DOCSLIB.ORG

Afstanddoening Van Werksgetrouheid in Richard Taruskin Se Essay “Setting Limits”

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Afstanddoening Van Werksgetrouheid in Richard Taruskin Se Essay “Setting Limits” LitNet Akademies Jaargang 15, Nommer 3, 2018, ISSN 1995-5928 Afstanddoening van werksgetrouheid in Richard Taruskin se essay “Setting limits” Etienne Viviers Etienne Viviers, MASARA Nisentiteit, Skool vir Musiek, Noordwes-Universiteit (Potchefstroomkampus) Opsomming In twee resensies van die musikoloog Richard Taruskin se skrywes ondersoek die regsgeleerdes Sanford Levinson en J.M. Balkin sy gedagtes oor histories-ingegewe uitvoeringspraktyk van Westerse kunsmusiek. Hulle stel veral belang in ’n konseptuele verband wat getrek kan word tussen histories-ingegewe uitvoering in Westerse kunsmusiek en originalisme in die regte. In hulle resensie van Taruskin se boek Text and act vra Levinson en Balkin onder andere waar en hoe hy die grense van toelaatbaarheid sou vasstel met die vertolking van byvoorbeeld Beethoven se musikale werke. Hulle is van mening dat die sukses van regterlike en musikale tekste se uitvoerings aan die standaarde van interpretatiewe gemeenskappe – ’n begrip aan Stanley Fish (1980) ontleen – gemeet kan word. In hierdie konteks vra hulle Taruskin ook oor grensverstellings in uitdagende hedendaagse operaproduksies. Hierdie artikel ondersoek Taruskin se antwoorde op daardie vrae, wat in sy programrede-essay ―Setting limits‖ gepubliseer is, in twee afsonderlike dele. Eerstens word gekyk na hoe Taruskin op die begrip interpretatiewe gemeenskappe reageer wanneer hy weier om voorafgestelde standaarde (grense) vas te maak waarvolgens musikale uitvoerings se sukses aan komponiste se partiture gemeet moet word. Hierdie deel van die ondersoek behels ’n verdere uitpluising van wat Levinson en Balkin moontlik met interpretatiewe gemeenskappe bedoel wanneer hulle laasgenoemde met ’n pragmatiese benadering tot die evaluering van uitvoerings assosieer. Met Taruskin se oënskynlike radikale verwerping van getrouheid aan musikale werke se tekste, word dit noodsaaklik om eers ’n deeglike bespreking van die filosoof Lydia Goehr se opvatting van musikale Werktreue (werksgetrouheid) te loods wat met interpretatiewe gemeenskappe se vermeende pragmatisme in gedagte gelees moet word. Daarna word aanbeweeg na die tweede deel van Taruskin se antwoorde op Levinson en Balkin se resensievrae. Dit sit uiteen hoe Taruskin ’n radikale verwerping van getrouheid aan musikale werke, oftewel werksgetrouheid, vir sogenaamde Regieoper voorstel. Sy benadering, wat toelaat dat operakomponiste se oorspronklike musiek gerus op uitdagende maniere verander mag word, word vergelyk met Roger Parker se soortgelyke, maar meer konserwatiewe uitkyk op die verandering van komponiste se musiek. Daarna word gekyk na wat die begrip werksgetrouheid histories in die konteks van Regieoper beteken het. Dit lei tot ’n bespreking van die kreatiewe moontlikhede 200 LitNet Akademies Jaargang 15, Nommer 3, 2018, ISSN 1995-5928 wat Taruskin se afstanddoening van werksgetrouheid vir eietydse operaproduksie inhou. Hierdie moontlikhede sluit improvisasie, herkomponering en aanpassing, insetsel-arias, musiekstilistiese vertaling en variasie in. Die Suid-Afrikaanse opera Impempe Yomlingo (’n verwerking van Mozart se ―Singspiel‖ Die Zauberflöte), word as toepaslike voorbeeld van hierdie kreatiewe moontlikhede aangebied en kortliks bespreek. Trefwoorde: aanpassing; Balkin, J.M.; Beethoven; Die Zauberflöte; Goehr, Lydia; herkomponering; histories-ingegewe uitvoeringspraktyk; Impempe Yomlingo; improvisasie; interpretatiewe gemeenskappe; insetsel-arias; Levinson, Sanford; musiekstilistiese vertaling; Parker, Roger; opera; originalisme; outentisiteit; Taruskin, Richard; variasie; werkbegrip; werksgetrouheid; Werktreue Abstract Relinquishment of Werktreue in Richard Taruskin’s essay “Setting limits” It is acceptable practice in the rehearsal and performance of Western art music to play the notes and other textual instructions of a music score in a faithful manner. Unlike in the case of jazz, for example, performers of Western art music do not readily improvise, or at least not in music of the so-called classical and romantic style periods. Apart from melodic and harmonic improvisation, other elements in the structural design of Western art music pieces are also not changed at the performers’ discretion. Moreover, precomposed changes and adaptations of composers’ musical texts are not