Conference booklet 23.6.16 - Faculty of Music

Transcription

19thBiennialInternational
Nineteenth-CenturyMusicConference
11-13July2016
Contents
Welcome
Schedule
11July
12July
13July
Abstracts
11July
11am-1pm
Session1A:DenisArnoldHall:RethinkingRomanticForm:
Mendelssohn’sInstrumentalMusic
Session1B:LectureRoomA:TalesoftheVillage:NewPerspectiveson
theSourcesandCulturalContextsofAntonínDvořák’soperas
JakobínandČertaKáča
Session1C:CommitteeRoom:Transatlantics
2pm-4pm
Session2A:DenisArnoldHall:East-West
Session2B:LectureRoomA:SongsandStages
Session2C:CommitteeRoom:LibrettiandHistoricism
5pm
Keynote1:T.S.EliotTheatre,MertonCollege
12July
9.30am-11am
Session3A:DenisArnoldHall:Time,Space,Form
Session3B:LectureRoomA:C.1800
Session3C:CommitteeRoom:TheatricalIllumination
Session4A:DenisArnoldHall:On(re)hearingDelius:Contexts,
Legacies,andTraditions
Session4B:LectureRoomA:Vienna
Session4C:CommitteeRoom:FrenchTheatre
11.30am-1pm
2.30pm-4.30pm
Session5A:LectureRoomA:OperainTranslation
Session5B:DenisArnoldHall:NewApproachestoOperaand
Character
Session5C:CommitteeRoom:Historiographies
5pm
Keynote2:T.S.EliotTheatre,MertonCollege
13July
9.30am-11am
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Session6A:DenisArnoldHall:Recreations
Session6B:LectureRoomA:Gender,Identity,Trauma
Session6C:CommitteeRoom:AroundOpera
Session7A:DenisArnoldHall:OperaandMedicalExperimentationin
theNineteenthCentury
Session7B:LectureRoomA:WritingandEncoding
Session7C:CommitteeRoom:Class
11.30am-1.30pm
2.30pm-4.30pm
Session8A:DenisArnoldHall:GiuseppeVerdiinContext
Session8B:LectureRoomA:Colonialism
Session8C:CommitteeRoom:Morals,Ethics,Physiologies
Usefulinformation
Localandemergencycontactnumbers
Placestoeat
Sponsors
Oxfordmap
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Welcomemessage
WelcometotheFacultyofMusic,UniversityofOxford.Wearedelightedtobe
hostingthe19thBiennialInternationalConferenceonNineteenth-Century
Music,whichwehopeyouwillfindenjoyableandstimulating,both
academicallyandsocially.
Manythankstothepeoplewhohavehelpedwiththeorganisationofthe
conference:theProgrammeCommittee;PhilipBullock,BarbaraEichner,Daniel
Grimley,AnnaStollKnecht,LauraTunbridge,andBenjaminWalton;Catherine
LiebenandChristopherWaitefromtheadministrativeteamattheFacultyof
Music;DanielHulmeandMarioBaptisteforcreatingourwebpageandoffering
technicalsupport;ourconferenceadministrator,EmilyTan;thestudent
helpers,LaurenBraithwaite,TimothyCoombes,ChristieFranke,EleanorHicks,
EmmaKavanagh,DaniellePadley,FrankiePerry,andMauraValenti;Merton
College,forhostingthekeynotetalks,conferencedinner,andwinereception;
A&JCatering;RegencyMarquees;thesessionchairs;andourkeynote
speakers,DanielChuaandJessicaGienow-Hecht.
WearealsogratefulforfinancialsupportfromtheFacultyofMusic,JohnFell
OxfordUniversityPress(OUP)ResearchFund;StCatherine'sCollegeFellows&
Master’sResearchFund;MertonCollege,Oxford;theOxfordSongNetwork
(TORCH);TheOperaQuarterly,andtheCentreforNineteenth-CenturyStudies
atDurhamUniversity.
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Monday,11July
10am-11am:Registration,FacultyofMusic
11am-1pm:Sessions1A-C
Session1A,DenisArnoldHall
Panel-RethinkingRomanticForm:Mendelssohn’sInstrumentalMusic
Chair:BenedictTaylor(UniversityofEdinburgh)
BenedictTaylor(UniversityofEdinburgh):MendelssohnandSonataForm:TheCaseof
Op.44No.2
JulianHorton(DurhamUniversity):Mendelssohn’sPianoTrioOp.66andtheAnalysisof
RomanticForm
StevenVandeMoortele(UniversityofToronto):ExpansionandRecompositionin
Mendelssohn'sSymphonicForms
ThomasSchmidt(UniversityofManchester):FormthroughSound:Klangfarbeand
textureinMendelssohn'sinstrumentalcompositions
Session1B,LectureRoomA
Panel:TalesoftheVillage:NewPerspectivesontheSourcesandCultural
ContextsofAntonínDvořák’soperasJakobínandČertaKáča
Chair:TamsinAlexander(Goldsmiths,UniversityofLondon)
EvaMyslivcová(CharlesUniversity,Prague):Dvořák’sKrálauhlíř
EmmaParker(UniversityofCalifornia,SantaBarbara):DvořákandJakobín’slibrettist,
MarieČervinková-Riegrová.
ChristopherBowen(UniversityofNorthCarolinaatChapelHill):Theculturalcontextof
ČertaKáča
EvaBranda(WesternUniversityCanada):DebatingDimitrij:CzechCriticalPerspectives
onDvořákasOperaComposer
Session1C,CommitteeRoom
Transatlantics
Chair:AlexandraWilson(OxfordBrookesUniversity)
CharlotteBentley(UniversityofCambridge):Thechallengesoftransatlanticopera:the
Théâtred’Orléanscompanyinnineteenth-centuryNewOrleans
JoshuaNavon(ColumbiaUniversity,NYC):‘ItisNecessarytogotoEuropefor
Instruction’:TransmittingMusicPedagogyfromGermanytotheUS,1840-1875
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CésarLeal(Sewanee:TheUniversityoftheSouth):ConstructingInternationalAesthetic
Identities:Trans-Atlanticculturalexchanges,entrepreneurship,culturalmediation,
andJewishsponsorshipinParisduringfin-de-siècle.
JoséManuelIzquierdoKönig(UniversityofCambridge):Theearlynineteenth-century
LatinAmericansymphony:problemsandperspectivesofanunknownrepertoire
andatransatlanticgenre.
1pm-2pm:Lunch
2pm-4pm:Sessions2A-C
East-West
Chair:PhilipBullock(UniversityofOxford)
MicaelaBaranello(SmithCollege):Zigeuneroperette:Austro-HungarianOperettaand
AuthenticityReconsidered
JonathanD.Bellman(UniversityofNorthernColorado):PicturesoftheWest:Robert
Schumann’sBilderausOstenReconsidered
AnneMarieWeaver(UniversityofRochester):Glinka’sFarewelltoSt.Petersburgand
RussianCosmopolitanism
DavidBrodbeck(UniversityofCalifornia,Irvine):HeimatIsWheretheHeartIs;or,How
HungarianwasGoldmark?
SongsandStages
Chair:LauraTunbridge(UniversityofOxford)
OskarCox-Jensen(King’sCollege,London):‘TrueCourage’:ASonginStages
KatyHamilton(Independent):NataliaMacfarrenandtheEnglishGermanLied
KatherineGray(UniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley):Wagner’svocaltechniques
NatashaLoges(RoyalCollegeofMusic):Tellingwomen’sstories,sellingwomen’ssongs:
thecreativerelationshipofPaulHeyseandJohannesBrahms
Librettiandhistoricism
Chair:SusanRutherford(UniversityofManchester)
DaniilZavlunov(StetsonUniversity):Censoringthemuses:operaandcensorshipduring
thereignofNicholasI(1825-1855)
EdwardJacobson(UniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley):Donizetti’sHistoricism
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AlessandraA.Jones(UniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley):‘TheTheoryoftheDagger’:
Verdi’sUnballoinmascheraandDiscoursesofRegicide
ClaudioVellutini(UniversityofBritishColumbia,Vancouver):FannyTacchinardiPersiani,CarloBalocchino,andItalianOperaBusinessinVienna,Paris,andLondon,
1837-1845
4pm-5pm:Tea
5pm-6pm:Keynote1,T.S.EliotTheatre,MertonCollege
JessicaGienow-Hecht(FreieUniversitätBerlin):Music&nationbrandingin
19th-centuryinternationalrelations
6pm:Winereception,MertonCollege
Tuesday,12July
9.30am-11am:Sessions3A-C
Time,Space,Form
CarloCaballero(UniversityofColorado):Chopin’sMeditationonTime:Bells,Clocksand
SubjectivityinthePrelude,op.28,inA-flatMajor
ChairatChongvattanakij(UniversityofToronto):InvertingtheSublime:Franck’s
VariationssymphoniquesasaComicNarrative
SebastianWedler(UniversityofOxford):TonalPairingasaStrategyofLyricalTime:
AntonWebern’sLangsamerSatz(1905)
C.1800
Chair:JulianHorton(DurhamUniversity)
ShaenaWeitz(CityUniversity,NewYork):ExcavatingthePotpourri
KatherineHambridge(DurhamUniversity):GenreConsciousnessintheNapoleonic
Theatre
AnneliesAndries(YaleUniversity):Dreaming"OpéradeLuxe":SpectacleinLeSueur's
Ossianoulesbardes
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TheatricalIllumination
Chair:AdelineMueller(BrownUniversity)
Feng-ShuLee(TunghaiUniversity):IllusoryReality:ShadowinRomanticMusicandArts
TamsinAlexander(Goldsmiths,UniversityofLondon):IlluminatingSpectacle:Lightand
illusioninGustavustheThird(1833)
TommasoSabbatini(UniversityofChicago):MusicfortheParisianpopularstage:the
caseof(andthecasefor)latenineteenth-centuryféerie
11am-11-30amCoffee
11.30am-1pm:Sessions4A-C
Panel-On(re)hearingDelius:Contexts,Legacies,andTraditions
DanielGrimley(UniversityofOxford):‘UntoBriggFair’:Cosmopolitanism,Delius,and
theIdentitiesofPlace
JoannaBullivant(UniversityofOxford):‘“Mymusichasneverbeenplayedaswellby
anyoneelse:”SirThomasBeechamandDeliusinPerformance’
SarahCollins(UniversityofNewSouthWales):‘The“ZarathustraMood”:Delius,antiintellectualismandtheproblemofmusicalNietzscheism’
Vienna
Chair:SusanWollenberg(UniversityofOxford)
AnneHyland(UniversityofManchester):TheStringQuartetinSchubert’sVienna
EricaBuurman(CanterburyChristChurchUniversity):TheVienneseMinuetafter1814
SamGirling(UniversityofAuckland):FromtheJanissariesto'WoodenLaughter':the
useofunconventionalpercussioninstrumentsattheViennesecourtduringthe
earlynineteenthcentury
FrenchTheatre
Chair:LauraProtano-Biggs(JohnHopkinsUniversity)
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SarahHibberd(UniversityofNottingham):‘Strandedinthepresent’:temporal
expressioninRobertlediable
DianaR.Hallman(UniversityofKentucky):AutombeauattheParisOpéra:Explorations
ofTimbreandSpaceinHalévy’sGuidoetGinevra
SarahGutsche-Miller(UniversityofToronto):LiberatedWomenandTravestyFetishes:
MixedGenderMessagesinParisianMusic-HallBallet
1pm-2.30pm:Lunch
2.30pm-4pm/4.30pm:Sessions5A-C
Session5A,LectureRoomA
OperainTranslation
Chair:MarkEverist(UniversityofSouthampton)
MichelleMeinhart(Durham/MartinMethodistCollege):Wagner,AntebellumNostalgia,
andPost-WarGraduation:TheReconstructionoftheSouthernBelleatthe
AthenaeumGirls’SchoolinColumbia,Tennessee,1865-88
FrancescaVella(UniversityofCambridge):Lohengrin’s1871Tour
LauraStokes(IndianaUniversity)Prussia,Nationalism,andIntegrationinMeyerbeer’s
EinFeldlagerinSchlesien
Session5B,DenisArnoldHall
Panel:NewApproachestoOperaandCharacter
Speakers:
KirstenPaige(UniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley)*
DanWang(UniversityofChicago)*
NinaPenner(McGillUniversity)
JohnKapusta(UniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley)
AdelineMueller(MountHolyokeCollege)
*Chairs
Historiographies
Chair:JonathanD.Bellman(UniversityofNorthernColorado)
KarenLeistra-Jones(Franklin&MarshallCollege):HansvonBülowandthe
ConfessionalizationofKunstreligion
KatherineFry(King’sCollege,London):MusicalIdealisminVictorianCulture:George
EliotasMusicCriticandTranslator
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JamesGrande(King’sCollege,London):TheNaturalHistoryofGermanMusic:George
Eliot,Dissent,Cosmopolitanism
4.30pm-5pm:Tea
5pm-6pm:Keynote2,T.S.EliotTheatre,MertonCollege
DanielChua(UniversityofHongKong):De-secularizingBeethoven
7pm:Conferencedinner
Wednesday,13July
9.30am-11am:Sessions6A-C
Recreations
Chair:AndrewHolden(OxfordBrookesUniversity)
SarahKirby(UniversityofMelbourne):Songsatthe1851GreatExhibition
IanMaxwell(UniversityofCambridge):TheChamberMusicClubsintheBritish
UniversitiesduringtheNineteenthCentury
ErinJohnson-Williams(TrinityLaban):DisciplinesofDevelopment:PhysicalEconomies
ofVictorianMusicandStateEducation
Gender,Identity,Trauma
Chair:SarahCollins(UniversityofNewSouthWales)
SarahGerk(BinghamtonUniversity):ASongofFamineandWar:IrishMusicalMethods
ofExpressingUSCivilWarTrauma
BrianThompson(TheChineseUniversityofHongKong):TheCritic,thePublicandthe
‘Femme’Fatale
MyronGray(HaverfordCollege):TransnationalLocalismintheAnglophoneReception
ofDerFreischütz
AroundOpera
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Chair:DanielM.Grimley(UniversityofOxford)
LauraProtano-Biggs(JohnsHopkinsUniversity):FalstaffandtheResonantSoundscape:
Verdi’sExperimentswithSound
FloraWillson(King’sCollege,London):‘Musiqueduplein-air’?Operaticrealismand
Charpentier’sLouise
GabrielleCornish(EastmanSchoolofMusic):Liza'sTransmigration:UrbanDecayand
Fin-de-SiècleSuicideinChaikovsky'sTheQueenofSpades
11am-11-30amCoffee
11.30am-1pm/1.30pm:Sessions7A-C
Panel–OperaandMedicalExperimentationintheNineteenthCentury
Chair:SarahHibberd(UniversityofNottingham)
CarmelRaz(ColumbiaUniversity):OperaticFantasiesinEarlyNineteenth-Century
Psychiatry
ChloeValenti(UniversityofCambridge):Pitchedbattles?VocalHealthandtheEnglish
PitchDebate
CelineFrigauManning(UniversitéParis-8):Opera,Hypnosis,andAutosuggestion.A
MedicalTheorisationofIdentificationfortheActor-Singer
WritingandEncoding
Chair:ThomasSchmidt
FrederickReece(HarvardUniversity):ForgingSchubert’s‘Gastein’:TheCold-WarQuest
forTruthinaRomanticFantasy
JacobOlley(WestfälischeWilhelms-UniversitätMünster):Orality,Historyand
(Ethno)Musicology:PreparingaCriticalEditionofNineteenth-CenturyOttoman
Music
RobertEshbach(UniversityofNewHampshire):‘Iwouldliketomakeaviolinconcerto
foryou…’:FerdinandDavidandtheMendelssohnViolinConcerto
DitlevRindom(UniversityofCambridge):ListeningwithSchumann:ThePhantasie
op.17and1830sSonicCulture
Class
Chair:DerekB.Scott(UniversityofLeeds)
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JamesDeaville(CarletonUniversity):TheWell-ManneredAuditor:Listeninginthe
Domestic-PublicSphereofthe19thCentury
WiebkeRademacher(UniversityofCologne):BeyondConcertHalls.Performanceand
ReceptionofClassicalMusicinNon-BourgeoisContexts1860-1914,Londonand
Berlin
KatrinaFaulds(UniversityofSouthampton)andPenelopeCave(Universityof
Southampton):‘MyharppresentsitsbestTonestoyou’:reflectionsonmusicinthe
Jerninghamfamilycorrespondence
1.30pm-2.30pm:Lunch
2.30pm-4pm/4.30pm:Sessions8A-C
Panel:GiuseppeVerdiinContext
Chair:StefanoCastelvecchi(UniversityofCambridge)
HelenGreenwald(NewEnglandConservatory):WhichVerdi,How,andWhy?
