Biography
A white South African born of European ancestry on the Karoo Plateau, Josef Marais grew up on a sheep ranch and became one of the earliest performers from his homeland to attract listeners in the United States after World War II, largely alongside his spouse Miranda. Fluent in both English and Afrikaans, he developed an early fascination with local folk songs, absorbing the performances of ranch laborers, committing the material to memory, gathering variants, and tracing the differences among them. His musical talents extended to the violin, for which he received multiple scholarships; by the 1920s his command of the instrument was such that an orchestral career appeared inevitable. He performed with the Capetown Symphony Orchestra and pursued studies in violin and composition across London, Paris, Prague, and Budapest. At the same time he cultivated comparable skill on the guitar, an instrument that aligned more readily with his growing engagement in folk traditions. Following his return from London in the late 1920s, he once again immersed himself in the indigenous music of his youth. On a subsequent visit to London his focus widened to encompass folk songs from around the globe.
Marais first reached American audiences in 1939 when the National Broadcasting Company asked him to air a program of South African music. The opening broadcast of Bushveld songs on the series “African Trek” drew an unexpectedly strong response, leading to a contract with Decca Records. Leading the ensemble Josef Marais & His Bushveld Band, he occupied a singular place in the folk scene of the late 1930s and early 1940s. After the United States entered World War II he served as chief of the South African desk at the Office of War Information in New York City, selecting and preparing material for transmission to South Africa and to Afrikaaners serving overseas. During this period he met Rosa Lily Odette Baruch de la Pardo, a pianist from Holland working under the professional name Miranda, who had volunteered her services to the OWI’s South African desk as a translator and editor. He soon recognized the exceptional quality of her singing voice, and the pair began performing duets on the OWI programs. After the war they formalized both their artistic collaboration and their marriage, thereafter appearing and recording as Marais & Miranda from a base in Hollywood. Marais also took roles in two motion pictures. The duo continued performing and recording until his death in 1978.
Marais first reached American audiences in 1939 when the National Broadcasting Company asked him to air a program of South African music. The opening broadcast of Bushveld songs on the series “African Trek” drew an unexpectedly strong response, leading to a contract with Decca Records. Leading the ensemble Josef Marais & His Bushveld Band, he occupied a singular place in the folk scene of the late 1930s and early 1940s. After the United States entered World War II he served as chief of the South African desk at the Office of War Information in New York City, selecting and preparing material for transmission to South Africa and to Afrikaaners serving overseas. During this period he met Rosa Lily Odette Baruch de la Pardo, a pianist from Holland working under the professional name Miranda, who had volunteered her services to the OWI’s South African desk as a translator and editor. He soon recognized the exceptional quality of her singing voice, and the pair began performing duets on the OWI programs. After the war they formalized both their artistic collaboration and their marriage, thereafter appearing and recording as Marais & Miranda from a base in Hollywood. Marais also took roles in two motion pictures. The duo continued performing and recording until his death in 1978.