Willson's Great Contribution to Musical Theater and Twentieth-Century Music, the Mason City
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THE ORCHESTRAL WORKS OF MEREDITH WILLSON By VALERIE A. AUSTIN A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2008 1 © 2008 Valerie A. Austin 2 To my friends, family, and especially… to those teachers who opened my eyes to the world, past and present. 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This dissertation would not have been possible without the expert guidance of my esteemed advisor, Dr. David Z. Kushner. He was readily available to me, as he so generously is for all of his students, and always read and responded to the drafts of each chapter of my work with expediency and excellence. The members of my dissertation committee, Dr. Raymond Chobaz, Dr. Florin Curta, Dr. Art Jennings, Professor John S. Kitts-Turner, and Dr. Leslie Odom have generously given their time and expertise to better my work. A special thanks to them for their countless hours of reading, reflection, and suggestions. Vast accolades are also extended to the excellent UF music library personnel, Robena Cornwall and Michelle Wilbanks, whose assistance and attention to detail was especially valuable. I am grateful to residents of Mason City, Iowa, who welcomed me, and shared their memoires and experiences. The staff of the Mason City Public Library warrants special mention for their unflagging patience, their courtesy, and especially for their willingness to check details via e-mail and long-distance correspondence. The contributions, both material and reflective, of Mason City archivist Terry Harrison, and retired Mason City Historian Art Fischbeck, were invaluable. Bill Oates, a fellow Willson researcher, generously shared his meticulous research that supported and expanded my own work. I thank my family for their support. I here remember all four grandparents for their extraordinary academic accomplishments. These set an educational precedence for their descendents. I thank my mother for her encouragement, nagging, and editorial suggestions. Thanks and accolades also go to the extraordinary school director under whom I worked full time while completing my coursework, Dr. Fran Vandiver, who set a phenomenal professional model and encouraged both praxis and theoretical approaches in all matters. Her warnings of legions of uncompleted dissertations range loudly in my ears. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...............................................................................................................4 LIST OF FIGURES .........................................................................................................................7 LIST OF EXAMPLES .....................................................................................................................8 ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................................14 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................16 Purpose of the Study ...............................................................................................................16 Need for the Study ..................................................................................................................17 Research Procedure ................................................................................................................20 Analysis of Data .....................................................................................................................21 2 REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ........................................................................................22 Biographical Dictionaries and Encyclopedias ........................................................................22 Books on Twentieth-Century Musicians and Composers ......................................................25 American Music or American Composers .............................................................................26 Genre-Specific Sources ..........................................................................................................28 The Popular Arena ..................................................................................................................29 Subject-Specific Biographical Works .....................................................................................30 3 BIOGRAPHY .........................................................................................................................34 Family Background ................................................................................................................34 John Willson ...........................................................................................................................35 Rosalie Reiniger Willson ........................................................................................................39 The Family and Early Musical Training .................................................................................42 High School and Immediately Thereafter ...............................................................................52 New York Years .....................................................................................................................54 The John Philip Sousa Band ...................................................................................................58 New York Philharmonic .........................................................................................................70 The West Coast Years ............................................................................................................78 Posthumous ...........................................................................................................................100 4 WILLSON AS COMPOSER AND CONDUCTOR ............................................................112 Background ...........................................................................................................................112 Training as a Composer ........................................................................................................115 Earliest Publications .............................................................................................................120 5 First Orchestral Publication, Parade Fantastique ................................................................121 A Trio of works, The Tornado, The Siege, The Phenomena ................................................128 From East to West Coast ......................................................................................................129 Willson’s Early Vitaphone Compositions ............................................................................131 Willson as Conductor ...........................................................................................................135 Film Scores ...........................................................................................................................138 What Every Young Musician Should Know ........................................................................141 Suites: O.O. McIntyre and Jervis Bay ..................................................................................145 5 SYMPHONY NUMBER ONE IN F MINOR: A DELINEATION OF THE SPIRITUAL PERSONALITY THAT IS SAN FRANCISCO .............................................150 Background ...........................................................................................................................150 First Movement, Andante--Allegro, Ma Molto Moderato--Allegro Moderato--Vivace .......153 Second Movement, Andante .................................................................................................172 Third Movement, Presto .......................................................................................................176 Fourth Movement, Allegro ...................................................................................................183 General Analytic Summary ..................................................................................................193 6 SYMPHONY NUMBER II, THE ‘MISSIONS OF CALIFORNIA’ ...................................196 Background ...........................................................................................................................196 Part One: Junipero Serra ......................................................................................................197 Part Two: San Juan Bautista ................................................................................................210 Part Three: Scherzo, San Juan Capistrano ...........................................................................218 Part Four: El Camino Real ....................................................................................................226 General Analytical Summary ...............................................................................................239 Reaction to Symphony ..........................................................................................................243 7 SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................2456 APPENDIX A JOHN WILLSON LETTERS TO ROSEMARY, DIVORCE PAPERS ..............................249 B DIXIE WILLSON LETTERS ASSERTING AUTHORSHIP ROLE IN THE