FrancescoIzzo(UniversityofSouthampton):TheVerdieditionandperiodization:Some
methodologicalquestions
MarkEverist(UniversityofSouthampton):TamingVerdi’sBull
LindaB.Fairtile(UniversityofRichmond):EditingLateVerdiandEarlyPuccini:
CorrespondencesandContrasts
StefanoCastelvecchi(UniversityofCambridge):RESPONSE
Colonialism
Chair:BenjaminWalton(UniversityofCambridge)
JonathanHicks(King’sCollege,London):PerformingTourismin1850sLondon:Albert
Smith’sAscentofMontBlanc
GavinWilliams(UniversityofCambridge):Sound,Colony,andtheMultinational:The
GramophoneinSingaporeca.1900
KerryMurphy(MelbourneConservatoriumofMusic):HenriKowalski(1841-1916):A
FrenchMusicianinColonialAustralia
Morals,Ethics,Physiologies
Chair:JamesDavies(UniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley)
BennettZon(DurhamUniversity):AnimalMusicandtheGreatChainofBeing
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MarkA.Pottinger(ManhattanCollege):PhysiologyandtheScienceofHysteriainLucia
diLammermoor
CatherineSchwartz(McGillUniversity):ClaireCroizaandtheArtoftheSelf
4.30pm:Endofconference
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MONDAY11July
Session1A
11am-1pm(4panelpapers)
Panel:RethinkingRomanticForm:Mendelssohn'sInstrumental
Music
BriefOverviewoftheSession
Running like a red thread through a century and a half of Mendelssohn reception is the
imageofthecomposerasa‘classicist’whosemusicwas—forbetterorworse—deeplyrooted
inearlierformsandstyles.Thisoldclichégainsnewsignificanceinlightoftherecentforays
madeintomusicofthenineteenthcenturybythe‘newFormenlehre’—thebranchoftheory
andanalysisinspiredmainlybytheworkofWilliamE.Caplin(1998)andJamesHepokoskiand
Warren Darcy (2006). Mendelssohn’s music has become emblematic of that of a whole
generation: as the first major composer to engage with sonata form in the decades
immediately following Beethoven his instrumental repertoire assumes fundamental
importance for any account of the development of sonata form in the Romantic era (cf.
Horton and Wingfield 2012). However, Mendelssohn’s major contribution to the
development of Romantic form is still critically unexamined, with little analytical work
undertakenevenwithinspecialistMendelssohncircles.
Theaimsofthispanelarethustoreviseandrefineourtheoreticalunderstandingoflargescale Romantic form in general by examining the specific case of Mendelssohn’s sonata
movements—and as a valuable corollary, to deepen our analytical appreciation of
Mendelssohn’s instrumental music. Speaker 1’s opening paper introduces the topic by reexaminingthesonatamovementconsideredparadigmaticinthemostimportantearlierstudy
ofMendelssohn’smusic,revisingthereadingofMendelssohn’spracticeinlightofmodern
theoriesandofferinghistoricalreflectionsonthecontingencyofearlieraccountsofhismusic.
Analyticalthemesidentifiedherearedeepenedinthesubsequenttwopapers[Speakers2&
3].Enteringintocriticaldialoguewithexistingtheoriesofclassicalform,bothpapersexamine
in detail how Mendelssohn’s characteristic procedures of phrase expansion, cadential
deferral and structural elision interact with wider formal issues, thus offering powerful
correctivestotheearlierreceivedviewofthiscomposer’sstyle.Finally,Speaker4’spaper
opens up the discussion to include a parameter unusually neglected in music theory: the
importance of Klang and sonority in Mendelssohn’s articulation of musical structure,
providingstimulatingnewinsightsintothenatureofRomanticform.
BenedictTaylor(UniversityofEdinburgh)
MendelssohnandSonataForm:TheCaseofOp.44No.2
InagroundbreakingpaperpublishedinCarlDahlhaus’s1974DasProblemMendelssohn,the
German musicologist Friedhelm Krummacher offered a series of ‘theses’ concerning
Mendelssohn’smaturesonatastyle,usingtheopeningmovementoftheStringQuartetinE
minor, Op. 44 No. 2 (1837), as his paradigmatic example. For Krummacher, Op. 44 No. 2
exemplifiedtheessenceofMendelssohn’smaturesonataidiomandwasthusaperfectsource
for offering a revisionist perspective on the composer’s misunderstood later music. In a
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succession of detailed analytical points, Krummacher took issue with earlier, often highly
superficialcharacterisationsofMendelssohn’ssonatapractice,reflectingtheauthor’sdeep
knowledgeofMendelssohn’schambermusicandworkingmethods.
YetforallKrummacher’srevisionaryzealandundoubtedscholarlyacumen,whatismost
conspicuousonrereadinghispapertodayishowthoseelementsthatwouldappeartomany
modern Anglo-American theorists as crucial to this movement’s design—the continual
harmonic duplicity over the move to the secondary theme and the harmonically and
thematically desynchronised point of recapitulation—are passed over with little or no
consideration.Suchaturnofeventsmightcauseustoreflectonthehistoricalcontingency
ofnotjustourownbutanyanalysisthatmightbegiventotheseworks.InthispaperIoffer
bothaconcisenewanalysisofMendelssohn’sparadigmaticquartetmovementandaselfreflexivecritiqueofthehistoricalcontingencyofthemethodsofanysuchanalyticalmethod
in trying to come to an understanding of this composer’s music. The concluding section
offers, in turn, my own brief latter-day theses concerning Mendelssohn’s mature sonata
practice,foreshadowingthefollowingpapersinthesession.Ultimately,Iargueforthefuture
need for scholars to produce a new account of Mendelssohn’s instrumental music for the
twenty-firstcentury.
JulianHorton(DurhamUniversity)
Mendelssohn'sPianoTrioOp.66andtheAnalysisofRomanticForm
OfMendelssohn’stwopianotrios,Op.66haslivedintheshadowofitseldersiblingOp.49
for much of its reception history. The lion’s share of analytical attention that Op. 49 has
garnered(asarecentexampleseeSchmalfeldt2011)hasperhapscausedscholarstooverlook
theattractionsofOp.66,especiallyasavehicleforformalanalysis(asoneexception,see
WingfieldandHorton2012).PayingcloseattentiontothefirstmovementandFinale,this
paperdevelopstheclaimthatMendelssohn’spivotalinnovationintherealmofinstrumental
formliesinhisstrikinglypost-classicalresponsetotherelationshipbetweenformandsyntax.
Opus 66 reveals a rich array of syntactic habits, which depart fundamentally from highclassical precedent. Expositional main-theme groups betray ‘loosening’ techniques (Caplin
1998 and 2013), which greatly enlarge their dimensions; conversely, main-theme
recapitulations are subjected to rigorous truncation. In between, functional elisions and
cadentialdeferrals,achievedbythemaintenanceofactivebassprogressionsacrossformal
divisions,promoteadegreeofcontinuitythatproblematizeslate-eighteenth-centurynotions
offormaldemarcation.ThesetechniquesunseatMendelssohn’sregressivelyclassicistimage:
in Op. 66, the music’s Mozartian facility masks a technical radicalism, which is one of the
definingcontributionstothedevelopmentofRomanticform.
StevenVandeMoortele(UniversityofToronto)
ExpansionandRecompositioninMendelssohn'sSymphonicForms
Since current theories of musical form are based on music in the Viennese Classical style,
using them to analyze instrumental music of the post-Beethovenian nineteenth century
unavoidablymeansmeasuringthatmusicagainst(andthussuggestingadependenceon)the
conventionsandexpectationsofarepertoirethatisexternaltoit.Thediscourseofclassical
‘norm’ and romantic ‘deformation’ is a hallmark of Hepokoski and Darcy’s sonata theory
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(2006),butitisequallyimportant(althoughlessexplicit)inSchmalfeldt’sadaptation(2011)
ofCaplin’stheoryofformalfunctionsfornineteenth-centurymusic.
InthispaperIrethinkMendelssohn’spositionvis-à-visthenewFormenlehrebyfocusingon
structuralexpansionandrecompositioninthesubordinatethemegroupsofhissymphonic
sonataforms.ArecurringstrategyMendelssohnusesintheexpositionoftheseworksisto
present a short and tight-knit theme that is then repeated and progressively expanded,
significantlydelayingthearrivalofthecadencethatconcludesthesubordinatethemegroup.
This process of expansion in the exposition subsequently forms the starting point for the
recomposition of the subordinate theme group in the recapitulation. The individual
techniquesMendelssohnusestoexpandhisthemesarerarelynew;inthatsense,itwouldbe
misguidedtoignoretheextenttowhichhismusicis“indialogue”withaspectsoftheclassical
style.Atthesametime,thespecificconstellationsinwhichthesetechniquesappear,andthe
way in which they forge connections between the exposition and recapitulation, is highly
characteristic of Mendelssohn’s symphonic style. Drawing examples from the first
movementsofthe‘Reformation’andthe‘Italian’Symphoniesaswellasfromtheovertures
DieHebridenandRuyBlas,mypapernotonlyseekstoofferamorebalancedaccountofthe
relationbetweentheoldandthenewinMendelssohn’ssymphonicmusic,butalsotouse
that music as a locus of theory formation—rather than just an object of analysis—that
contributestoadefinitionofwhatconstitutes‘romantic’form.
