UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA GRADUATE COLLEGE HORATIO PARKER’S HORA NOVISSIMA, OP. 30 (1892): A CRITICAL HISTORY AND ANALYSIS A DOCUMENT SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE FACULTY in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS BY BRIAN EDWARD BURNS Norman, Oklahoma 2014 HORATIO PARKER’S HORA NOVISSIMA, OP. 30 (1892): A CRITICAL HISTORY AND ANALYSIS A DOCUMENT APPROVED FOR THE SCHOOL OF MUSIC BY ________________________________ Dr. Richard Zielinski, Chair ________________________________ Dr. William Wakefield, Co-Chair ________________________________ Dr. Roland Barrett ________________________________ Dr. Michael Lee ________________________________ Dr. Judith Pender © Copyright by Brian E. Burns 2014 All Rights Reserved ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to thank my parents, Frank and Loretta Burns, for encouraging me to pursue a career in music and for supporting all of the many steps it has taken to bring me to a place at which I can make a living and a life as a teacher and conductor. In an era virtually obsessed with degree programs that lead toward financial marketability, it is remarkable that they not only allowed but insisted that I follow a path that included music. My family, near and far, has provided invaluable support as I have worked toward the completion of this document. My brother Shawn, sisters-in-law Ana, Michelle, Natalie, and Sharon, and brother-in-law Frank have all given encouragement, both through their words and through their incredibly successful lives. My aunts and uncles, in particular Patricia, Maureen, and Joe Burns and Robert Dennis, showed constant interest in my studies and have always contributed to the intellectually stimulating environment that defines our family gatherings. My parents-in-law, George and Rosanna Denney, also deserve special thanks, partly for all of their considerable support of my career but mostly for giving me Elaina, the amazing, talented woman who is my wife. Although they are no longer with us, I would like to thank my grandparents, John and Lucille O’Halloran (whose last letter to me encouraged me to complete my doctoral studies) and Joseph and Josephine Burns, my uncle, Michael O’Halloran, and my aunt, Maureen Dennis (a lifelong teacher whose quizzing of my spelling is among my earliest memories). I have been blessed to work with three advisors during my doctoral studies, each of whom has provided me with a unique perspective on teaching, research, and the iv purpose of choral music. Dr. Eph Ehly forever changed the way I view music – taking it from an abstract to a personal art grounded in the human beings that create it. His love of all of the singers whom he served is an inspiration. Dr. Robert Greenlee’s intellectual prowess and analytical skill are unparalleled in our field. His brilliance is coupled with a kind, humble spirit that encourages collaboration and growth in all of his students. Dr. Richard Zielinski’s work to assist me in completing my doctoral document has been invaluable. His input regarding the structure and purpose of the study enabled me to find a path toward completing the project. I offer my sincerest thanks and admiration to all three of these fine scholars and teachers. My committee has patiently guided me through the process of completing this document, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to have worked with them: Dr. William Wakefield, who was kind enough to serve as chair of my committee while the University of Oklahoma sought a new leader for its choral program, Dr. Roland Barrett, whose expertise in analysis and the layout of the document have proved invaluable, Dr. Michael Lee, whose insights into tone, scope, audience, and possibilities for further research have challenged and invigorated me, and Dr. Judith Pender, whose willingness to participate in the study of a relatively obscure American composer in addition to her already full schedule is worthy of much gratitude. Thank you to my entire committee for persevering with me through all of the changes in structure and personnel that have occurred. Although not on my committee, Jan Russell’s help has been essential at every turn, and her constant willingness to serve all of the School of Music’s graduate students is a Herculean effort, one for which we are all beyond grateful. v Although I fear to list names lest I leave anyone out, I would like to thank the following people for their help, guidance, and support throughout the process of bringing this document to fruition: the staff of the Irving S. Gilmore Music Library at Yale University, the staff of the Clarke University Library, the Archives of the Handel and Haydn Society, Dr. Paul D. Head, Dr. Galen Darrough, Dr. Howard Skinner (under whose baton I sang Hora Novissima), Dr. Bruce Kotowich, Dr. Charles Barland, Dr. Sang-In Han, Dr. Steven Curtis, Dr. Amy Dunker, Mr. David Resnick, Mr. John Lease, Mrs. Nancy Lease, Dr. Sharon Jensen, Dr. LaDonna Manternach, BVM, Pastor Arnold Flater, Tim Tharaldson, Dr. Sean Burton, CPT Joel DuBois, Timothy Gelhaus (who is responsible for the engraving of musical examples in the document), and Lorna McBride Borger, who introduced me to Hora Novissima during a graduate seminar at the University of Northern Colorado. Finally, I would like to thank my talented, brilliant, beautiful wife, Dr. Elaina Burns, to whom I credit most of the successes in my life. She has truly changed my life for the better in every way, and her constant encouragement (even of my more harebrained schemes and ideas) was the single most essential ingredient in my completion of this document. Thank you. I would also like to express my gratitude to our talented, brilliant, beautiful son, Danny, who has shown incredible patience with his parents’ crazy schedules. Thank you! I love you both. The good parts of this document are dedicated to you – I will lay claim to the mistakes! vi TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION AND NEED FOR THE STUDY ................................1 Introduction ...................................................................................1 Need for the Study .........................................................................5 Organization of the Document ......................................................6 Limitations of the Study ................................................................8 II. REVIEW OF RELEVANT LITERATURE .............................................9 Materials Specific to Parker, His Life, and His Music ................11 General History Books ................................................................17 Genre-Specific History Books .....................................................25 Biographies of Contemporaries ...................................................27 General Poetry Sources ...............................................................31 Sources Specific to De contemptu mundi ....................................32 Summary ......................................................................................35 III. A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF HORATIO PARKER .....................36 Early Life .....................................................................................37 Germany and Study with Rheinberger ........................................41 New York and Early Career ........................................................44 Yale University ............................................................................47 Later Works and Life ...................................................................48 IV. DE CONTEMPTU MUNDI .....................................................................51 Background of the Poem .............................................................51 Scholarly Opinions ......................................................................53 Parker’s Choice of Text and the Genesis of Hora Novissima .....55 Meter in De contemptu mundi .....................................................58 Original Text and Four Translations ...........................................61 V. CRITICAL RECEPTION OF HORA NOVISSIMA ................................72 Overview .....................................................................................72 Previews and Anticipation ...........................................................77 The World Premiere ....................................................................81 Boston and the Nordica Affair ....................................................86 England ........................................................................................98 The Early 20th Century ..............................................................104 Changing Times and Tastes .......................................................110 vii The 1930s and 1940s .................................................................112 The 1950s and 1960s .................................................................119 The Work of William Kearns, 1965 ..........................................131 The 1970s ..................................................................................135 The 1980s and 1990s .................................................................143 The New Millenium and Concluding Thoughts ........................150 VI. AN ANALYSIS OF HORA NOVISSIMA ...........................................154 Overview ...................................................................................154 Part I ..........................................................................................156