tolerated. In Western art music communities an approach of loyalty to composers and their musical works exists (especially to the texts of these works), according to which performances need to be authentically correct – a performance approach that is usually referred to as Werktreue (fidelity to a work and the instructions in its text) in the literature. This article examines the relevant opinions about Werktreue with a thorough investigation of a keynote address essay (―Setting limits‖) by the American musicologist Richard Taruskin. First, I examine two interdisciplinary reviews of Taruskin’s previous writing by the legal scholars Sanford Levinson and J.M. Balkin, which influenced Taruskin then to write the essay ―Setting limits‖. In these reviews, Levinson and Balkin are especially interested in a conceptual association that can be made between historically informed performance practice in Western art music and originalism in the law. Although Levinson and Balkin write in an interdisciplinary context, I concentrate more on what their interdisciplinary theorisation ultimately means for performances in music than for performances in the law. Consequently, Taruskin’s participation in this interdisciplinary conversation interests me more. I am particularly interested in questions that Levinson and Balkin put to Taruskin regarding what to do when authenticity cannot be the touchstone of textual interpretation in music and the law. They want to know whether anything is permissible, then, with the interpretation of texts and their instructions, and they also immediately answer ―no‖ to their own question. According to them, certain interpretations of texts will surely always be preposterous, while others will easily fall within the limits of possible interpretative solutions. What interests them the most, therefore, is to try to understand what determines people’s competence either to construct plausible limits for interpretation possibilities or otherwise to adjudge certain 201 LitNet Akademies Jaargang 15, Nommer 3, 2018, ISSN 1995-5928 musical and legal ―performances‖ fraudulent. Levinson and Balkin believe that so-called interpretive communities (a concept that they borrow from Stanley Fish, 1980) enable people to construct sensible (pragmatic) limits where the evaluation of textual interpretations is concerned. In this context they finally ask Taruskin about setting limits in provocative contemporaneous opera production, and they especially want to know at what point Taruskin would invoke the authority of the score to evaluate the credibility of certain musical performances. These are therefore the main issues that Taruskin investigates in his essay ―Setting limits‖. This article demonstrates how Taruskin’s essay probably does not satisfy Levinson and Balkin’s intellectual expectations, first because Taruskin has nothing to say about Western art music’s interpretive communities, but also because he is unwilling to set pragmatic limits of interpretive permissibility before the evaluation of musical performances. He implicitly rejects their theory of pragmatic performance evaluation, and instead argues that they are clinging to authoritarian standards of evaluation that will lead to tyranny. Taruskin’s answers demonstrate a radical rejection of the ideal of fidelity to musical works and their texts (Werktreue), because there is no point at which he would invoke the authority of the musical score to evaluate a performance. Instead he advocates that performers may take as many liberties as they want. He also argues that there are obviously fundamental differences and ethical consequences with regard to setting limits between music and the law. In their review of Taruskin’s Text and act, Levinson and Balkin make an important distinction between algorithms, formal criteria and determinate procedures on the one hand and the supposed pragmatism of interpretive communities on the other, as regards the evaluation of textual performances in music and the law. Here their research relies heavily on ideas formulated by Stanley Fish. It is nevertheless difficult to understand exactly what they mean by this opposition of evaluation procedures, and I therefore question what precisely they aim to communicate with their idea of pragmatic interpretive communities. The article thus examines Fish’s all too brief and inadequate description of interpretive communities, before arguing that Levinson and Balkin use Fish’s concept to outline an instinctive and pre- theoretical