A 21st Century Investigation of the Historical, Musical and Acoustical Contexts of a 19th Century Comic Opera Schermania in America , Composed by Dr. Gabriel Miesse, Jr. A dissertation presented to the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy Carol A Abbott June 2011 © 2011 Carol A. Abbott. All Rights Reserved. 2 This dissertation titled A 21st Century Investigation of the Historical, Musical and Acoustical Contexts of a 19th Century Comic Opera Schermania in America , Composed by Dr. Gabriel Miesse, Jr. by CAROL A. ABBOTT has been approved for the Individual Interdisciplinary Program and the College of Arts and Sciences by Martin E. Kordesch Professor of Physics and Astronomy Benjamin M. Ogles Dean, College of Arts and Sciences 3 ABSTRACT CAROL A. ABBOTT, Ph.D., June 2011, Individual Interdisciplinary Program A 21st Century Investigation of the Historical, Musical and Acoustical Contexts of a 19th Century Comic Opera Schermania in America , Composed by Dr. Gabriel Miesse, Jr. Director of Dissertation: Martin E. Kordesch A four-act comic opera created in 1892 by a local physician-artist-composer was discovered intact in 2006 in Lancaster, Ohio. The context of this opera is explored in a number of different areas. Popular culture and musical theatre history as aspects of life in Victorian America will set the stage for a chronology of the history of the city of Lancaster. This city has a rich background as an early frontier town in Ohio and its founding through the time of the composition of the opera spans just less than 90 years. Many examples from period sources are used to illustrate that Lancaster was not isolated and its citizens had access to cultural experiences on a national level. A careful examination of the surviving documents comprising this opera is recounted, and indications of collaboration between the composer and the librettist (his cousin) are described. The music is examined by reviewing some specific examples from the scores and determining their structure and harmonies. General characteristics and style of the orchestration and of the vocal parts are also given. A 19th century concept that open notes of cornets sound better than notes requiring the use of valves is defined through contemporary examples. This idea is further specified by a presentation of acoustic principles governing sound production in brass instruments. The basis for measuring the property of input impedance to be used as a qualitative comparison for open and valved notes is explained. Finally, a simple 4 measurement technique is refined and used to obtain impedance data for a number of 19th century cornets. The characteristics and results of these measurements are presented in a number of different graphical formats and some suggestions for further experiments are made. Approved: _____________________________________________________________ Martin E. Kordesch Professor of Physics and Astronomy 5 PREFACE Rediscovery of the complete music score for a comic opera that had lain dormant for more than 100 years inspired many more questions than simply “What is this?.” From the first delicate opening of the pages and sight-reading at the piano, these questions led this author on a journey of the exploration of context in many subjects and in many levels. The interdisciplinary nature of that exploration allowed freedom from the sometimes narrow approaches often dictated by specialization. The historical context of Victorian popular culture uncovered a connection between Schermania and another American musical theatre work of the day. A search for the local context of the creation of Schermania revealed how quickly history can be revised or lost entirely without a guardian for the legacy. Schermania’s music was composed by a multi-talented individual but remained accessible within the context of accepted practices of form and harmony. The composer’s choices of instruments motivated a study of the acoustics of those instruments of the 19th century using 21st century tools and technology. More than an exposition of the work, this dissertation is a revelation of the contexts which allowed its creation. 6 DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to Ralph Van Gundy, the great-great-grandson of Schermania’s composer, Dr. Gabriel Miesse, Jr. Ralph heard Dr. Miesse’s plea made over one hundred years ago to “keep sacred the whole score of my operetta” as though the words were meant for him. Without his interest and understanding, Schermania would have been lost, and this dissertation would not have been possible. 7 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The following individuals and organizations have provided support, assistance and inspiration: Ohio University faculty and dissertation committee members Dr. Martin Kordesch: Physics, Dr. Mark Phillips: Music, Dr. Ken Heineman and Dr. Korcaighe Hale: History. Ralph Van Gundy, great, great grandson of the composer, preserved the original music scores, libretti and plot synopsis as they were re-discovered during times of family transition. He graciously allowed access to these materials during the Lancaster Festival Music Heritage Project of 2006. Ralph willingly shared family history and granted numerous requests by the author for additional access to the original documents. The Fairfield Heritage Association of Lancaster: Joyce Harvey, Association President during the Music Heritage project, Karen Smith for local history insight, enthusiasm, and connections, and Diane Eversole, for asking the question. The Lancaster Festival: Executive Director Lou Ross, for including the Music Heritage project in the 2006 Festival; Artistic Director Gary Sheldon, for reading the scores with comments about the compositions and for presenting the Act II duet in a 2006 Festival performance. Dorothy Ruble Hudson, Miesse family descendant and genealogy researcher for discussions and insight into the family. Dr. David Contosta, Lancaster historian, for sharing his vision of early Lancaster. Dr. Peter Hoekje of Baldwin-Wallace College Physics Department, for assistance with the piezo disk technique, instrument loan and comments about results. Bill Faust, for access to his collection and the generous loan of 8 5 of the test instruments. Arnett Howard for the loan of his personal trumpet and playing the test instruments. OU Physics Department: Todd Koren, Research Electronic Design Specialist. OU School of Music: Dr. Richard Wetzel: Music History, Dr. Peter Jarjisian: Director of Choral Studies, Rick Seiter: Instrument Repair Technician. Ohio University-Lancaster Campus: Dr. Sandy Doty: Physics Department, Carol Barnes: Science Lab Coordinator, Reference Librarians: Julia Robinson and Joyce Mohler. Many unnamed individuals who reacted with inspirational enthusiasm upon hearing the story of Dr. Miesse and his opera. Lancaster Festival Directors Emeriti and the two best proof readers I know, Eleanor Hood and Barbara Hunzicker, for proofreading this dissertation and especially for inviting me to be a part of the Festival Community so many years ago. Access to many resources was made possible through the Google Book Project, OhioLink inter-library loan service and the Fairfield County District Library microfilm collection. 9 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................ 3 PREFACE .................................................................................................................. 5 DEDICATION ............................................................................................................ 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.............................................................................................. 7 TABLE OF CONTENTS................................................................................................ 9 LIST OF TABLES.......................................................................................................11 LIST OF FIGURES.....................................................................................................12 LIST OF EQUATIONS................................................................................................15 INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................16 CHAPTER 1 – NATIONAL CULTURAL CONTEXT ..........................................................20 Victorian America..................................................................................................20 Popular Culture.....................................................................................................22 Musical Theatre ....................................................................................................29 CHAPTER 2 – LANCASTER HISTORICAL CONTEXT .....................................................38 Beginnings and Improvements...............................................................................38 Victorian Lancaster................................................................................................42 Biography of a Composer ......................................................................................48 CHAPTER 3 – SCHERMANIA IN AMERICA...................................................................56 The Opera Documents ..........................................................................................56 Content Analysis ...................................................................................................68