Echoes of the Gothic in Early Twentieth- Century Spanish Music

Echoes of the Gothic in Early Twentieth- Century Spanish Music Jennifer Lillian Hanna ORCID: 0000-0002-2788-9888 Submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements of the Master of Music (Musicology/Ethnomusicology) November 2020 Melbourne Conservatorium of Music Faculty of Fine Arts and Music University of Melbourne ii Abstract This thesis explores traces of the Gothic in music and related artforms concerning Spain in the early twentieth century, drawing together a number of case studies with varied proximity to Manuel de Falla and his artistic milieu. A range of Gothic perspectives are applied to a series of musical works, repertories, constructions of race, modes of performance and stage personae, and this examination is preceded by an overview of Gothic elements in their nineteenth-century precursors. The connection between Granada’s Alhambra and the Gothic is based not only on architectural style, but also nocturnal and supernatural themes that can be traced back to the writings of Washington Irving. The idea of Alhambrism and Romantic impressions of the Spanish Gypsy, both of which are associated with the magical, primitive, mystic and nocturnal elements of the Gothic, are also related to constructions of flamenco and cante jondo. The Romantic idea of the Spanish gypsy evolved into primitivism, and attitudes that considered their culture archaic can be placed in a Gothic frame. Flamenco and the notion of duende can also be placed in this frame, and this idea is explored through the poetry and writings of Federico García Lorca and in his interaction with Falla in conceiving the Cante jondo competition of 1922. The rediscovery of Spanish painters Francisco de Goya and El Greco around 1900 was also in part linked with Gothic attributes. The performer Raquel Meller adopted a Goyesque visual style in her singing career, but was characterised as a ‘vamp’ when she became a movie star, notably in the 1926 silent film Carmen, in which she develops the idea of the Romantic gypsy; both phases are interpreted through the Gothic lens. Post-World War I ballets such as The Three-Cornered Hat and El Greco ballet were inspired by these artists respectively, and their Gothic elements were heightened in their modernist recasting and evocation by Pablo Picasso, Falla and other musicians, choreographers and artists. The thesis returns to the idea of Granada and concludes with a consideration of two compositions rich in Gothic allusions, from the arabesque and the nocturnal in Claude Debussy’s ‘La soirée dans Grenade’ to medieval architecture and religious practices in Falla’s Concerto for Harpsichord, Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Violin and Cello. iii Declaration University of Melbourne Faculty of Fine Arts and Music Melbourne Conservatorium of Music This is to certify that: (i) the thesis comprises only my original work towards the Master of Music (Musicology/Ethnomusicology); (ii) due acknowledgment has been made in the text to all other material used; (iii) the thesis is fewer than 40,000 words in length, exclusive of tables, maps, bibliographies and appendices Signature: Name: Jennifer Lillian Hanna Date: 30 November 2020 iv Acknowledgements Firstly, I would like to acknowledge and express thanks for the extensive support, knowledge and direction given to me by from my primary supervisor Dr. Michael Christoforidis, and to Dr. Elizabeth Kertesz, as part of my supervision for this thesis, as well as their assistance with literature and scholarship. I would like to acknowledge and give thanks for the advice and support of the Chair of my advisory panel, Dr. Ken Murray, for the direction, information and support of this research and to the potential future. I would like to acknowledge for the support of Dr. Kerry Murphy, Dr. Erin Helyard and Dr. David Irving for advice on sources and inspiration in the initial development of this thesis. I would also like to thank Owen Salome for assistance with some of the Spanish language translations. v Table of Contents Abstract (ii) Declaration (iii) Acknowledgements (iv) List of Figures (vi) Introduction (1) Chapter 1- Echoes of the Gothic in Alhambrism and Romantic Images of Spanish Gypsies (16) Chapter 2- Duende, Cante Jondo and Federico García Lorca (40) Chapter 3- Echoes of Goya and the Gothic in Raquel Meller’s Performances (64) Chapter 4- Spanish Ballet in Post-war London: Echoes of the Gothic and the Grotesque (92) Chapter 5- Echoes of the Gothic in the Cathedral and the Arabesque: Claude Debussy’s ‘La (123) soirée dans Grenade’ and Manuel de Falla’s Concerto Conclusion (143) Bibliography (146) vi List of Figures Chapter 1 Figure 1.1. Jebulon, Pavillon Cour des Lions Alhambra Granada Spain (18) Figure 1.2. Hans Bernhard, The Alhambra in Granada (Spain) at night. (21) Figure 1.3. James Cavanah Murphy and Thomas Hartwell Horne, ‘Hall of the (25) Abencerrages,’ The