community of legal and musical experts whose ―often inchoate standards‖ of evaluation can only involve pragmatism. I then demonstrate how Taruskin and Levinson and Balkin are at odds because Taruskin simply doesn’t see any difference between Levinson and Balkin’s use of algorithms, formal criteria and determinate procedures and the purported pragmatism of interpretive communities. Contrary to their possible expectations, Taruskin also does not offer his own explanations of these opposing concepts in the context of Western art music. This article therefore offers an explanation in Taruskin’s stead, which revolves around the important concept of Werktreue. This concept is highlighted as a significant lacuna in the discursive interactions between Levinson and
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 103 the Music Library of the Warsaw Theatre in The
    A. ŻÓRAWSKA-WITKOWSKA, MUSIC LIBRARY OF THE WARSAW..., ARMUD6 47/1-2 (2016) 103-116 103 THE MUSIC LIBRARY OF THE WARSAW THEATRE IN THE YEARS 1788 AND 1797: AN EXPRESSION OF THE MIGRATION OF EUROPEAN REPERTOIRE ALINA ŻÓRAWSKA-WITKOWSKA UDK / UDC: 78.089.62”17”WARSAW University of Warsaw, Institute of Musicology, Izvorni znanstveni rad / Research Paper ul. Krakowskie Przedmieście 32, Primljeno / Received: 31. 8. 2016. 00-325 WARSAW, Poland Prihvaćeno / Accepted: 29. 9. 2016. Abstract In the Polish–Lithuanian Common- number of works is impressive: it included 245 wealth’s fi rst public theatre, operating in War- staged Italian, French, German, and Polish saw during the reign of Stanislaus Augustus operas and a further 61 operas listed in the cata- Poniatowski, numerous stage works were logues, as well as 106 documented ballets and perform ed in the years 1765-1767 and 1774-1794: another 47 catalogued ones. Amongst operas, Italian, French, German, and Polish operas as Italian ones were most popular with 102 docu- well ballets, while public concerts, organised at mented and 20 archived titles (totalling 122 the Warsaw theatre from the mid-1770s, featured works), followed by Polish (including transla- dozens of instrumental works including sym- tions of foreign works) with 58 and 1 titles phonies, overtures, concertos, variations as well respectively; French with 44 and 34 (totalling 78 as vocal-instrumental works - oratorios, opera compositions), and German operas with 41 and arias and ensembles, cantatas, and so forth. The 6 works, respectively. author analyses the manuscript catalogues of those scores (sheet music did not survive) held Keywords: music library, Warsaw, 18th at the Archiwum Główne Akt Dawnych in War- century, Stanislaus Augustus Poniatowski, saw (Pl-Wagad), in the Archive of Prince Joseph musical repertoire, musical theatre, music mi- Poniatowski and Maria Teresa Tyszkiewicz- gration Poniatowska.
    [Show full text]
  • A Countertenor's Reference Guide to Operatic Repertoire
    A COUNTERTENOR’S REFERENCE GUIDE TO OPERATIC REPERTOIRE Brad Morris A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF MUSIC May 2019 Committee: Christopher Scholl, Advisor Kevin Bylsma Eftychia Papanikolaou © 2019 Brad Morris All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Christopher Scholl, Advisor There are few resources available for countertenors to find operatic repertoire. The purpose of the thesis is to provide an operatic repertoire guide for countertenors, and teachers with countertenors as students. Arias were selected based on the premise that the original singer was a castrato, the original singer was a countertenor, or the role is commonly performed by countertenors of today. Information about the composer, information about the opera, and the pedagogical significance of each aria is listed within each section. Study sheets are provided after each aria to list additional resources for countertenors and teachers with countertenors as students. It is the goal that any countertenor or male soprano can find usable repertoire in this guide. iv I dedicate this thesis to all of the music educators who encouraged me on my countertenor journey and who pushed me to find my own path in this field. v PREFACE One of the hardships while working on my Master of Music degree was determining the lack of resources available to countertenors. While there are opera repertoire books for sopranos, mezzo-sopranos, tenors, baritones, and basses, none is readily available for countertenors. Although there are online resources, it requires a great deal of research to verify the validity of those sources.
