The Politics of Verdi's Cantica

The Politics of Verdi’s Cantica The Politics of Verdi’s Cantica treats a singular case study of the use of music to resist oppression, combat evil, and fight injustice. Cantica, better known as Inno delle nazioni / Hymn of the Nations, commissioned from Italy’s foremost composer to represent the newly independent nation at the 1862 London International Exhibition, served as a national voice of pride and of protest for Italy across two centuries and in two very different political situations. The book unpacks, for the first time, the full history of Verdi’s composition from its creation, performance, and publication in the 1860s through its appropriation as purposeful social and political commentary and of its perception by American broadcast media as a ‘weapon of art’ in the mid twentieth century. Based on largely untapped primary archival and other documentary sources, journalistic writings, and radio and film scripts, the project discusses the changing meanings of the composition over time. It not only unravels the complex history of the work in the nineteenth century, of greater significance it offers the first fully documented study of the performances, radio broadcast, and filming of the work by the renowned Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini during World War II. In presenting new evidence about ways in which Verdi’s music was appropriated by expatriate Italians and the United States government for cross-cultural propaganda in America and in Italy, it addresses the intertwining of Italian and American culture with regard to art, politics, and history; and investigates the ways in which the press and broadcast media helped construct a musical weapon that traversed ethnic, aesthetic, and temporal boundaries to make a strong political statement. ROYAL MUSICAL ASSOCIATION MONOGRAPHS General Editor: Simon P. Keefe This series is supported by funds made available to the Royal Musical Association from the estate of Thurston Dart, former King Edward Professor of Music at the University of London. The editorial board is the Publications Committee of the Association. Recent monographs in the series (for a full list, see the end of this book): Heinrich Schenker and Beethoven’s ‘Hammerklavier’ Sonata Nicholas Marston Regina Mingotti: Diva and Impresario at the King’s Theatre, London Michael Burden Brahms Beyond Mastery: His Sarabande and Gavotte, and its Recompositions Robert Pascall The Politics of Plainchant in fin-de-siècle France Katharine Ellis Skryabin, Philosophy and the Music of Desire Kenneth M. Smith ROYAL MUSICAL ASSOCIATION MONOGRAPHS 24 The Politics of Verdi’s Cantica Roberta Montemorra Marvin First published 2014 by Ashgate Publishing Published 2016 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business Copyright © Roberta Montemorra Marvin 2014 Roberta Montemorra Marvin has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Notice. Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows: Marvin, Roberta Montemorra. The politics of Verdi’s Cantica / by Roberta Montemorra Marvin. pages cm. – (Royal Musical Association monographs) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-4094-1785-9 (hardcover) 1. Verdi, Giuseppe, 1813–1901. Inno delle nazioni. 2. Music–Political aspects–History–19th century. 3. Music–Political aspects–History–20th century. I. Title. ML410.V4M28 2014 782.42092–dc23 2014000533 ISBN 9781409417859 (hbk) Contents List of Figures and Tables vii List of Music Examples ix Acknowledgments xi Abbreviations and Sigla xv A Note on Translations, Titles, and Bibliographic Citations xvii 1 Introduction 1 2 Verdi’s Cantica: Behind the Scenes 19 3 The Public Face of Verdi’s Cantica 37 4 Toscanini’s “Weapon of Art” 69 5 Toscanini’s Film: Voices of Protest and Veiled Messages 83 Appendix A Texts for Verdi’s Works on Toscanini’s Programs 127 Appendix B Film Scripts and Commentaries 135 Bibliography of Sources Consulted 161 Index 175 List of Figures and Tables Figures 3.1 Cover of the first edition of Inno delle nazioni, Milan: Ricordi, 1862 (plate no. 34275) 50 4.1 Program for Toscanini’s July 26, 1915, Concert in Milan 70 4.2 Program for Toscanini’s January 31, 1943, NBC Radio Broadcast 72 Tables 3.1 Text modifications in the London publications of Cantica 49 3.2 Music performed before and after the Inaugural Concert for the London International Exhibition, May 1, 1862 53 3.3 Performances of Inno delle nazioni in London in 1862 62 5.1 Introductions for individual Italian film participants 98 List of Music Examples 1.1 Inno delle nazioni, “Gloria pei cieli altissimi” passage, mm. 36–39 (chorus) 15 1.2 Inno delle nazioni, “In questo dì giocondo” passage, mm. 48–56 (chorus, soprano line) 15 1.3 Inno delle nazioni, “Signor