ThomasSchmidt(UniversityofManchester)
FormthroughSound:KlangfarbeandtextureinMendelssohn'sinstrumental
compositions
Mendelssohn’spioneeringroleinexploringinstrumentalcoloursandtextureshasneverbeen
indoubt.However,theseaspectsofhiscompositionalpracticehavenotundergoneanalytical
scrutinyinthestrictsense,ratherhavingbeenreadfromanaestheticorprogrammaticpoint
of view: as a manifestation of the composer’s penchant for evocative mood painting. The
‘elfintone’ofthescherzosfromMidsummerNight’sDreamandtheOctetcometomindas
wellasthe‘Nordictone’oftheHebridesOvertureorthe‘Scottish’Symphony.Butthereis
moretoMendelssohn’sgeniusinwritingforinstrumentsthanindividualisedtopicsdeployed
with poetic intent. As much as and perhaps more so than in many other 19th-century
composers, his ‘sound’ is unmistakeable across all genres, whether piano, chamber or
orchestral. This paper forms the first attempt to analyse in a systematic way how
Mendelssohnactuallyachievesthis‘sound’(orthese‘sounds’)—howdoeshemanage,byand
largeonthesamematerialbasisandusingthesameensembletypesashiscontemporaries,
to create something that sounds so unmistakeably his own? In a second step, I will then
demonstratehowthecomposer,ratherthandeployingdevicesoftextureandKlangfarbeas
localised programmatic devices, uses them to articulate or indeed generate instrumental
form—thus providing yet more evidence how Mendelssohn pursued an alternative to the
familiarBeethovenianteleologicalparadigm.
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Session1B
11am-1pm(3panelpapers+1individual)
Panel:TalesoftheVillage:NewPerspectivesontheSourcesand
CulturalContextsofAntonínDvořák’sOperas
TheruralvillagewasacentralfixtureoftheculturalandartisticlandscapeofBohemia,
especiallyinthelaternineteenthcentury.Operasofthistimefrequentlydrewonimagery
andthemesassociatedwithvillagelife,andwhileBedřichSmetana’sProdanánevěstamay
bythedominantexample,othercomposersattemptedtoforgenewpathstodepictingthe
Bohemiancountrysideontheoperaticstage.AntonínDvořákwasnoexceptiontothis,and
hisoperasKrálauhlíř,JakobínandČertaKáčadrawonthetraditionofusingruralimagery
butalsoexpanditininnovativeways.Usingwide-rangingsourcesandmethodologies,this
panelpresentsnewperspectivesonthesourcesoftheseoperas,therelationshipsbetween
thecomposerandhislibrettists,andtheculturalcontextoftheseoperasinlatenineteenthcenturyPrague.
TheideaoftheruralvillagewasnotonlyrelevanttooperaticlifeinPrague,butinawhole
hostofEuropeancitiesinthelaternineteenthcentury,asisevidentfrom,amongother
things,theinternationalpopularityofverismo.Byfocusingonrareandunderutilized
archivalsources,thispanelexpandsnotonlydiscussionsofAntonínDvořák’sfrequently
overlookedcontributionstotheoperaticrepertoire,butalsocontextualizesCzechopera
withinitswiderEuropeanmilieu.Insodoingitdeemphasizesthenationalistparticularityof
“Czechopera”asatermandfocusesontheconnectionsoflargertransnationalnetworksof
operaticproduction,whichhadadecisivebearingbothonthecompositionsofDvořákand
ontheliteraryworkofhislibrettists.
EvaMyslivcová(CharlesUniversity,Prague)
Dvořák’sKrálauhlíř
InvestigatesthesourcessurroundingDvořák’sKrálauhlíř(KingandCharcoalBurner),
especiallyintermsofitsgenesisthroughvariousrevisionsandversions.Thispaperthus
placestheprocessoftheopera’scompositioninthecontextofDvořák’slifeandwork.
EmmaParker(UniversityofCalifornia,SantaBarbara)
DvořákandJakobín’slibrettist,MarieČervinková-Riegrová
Examines the relationship between Dvořák and Jakobín’s librettist, Marie ČervinkováRiegrová.Indoingsoitexploresthesourcesfortheopera,theirrelationshiptothelargeridea
ofthevillage,andthegenderimplicationsofthecomposer-librettistdynamic.
ChristopherBowen(UniversityofNorthCarolinaatChapelHill)
TheculturalcontextofČertaKáča
AnalyzestheculturalcontextofČertaKáčaandhowitincorporatesvillageimageryalongside
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elements of fairy tale. This investigation speaks to the issues of post-Wagnerian opera in
Europemorebroadlyandthegenderedexpectationsofvillageoperas.
EvaBranda(WesternUniversity,Canada)
CzechCriticalPerspectivesonDvořák
The Cunning Peasant’s disastrous showing at the Vienna Hofopera in 1885 reinvigorated
debates in the Czech press about Antonín Dvořák as opera composer. While Czech critics
referred to the event as an obvious case of Viennese prejudice, many of them were
nonethelessconvincedthatthescandalmighthavebeenprevented,ifDvořák’smorerecent
opera Dimitrij had been performed instead. “[Dimitrij] would have surprised [audiences],
giventheimmensepovertyofoperaproduction[intheAustriancapital],”statesonewriter
for the newspaper Národní Listy, “and from Vienna, it would have made its way to all
Europeanstages,pushingDvořáktothefirstranksofoperaticcomposers.”
Indeed, during the 1880s, Dimitrij was quickly becoming one of the most frequently
performed non-comic Czech operas in Prague (Smaczny, 2003). Undoubtedly, Eduard
Hanslick’searlypraiseoftheworkboosteditsreputation,anditwasselectedasoneofa
handful of representative “Czech” operas to be showcased by members of the Prague
NationalTheatreattheInternationaleAusstellunginViennain1892(Brodbeck,2009).Yet,
criticalopinionsonDimitrijwerenotunanimousinPrague.Infact,OtakarHostinský,whoset
thecity’saestheticagenda,consideredthisoperatobeDvořák’sweakest,anditlayatthe
centreofHostinský’scontroversial1901article,whicheffectivelykick-startedtheinfamous
“Dvořakbattles”oftheearlytwentiethcentury.
This paper investigates the complex Czech reception of Dimitrij, demonstrating that
competing pressures from multiple critics ultimately helped Dvořák clarify his own artistic
visionintherealmofopera.
Session1C
11am-1pm(4individualpapers)
Translatlantics
CharlotteBentley(UniversityofCambridge)
Thechallengesoftransatlanticopera:theThéâtred’Orléanscompanyin
nineteenth-centuryNewOrleans
From1819until1859,theThéâtred’OrléanswasatthecentreofsociallifeforawidecrosssectionofNewOrleans’spopulation.Itwaswellknownforthegenerallyhighqualityofits
operaticproductions,itsunusuallywell-behavedaudiences,andforthefactthatitstroupe
wasrecruitedfromEuropeeachyear.
Itwasthefirst(and,foralongtime,theonly)permanentoperacompanyinNorthAmerica,
anditsinfluencewaswideranging.Throughaseriesofsummertours,thecompanyplayeda
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keyroleintransmittingFrenchoperatotheeasternseaboardoftheUnitedStates.Existing
scholarship,however,hastypicallyobservedonlythatthecompanybroughtitsmusicand
performersfromParis,withoutgivingfurtherthoughttothedetailsorwiderimplicationsof
thisprocessorthewaysinwhichnewaudiencesunderstoodFrenchopera.
My paper will, therefore, take a closer look at the processes of cultural transfer in the
movementofFrenchoperafromEuropetoNewOrleans.Itwillexplorethevitalroleofhuman
agencyinoperaticglobalisation,inordertoarguethatthenetworksofpeopleandplaces
werebynomeansasstraightforwardastypicallyassumed.Nor,Iwillsuggest,werethese
processesofculturaltransferasunidirectionalasgenerallyportrayed.Instead,Iwillargue
thatsuchastudycompelsustore-evaluateaspectsoftheEuropeanoperaticindustry,and
revealsanentanglementoflocal,nationalandtransnationalconcernsthatwasvitaltothe
developmentofaglobaloperaticculture.
JoshuaNavon(Columbia,NYC)
“ItisNecessarytogotoEuropeforInstruction”:TransmittingMusicPedagogy
fromGermanytotheUS,1840-1875
During the mid-nineteenth century, a flurry of discourse appeared in American music
periodicalsconcerningthecontrastingpedagogicalapparatusesoftheUSandGermany.As
elite musicians like Lowell Mason perceived, there were no significant sites for the
institutionalizedtrainingofmusiciansintheUS,whileinGermany,prominentconservatories
already existed in Leipzig, Berlin, and elsewhere. In this paper, I trace several shifts in
American musical discourse on this transatlantic relationship. Publishing especially in
Dwight’sJournalofMusic,AmericanmusiciansinitiallypraisedGermanconservatories,even
encouragingyoungAmericanstudentstoattendthemforstudy.Later,however,theybegan
toquestionGermany’shegemonyoverinstitutionalizedmusicaltraining,incitingcallsforthe
establishmentoftheirownmusic-educationalinstitutions.
RecentscholarshiponthespreadofGermanmusicalKulturacrosstheAtlantichas
focused on the roles of German immigrants, “emotional crossings,” and processes of
canonization(Gienow-Hecht2009).Takingadifferentpath,andechoingmyhistoricalactors,
Isuggestthatthewestwarddisseminationofmusic-pedagogicaltechniques—onesnecessary
totheproductionofwidespreadculturesofmusicalexpertise—formsacrucialanduncharted
route in this transatlantic history. Such a pedagogical perspective encourages us to look
beyondthecirculationofpersons,discourses,andmusicalworks,andtowardthemeansof
transmittingmusicaldispositionsandskillsthatmakeuptheday-to-daypracticesofexpert
musicians.Concludingbroadly,Ioutlinehowconceptualizingpedagogyasintegraltomusical
practicemayopennovelavenuesofinquiryforthehistoriographyofnineteenth-centuryart
music.
CésarLeal(Sewanee:TheUniversityoftheSouth)
ConstructingInternationalAestheticIdentities:Trans-Atlanticcultural
exchanges,entrepreneurship,culturalmediation,andJewishsponsorshipin
Parisduringfin-de-siècle.
ThroughthestudyoftheactivitiesofParisianJewishimpresarioGabrielAstruc(1864-1938)
asartist’smanagerandentrepreneur,thispaperexaminestheimpactofsponsorshipand
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culturalmediationontheestablishmentoftheinternationalmusicalculturallandscapeof
thefin-de-siècle.
ThemajorityAstruc’ssponsorsweremembersoftheParisianJewishupperclass.Families
suchastheCamondo,Rothschild,andVanderbilt,becamesteadysupportersformostof
Astruc’slarge-scaleprojectssuchasthecommissionandpublicationofnumerousworks,
theconstructionoftheTheatredesChamps-Élysées,andalltheartisticeventsoflaGrande
SaisondeParis.
Buildingonunstudiedarchivaldocuments(ArchivesCamondoandFondsGabrielAstruc)
andexistingworkbyscholarsoffin-de-siècleculturallife,suchasHuebner,Pasler,and
Fauser,thepresentstudyexploresthemechanismsthoroughwhichAstrucobtainedand
maintainedthesupportoftheJewisheliteinParisandabroad.ItfocusesonAstruc’sroleas
theEuropeanrepresentativeandmanageroftheMetropolitanOperaCompanyandits
activitiesinculturalcapitalssuchasNewYork,Philadelphia,BuenosAires,andParis.It
emphasizestheprocessofdevelopinganewsenseofglobalaestheticidentitywithinthe
contextofactivephilanthropyandmultipleinternationalculturalexchanges.
ThispaperprovidesanewcontrastingviewofParisianculturallifeanditsinteractionwith
culturallifeinotherculturalcapitalsaroundtheglobe.UnlikeearlierstudiesonTransAtlanticconnections,thisdocumentaddressesmultipleissues,rangingfromrepertoireand
large-scaleproductionstomodernsystemsofpatronagefromAstruc’sunifyingperspective.
JoséManuelIzquierdoKönig(UniversityofCambridge)
Theearlynineteenth-centuryLatinAmericansymphony:problemsand
perspectivesofanunknownrepertoireandatransatlanticgenre.
WhileresearchoncolonialLatinAmericanmusichasgrownenormouslyinthelastdecades,
muchisstillunknownaboutmusicoftheearlyrepublicanperiod,inthefirstdecadesofthe
nineteenth-century.Thelackofsourcesofsecularmusic,aswellasanenvironmentwhere
mostprofessionalcomposersdedicatedthemselvestochurchmusic,haslargelytransmitted
theimpressiontoscholarsthattherewasnosymphonicorinstrumentalmusicwritteninLatin
Americaduringtheperiod.However,increasedresourcesforarchivesandlibrarieshasmeant
thatmoreandmorepiecesarebeingdiscovered,andthatthelandscapeofmusicduringthis
periodisnotasdryaswethought.