    [Show full text]
  • The 2017/18 Season: 70 Years of the Komische Oper Berlin – 70 Years Of
    Press release | 30/3/2017 | acr | Updated: July 2017 The 2017/18 Season: 70 Years of the Komische Oper Berlin – 70 Years of the Future of Opera 10 premieres for this major birthday, two of which are reencounters with titles of legendary Felsenstein productions, two are world premieres and four are operatic milestones of the 20 th century. 70 years ago, Walter Felsenstein founded the Komische Oper as a place where musical theatre makers were not content to rest on the laurels of opera’s rich traditions, but continually questioned it in terms of its relevance and sustainability. In our 2017/18 anniversary season, together with their team, our Intendant and Chefregisseur Barrie Kosky and the Managing Director Susanne Moser are putting this aim into practice once again by way of a diverse program – with special highlights to celebrate our 70 th birthday. From Baroque opera to operettas and musicals, the musical milestones of 20 th century operatic works, right through to new premieres of operas for children, with works by Georg Friedrich Handel through to Philip Glass, from Jacques Offenbach to Jerry Bock, from Claude Debussy to Dmitri Shostakovich, staged both by some of the most distinguished directors of our time as well as directorial newcomers. New Productions Our 70 th birthday will be celebrated not just with a huge birthday cake on 3 December, but also with two anniversary productions. Two works which enjoyed great success as legendary Felsenstein productions are returning in new productions. Barrie Kosky is staging Jerry Brock’s musical Fiddler on the Roof , with Max Hopp/Markus John and Dagmar Manzel in the lead roles, and the magician of the theatre, Stefan Herheim, will present Jacques Offenbach’s operetta Barbe- bleue in a new, German and French version.
    [Show full text]
  • A European Singspiel
    Columbus State University CSU ePress Theses and Dissertations Student Publications 2012 Die Zauberflöte: A urE opean Singspiel Zachary Bryant Columbus State University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://csuepress.columbusstate.edu/theses_dissertations Part of the Music Commons Recommended Citation Bryant, Zachary, "Die Zauberflöte: A urE opean Singspiel" (2012). Theses and Dissertations. 116. https://csuepress.columbusstate.edu/theses_dissertations/116 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Publications at CSU ePress. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of CSU ePress. r DIE ZAUBEFL5TE: A EUROPEAN SINGSPIEL Zachary Bryant Die Zauberflote: A European Singspiel by Zachary Bryant A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of Requirements of the CSU Honors Program for Honors in the Bachelor of Arts in Music College of the Arts Columbus State University Thesis Advisor JfAAlj LtKMrkZny Date TttZfQjQ/Aj Committee Member /1^^^^^^^C^ZL^>>^AUJJ^AJ (?YUI£^"QdJu**)^-) Date ^- /-/<£ Director, Honors Program^fSs^^/O ^J- 7^—^ Date W3//±- Through modern-day globalization, the cultures of the world are shared on a daily basis and are integrated into the lives of nearly every person. This reality seems to go unnoticed by most, but the fact remains that many individuals and their societies have formed a cultural identity from the combination of many foreign influences. Such a multicultural identity can be seen particularly in music. Composers, artists, and performers alike frequently seek to incorporate separate elements of style in their own identity. One of the earliest examples of this tradition is the German Singspiel.