che sulla terra” passage, mm. 138–146 (solo tenor) 16 Acknowledgments My work on this project could not have been accomplished without the assistance of numerous individual and institutions. It is my pleasure to acknowledge them here. Much of my research was made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, both a Fellowship for University Teachers and a Summer Stipend.1 The University of Iowa supported my work through the Arts and Humanities Initiative, as well as a Stanley International Programs–Obermann Center Award. The University’s Obermann Center for Advanced Studies provided working space for part of the time that I spent on the project, as well as technological assistance in its early stages. The staff of the Library of Congress Music Division and of the NBC History Archive provided invaluable assistance with the radio broadcast materials and office documents; thanks especially to my good colleague and friend at the Library Denise Gallo, whose ongoing interest in my work is very much appreciated. The staff at the New York Public Library at Lincoln Center, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations, was exceedingly helpful and accommodating during my work with the archival materials in the Toscanini Legacy Collection; thanks go in particular to Bob Kosovsky. The librarian and archivist of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (London), Nicola Allen, opened the archives to me and assisted with my search for materials related to the 1862 London International Exhibition. The University of Iowa Special Collections and Interlibrary Loan Departments went the extra mile to get what I needed to complete the project. The staff of the British Library’s Music and Rare Books Room and Manuscript Room, the National Art Library at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the National Archives and Research Administration in College Park, Maryland, and the Wisconsin Historical Society in Madison answered questions and helped locate resources in their collections. Documents indispensable to unraveling the history of Inno delle nazioni were provided by the American Institute for Verdi Studies (AIVS) in New York and the Istituto Nazionale di Studi Verdiani (INSV) in Parma. I am indebted to their former directors, the late Martin Chusid and the late Pierluigi Petrobelli, respectively, for their generosity in opening these facilities to me. Special thanks go to Francesco Izzo, who patiently and devotedly worked to locate documents for me in the rich collection of the AIVS, and to Marisa Di Gregorio Casati, who researched the holdings at INSV to locate several letters concerning 1 The opinions set forth here do not necessarily reflect those of the Endowment. The Politics of Verdi’s Cantica the Inno delle nazioni. Maria Mercedes Carrara Verdi and her family generously allowed citation of letters preserved at the Villa Verdi in The Works of Giuseppe Verdi; those documents are quoted here from that publication. My thanks go also to the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale in Florence, the Biblioteca del Conservatorio “Giuseppe Verdi” in Milan, and the Biblioteca del Museo Civico del Risorgimento in Bologna for their responses to inquiries. I am deeply indebted to Harvey Sachs for his interest in my project and his generous support of my request for permissions to cite documents held in the Toscanini Legacy Papers at the New York Public Library at Lincoln Center; without his assistance this project could not have come to fruition in its present form. Special thanks go to Liana Toscanini, whose prompt responses to my inquiries facilitated the process, and to Allan Steckler, who kindly granted permission to publish all that I requested. Lippincott Massie McQuilkin, the literary agency that handles the estate of May Sarton, kindly granted permission to publish the draft script for the Hymn of the Nations film; I wish to thank Derek Parsons, agency assistant, for his help in that process. Finally, Misha Lee, Gillian Lusins, and Scott Norman at NBC Universal efficiently handled permissions to publish documents from the NBC History Archive. Several individuals provided valuable input into this project. Much of the research for Chapters 2 and 3 was undertaken during my work on the critical edition of Inno delle nazioni for The Works of Giuseppe Verdi,2 with which Philip Gossett and Kathleen Hansell provided invaluable assistance. A variety of matters large and small have been addressed with the assistance of Rick Altman, Christina Bashford, Barry Sterndale Bennett, George Biddlecombe, Alessandra Campana, Davide Ceriani, Rachel Cowgill, Gabriella Dideriksen, Mark Everist, Annegret Fauser, Linda B.

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