Thispaperwillexplorehowoftherapidchangesinculturalvaluesafterindependence,in
particular in the 1820s and thirties, gave rise to a generation of composers of symphonic
music in Latin America. In a cultural world devoid of affordable musical printing and paid
publicconcerts,composerstryingtowritesymphonieshadtoreinventthemselves–andthe
socialvalueofthesymphonicgenre-tobeabletocomposetheirmusic,whichcertainlydidn’t
grant any economic returns. While symphonies were performed only at a local level, the
similaritiesofideas,proceduresandaestheticsamongcomposersthatdidn’tkneweachother
acrossahugeregion(fromGuatemalatoBolivia),revealshowmuchthesymphonybecame
asymbolofanewculturalparadigm,onethatcannotsimplybecomparedtocontemporary
Europeanpracticestobeunderstood.
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Session2A
2pm-4pm(4individualpapers)
East/West
MicaelaBaranello(SmithCollege)
Zigeuneroperette:Austro-HungarianOperettaandAuthenticityReconsidered
VienneseoperettaoftenseemstoreduceHungarytogypsies,uncontrolledpassion,anda
timeless,mythiclandscape.ScholarssuchasMoritzCsáky,CamilleCrittenden,andJonathan
Bellmanhavedebatedwhethertheseconstructionsregisterasauthenticrepresentationsof
Hungariannationalismandmusic,butallsharethepremisethat“gypsyoperetta”
attemptedtorepresentHungarianidentity.InthispaperIexaminethegypsyoperetta
beginningwithJohannStraussII’sDerZigeunerbaron(1885).Inclosereadingsoftwolater
works,FranzLehár’sZigeunerliebe(1909)andEmmerichKálmán’sDerZigeunerprimas
(1912),Iarguethatgypsyoperetta,particularlyinitstwentieth-centuryincarnations,was
rarelyintendedorreceivedasanauthenticHungarianculturalartifactbutratherasahighly
self-consciousanti-modernistfantasy.
GypsyoperettasconformedtomanyofthedescriptionsofHungaryintheempire’sofficial
ethnography.Criticswereaware,however,thatactualHungarianoperettasgenerallydid
not.InDerZigeunerprimas,hisfirstworkfortheViennesestage,theHungarianKálmánput
gypsyclichésfrontandcenterandhisworkwasmarketedasauthenticallyHungarian.Yet
theoperetta’sworkingmusiciancharacters,likeKálmánhimself,self-consciouslyassume
Romagarbandmusicalstyletomakealiving.Lehár’sZigeunerliebesimilarlycouchesits
romanticgypsyadventuresasadreamsequencesplitfrommodernreality.Bothworks
largelyexcludethearistocracyanddirectreferencetoimperialpolitics.Inanerawhen
operettawasbecomingincreasinglycosmopolitan,theHungarianlandscapeseemedto
offerahumbleyetromanticescape—butoneacutelyawareofamoreambivalentreality.
JonathanD.Bellman(UniversityofNorthernColorado)
PicturesoftheWest:RobertSchumann’sBilderausOstenReconsidered
RobertSchumann’sBilderausOsten(ImagesoftheEast),Op.66,forpianoduethas
receivedlittlescholarlyattention;colorfullytitledmusicinacompletelydomesticgenre
wouldcertainlyseemtobelittlemorethanlight,entertainingephemera,andthuseasyto
overlook.Inhisintroduction,Schumannwrote(somewhattantalizingly)thatthesixpieces
wereinspiredbyFriedrichRückert’seditionoftheMakamat(scenes,ortales)ofthe
medievalArabicwriterAl-HarīrīofBasra,andformedan“intimatewhole.”Onlythelast
piecehadaspecificassociation,however:Harīrī’sfinalscene,inwhichtheaging
adventurer-poetAbuSeidal-Serugruestheschemesandexcessesofhisyouth.Despitethe
unansweredquestions,scholarshavealmostneverlookedmoreclosely.
Acloseanalysisofthegenres,styles,andevenindividualmusicalgesturesoftheother
numbersinthesetsuggestsnotHarīrī’slinguisticvirtuosityorAbuSeid’smischievous
clevernessbutratherawhollywesternadventure-tale.Theindividualnumbers—which
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includebattlepieces,anorientale,andatheatricalfarewelllamentwithtwodistinct
voices—evokethepredictableepisodesofsuchatale:sallyingforth,heroisminbattle,more
thanonelady-love,andasober,moralizingpostscript.TheresultthusapproximatesLudwig
Tieck’sstoryofthebeautifulMagelone,latersetbyBrahms;indeed,Op.66showsits
imprintonBrahms’smusicinavarietyofdifferentways.Insum,Schumann’sImagesofthe
Eastisaverywesterntale,witheasterncoloringandstagesceneryonly.
AnneMarieWeaver(UniversityofRochester)
Glinka’sFarewelltoSt.PetersburgandRussianCosmopolitanism
AlthoughweoftenassociateMikhailGlinka’smusicwiththedevelopmentofRussian
nationalism,thatearlyformofnationalismincludedasignificantamountof
cosmopolitanism.Nowhereisthatmoreapparentthaninhis1840collectionofsongs,
FarewelltoSt.Petersburg.Thisgroupliesontheblurredborderofthesong-cyclegenre,and
itmay(ormaynot)tellthestoryofahero,asVeraVasina-Grossmanarguedin1956.
Indeed,Ifindamorecompellingargumentforitsstatusasacycleintheverydiversityofits
musicalcontents:thissetcontainsatruemicrocosmofEuropeansongtypes,includingsuch
numbersasafierybolero,anoperaticcavatina,asensuousbarcarolle,adramaticballadelikefantasia,andalullabythatmergesaspectsoffolk-songwithelementsmoretypicalof
theGermantraditionofcomposedWiegenlieder.
WhetherornotGlinkaintendedthiscollectiontostandasacycle,however,itsreal
importanceliesinitsformidableinfluenceonsubsequentRussiansongcomposers.The
differentgenerictypesrepresentedinAFarewelltoSt.Petersburgcontinuedtoappearin
Russiansongsthroughoutthenineteenthcentury,andasawholethepervasive
cosmopolitanismwecanobserveintheset(asinGlinka’slargercareer)essentiallyseta
precedentforsongcomposers.InadditiontodiscussingthecontentsofGlinka’sset,my
presentationwillalsoshowhowBalakirev,inparticular,modeledhisearlysong
compositionsonGlinka’sexample,thusreinforcingtheperceptionofGlinkaasthefatherof
Russianmusic.
DavidBrodbeck(UniversityofCalifornia,Irvine)
HeimatIsWheretheHeartIs;or,HowHungarianwasGoldmark?
Onehundredyearsago,onJanuary2,1915,CarlGoldmarkdiedinViennaattheageof84.
IntheVienneseobituariesthisHungarian-bornJewwhohadacculturatedasGermanand
achievedaplaceofeminenceinthesocioculturalmilieuofLiberalViennawasremembered
asa“greatcomposerandAustrian”whohadbroughthonortothe“fatherland.”Inthe
obituariesthatappearedinBudapest,bycontrast,thelatecomposerwashailedasa
Hungarianand“apowerfulpillarinthebuildingofHungary’sartisticfame,”eventhoughhe
hadneverlearnedtospeakthelanguageandlivednearlyhisentireadultlifeinAustria.
Here,ineffect,thetwohalvesoftheAustro-Hungarianmonarchywerefightingoverthe
sameman’slegacy.
TheHungarians’claimonGoldmarkwasofrelativelyrecentorigin.UnlikeLiszt,henever
madeanefforttocultivateaMagyaridentity,avirtualrequirementforfullmembershipina
magyarnemzet(theHungariannation),astheethnonationalistsunderstoodit.Basedon
evidencefoundintheBudapestpress,IarguethattheseactivistsembracedGoldmarkasa
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fellowHungarianonlywhen,neartheendofthecentury,atthestartofHungary’sso-called
GoldenAge,theydeterminedthattheculturalprestigehecouldbestowonthenation
trumpedhislackofMagyarcredentials.IconcludebyconsideringwhatGoldmarkmeantto
sayabouthisidentityorself-perceptionwhen,inhisunfinishedmemoirsandalittleknown
essayfrom1911,heinvokedthedistinctlyGermanideaofHeimat(home).
Session2B
SongsandStages
OskarCox-Jensen(King’sCollege,London)
‘TrueCourage’:ASonginStages
ThispaperfollowstheearlyhistoryofasingleEnglishsong,fromits1798composition,toits
performanceintheSansSoucitheatreandonregionaltours,toitsnationaldisseminationin
piratedbroadsides,totracesofitswiderculturalimpact.ThesongisCharlesDibdinthe
Elder’s‘TrueCourage’,asentimentalpaeantocompassioncombinedwithextollingthe
rough,rudevirtuesoftheBritishsailor.‘TrueCourage’isexceptionalintheamountof
extantsourcematerialsurroundingit.Butitismorebroadlyrepresentativeofawhole
genreofsongwritingthathasbeenlongneglectedbymusicologists,literaryscholars,and
historiansalike.
Inreconstructingthesuccessivestagesof‘TrueCourage’,Iammostinterestedinassessing
theinfluenceofthisbourgeoissongcultureuponthewidernation–and,chiastically,inhow
widerconcernsofconversation,politics,morality,andmilitarismwereboundupin
theatricalrepresentation.Abriefreadingofthesongistiedtoitschronologicalcontextsof
creation,performance,reception,dissemination,andappropriation,informedbythe
philosophy,politics,andculturalpracticesofthoseinvolved.Theprocessisreciprocal:asa
socialobject,thesongshedsnewlightonthementalitiesandhabitsofitsday.Inpursuing
thisnoveltakeonthecasestudy,Iaimtoexploreaninterdisciplinarymodelofcontextual
closereading,moreappropriateforthisrepertoirethantraditionalmusicalanalysis,
informedbytheburgeoninginterestofotherdisciplinesinpopularformsofsongculture.
KatyHamilton(Independent)
NataliaMacfarrenandtheEnglishGermanLied
Inthesecondhalfofthenineteenthcentury,German-bornsingerNataliaMacfarren(18271916)producedanextraordinarynumberofEnglish-languagetranslationsofsongand
opera.ForNovello’soperaticvocalscoreseries,shetranslatedworksbyMozart,Beethoven,
Weber,Auber,Bellini,Donizetti,VerdiandWagner.Inaddition,shewasaprolifictranslator
ofLieder,providingEnglishversionsofsongsbySchumann,Mendelssohn,Franz,Weyrauch
andBrahms.
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AlthoughseveralofMacfarren’stranslationsarestillinprint,thereispreciouslittlescholarly
researchintoherwork–eitherbymusicresearchers(forwhomsheisperhapsmore
familiarasthewifeofcomposerGeorgeAlexanderMacfarren)orlinguistsandliterary
experts.YethertextsprovideanimportantinsightintotheEnglishperformanceofLieder
fromc.1860-1890(includingsubtlechangestothemeaningoftheoriginalpoemsthrough
linguistic‘interpretation’),particularlyamongamateurperformerswhopreferredtosingin
theirownlanguage.ThispaperprovidesanoverviewofMacfarren’swork,andherattitudes
andapproachestotranslation,usingspecificcasestudies.Hercontributionwillalsobe
discussedinlightoftwenty-first-centuryattitudestoLiederinEnglish,inconnectionwith
severalrecentperformances:inIainBurnside’splayWhyMusttheQueenDie?(2014),and
recitalsofSchubert’sDieschöneMüllerininJeremySams’snewtranslation,byTobySpence
andChristopherGlynn.Itishopedthatinterviewswiththeseperformerswillshedfurther
lightonthisrecentreappearanceoftheEnglishGermanLied.
KatherineGray(UniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley)
Wagner’svocaltechniques
TheargumentofthispaperisthattheWagnerianparametersofHauptmotivand
Versmelodiecannotbecomprehendedmerelybystudyingunmarkedscoresorurtext
editions,isolatedfromconsiderationofthehistoricalcontingenciesofoperatic
performance;Wagner’sconceptionsofvocalexpressionwereessentialtohiscompositional
idioms.Suchidioms,Iargue,weredependentuponprevailingpracticesofdramaticsong
thatgovernedtheemergenceofhisaesthetics.Wagner’ssingersplayedmajorrolesin
constructingboththeideologicalandmaterialfeaturesofwhathetermed“musicdramas.”
AninstructiveglimpseofWagner’svocalworldistobefoundinascorethat
belongedtoMaryBurrell(1850-1898),recentlyacquiredbytheHargrovelibraryatUC
Berkeley.Burrell’sscoresubstantiatestherelationshipbetweenhisso-calledMusikDrama
andthevocaltechniquesassociatedwithit.Burrell’sannotationsfromalessonwith
Wagner’sniece,JohannaJachmann-Wagner(1826-1894)shednewlightontheconceptual
genesisofMusikDrama.TheseindicatethatWagner’ssingerswereresponsibleforthe
communicationofotherwiselatentcompositionalstructures.Jachmann-Wagnerwashighly
acclaimedintheroleofOrtrudbyaudiences,pedagogues,and“UncleRichard”himself.
Burrell’seditionofLohengrinprovidesausefullexiconfortheimmersivestudyof
Wagneriancomposition,performancepractices,andreception.
