grahamstown, South Africa)”. Yale Journal of Music and Religion, 3, no. 1: 15-32.
- Bethke, A (2017), “Tracing the Theological Development of the South African Baptismal Rites: The Journey to An Anglican Prayer Book 1989 and Beyond”. Anglican Theological Review, vol. 99, no. 1: 45-64.
- Bethke, A (2016), “Singing a New Song for a Transforming Church: Experiments in Musical Localisation at Grahamstown Cathedral, South Africa”. Vir die Musiekleier, vol. 36: 7-26.
- Bethke, A (2016), “Negotiating Musical Cultures in Colonial Hymnody: Analysing Localised Harmonisations of Western Hymn Tunes”. African Music, vol. 9, no. 6: 186-209.
- Bethke, A (2016), “Music in the South African Anglican Diocese of Cape Town from 1900 to the Present: Toward a History of Anglican Music in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa”.Yale Journal of Music and Religion, vol. 2, no. 1: 1-24.
- Bethke, A (2015), “Theological Assumptions Behind Music and its Performance in Anglican Worship: An Historical Exploration of Anglican Theological Attitudes to Music, Starting with the 1549 Book of Common Prayer and Finishing with An Anglican Prayer Book 1989”. Journal of Theology for Southern Africa, vol. 153: 46-61.
- Bethke, A (2015), “Repertoire and Musical Sources in the Anglican Diocese of Cape Town”, Journal of Musical Arts in Africa, vol. 12: 33-55.
Chapters in Books
- Bethke, A (2024). “Colonialism, Anglican Ritualism, and Xhosa Hymnody: The Training, Career, and Contribution of Reverend Daniel Malgas” in Hymns and Constructions of Race, edited by Erin Johnson-Williams and Philip Burnett. Farnham: Ashgate.
- Bethke, A (2018). “Signs of Localisation in South African Anglican Church Music: Some Examples of Transformation at the College of the Transfiguration in Grahamstown” in Making Congregational Music Local in Christian Communities Worldwide, edited by Monique M. Ingalls, Muriel Swijghuisen Reigersberg, Zoe C. Sherinian. Farnham: Ashgate.
- Bethke, A (2018). “Promoting Transcultural Musical Interactions at Grahamstown Cathedral: An Analysis of Recent Experiences” in Sacred Messages in a Secular World: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Multiculturalism and the Christian Experience, edited by Kesha Morant Williams and Omotayo Banjo. Lanham: Lexington
Community Involvement
- Director of Music and Assistant Priest at St Cyprian’s Anglican Church, Umbilo, Durban.
Teaching Expertise
- Music theory
- Music history
- Choral studies
- Anglican studies
- Christian liturgy
- South African Anglican history
Student supervision
Honours
Masters
PhD
Honours
- Sizwe Hadebe (2019), Interaction Between Music Teachers and Their Students in Senior Phase Secondary Education in South Africa.
- Nothando Nokuthula Mashaba (2019), The Versatility of a Musician.
- Mbuso Nxumalo (2019), Vocal Techniques and Performance Elements: A Review of Classically Trained Vocalists Crossing Over to Popular and Jazz Music.
- Nkosinamandla Makala (2023), A Glimpse of Contemporary Black Choral Music Composition in South Africa: The Life and Music of Sibusiso Njeza.
- Nkosingiphile Mncube (2023), A Glimpse of Contemporary Black Choral Music Composition in South Africa: The Life and Music of Sibusiso Njeza.
- Graham Alexander (2024), Exploring the Challenges and Emotional Responses of Young Adults Transitioning from Youth to Professional Orchestras in South Africa: Disorientation, Retention and Departure.
- Margrit Deppe (2024), Heart Music and the Catholic Church: Exploring Localised Sounds in Church Music in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Masters
- Warren Bessey (2022), Composition portfolio and thesis (co-supervisor).
- Michelle Cecil (2022), The Place of Popular Music in the Lives of Seventh-day Adventists in English Speaking Churches in Durban.
- Pogiso Daman (2022), The Significance of Gospel Music and its Praxis in Selected Churches of Gaborone and Mochudi.
PhD
- Verne Rowin Munsamy (2024), Examining South African ‘Indianness’ through a Bolly-World experience: Staging Bollywood theatre in Durban, South Africa (co-supervisor).