    [Show full text]
  • Operetta After the Habsburg Empire by Ulrike Petersen a Dissertation
    Operetta after the Habsburg Empire by Ulrike Petersen A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Music in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in Charge: Professor Richard Taruskin, Chair Professor Mary Ann Smart Professor Elaine Tennant Spring 2013 © 2013 Ulrike Petersen All Rights Reserved Abstract Operetta after the Habsburg Empire by Ulrike Petersen Doctor of Philosophy in Music University of California, Berkeley Professor Richard Taruskin, Chair This thesis discusses the political, social, and cultural impact of operetta in Vienna after the collapse of the Habsburg Empire. As an alternative to the prevailing literature, which has approached this form of musical theater mostly through broad surveys and detailed studies of a handful of well‐known masterpieces, my dissertation presents a montage of loosely connected, previously unconsidered case studies. Each chapter examines one or two highly significant, but radically unfamiliar, moments in the history of operetta during Austria’s five successive political eras in the first half of the twentieth century. Exploring operetta’s importance for the image of Vienna, these vignettes aim to supply new glimpses not only of a seemingly obsolete art form but also of the urban and cultural life of which it was a part. My stories evolve around the following works: Der Millionenonkel (1913), Austria’s first feature‐length motion picture, a collage of the most successful stage roles of a celebrated
    [Show full text]
  • The Magic Flute
    The Magic Flute PRODUCTION INFORMATION Music: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Text (English): Emanuel Schikaneder English Translation: J.D. McClatchy World Premiere: Vienna, Theater auf der Wieden Austria, September 30, 1791 Final Dress Rehearsal Date: Friday, December 13, 2013 Note: the following times are approximate 10:30am – 12:30pm Cast: Pamina Heidi Stober Queen of the Night Albina Shagimuratova Tamino Alek Shrader Papageno Nathan Gunn Speaker Shenyang Sarastro Eric Owens Production Team: Conductor Jane Glover Production Julie Taymor Set Designer George Tsypin Costume Designer Julie Taymor Lighting Designer Donald Holder Puppet Designers Julie Taymor and Michael Curry Choreographer Mark Dendy 2 Table of Contents Production Information 2 An Introduction to Pathways for Understanding Study Materials 4 Meet the Characters 5 The Story of The Magic Flute Synopsis 6 Guiding Questions 8 The History of Mozart’s The Magic Flute 10 Guided Listening Overture 12 I’m sure that there could never be 13 Such loveliness beyond compare 14 Don’t be afraid, now hear my song 15 The wrath of hell is burning in my bosom 16 Now I know that love can vanish 17 If only I could meet her 18 Pa-pa-ge-na! – Pa-pa-ge-no! 19 The Magic Flute Resources About the Composer 20 The Enlightenment & Singspiel 22 Online Resources 25 Additional Resources The Emergence of Opera 26 Metropolitan Opera Facts 30 Reflections after the Opera 32 A Guide to Voice Parts and Families of the Orchestra 33 Glossary 34 References Works Consulted 38 3 An Introduction to Pathways for Understanding Study Materials The goal of Pathways for Understanding materials is to provide multiple “pathways” for learning about a specific opera as well as the operatic art form, and to allow teachers to create lessons that work best for their particular teaching style, subject area, and class of students.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter 3 [PDF]
    Chapter 3 Was There a Crisis of Opera?: The Kroll Opera's First Season, 1927-28 Beethoven's "Fidelio" inaugurated the Kroll Opera's first season on November 19, 1927. This was an appropriate choice for an institution which claimed to represent a new version of German culture - the product of Bildung in a republican context. This chapter will discuss the reception of this production in the context of the 1927-28 season. While most accounts of the Kroll Opera point to outraged reactions to the production's unusual aesthetics, I will argue that the problems the opera faced during its first season had less to do with aesthetics than with repertory choice. In the case of "Fidelio" itself, other factors were responsible for the controversy over the production, which was a deliberately pessimistic reading of the opera. I will go on to discuss the notion of a "crisis of opera", a prominent issue in the musical press during the mid-1920s. The Kroll had been created in order to renew German opera, but was the state of opera unhealthy in the first place? I argue that the "crisis" discussion was more optimistic than it has generally been portrayed by scholars. The amount of attention generated by the Kroll is evidence that opera was flourishing in Weimar Germany, and indeed was a crucial ingredient of civic culture, highly important to the project of reviving the ideals of the Bildungsbürgertum. 83 84 "Fidelio" in the Context of Republican Culture Why was "Fidelio" a representative German opera, particularly for the republic? This work has not always been viewed as political in nature.