NatashaLoges(RoyalCollegeofMusic)
Tellingwomen’sstories,sellingwomen’ssongs:thecreativerelationshipof
PaulHeyseandJohannesBrahms
BrahmswasatremendousfanofthenovelistandpoetPaulHeyse(1830–1914),declaring
that‘anewnovellabyHeysealwaysmeansadayofcelebrationforme.Idon’treadthem
justonce;Ikeepthemnearmeforweeksandreadthemrepeatedly’(Heuberger,1976).
EduardHanslickalsowrotetoHeysethathecouldnot‘imaginethetimeinwhichyour
storieswillnolongerberead’(Moisy,1981).Indeed,Heyseenjoyedenormouspopularity
throughoutthesecondhalfofthenineteenthcentury.Today,heismostlyrememberedas
theauthorofthe46poemssetbyHugoWolfintheItalienischesLiederbuch(1891,1896).
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BrahmscomposedtwelvesettingsofHeyse’spoetrybetween1859and1888,nearlyallof
whichwereforwomensingingeithersoloorinsmallensembles.Thispaperwillexplore
howHeyse–andbyassociationBrahms–balancedtheneedtohavepopularappealwitha
desiretopushtheboundariesofacceptabilityinworkstargetedatthemiddle-class,
educatedwomenoftheirday.TheBalticwriterLauraMarholm(1854-1928)rejoicedinthe
numerousintellectuallyandsexuallyconfidentfemalecharactersHeysepresented,and
championedhimasan‘awakener’ofwomen(Marholm,1896).Despiterecentscholarship
(Gerards,2010),Brahms’sowncontributiontothismovementhasbarelybeenrecognised.
Thepaperwillexaminethethree-wayrelationshipbetweenHeyse,Brahmsandtheirtarget
audienceusingthe‘Mädchenlied’Op.95no.6asacase-study.
Session2C
LibrettiandHistoricisim
DaniilZavlunov(StetsonUniversity)
Censoringthemuses:operaandcensorshipduringthereignofNicholasI
(1825-1855)
Itishardlynewsthatinnineteenth-centuryEuropecensorshipshapedoperainwayslarge
andsmall.Surprisingly,censorship—asaninstitution,anetworkofindividualcensors,a
process,anideologicaltool,andsomuchelse—hasneverbecomearegularpartofthe
historiographyofnineteenth-centuryRussianmusic.Thispaperbeginstorectifythe
situationbyfocusingontheverycomplexrelationshipbetweencensorshipandoperain
RussiaduringthereignofNicholasI.Traditionally,operaandcensorshipduringthistime
havebeenexaminedinscholarshipexclusivelythroughtheprismofprintedlibrettos.In
reality,theprintedlibrettoandthesunglibrettoofthesameoperaweretworather
differentproducts,censoredindiscreetgovernmentagencies,byverydifferentpeople.
LibrettosasperformedwerecensoredbytheThirdDivision(thepolice),librettosasprinted
werereviewedbytheMinistryofPeople’sEnlightenment,andalllibrettosthatmentioned
anythingecclesiasticalhadtobepresentedtotheHolySynod.Buthowdidtheprocess
actuallywork?Whowerethecensors?Howwerethesecensorsthinkingaboutthetexts
andwhy?Inansweringthesequestions,thepaperintegratesdifferentfacetsofopera
censorshipintoaholisticnarrative.Itdrawsheavilyonavarietyofnewlyuncovered
documents—censor’sreports,censor-annotatedmanuscriptandprintedlibrettos,
censorshiplogs,andNicholas’spersonalnotes—fromseveralarchivalcollectionsinRussia,
andfocusesonahandfulofoperalibrettos(includingALifefortheTsar,AnnaBolena,and
LesHuguenots),tracingtheseworksthroughtheprocessofsterilization.
EdwardJacobson(UniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley)
Donizetti’sHistoricism
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PerusingItalianoperalibrettiprintedinthefirstdecadesofthenineteenthcenturyreveals
twosignificantandinterconnectedtrends:anincreaseinhistoricalsubjectsandinparatextualmaterial(suchaslibrettists’prefaces,historicalintroductions,extendedscenic
descriptions,anthropologicalfootnotes,andevenbibliographies).Thisproliferationof
printedmaterialsintendedtoberead—ratherthanenactedonstage—atteststotherising
importanceofreadingaspartoftheprimoottocentoopera-goingexperience.Notonly
wereaudienceslookingattheirprintedlibretti,whichconditionedthemtoinvestthe
operaticactionwithanauraofauthenticity,butthecharactersonstageoftenmodeled
readingasapractice,guidingaudiencestowardacanonofItalianliteraryworks.Giventhis
emphasisonwrittenhistory,inthispaperIarguethatreadingduringtheoperawasan
indispensableelementofRomanticoperatichistoricism.
Ishowhowboththeliterarypretensionsofottocentolibrettistsandtherelated
phenomenonofreadinginoperarevealtheinextricablelinkbetweenhistoryandliterature
thathasbeenfrequentlystressedbyhistoriansofpost-Napoleonichistoricalconsciousness.
ThesepracticesconvergeinDonizetti’s1833TorquatoTasso,aworkforwhichthelibrettist,
JacopoFerretti,providedanextendedhistoricalintroductioncontainingabibliography,
referencestoarchivaldocuments,aspirationsto“storicaverità,”andquotesfromTasso
himself.Combinedwiththeopera’sdramatizedreadingofGerusalemmeliberata,such
prefatorymaterialsdemonstratetheintermedialaspectsofoperatichistoricism,onethat
necessarilyinvitesaudiencestosupplementoperaticspectaclewithcarefullycurated
history.
AlessandraA.Jones(UniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley)
‘TheTheoryoftheDagger’:Verdi’sUnballoinmascheraandDiscoursesof
Regicide
WhentheunpopularDukeofParmawasassassinatedin1854,blamefellonAntonioCarra,
whohadreportedlyvolunteeredforthetaskonbehalfofGiuseppeMazzini’snationalist
group,GiovaneItalia,becausetheDukehadseducedhislover.Twoyearslater,statesman
DanieleManinpublishedanopenletterdenouncingassassinationas“thegreatenemyof
Italy,”whichpromptedanimpassionedresponseindefenseofviolencefromMazzini.This
paperexploreshowthesehigh-profiledebatesaboutpoliticalassassinationinflectedthe
conceptionandreceptionofthefinalsceneofVerdi’sUnballoinmaschera,inwhicha
jealoushusbandassassinatesthekingwhohasseducedhiswife.
AntonioSomma’slibrettoandVerdi’smusicforthescenesendconflictingmessages:
thechorusdenouncestheregicide,buttheheavenlychorusthataccompaniestheking’s
deathringsfalseinthefaceofhissins.Andatleastsomecontemporaryspectators
understoodtheassassin,Renato,tobealignedwithMazzini’ssympatheticportrayalofa
manprovokedtomurder.TheGazzettamusicalediMilano,forinstance,heard“amost
naturalpsychologicaleffect”whenRenatoshiftedbetweenboilingangerandsentimental
remembrances.ThecriticoftheNewYorkTimesbelievedthat,inBallo,Verdi“attempts
morevehementlythanheretofore…theportrayalofdramaticpassion.”Historicalattention
tothepoliticalandtopicalresonancesofBallohasfocusedoncensorship,butthispaperwill
showthattheoperaparticipatedinamuchmoreimmediatewayindiscoursesabout
politicalpower,legality,andviolentresistance.
25
ClaudioVellutini(UniversityofBritishColumbia,Vancouver)
FannyTacchinardi-Persiani,CarloBalocchino,andItalianOperaBusinessin
Vienna,Paris,andLondon,1837-1845
Among19th-centuryItalianprimadonnas,FannyTacchinardi-Persianihascomedownin
historyasthefirstinterpreterofDonizetti’sLuciadiLammermoor(1835).Herinternational
career,however,hasreceivedlittleattentionbyoperascholars.DespitePaolaCiarlantini’s
1988biographyofthesinger,however,herinternationalactivityhasreceivedlittle
attentionbyoperascholars.Recentdevelopmentsinoperastudies,aswellaspreviously
overlookedarchivalmaterials,nowprovideenhancedcriticaltoolstoshedlighton
Tacchinardi-Persiani’scontributiontotheproduction,circulation,andreceptionofItalian
operasinatransnationalcontext.Inthispaper,Ifocusonthehithertolittle-known
correspondencebetweentheprimadonnaandCarloBalocchino,impresarioofthe
KärntnertortheaterinVienna,asawindowontheeconomic,social,andculturaldynamics
oftheoperaticnetworksbetweentheItalianStates,Vienna,Paris,andLondon.Thisbodyof
documents,currentlyhousedintheViennaCityLibrary,comprisessomefortyletters
writtenbetween1836and1845.HereTacchinardi-Persianistrategicallyconstructsher
imageasaself-madewomanvis-à-visherrivalrywithsopranoGiuliaGrisi,herrepertory
choices,herneedtoprovideanincometoherfamily,andherresponsibilitiesasamother.
Byrevealingthefluidityofpowerdynamicsbetweenoperaimpresarios,performers,and
composersduringthe1830sand1840s,theselettersofferafreshlookattheroleofprima
donnas’agencyinthedisseminationandestablishmentofaninternationalcanonofItalian
operas.
Keynote1
JessicaGienow-Hecht
Music&nationbrandingin19th-centuryinternationalrelations
Thetalkwill,first,makeanumberofobservationsontheintersectionofmusic
andinternationalhistoryincurrentscholarship.Second,itwillelaborateon
oneofthecentralquestionshistorianshavebeenponderinginregardtothe
19thcentury:howtoreconcilevisionsofextremenationalism,simultaneously,
andinternationalism.Thepresentationwillprobetheargumentthatlookingat
musicandpoliticsintandemmighthelpusaddressthatquestion.Asatool,
thepresentationconsiderswhatJessicaGienow-Hechthascometolabel
“musicalnationbranding”forresearchersinbothfields.
26
TUESDAY12July
Session3A
9.30am-11am(3individualpapers)
Time,Space,Form
CarloCaballero(UniversityofColorado)
Chopin’sMeditationonTime:Bells,ClocksandSubjectivityinthePrelude,op.
28,inA-flatMajor
PaderewskioncerecalledthatCamilleDubois,astudentofChopin’s,insistedthatthetolling
tonicbassnotesinthelastsectionofChopin’sPreludeinA-flatMajormustalwaysbestruck
withthesamestrength,despitethesottovoceexpressionoftheuppervoices,because“the
ideaofthatPreludeisbasedonthesoundofanoldclock,”and“theclockknowsno
diminuendo.”Paderewski’srecollectionofDubois’sadviceprovidesaprovocative
interpretativedirection,butalsoopensthisunusualpiecetohermeneuticobservationsof
widersignificance.IarguethatthisPreludemovinglydevelopsandintertwinestwo(or
more)differentexperiencesoftime.Thecircularnatureofthework,suggestingeternity,is
uniqueinChopin’spreludes:itbeginsandendswithpulsingtonicchordsinexactlythesame
disposition,whereaspreludesnormallybeginandendindifferentregistralandfigural
positions.Withintheframeoftheeternal,the“action”ofthePreludeofferstwo
alternatives:mechanicaltime(thetimeofclocksandbells,pulsingchordsandtollingbass
notes)andhumantime(constantagogicchallengestomechanicaltime,harmonic
divagations,andquickeningharmonicrhythm).Theformofthepiecesuggeststwo
presentationsofhumanandmechanicaltimeindialogue,eachfollowedbya“protest”
againsttheinevitabilityofclocktime.Theclockalwaysreturns,andinthefinalsection
seemstosounditsbellindependentlyofanysentimentalresistanceonthepartofthe
pianist-protagonist.Yetaftertheninthstroke,Chopinallowsthepianisttotakeconcessions
fromtheclock,expandingtimelikearesistantdreamer.Thepieceends,thanksto“inner
voices,”anextendedpedal,andanexquisitelyplacedgracenote,inaspiritofreconciliation
ratherthanresistance.
ChairatChongvattanakij(UniversityofToronto)
InvertingtheSublime:Franck’sVariationssymphoniquesasaComicNarrative
ThefinaleofFranck’sVariationssymphoniquesbaffledeventhemostenthusiasticofhis
supporters.Consideringtheseriousnessthatdominatedtheprecedingmusicaldiscourse,
thesuddenshifttowardsseeminglysuperficialebulliencestrikesmeasbeing“funny”in
bothsensesoftheterm:amusingandstrange.Iinvestigatetheincongruous
lightheartednessofthisfinalebydiscussingtheclaimthatFranckbasedthemusicona
festivecramignon(atraditionaldancefromLiège),whichservedashiscompositionalpoint
ofdeparture.Therefore,theoverarchingnarrativeofthepiececanbeunderstoodasa
comicunveilingofanearthlydance,ratherthantheachievementofupliftingapotheosis;
drawingonKantandJeanPaul,Iarguethatthesublimebecomesinverted.First,Iexplore
27
theideathatsublimeexperienceenactsamythologicalplotstructureinwhichanepic
struggleeventuallygiveswaytotranscendence.Throughacloseanalysis,Idemonstratethat
thenarrativeunfoldingoftheVariationssymphoniquesdepartsfromtheromance
archetypetypicalofsublimeexperiencebecauseinfinitelonging(asconveyedthroughthe
historicalscopeofFranck’svariationtechniquesandthedisorientingchromaticthird
relationsinthetransitionintothefinale–bothofwhichevokeKant’smathematical
sublime)isultimatelyabandonedforthecelebrationofthefinitudeoflife(asrepresented
bytheunexpectedemergenceofthecramignon).Iproposethatthislateworkredeems
Franck’searlybrilliantvariationsetsforthepiano,notbyattainingsublimity,butby
affirmingtheseriousnessofplay.
