SELECTED CHAMBER OPERAS OF CESAR BRESGEN ADAPTED FOR USE IN AMERICAN SCHOOLS Item Type text; Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Smith, Harvey Keith Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 29/09/2021 03:56:18 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/288209 INFORMATION TO USERS This material was produced from a microfilm copy of the original document. While the most advanced technological means to photograph and reproduce this document have been used, the quality is heavily dependent upon the quality of the original submitted. The following explanation of techniques is provided to help you understand markings or patterns which may appear on this reproduction. 1. The sign or "target" for pages apparently lacking from the document photographed is "Missing Page(s)". If it was possible to obtain the missing page(s) or section, they are spliced into the film along with adjacent pages. This may have necessitated cutting thru an image and duplicating adjacent pages to insure you complete continuity. 2. When an image on the film is obliterated with a large round black mark, it is an indication that the photographer suspected that the copy may have moved during exposure and thus cause a blurred image. You will find a good image of the page in the adjacent frame. 3. When a map, drawing or chart, etc., was part of the material being photographed the photographer followed a definite method in "sectioning" the material. It is customary to begin photoing at the upper left hand corner of a large sheet and to continue photoing from left to right in equal sections with a small overlap. If necessary, sectioning is continued again — beginning below the first row and continuing on until complete. 4. The majority of users indicate that the textual content is of greatest value, however, a somewhat higher quality reproduction could be made from "photographs" if essential to the understanding of the dissertation. Silver prints of "photographs" may be ordered at additional charge by writing the Order Department, giving the catalog number, title, author and specific pages you wish reproduced. 5. PLEASE NOTE: Some pages may have indistinct print. Filmed as received. Xerox University Microfilms 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 74-20,262 SMITH, Harvey Keith, 1936- SELECTED CHAMBER OPERAS OF CESAR BRESGEN ADAPTED FOR USE IN AMERICAN SCHOOLS. The University of Arizona, A.Mus.D., 1974 Music I University Microfilms, A XEROX Company, Ann Arbor, Michigan © 1974 HARYEY KEITH SMITH ALL RIGHTS RESERVED THIS DISSERTATION HAS BEEN MICROFILMED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED. SELECTED CHAMBER OPERAS OF CESAR BRESGEN ADAPTED FOR USE IN AMERICAN SCHOOLS by Harvey Keith Smith A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the SCHOOL OF MUSIC In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 19 7 4 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE I hereby reconinend that this dissertation prepared under my direction by Harvey Keith Smith entitled SELECTED CHAMBER OPERAS OF CESAR BRESGEN ADAPTED FOR USE IN AMERICAN SCHOOLS be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement of the degree of Doctor of Musical Arte O. in. Dissertation Director After inspection of the final copy of the dissertation, the following members of the Final Examination Committee concur in Its approval and recommend its acceptance:* 1mr/$/£cS' '/trLfs Q.-ArfivuHn<-s if- /, hf [A, ^ H I I ill *1IKls approval and acceptance Is contingent on the candidate's adequate performance and defense of this dissertation at the final oral examination* The inclusion of this sheet bound into the library copy of the dissertation is evidence of satisfactory performance at the final examination. STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted In partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited In the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source la made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or repro­ duction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the copyright holder. SIGNED: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The writer expresses sincere appreciation to those who have assisted in this study: Professor Cesar Bresgen who has supported this study through correspondence and personal Interview, Dkm. Edgar Bognar who assisted in gathering information In Austria and Switzerland, members of the 1969 Phoenix Boys Choir who participated in the first production to be sung in English of The Old Locomotive, and University of Arizona Professor 0. M. Hartsell, whose professional standards have been a constant challenge and source of inspiration iv filmed as received without page(s) UNIVERSITY MICROFILMS, ABSTRACT The study and performance of opera can and should be a part of the musical experiences of children in the elementary school* To date, however, opera performed by young people has not been an Important area of the school music curriculum This limitation results from the fact that very few operas suitable for children's voices are available in English. Conse­ quently, the purpose of this dissertation is to prepare for use in American elementary schools selected operatic repertoire written especially for presentation by children by the Austrian composer, Cesar Bresgen* The point of view expressed in this dissertation is that opera can offer a unique combination of artistic experiences for the student. The effectiveness of using such materials with children will be contingent upon the qualities of the literature chosen* The overall musical content of the opera should merit the place it can have in the curriculum. The score of the work should lie within the cspabilltles of young voices and provide opportunities for participation by students at various stages of their musical development. The three Bresgen operas which comprise the major portion of this study are Die alte Lokomotlve (The Old Locomotive), Armer, klelner Tanzbar (Poor Little Dancing Bear) and Schlaraffenland (Lazyland)* In addition to the complete score for each opera, ideas for school production have been Included. Information concerning Cesar Bresgen as a composer and music educator will be found in Chapter 1. It is hoped that the availability of these materials might encourage American music educators to discover the multiple rewards of opera performance with children. vi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION The study and performance of opera can and should be a part of the musical experiences of children in the elementary school. To date, however, opera perform­ ance per se has not been an important area of the music curriculum In American schools. Undoubtedly, the principal reason why performance of opera by children has been so limited, Is that few composers have written operas to be sung in English, planned specifically for children's voices. A number of school operas or youth operas have been written by contemporary Austrian and German composers but their music has not had extensive use In schools in the United States because English translations have not been available. Consequently, the purpose of this study is to prepare for uee in American elementary schools selected operatic repertoire written especially for the performance of children by the Austrian composer, Cesar Bresgen. The composition of operas for sctiool performance is not an Innovative con­ cept. Joslah Priests' Boarding School for Young Ladies and Gentlewomen in Chelsea Is often credited with the 1689 premiere of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas.* Kurt Weill 2 designated Per Jasager (The Man Who Always Said Yes) as a "School Opera" In 1930 and Paul Hindemlth composed Vilr bauen etne Stadt (We Build a Town) as an example of oper­ atic literature "intended for children to practice and learn from, rather than for the entertainment of a grown-up audience.As early as 1928 Carl Orff experimented in Munich schools to better understand the basic qualities of music and drama. The growth in awareness of speech and its relation to music and movement formed the basis of his Schulwerk. Fifteen years later, Cesar Bresgen began writing works which he designated as "youth operas." During the last thirty years, additional materials of a similar nature have been provided for German-speaking schools. The Second Hurricane, written for the Henry Street Settlement School by a former member of Its faculty, Aaron Copland, is one of the few American examples of this genre. However, It was designed for high school age youth rather than children. Although there Is historical tradition for the composition of operas to be performed by students, there are only a few such works now available in English-- 1. The Arts Council of Great Britain, A Report on Opera and Ballet In the United Kingdom 1966-69 (Colchester, Essex: Benham and Company Limited, 1969), p. 9. 2« Hellmut Kotschenreuther, Kurt Weill (Berlin: Max Hesses Verlag, 1962), p. 96. 3* Paul Hindemlth, Wlr bauen elne Stadt (Mainz: B. Schott's Sohne, 1930), p. 2. 1 2 particularly for presentation by elementary school students. It le Interesting to note that recent repertoire projects have neglected this potentially significant area. The study and performance of opera offers a unique combination of artistic experiences for the student. Such works can carabine nraslc, movement, language and design with the child's world of imagination and play. During the years when he is in the elementary school, music and movement are still deeply connected with each other in the mind of the child.