    [Show full text]
  • UC Berkeley UC Berkeley Electronic Theses and Dissertations
    UC Berkeley UC Berkeley Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title A Second Refuge: French Opera and the Huguenot Migration, c. 1680 - c. 1710 Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6ck4p872 Author Ahrendt, Rebekah Publication Date 2011 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California A Second Refuge French Opera and the Huguenot Migration, c. 1680 – c. 1710 By Rebekah Susannah Ahrendt A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Music in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Kate van Orden, Chair Professor Richard Taruskin Professor Peter Sahlins Fall 2011 A Second Refuge French Opera and the Huguenot Migration, c. 1680 – c. 1710 Copyright 2011 by Rebekah Susannah Ahrendt 1 Abstract A Second Refuge French Opera and the Huguenot Migration, c. 1680 – c. 1710 by Rebekah Susannah Ahrendt Doctor of Philosophy in Music University of California, Berkeley Professor Kate van Orden, Chair This dissertation examines the brief flowering of French opera on stages outside of France around the turn of the eighteenth century. I attribute the sudden rise and fall of interest in the genre to a large and noisy migration event—the flight of some 200,000 Huguenots from France. Dispersed across Western Europe and beyond, Huguenots maintained extensive networks that encouraged the exchange of ideas and of music. And it was precisely in the great centers of the Second Refuge that French opera was performed. Following the wide-ranging career path of Huguenot impresario, novelist, poet, and spy Jean-Jacques Quesnot de la Chenée, I construct an alternative history of French opera by tracing its circulation and transformation along Huguenot migration routes.
    [Show full text]
  • Small-Scale Opera: History and Continuing Relevance in the 21St Century
    SMALL-SCALE OPERA: HISTORY AND CONTINUING RELEVANCE IN THE 21ST CENTURY Joel B. Trisel A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF MUSIC May 2015 Committee: Katherine Meizel, Advisor Christopher Scholl Kevin Bylsma ii ABSTRACT Katherine Meizel, Advisor This paper explores the history and recent rise in popularity of small-scale opera. Small- scale opera, originally referred to as chamber opera, and recently referred to as “Micro-opera”, “NANOWorks”, et cetera, has gained popularity in the past forty years due to artistic and financial reasons. The genre reflects the need for companies to find financially viable ways to continue to produce and perform classical music in a poor economic climate. The short length and relatively simple plots of the works in this genre also reflect the shift in media consumption on a broad level in the United States. While the genre is growing in popularity today, it has ties to historical practices, including some of the first documented operas written in the Baroque period. This paper provides a historical account of iterations of small-scale opera and culminates in interviews with professionals working in the field today. Through my research, I conclude that the genre is likely to succeed in the 21st century. This is due to the financial viability small-scale opera affords to both those producing and attending these works. Small-scale opera provides composers with a flexible medium in which they can explore writing sung drama that is substantially more likely to be produced than full-length works.