SebastianWedler(UniversityofOxford)
TonalPairingasaStrategyofLyricalTime:AntonWebern’sLangsamerSatz
(1905)
CompletedinJune1905asoneoftheearliestcompositionalstudieswhichAntonWebern
producedunderthetutelageofArnoldSchoenberg,theLangsamerSatzhasbeenmade
subjecttoscholarlyinquiryonlyinasmuchasitprovidesanearlyevidenceofBrahms’s
influenceuponSchoenberg’smusicalthoughtanddidactics.Yettolocatetheimportanceof
Webern’sLangsamerSatzonlywithin‘theBrahmsfog’(W.Frisch)wouldbeto
misunderstandthework.Rather,asIshallargue,Weberninterpretedthe‘Brahmsian
techniques’thatSchoenberghadintroducedhimto(thetraditionalFormenlehre,functional
harmonyanddevelopingvariation)asexpressivemeansanddevicesbywhichto
reformulatehispre-existingidiosyncraticconcernfor‘lyricaltemporality’.Thestartingpoint
ofmyinterpretationisthework’spairingofCminorandE-flatmajor,setupalreadyinthe
firsteightbars,astonicsoperatingonthesamehierarchicallevel.Throughacombinationof
SchenkeriananalysisandNeo-Riemanniantheories,aswellasastudyofthemanuscripts
andsketchesarchivedatthePaulSacherFoundation,Iwillexplorethecompositional
strategiesbywhichWebernaimedatmaintainingthistonalpairingthroughoutthework,in
contradistinctiontothemorecommonconceptionoftonalpairingsasinstancesof
‘directionaltonality’.Assuch,theLangsamerSatzinvitesusnotonlytoseeWebern
enteringintodialoguewith,ratherthan(asiscommonlyheralded)aone-sidedadoptionof,
Schoenberg’sideas,butalsoprovesapertinentplacetothinkthrough(withreferencemost
notablytoSchubert,R.Schumann,Brahms,andWagner)someofthecrucialanalytical
problemsofnineteenthcenturymusicandtheirtemporalimplications.
Session3B
C.1800
ShaenaWeitz(CityUniversity,NewYork)
ExcavatingthePotpourri
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Bythemid-tolate-nineteenthcentury,thegenreofpotpourriwasessentiallyamedleyof
tunesfromasinglepopularoperastrungtogether,describedrecentlyas“hackworkforthe
amateurorimpoverishedmusician.”ButwhenthepotpourrifirstappearedinFrance
aroundtheturnofthenineteenthcentury,itwasunderstoodinthoroughlydifferentterms.
Initsoriginalform,thepotpourriwasavehicleforwittymusicalcommentarythroughthe
borrowingandjuxtapositionofpassagesfromdiversemusicalgenres.Amongitsmore
unusualuses,onecriticofanineteenth-centurymusicjournalexplainedthatthepotpourri
was“especiallygoodfordenouncingplagiarists”becausemelodiescouldbedeconstructed
andplacednexttothemusicfromwhichtheyallegedlyhadbeenstolen.Thistypeof
potpourri,however,wasmadeillegalbyNapoleoniccopyrightlaw.Toopenlyborrowfrom
multipleworkstomakeamusicalpointwasbanned;itwasonlypermittedtoreferencea
singleworkatatime.Thepotpourrilanguishedintoashadowofwhatitoncehadbeen.
ThispaperconsiderswaystounderstandtheearlyFrenchpotpourriasawittyor
barbedgenre,andthebarrierstothissortofcomprehensionbyexaminingpotpourrisby
LouisJadin(1768–1853)andDanielSteibelt(1765–1823)andcontemporarywritingsabout
thegenre.Iarguethattheparticularborrowingsfoundintheseearlypotpourrisreflect
somethingfarbeyondtriviality,butprovideawindowintoFrenchmusicallifeandmusic’s
socialcontextinthefirstdecadeofthenineteenthcentury.
KatherineHambridge(DurhamUniversity)
GenreConsciousnessintheNapoleonicTheatre
Amongthemanytrendsdated‘c.1800’isthemodernrejectionofthegeneric,exemplified
byFriedrichSchlegel'sinsistencethat'everyworkisitsowngenre'.Mypaperrevisitsthis
canonicmomentintheintellectualhistoryofgenrefromanalternativeperspective:the
unrulygenerictransformationsandmusicalpracticesinParis'stheatres,thehistoriccentre
ofgenretheory.Therelaxationoflicencinglawsin1791hadfuelledahugeexpansionin
boththenumberoftheatresandtherangeofgenresproducedinthem:theboulevard
theatresinparticularhosteda'genrification'(Senici,2014)andhybridisationofformssuch
asvaudeville,mélodrameandpantomime.In1806-7,however,Napoleonre-introduceda
strictregulationofthetheatricaleconomybydistributingparticulargenresbetweenonly
eighttheatres;genredivisionswereagainassertedonthebasisofsubjectmatterandthe
roleandproportionofspokenwordandmusic.
Usingsurvivingadministrativedocuments,mypaperreconstructsthepoliticalandfinancial
motivationsforthe1806retrenchment,andthebureaucraticprocessofdefininggenre
characteristics.Takingbothworksanddiscourseintheyearsimmediatelyfollowingthe
reorganisation—includingaspateofplaysinwhichgenreswerepersonifiedonstage—I
explorehow,andtowhatextent,categoriesofgenreshapedtheuseandreceptionofmusic
asadramaticmedium.Thisapproachshowstheimportance,Ipropose,ofsynthesizing
political,institutional,intellectualandreceptionhistory,inordertowriteahistoryofgenreconsciousness,ratherthanofgenre.
AnneliesAndries(YaleUniversity)
Dreaming"OpéradeLuxe":SpectacleinLeSueur'sOssianoulesbardes
ParisOpéra,July10,1804:Agiganticaerialpalaceappearsonthestage,forty-fivesingers
29
andsixty-fivedancersaccompaniedbytwelveharpslamentOssian’sfate.Theaudienceand
criticsravedabouttheactIVdreamsceneinLeSueur’sOssianoulesbardes,whichwasthe
mostastoundingvisualandmusicalspectacletheOpérahadeverstaged.Ossian’sreliance
onthecombinedeffectofmusic,dance,costumesandstagesetshastraditionallybeen
linkedtoNapoleonicpropagandaandLeSueur’soperaticaestheticsoftenconsideredto
prefigureWagner’sGesamtkunstwerk.
Bycontrast,thispaperdiscussesthe“totalspectacle”inOssianasaquintessentialproduct
oftheParisOpéra,capitalizingontheinstitution’slongtimereputationforunparalleled
musicalandvisualluxuryanditsambitiontobeacenterforreunitingthefinearts(which
becametangibleinreorganizationsaround1800thatencouragedthecollaboration
betweentheOpéra’svariousartists).TherichvisualandmusicalworldofMacpherson’s
Ossianicpoems—theprincipalsourceofOssian’slibretto—formedtheidealsubjectto
reestablishthesplendoroftheOpéra.Transmittingthisworldbecameincreasingly
importantinconsecutiveversionsofOssian,inparticularofthedreamscene.Whilethis
scenewasjudgedthework’smostOssianicpart,itsrepresentationalsobuiltonalong
historyofFrenchoperaticdreamscenesfamousfortheirluxuriouscombinationofmusic,
danceandvisualeffects.LookingattheOpéra’sroleinthecreationofOssian,draws
attentiontotheimportanceofinstitutionalpracticesandtheirreputationinnineteenthcenturyaestheticdevelopments.
Session3C
TheatricalIllumination
Feng-ShuLee(TunghaiUniversity)
IllusoryReality:ShadowinRomanticMusicandArts
Technologicaladvancesinglassmakingenabled19th-centuryartiststodevelopnew
understandingsoflightrelativetodarkness,andtheseideaspassedintocontemporary
literature,music,andphilosophy.ThisisparticularlyclearintheRomantics’conceptionof
shadowasametaphorforillusion.TheRomantics’fascinationwithshadowreflectstheirreassessmentofitsmeaningrelativetoreality.Authorsusedtheimageofreflectionto
challengetheEnlightenment-erarelationshipbetweenappearanceandreality.Inoptical
science,discussionsofafterimageshowedthepotentiallydeceptivenatureofvision.What
thehumaneyedoesnotseemaybewherethetruthlies.
IarguethatthisvisualphenomenonservedasanimportantinfluenceonRomanticmusic.
Examplesaboundintheproductionofoffstagesound,specialtimbres,andscenesof
hallucination.Istartwithanoverviewofthechangingvisualperceptionin19th-century
science.IproceedwithadiscussionoftheRomantics’perceptionofcorporealityrelativeto
theirreadingofshadowinliteratureandarts.IconcludewithaclosereadingofDieFrau
ohneSchatten,inwhichStraussandHofmannsthaleachhadadifferentapproachtothe
30
protagonist’squestforshadow.IwillshowhowStrauss’sreadingconveyedthisimage’s
metaphoricalmeaninginaudibleterms,andhowthisreadingderivedfromcontemporary
opticalscience.
19th-centurymusicscholarshiphasfocusedontheverbaldimensionofmusicattheexpense
ofitsabundantandclearlyvisualcomponents.Byintertwiningviewingandlistening
experiences,IofferarefreshingperspectivetothenatureofRomanticmusic.
TamsinAlexander(Goldsmiths,UniversityofLondon)
IlluminatingSpectacle:LightandillusioninGustavustheThird(1833)
Ontheeveningof13November1833,thefinalsceneofGustavustheThird–adaptedfrom
Auber’sGustaveIII–wasrevealedatCoventGardentorapturousapplause.Itwasnotthe
presenceofastarsingerordancerthatprovokedthisreaction,northestrainsofAuber’s
ever-populardancemusic.Whatimpressedtheaudiencewasthevisionofamaskedball
illuminatedbychandeliers,lamps,brackets,tripodsandcandelabras.Atfirstglance,the
situationinParishadbeenmuchthesame.PremieredattheOpéralessthanninemonths
earlier,GustaveIIIalsowonaccoladesthankstoitselaboratefinale.Butchangesmadeto
theoperainthetransferprocess,combinedwiththedifferingcontextsoflightingand
masqueradinginLondonandParis,meantthatGustaveIIIhadacquirednewsignifications
asGustavus.
Investigationsintovisualityinoperahavebecomeincreasinglyprevalentinrecent
years.Few,however,haveconsideredhowtheintroductionofgaslightshapedopera-going
andoperastagings.Toturnto1830sLondonistoexploreatimeandplaceobsessedwith
lightingtechnologiesandwithreachingabetterunderstandingtheeye.Usingtheexample
ofGustavus,Iexplorehownewdiscussionsaboutlightandvisioninfluencedresponsesto
opera,andhowlightcouldbeusedtooverwhelm,distract,promptaudiencestodelightin
illusion,wonderattechnology,andbecomesweptupinascene.Bringinglightintothe
picturenotonlydrawsuponanelementofurbanlifethatwasconsumingcontemporary
discourse,therefore,butalsoofferswaystodeepenourunderstandingofhowoperawas
experiencedinearlynineteenth-centuryLondon.
TommasoSabbatini(UniversityofChicago)
MusicfortheParisianpopularstage:thecaseof(andthecasefor)late
nineteenth-centuryféerie
Untilrecently,thescholarlycommunityallbutignoredtheFrenchfairyplay,féerie.Thelast
decadehasseenafewcontributionsinthefieldsoftheatrehistory(notablybyRoxane
Martin)andfilmstudies(byscholarsofGeorgesMéliès),butnomusicologisttothisdayhas
engagedwiththegenre.Féerie,though,wasafixtureoftheatricallifeinnineteenth-century
Paris,itreachedexceedinglylargeaudiences,itwaschampionedbyleadingintellectuals,
anditreliedheavilyonmusic,evenmoresothanmelodrama.
InthispaperIwillexposethepreliminaryfindingsofmystudyofacorpusofsometwentyfiveféeriesdatingbetween1870and1900.Farfrombeingatimeofdeclineforféerieas
commonlyclaimed,thisperiodwitnesseditsexceptionalvitalityandcapacityfor
adaptation.Someféeriesabandonedpatchworkscorescompiledbyhouseconductorsin
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favouroffullyoriginalscorescommissionedtowell-knowncomposers(thefirstexampleis
VictorienSardou’sLeroiCarotte,settomusicbyOffenbach,1872);somerenouncedthe
traditionalfairy-talesubjectsforscientificones(Adolphed’EnneryandJulesVerne’sLetour
dumondeen80jours,1874;Offenbach’sLevoyagedanslalune,1875);andfinally,Georges
Mélièstransferredféeriefromthestagetothenewmediumoffilm(Cendrillon,1899).
