Flute Performance Practice in the United States

Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2009 Flute Performance Practice in the United States (1870-1900): An Exploration of the Repertoire and Writings of American Flutists Sidney Lanier and Henry Clay Wysham Ellen C. Johnson Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF MUSIC FLUTE PERFORMANCE PRACTICE IN THE UNITED STATES (1870-1900): AN EXPLORATION OF THE REPERTOIRE AND WRITINGS OF AMERICAN FLUTISTS SIDNEY LANIER AND HENRY CLAY WYSHAM By ELLEN C. JOHNSON A Treatise submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts Degree Awarded: Summer Semester, 2009 The members of the Committee approve the Treatise of Ellen C. Johnson defended on May 1, 2009. __________________________________ Patrick Meighan Professor Co-Directing Treatise ___________________________________ Eva Amsler Professor Co-Directing Treatise __________________________________ Richard Clary Outside Committee Member __________________________________ Deborah Bish Committee Member The Graduate School has verified and approved the above named committee members. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I gratefully acknowledge Professor Patrick Meighan and Professor Eva Amsler for their generous and tireless assistance in helping me edit and complete this project. I also thank Dr. Deborah Bish and Professor Richard Clary for serving on my committee. Many thanks to all of you for your support throughout this process. I deeply appreciate the indispensable advice and guidance from my flute professor, Eva Amsler. From the beginning to the end of this project she has encouraged and supported my efforts to bring this treatise to fruition. I am also indebted to the advice of Nancy Toff, Patricia Harper, Marianne Gedigian, Steven Finley, and Carol Lynn Ward-Bamford. Uncovering the historical archives housed throughout the United States would not have been possible without their advice and knowledge of the field of American flute history. Finally, I wish to acknowledge and thank my family and friends who supported and encouraged me throughout my journey to the completion of this project. Your support means the world to me. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................... vi 1. OVERVIEW OF NINETEENTH-CENTURY FLUTE HISTORY IN THE UNITED STATES ................................................................................. 1 2. BIOGRAPHIES OF SIDNEY LANIER AND HENRY CLAY WYSHAM . 14 Sidney Lanier Biographical Overview........................................................ 14 Sidney Lanier‟s Early Flute-Playing ........................................................... 15 The Civil War ............................................................................................. 16 Mary Day Lanier ......................................................................................... 17 Sidney Lanier‟s Early Travels .................................................................... 18 Sidney Lanier and the Peabody Symphony ................................................ 19 Sidney Lanier: Writer, Lecturer, Professor ................................................. 21 The Legacy of Sidney Lanier ...................................................................... 24 Henry Clay Wysham Biographical Overview ............................................ 24 Publications and Correspondence of Henry Clay Wysham ........................ 29 Controversy with London Critics................................................................ 30 Reviews of The Evolution of the Boehm Flute (1898) ................................ 31 3. FLUTE REPERTOIRE AND REVIEWS OF SIDNEY LANIER AND HENRY CLAY WYSHAM AND SELECTED COLLEAGUES .................. 33 Flute Improvisation .................................................................................... 33 Flute Repertoire ......................................................................................... 37 Selected Reviews ........................................................................................ 40 4. BOEHM-SYSTEM FLUTE PERFORMANCE PRACTICE IN THE UNITED STATES IN THE WRITINGS OF SIDNEY LANIER AND HENRY CLAY WYSHAM ............................................................................ 44 Boehm-system Flute Popularity in the United States ................................. 44 Flute Materials ............................................................................................ 47 Influential Flute Pedagogues....................................................................... 51 Breathing ................................................................................................ 52 Articulation ................................................................................................ 53 Tone Production .......................................................................................... 54 Harmonics ............................................................................................... 55 Tone Color ............................................................................................... 56 Symbolism in the Flute Sound .................................................................... 58 5. FLUTES OWNED BY LANIER AND WYSHAM ....................................... 64 iv The Lanier-Badger Alto Flute .................................................................... 66 Sidney Lanier and a Glass Flute ................................................................ 70 6. THE INFLUENCE OF THE WRITINGS OF SIDNEY LANIER AND HENRY CLAY WYSHAM ON AMERICAN WOMEN FLUTISTS ........... 72 7. CONCLUSIONS............................................................................................. 79 APPENDIX: REPERTOIRE ............................................................................... 81 REFERENCES ................................................................................................ 87 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH .............................................................................. 92 v ABSTRACT Boehm-system flutes were adopted by most professional flutists in the United States between 1870 and 1900, and American audiences proved to be receptive to the new timbral and technical possibilities of this instrument. The repertoire and writings of Sidney Lanier (1842-1881) and Henry Clay Wysham (1828-1900) detail the performance practice and musical culture that emerged in the United States when flutists, from the parlor to the orchestra, started adopting this instrument en masse. This culture was supplanted by the emergence of “The French Flute School” and the pedagogical philosophies of French flutists such as Georges Barrère, Georges Laurent, and Marcel Moyse in the early twentieth century, and interest in American flute performance practices that predate their arrival dwindled. In exploring the body of information left by Lanier and Wysham regarding flute repertoire, performances, and performance practice in the United States, a clearer picture of the history of Boehm-system flutes and influential flutists is formed for scholars and performers. Sidney Lanier received many accolades as a poet during his lifetime, and this platform of fame brought his literary works before many readers throughout the United States. Lanier was also a self-taught flutist from Macon, GA who became the Principal Flutist of the Peabody Symphony Orchestra in Baltimore, MD in 1873. He was equally devoted to music and poetry, established a flute reputation by improvising solos, raised the standards of flute repertoire in the United States, and championed the ideal that women could be professional musicians on any instrument. Henry Clay Wysham was a lawyer and flutist from Baltimore, MD and worked primarily as a professional flutist from 1850 to 1900. Wysham became acquainted with most of the important flutists of the nineteenth century, including Theobald Boehm, Alfred G. Badger, Sidney Lanier, C. Paul Taffanel, and Dayton C. Miller. A staunch advocate of Boehm-system flutes, Wysham studied music at the Royal College of Music in London, performed in the Peabody Symphony Orchestra, and taught flute at the University of California at Berkeley. Wysham was also one of the first flutists to explore and write about world flute traditions from Japan, China, and Egypt. His greatest contribution to the field of flute research was his book, The Evolution of the Boehm Flute, vi which stands alone as one of the most extensive resources on American flute performance practice during the nineteenth century. The combined perspectives of Sidney Lanier and Henry Clay Wysham represent a comprehensive look at flute repertoire and performance practice in the United States between 1870 and 1900. Their flute performances and publications inspired audiences and flutists alike, creating fertile soil for the traditions of the “French Flute School” to thrive in during the twentieth century. Lanier and Wysham were influential in elevating the quality of flute repertoire, popularizing silver Boehm-system flutes, and advocating that women should become orchestral performers. Both men wrote eloquently and extensively in national and international publications during a time where each of these concepts broke important ground for the following generation of American flutists. vii CHAPTER I OVERVIEW OF NINETEENTH-CENTURY FLUTE

Load more