Arabian Antiquities of Spain (1815), 115. Figure 1.4. Alfred Dehodencq, A Gypsy Dance in the Gardens of the Alcázar, in front of (33) Charles V Pavilion (1851). Figure 1.5. Library of Commerce, Pavilion of Spain, with tourist boat on the river Seine, (38) Paris Exposition, 1889. Chapter 2 Figure 2.1. Federico García Lorca, manuscript of ‘Viñetas flamencas’ from Poema del (49) cante jondo (1921). Figure 2.2. John Singer Sargent, El Jaleo (1882). (54) Chapter 3 Figure 3.1. Francisco Goya, Witches Sabbath (1795). (66) Figure 3.2. Francisco Goya, Witches' Flight (1797). (67) Figure 3.3. Francisco Goya, The Duchess of Alba (1797). (70) Figure 3.4. Francisco Goya, The White Duchess (1795). (72) Figure 3.5. Unknown Author, ‘Senorita Raquel Meller,’ Time, 26 April 1926, cover. (76) Figure 3.6. Carlos Vázquez Úbeda, Raquel Meller performing ‘El Relicário.’ (77) Figure 3.7. Julio Romero de Torres, Raquel Meller (1910). (80) Figure 3.8. Unknown Author, ‘Raquel Meller,’ Caras y Caretas no. 1488 (09/04/1927): 55. (84) Chapter 4 Figure 4.1. Pablo Picasso, Costume design for the ballet Le Tricorne, 1920. (103) Figure 4.2. Manuel de Falla, Tarjeta postal de Manuel de Falla a Diaghilev, 1918. (105) vii Figure 4.3. Pablo Picasso, Costume design for the ballet Le Tricorne, 1920. (107) Figure 4.4. El Greco (1541–1614), The Burial of the Count of Orgaz, 1586-88. (113) Figure 4.5. El Greco, Paris, 1920. (115) Figure 4.6. Maison de Fous, Paris, 1920. (117) Figure 4.7. Jolanda Figoni and Jean Börlin in El Greco, Paris, 1920. (119) Figure 4.8. Pablo Picasso, ‘Set design for Cuadro Flamenco,’ 1921. (120) Chapter 5 Figure 5.1. Claude Debussy, ‘La soirée dans Grenade’ from Estampes, Paris: Durand & (128) Fils, 1903. Bars 1-18. Figure 5.2. Santiago Rusiñol, Images of evening in the gardens of the Alhambra (Paseo de (132) los pampanos, 1898). Figure 5.3. Manuel de Falla, ‘II- Lento,’ Concerto per clavicembalo (o pianoforte), flauto, (136) oboe, clarinetto, violino e violoncello, Paris: Max Eschig, 1928, Page 23. Figure 5.4. Manuel de Falla, ‘II- Lento,’ Concerto per clavicembalo (o pianoforte), flauto, (138) oboe, clarinetto, violino e violoncello, Paris: Max Eschig, 1928, Page 25. Figure 5.5. Adam Jones, Interior of Gothic Cathedral - Toledo – Spain. (140) Figure 5.6. Jose Ligero, Fachada principal de la Catedral de Barcelona al amanecer, (141) 1 Introduction The aim of this thesis is to explore traces of the Gothic in music and related artforms concerning Spain in the early twentieth century. While the Gothic is not normally the primary lens through which Spanish music is viewed, this thesis draws together a number of case studies with varied proximity to Manuel de Falla and his artistic milieu. Spanish Music is defined here as music having a Spanish composer, composed in Spain, or having a Spanish musical style or theme. The decision to use the Gothic perspective for this research arose due to the writer’s interest in the Gothic, as well as the prevalence of themes and ideas that are associated with the Gothic that were observed in a series of works, repertories, constructions of race, modes of performance and stage personae. In the process, this Gothic perspective can be seen to accentuate elements of exoticism in projections of Spanish music, as well as facilitate their appreciation as part of a European culture that was radically connected to the Gothic. However, the Gothic is not the only possible lens of interpretation for these works. Chapter Summary Chapter 1 introduces some of the themes that are explored later in the research, in relation to the Gothic. Specifically, these topics are the rise of Alhambrism, including musical representations of the Alhambra and Alhambrism, and the prolific, albeit often inaccurate, representations of the Spanish Gypsies during the nineteenth century. Both of these ideas influenced many artists, composers and musicians during the early twentieth century. This chapter will also discuss the 1889 Exposition Universelle that was held in Paris, an event that featured examples of both Alhambrism and the Romantic Spanish Gypsies as part of its attractions. Chapter 2 is primarily concerned with the spirited and supernatural idea of duende, and its influence on cante jondo. This chapter will discuss the writing of the Spanish poet Federico García Lorca, and his influence on the scholarship and understanding of the duende. This second chapter will also discuss the Cante jondo competition that was organised by Lorca and Manuel de Falla in 1922, as a 2 means of reclaiming the more ‘primitive’ forms of cante jondo, as opposed to the more commercialised flamenco, which had grown in popularity since the late nineteenth century. Chapter 3 examines the work of the Spanish painter Francisco de Goya, and the reengagement with his art and the concepts and imagery of majismo during the early twentieth century, and how these relate to the Gothic.

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