Onthebasisofasurveyofbothprintedandarchival(F-Pan,F-Pn,F-Po)sources,Iwill
discusswiththeeconomy,theideology,andthepoeticsofthegenre,aswellasthe
challengesitposestotheatreandmusichistorians.
Session4A
11.30am-1pm(3panelpapers)
Panel:On(re)hearingDelius:Contexts,Legacies,andTraditions
FrederickDelius(1862-1934)wasacomposerofinternationalstature,vision,and
inventiveness.Nevertheless,aspectsofhisscholarlyreceptionremainatarelatively
elementarylevelincomparisonwiththatofbothBritishcontemporariessuchasElgarand
VaughanWilliams,andalsohisEuropeancolleagues(Debussy,Strauss,andSibelius).Critical
appreciationofhismusichasoftenbeenshapedbyaseriesofassumptions:thathewasa
meremusicalrhapsodistwithonlyarudimentarygraspoflarge-scalemusicalform,orthat
hisrichlylate-romanticharmonicsyntaxwasanachronisticandoutofkilterwithmore
progressivestrandsofcomposition.
Takingadvantageoftheupsurgeofinterestinthecomposerinthewakeofhis2012
anniversary(notablyJohnBridcut’sBBC4film,Delius:Composer,Lover,Enigma)andthe
launchoftheAHRC-fundedproject‘Delius,Modernism,andtheSoundofPlace’in2015,this
panelpresentsnewscholarlyperspectivesonthecomposerandhismusic.Grimleywill
analyzetheambivalenceofDelius’useofplace,andtheproblemssurroundingattemptsto
markthecomposeraseither‘English’or‘cosmopolitan’.Bullivantoutlinesnewusesof
digitaltechnologytoclarifyDelius’compositionalprocessesandperformancehistory,with
particularreferencetotheworkofhisgreatadvocate(andlatertrustee)ThomasBeecham.
CollinswillassesstheinfluenceofNietzscheonthecomposer,andhisimmersioninthe
philosopher’swidercriticalthought,inthecontextoflatenineteenth-century
NietzscheanisminBritishintellectualcirclesanditsproblematiclegacy.Insum,thepanel
willprovideinsightsintoawholesalereappraisalofthecomposer,withimplicationsfor
scholars,performersandlisteners.
DanielGrimley(UniversityofOxford)
‘UntoBriggFair’:Cosmopolitanism,Delius,andtheIdentitiesofPlace
CosmopolitanismhasbeenaprominentterminthereceptionofFrederickDelius’smusic
eversincethepublicationofChristopherPalmer’s1976widely-readmonographonthe
composer.ForPalmerandothers,resistingthenegativetoneofmuchwritingonDelius
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aftertheSecondWorldWar,thetermisfrequentlyinflectedwithpositivevalue,suggesting
openness,liberation,andaprogressiveworldview,ratherthansignalingcritical
approbation.BuildingontherecentworkofBruceRobbins,AmandaAnderson,andSarah
Collins,however,Ishallarguethatthecategoryisfarmoredestabilizingandopaquethanits
appropriationfrequentlysuggests,andthatitsvalenceinDeliusstudiesisespecially
problematic.
Delius’s1907-8tonepoemBriggFair,subtitled‘AnEnglishRhapsody’,isanindicativecase
study.BasedonamelodycollectedbyPercyGraingerinNorthLincolnshirein1905andlater
arrangedforunaccompaniedchoir,Delius’ssetoforchestralvariationsoffersa
transformativevisionofthemusic,whosearch-likeexpressivetrajectoryisconsistentwith
latenineteenth-centuryaesthetics.Closerattentiontothescore,andtoitsgenesisand
reception,however,suggestsamorecomplexreadingofthework’smultiplepointsof
stylisticreference.Cosmopolitanismheremightserveasastraightforwardregisterofthe
music’slayeredevocationsofplace,or,morepointedly,asacritiqueofthework’sthinly
veiledcolonialism.Attemptingtoresolvethesetensions,Iwillconclude,promptsrenewed
reflectionabouttheideologicalassociationsoftheterminamusic-historicalcontextandits
usefulnessasaninterpretativeframe.
JoannaBullivant(UniversityofOxford)
‘“Mymusichasneverbeenplayedaswellbyanyoneelse:”SirThomas
BeechamandDeliusinPerformance’
NofigurehashadagreaterimpactonDelius’legacythanSirThomasBeecham.Aswellas
establishingaperformancetraditionforDelius’works,Beechamwaseditor-in-chiefofthe
Deliuscollectededitionproject.Beecham’sinterpretationscarryenormousweight,both
becauseofthecomposer’sstronglyarticulatedapprovalthereof(asquotedinthetitleof
thispaper),andduetothewidespreadsuggestionthatDelius,unlikeStrauss,Mahleror
Elgar,wasnotaninterpreterofhisownworks,andleftworksthatwerean‘emptyhouse’
requiringextensiveediting.
Morerecently,however,Beecham’sinterpretationshavebeenquestioned,forexampleby
SirMarkElder,speakinginJohnBridcut’s2012filmaboutthecomposer.Thereisalsothe
matterofBeecham’seffortstoestablishDeliusasadefinitivelyBritishcomposer,despite
evidenceofhiscosmopolitanism.Whiletherearedangersinprivilegingamodern
interpretationoverBeecham’s,orinseekingaprelapsarianUrtext,itiscertainlythecase
thatattemptstofindalternativestoBeecham’sinterpretationsdemandaprecise
understandingoftheextentofhisinfluence,aswellasthatofDelius’othereditorsand
amanuenses.ThispaperwilldiscusshowthecreationoftheDeliusOnlineCatalogue(DOC),
usingtheMusicEncodingInitiative(MEI),hascreatednewpossibilitiesfortracingthe
compositionalandeditingprocessofDelius’worksanddisseminatingthisknowledgeto
performers.Inadditiontopresentingthehistoryofworksinanaccessiblemanner,MEI
raisesthepossibilityofdigitaleditionswhichlaybaretheinfluenceofdifferenthandsand
editorsincreatingthework.
33
SarahCollins(UniversityofNewSouthWales)
‘The“ZarathustraMood”:Delius,anti-intellectualismandtheproblemof
musicalNietzscheism’
Delius’identificationwithNietzsche’swritingsiswelldocumented—hewasamilitant
advocateofNietzsche’stextsamongfriendsandacquaintances;hisfamiliaritywith
Nietzsche’swritingswassuchthathisdailyconversationwassaidtohavebeenpeppered
withNietzscheanquotations;andofcoursehealsosetNietzsche’spoetrytomusicina
numberofworksbetween1898and1916.Nevertheless,therehasbeenapersistent
skepticismaboutthedegreetowhichDeliusengagedwithNietzsche’ssubstantive
philosophy,suchasitwas.Whenaskedtowriteaprogrammenoteforthepremiereof
Delius’AMassofLife,forexample,FritzCassirer—whohadhelpedselectthetextofthe
work,drawnfromNietzsche’sThusSpakeZarathustra—notedhowDelius’‘artisticaimis
therenderingoftheZarathustramood,andnothingmore’.Othercommentatorshave
affirmedthisviewinanattempttodistanceDeliusfromnationalistpolitics,claimingthat
Delius’s‘anti-intellectualism’inthisregardallowedhimtoescapethepoliticalimplications
ofidentifyingwithNietzsche’sZarathustraintheleaduptoWorldWarI.
Thispaperwillshowthatwhatwasatstakeintheseclaims,aswellasinbroader
discussionsof‘musicalNietzscheism’,wasanabidingconcernabouttherelationship
betweenaestheticsandpolitics,whichwasexpressedthroughdebatesabouttheabilityof
musictoconveynon-musicalideas.Further,itwillarguethatunderstandingthetension
betweenNietzsche’scritiqueofWagnerontheonehand,andpost-Wagneriandebates
concerningtheuseofexcerptsfromNietzsche’stextsinmusicontheother,canilluminate
theconflictingaestheticandphilosophicalideasatplayinadvocatingautonomyattheturn
ofthetwentiethcentury.
Session4B
11.30am-1pm(3individualpapers)
Vienna
AnneHyland(UniversityofManchester)
TheStringQuartetinSchubert’sVienna
ThetendencytounderstandSchubert’slarge-scaleinstrumentalpracticeswithinthe
contextofBeethoven’sstructuralprocedureshashadtwomajorramifications.First,
traditionalapplicationsoftonaltheoryhavereadSchubert’sinstrumentalmusicasnonsystematic,assessingitslyricallyconceivedparataxis(Mak,2004)negativelyagainstan
unsuitableBeethovenianprecedentofhypotaxis.Second,fromtheperspectiveofmusic
history,theimmediatecontextofSchubert’smusicallifeinViennaanditspotential
influenceonhisstylehashithertobeenoverlooked.Whiletheformerisaddressedbythe
recentdevelopmentofnewharmonictheoriesandgeometricmodels(Cohn,1999;Clark,
2011),thelargerhistoricalpictureremainsincomplete.Thisismostapparentinthe
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treatmentofforminthestringquartets,agenrewhichoccupiedSchubertforhisentire
compositionalcareerandwhichwascentraltoViennesemusicallifeduringhisformative
years.
ThispaperaddressesthisissuebyexcavatingthehistoricalhinterlandtoSchubert’squartets
withtheaimofsituatingtheirformalpracticesmoreclearlywithintheiroriginating
circumstances.Tothatend,itconsiderstherangeofstring-quartetperformanceinVienna
inthefirsttwodecadesofthenineteenthcentury,andengagesanalyticallywitha
representativecorpusofquartetspublishedtherebetween1810and1828.Inparticular,it
investigatesfirst-movementforminthequartetsofAndreasRomberg,FranzKrommer,
PeterHänsel,LouisSpohrandJosephMayseder,therebyreappraisingSchubert’spractices
againstcontemporaneousprocedures.Insodoing,itdevelopsanhistoricistapproachto
analysis,andchallengesthecontinueduseofBeethovenasamodelforthisrepertoire.
EricaBuurman(CanterburyChristChurchUniversity)
TheVienneseMinuetafter1814
BytheendoftheEighteenthCenturytheminuetwasstillinwidespreadcurrencyin
Europeanballrooms,despitehavingbeenoneofthemostimportantdancesoftheancient
régimeformorethanacentury;asEricMcKee(2014)writes:‘theminuetwasbotha
currentdanceandahistoricaldance.’BytheearlydecadesoftheNineteenthCentury,
however,theminuetwaslargelysupersededbynewerdancessuchasthewaltz,the
quadrilleandthegalop.Thewaltzinparticularcametodominateinthewakeofthe
CongressofVienna,wherethecrazeforwaltzingfamouslyledPrincedeLignetoquipthat
‘LeCongrèsnemarchepas,ildanse’.
YetwhereasthewaltzhadfirmlytakenholdinVienna’ssuburbanballrooms,thereis
evidencethattheminuetcontinuedtobedancedintheVienneseimperialballroomslong
aftertheCongressofVienna.TheannualballsoftheVienneseFineArtists’PensionSociety,
whichhadtakenplaceintheimperialpalacesince1792,continuedtofeatureminuetsand
GermandancesbyGyrowetz,Eyblerandotherlocalcomposersuntilatleast1829.In
Vienneseartmusic,bycontrast,theminuethadlargelybeenreplacedwiththescherzoand
otherdancetopicsbyaround1800.Drawingoninformationfromthearchivesofthe
VienneseFineArtists’PensionSociety,thispaperexaminesthecontinuedpresenceofthe
minuetintheimperialballroomsduringandaftertheCongressofVienna,andconsiders
whatthissuggestsabouttheminuetasatopicinViennesemusicanddanceintheearly
NineteenthCentury.
SamGirling(UniversityofAuckland)
FromtheJanissariesto'WoodenLaughter':theuseofunconventional
percussioninstrumentsattheViennesecourtduringtheearlynineteenth
century
ThelateeighteenthcenturysawtheheightoftheTurkish"craze"inEurope,andthisexisted
most prominently in Vienna. Composers such as Gluck, Mozart and Haydn used Janissary
percussion in orchestral or operatic works, whilst early nineteenth-century piano
manufacturerssuchasJohannAndreasSteinandFranzMarschikdevelopedtheJanissarystop
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toallowthesesoundstoberecreatedindomestic,salonandcourtperformances.Mypaper
discusses how toy instruments were also used in compositions as substitutes for Turkish
instruments due to their noisy nature and ease to manufacture and play, a topic which
conventionalmusichistoriesbyandlargeignore.OneexampleofsuchworksistheMassin
CbythecourtcomposerPaulWranitzky,performedfortheEmpressMarieThereseon28
February1802,whichusestoyhornsandtrumpets,glasses,bells,cuckoo,quail,tambourine
andrattlesthatareknownasBerchtesgadnerInstrumente.
InadditiontothetoyandJanissarypercussion,myrecentresearchsuggeststhatthecourtof
Emperor Franz II and Marie Therese also seemingly had an interest in a small, peasant
xylophone instrument known as the 'hölzernes gelächter' (literally translates as 'wooden
laughter').WorksforthisinstrumentbycomposerssuchasIgnazSchweiglandFerdinand
Kauercanbefoundintheimperialmusiccollection,indicatingthatthetastefortheexotic
extendedtoincludenotonlyTurkish,orTurkish-sounding,percussionbutalsopeasant,folklikeinstrumentsthatwouldperhapscontributetotheappearanceoftraditionalfolkmelodies
incentralEuropeanorchestralmusiclaterinthenineteenthcentury.