    [Show full text]
  • Ballad Opera in England: Its Songs, Contributors, and Influence
    BALLAD OPERA IN ENGLAND: ITS SONGS, CONTRIBUTORS, AND INFLUENCE Julie Bumpus A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF MUSIC August 7, 2010 Committee: Vincent Corrigan, Advisor Mary Natvig ii ABSTRACT Vincent Corrigan, Advisor The ballad opera was a popular genre of stage entertainment in England that flourished roughly from 1728 (beginning with John Gay's The Beggar's Opera) to 1760. Gay's original intention for the genre was to satirize not only the upper crust of British society, but also to mock the “excesses” of Italian opera, which had slowly been infiltrating the concert life of Britain. The Beggar's Opera and its successors were to be the answer to foreign opera on British soil: a truly nationalistic genre that essentially was a play (building on a long-standing tradition of English drama) with popular music interspersed throughout. My thesis explores the ways in which ballad operas were constructed, what meanings the songs may have held for playwrights and audiences, and what influence the genre had in England and abroad. The thesis begins with a general survey of the origins of ballad opera, covering theater music during the Commonwealth, Restoration theatre, the influence of Italian Opera in England, and The Beggar’s Opera. Next is a section on the playwrights and composers of ballad opera. The playwrights discussed are John Gay, Henry Fielding, and Colley Cibber. Purcell and Handel are used as examples of composers of source material and Mr. Seedo and Pepusch as composers and arrangers of ballad opera music.
    [Show full text]
  • AMS San Francisco 2011 Final Abstracts
    American Musicological Society Program & Abstracts 2011 g Program and Abstracts of Papers Read at the American Musicological Society Seventy-Seventh Annual Meeting 10–13 November 011 Hyatt Regency San Francisco, California g AMS 2011 Annual Meeting Edited by Caryl Clark Chair, 11 AMS Program Committee Local Arrangements Committee Alexandra Amati-Camperi, Chair, Kara Gardner, Joseph Sargent Performance Committee Jeffery Kite-Powell, Chair, Alexandra Amati-Camperi, ex officio, David Schulenberg, Steve Swayne Program Committee Caryl Clark, Chair, Emma Dillon, 2012 Chair, David Brackett, Andrew Dell’Antonio, Judith Lochhead, Michael Marissen, Roberta Marvin The AMS would like to thank the following organizations for their generous support: Grace Cathedral San Francisco Conservatory of Music San Francisco Opera San Francisco Symphony Sherman Clay Pianos Sherman Clay has been the exclusive representative of the Steinway & Sons piano since 1891 and is proud to support the 11 Annual Meeting of the American Musicological Society. Program and Abstracts of Papers Read (ISSN 89-1) is published annually for the Annual Meeting of the American Musicological Society, where one copy is distributed to attendees free of charge. Additional copies may be purchased from the American Musicological So- ciety for $1. per copy plus $. U.S. shipping and handling (add $. shipping for each additional copy). For international orders, please contact the American Musicological Society for shipping prices: AMS, 61 College Station, Brunswick ME 411-841 (e-mail [email protected]).
    [Show full text]
  • German Writers on German Opera, 1798–1830
    ! "# $ % & % ' % !"# $!%$! &#' !' "(&(&()(( *+*,(-!*,(."(/0 ' "# ' '% $$(' $(#1$2/ 3((&/ 14(/ Propagating a National Genre: German Writers on German Opera, 1798–1830 A Dissertation submitted to the Division of Graduate Studies and Research of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Division of Composition, Musicology, and Theory of the College-Conservatory of Music 2010 by Kevin Robert Burke BM Appalachian State University, 2002 MM University of Cincinnati, 2004 Committee Chair: Dr. Mary Sue Morrow ABSTRACT Standard histories of Western music have settled on the phrase “German Romantic opera” to characterize German operatic developments in the early part of the nineteenth century. A consideration of over 1500 opera reviews from close to thirty periodicals, however, paints a more complex picture. In addition to a fascination with the supernatural, composers were drawn to a variety of libretti, including Biblical and Classical topics, and considered the application of recitative and other conventions most historians have overlooked because of their un-German heritage. Despite the variety of approaches and conceptions of what a German opera might look like, writers from Vienna to Kassel shared a common aspiration to develop a true German opera. The new language of concert criticism found from specialized music journals like the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung to the entertainment inserts of feuilletons like the Zeitung für die elegante Welt made the operatic endeavor of the early nineteenth century a national one rather than a regional one as it was in the eighteenth century. ii Copyright 2010, Kevin Robert Burke iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, I would like to offer gratitude to all my colleagues, friends, and family who supported me with encouraging words, a listening ear, and moments of celebration at the end of each stage.
    [Show full text]