Session4C
11.30am-1pm(3individualpapers)
FrenchTheatre
SarahHibberd(UniversityofNottingham)
‘Strandedinthepresent’:temporalexpressioninRobertlediable
WehavetendedtoappreciateMeyerbeer’sRobertlediable(1831)foritssensational,
Faustiansubjectmatterandpleasinglyshockingballetratherthanforitsdepictionof
historicalexperience.However,thenostalgicpulloftheActVtrio,invitesustoconsiderthe
workinadifferentlight.Wefindourheroparalysedbyindecision:whethertoabandonthis
worldandfollowhisnew-found,charismaticfatherBertramtotheunderworld,ortoheed
hismother’swarningfrombeyondthegraveandtoembracethisworldandthefuture.The
arrestingsoundoftwotrompettesàclef(new,keyedbugles)frombelowtheprompter’s
box,evokingthevoiceofRobert’smotherashereadsherwill,injectapowerfulsenseof
yearning,ofnostalgia,intothescene,
TakingmycuefromthehistorianPeterFritzsche,Ifocusonthewayinwhichtheopera
dramatisesboththeirretrievabilityofthepastandthedesiretoconstructthefuture.The
tensionbetweenthesetwopositionswasattheheartofmuchhistoriographyofthe1820s
and30s,and–Isuggest–underpinstheemotionalpowerofthetrio.Thearresting
trompettesàcleferuptoutoftime,buttheyalsoencourageustothinkmoredeeplyabout
thewaysinwhichMeyerbeer’shistoricalsensibilitycanbefeltinhismusic,andaboutthe
varietyofwaysinwhichhemovedhisaudiencesbothemotionallyandthroughtimeand
space.
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DianaR.Hallman(UniversityofKentucky)
AutombeauattheParisOpéra:ExplorationsofTimbreandSpaceinHalévy’s
GuidoetGinevra
Althoughscholarshavelongrecognizedthecomplexityoforchestrationandtimbral
experimentationinFrenchgrandoperascores,particularlythoseofGiacomoMeyerbeer,
morestudyisneededoftheinterrelationshipbetweencomposers’musicalchoicesandthe
visualanddramaticelementsofthemise-en-scène.InthiscasestudyofGuidoetGinevra,a
FrenchgrandoperabyFromentalHalévyandEugèneScribeinspiredbyShakespeare’s
RomeoetJulietteandproducedattheParisOpérain1838,IwillexamineHalévy’s
exploitationoftimbreandspaceinthedepictionsofdeath,mourning,andresurrectionin
thetombscenesofActIII.InconsiderationofphysicalconfigurationsoftheSalleLePeletier
andincorrespondencewiththe1838split-stagedesignbyRenéPhilastreandCharles
Cambon,whichoffersastarkvisual-spatialdividebetweenthelight-filledcathedralof
Florenceandthedark,chiaroscuro-touchedcryptbelow,linkswillbemadetotheenhancing
contrastsbetweensoundandsilence,distantvoicesandinstrumentssurlethéâtre,lowvs.
highregisters,celestialtimbresanddeath-signifyingtrombonesandophicleide,andother
sonicrepresentationsofthecoldanddarksurroundingtheentombedGinevra.Musicalvisualcomparisonstotomb/resurrectionscenesinMeyerbeer’sRobertleDiable(1831),
Adam’sballetGiselle(1841),andHérold’sLasomnambule(1827),aswellasspeculations
aboutpossibleinfluencesonthefinalsceneofVerdi’sAïdaanditsstaginginCairoandParis,
willbemade.Primarysourcesincludemusic,libretto,andstagingsourcesatthe
BibliothèqueNationale,Bibliothèquedel’Arsenal,andArchivesNationales.
SarahGutsche-Miller(UniversityofToronto)
LiberatedWomenandTravestyFetishes:MixedGenderMessagesinParisian
Music-HallBallet
Music-Hallballetswereallaboutwomen.Womenperformedmostprincipalandsupporting
roles(includingtravesty),andtheypopulatedtheentireballetcorps.Theyplayedstarryeyedingénuesandprincesses,teachers,students,andathletes,strong-willedgirls,
independent-mindedwives,andevenapresident.Fictitiousleadingladiescouldflirtwith
impunity,girlscouldmarrytheloversoftheirchoice,andthemodern,chicParisienne
presidedoverthecityofLightandLove.Thewaysinwhichthesewomenweredepicted
werenot,however,alwaysneutralorstraightforward.Independentwomenostensiblyin
controloftheirdestinieswereattimesthebuttofparodies,andmanywerecastas
seductressesorfemmesfatales.Thedancersthemselvesweretreatedasdecorative
objects,minimallydressed,posedinalluringstances,andaskedtoperformsensuous
dances.Critics,inturn,lovedtocommentontheirphysiques,andposterartistsdepicted
theminsuggestiveposeswearingaslittleaspossible.
Mypaperexploresthemultipleandoftencontradictoryrepresentationsofwomen
inmusic-hallballetsstagedattheturnofthetwentiethcenturyasreflectionsofshifting
conceptionsofwomen’ssocialrolesinfin-de-siècleFrance.Music-hallballetsmirroredboth
thebroadeningofgendernormsandthesocietalfearswhichaccompaniedthesechanging
socialmores;theyhelpedreinforceshiftingperceptionsofwomenwhilesimultaneously
underminingthem.Createdatarateofsixorsevenperyearforfun-lovingsocialites,music
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hallproductionswereasup-to-dateastheywereephemeral,servingasanunusuallydirect
theatricalbarometerofmiddle-andupper-classParisians’tastesandvalues.
Session5A
2.30pm-4.30pm(4individualpapers)
OperainTranslation
MichelleMeinhart(Durham/MartinMethodistCollege)
Wagner,AntebellumNostalgia,andPost-WarGraduation:TheReconstruction
oftheSouthernBelleattheAthenaeumGirls’SchoolinColumbia,Tennessee,
1865-88
ABoardingandDaySchoolforteenagegirlsfrom1851to1904,theAthenaeumin
Columbia,Tennesseeofferedinstructioninsubjectsessentialtogenteelladies’upbringing,
includingmusic.ButaftertheCivilWar,duringwhichtheschoolhousedbothYankeeand
Confederatesoldiers,thegoalsofthismusicinstructionchanged.Formerlyfosteringthe
middlingmusicalaccomplishmentinyoungladiessuitablefordomestic,private
performance,afterthewartheschoolimplementedamorerigorouscurriculumthat
includedpublic,communityperformancesforitsstudents.Asthispaperwillshow,reworkingsofcontemporaryEuropeanoperachorusesmadebytheschool’smusicmaster,
FranklinHarrisonSmith,between1868and1888,shedlightonmusic’srolein
reconstructingashatteredruralcommunityaftertheWar.
ThesearrangementscultivatedamusicalskillandtasteincontemporaryEuropean
music,particularlyGermanmusic,whichwasnewtotheschoolandtheruralSouth.
Marginaliaonthescoresindicatethismusic’spurposeasnotonlypedagogical,butalsoits
useatpubliccommunityconcertsandschooleventslikegraduation—performancesthat
wouldhavebeenimproperpriortotheWar.Schoolrecords,concertprograms,printed
sheetmusic,andlifewritingoftheSmithfamilyfurthersupportmyunderstandingof
musicallifeattheschoolandinPostbellumColumbia.Inadditiontoexhibitingwomen’s
growingmusicalpresencewithinthepublicsphereaftertheWar,Smith’smusical
adaptationsandtheirre-envisioningoftheSouthernbelleultimatelydemonstratehowreconfiguredcontemporaryEuropeanartmusicaidedinrural,middleTennessee’s
reconstruction.
FrancescaVella(UniversityofCambridge)
Lohengrin’s1871Tour
On1November1871,Lohengrin—thefirstofWagner’sworkstobestagedinItaly—
premieredamidmuchlocalbuzzatBologna’sTeatroComunale.Fiveweekslater,theentire
productionwasexportedtoFlorence’sTeatroPagliano.Cast,chorus,orchestra,staff,sets,
costumesandstagemachinerywereallrelocatedbytrain—anundertakingthatreportedly
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requiredthetransportationofbetween300and400people.Historiansandoperascholars
havedirectedtheirattentionunevenlytothisseriesofevents.WhiletheBologna
performanceshavebecomeastapleinaccountsofthecity’slate-nineteenth-century
establishmentastheItaliancapitalofWagnerism,thetransfertoFlorencehasremained
largelyunexplored.Inthispaper,Ire-examinethe1871Lohengrinmomentbyfocusingon
someofthehistoriographicalimplicationsofthisoperatictransplantation.
Althoughtouringoperahadexistedforcenturies,therelocationoftheBologna
LohengrinproductiontoFlorenceraisesprovocativequestionsconcerningboth
contemporaryculturalpoliticsandtheatricalpractices.Connectionsbetweenthetwocities’
stagesinthe1870ssuggestthatoperawastightlyboundupintrans-municipalrelations
evenduringanageofmuch-hypedcivicculturalcompetition.Whatismore,anexusof
technological,institutionalandhumanfactorsplayedintothe1871transfer,whichwas
unprecedentedinitsscope.WellpriortoAngeloNeumann’s1882-83Ringtours,this
transferpointedtoaconceptionofoperainwhichthestagingisintegraltocollective
articulationsofaestheticandpolitical-culturalexperiences.
LauraStokes(IndianaUniversity)
Prussia,Nationalism,andIntegrationinMeyerbeer’sEinFeldlagerinSchlesien
GiacomoMeyerbeer’sSingspielEinFeldlagerinSchlesien,althoughlargelyforgottentoday,
wasastapleoftheBerlinRoyalOperarepertoirefromits1844premiereintothe1890s.
ThisworkfeaturesmanyelementsthatwerespecifictothelocalenvironmentinBerlinfor
whichitwaswritten:itincludesaplotthatcentersonFredericktheGreat,adepictionofa
Prussianmilitarycamp,andnumerousquotationsfrommusicassociatedwithPrussian
nationalsentiment.ThisSingspiel,however,alsoincludesaperspectiveonethnicandsocial
integrationthatisfoundedonEnlightenmentideals,andwhichsuggestsMeyerbeer’s
inclusive,ratherthanexclusive,conceptofPrussianidentity.
MeyerbeerselectedtheperformersforthisSingspielfromaninternationalperspective.The
leadroleofVielkawaswrittennotforaBerlinsinger(althoughitwas,intheend,premiered
byone),butratherfortherisingstarJennyLind.Lindlaterplayedaroleinbringingsomeof
Feldlager’smusictovenuesoutsideofBerlin.InVienna,Feldlagerwastransformedinto
Vielka,andPrussianelementswereexcisedfromthework.IntheUnitedStates,Lind
includedexcerptsfromFeldlagerinherconcertrepertoire,butthecontextoftheoriginal
Singspielwasabsent.Indeed,inthesenewvenues,theworkwastransformedinawaythat
maskedtheinclusivephilosophyoftheoriginal,renderingFeldlager’spoliticalandsocial
significancenolongerapparentinitsreceptionoutsideofBerlin.
Session5B
2.30pm-4.30pm(5panelpapers)
Panel:NewApproachestoOperaandCharacter
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Speakers: KirstenPaige(UniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley)*
DanWang(UniversityofChicago)*
NinaPenner(McGillUniversity)
JohnKapusta(UniversityofCaliforniaBerkeley)
AdelineMueller(MountHolyokeCollege)
*Chairs
In The Economy of Character (1998), Deirdre Lynch argues that the study of character in
literature either addresses the qualities of an ‘inward’ self or the violent application of
‘characteristics’fromexternalsources.Whilethisdichotomyfindssignificantparallelsinthe
studyofopera,itsboundarieshavenotbeensystematicallyexploredinmusicologysincethe
debatesinvolvingEdwardT.Cone,PeterKivy,CarolynAbbate,andCharlesRosentwodecades
ago. This panel seeks to reopen the debate by engaging conference attendees in a lively
discussion about the terms and stakes of ‘character’ in opera. Drawn from a variety of
methodologies,thepapersinvestigatehowtheconceptofcharactercoalescesindifferent
operaticpractices,andhowthisconceptinturnsubtendsparticularkindsoffictionalworlds.
Character,itturnsout,cangeneratenewinsightintothenatureofoperaticspectatorshipand
absorption, opera’s thematization of climate, opera’s relation to narrative and to the
emerging ‘bourgeois body’ of nineteenth-century literature, and much more. Amid recent
workintheHumanitiesonthewaysthatsubjectsandenvironmentsconstituteeachother,
thispaneloffersnewmethodsandstrategiesforconceptualizinghumansubjectsinoperatic
space.
Webeginwithtwopapersthatask,fromtheperspectivesofanalyticphilosophyandaffect
theory,whatconstitutesanoperatic(asopposedtoatheatricalorliterary)utterance.The
nexttwopaperschasedownapairof“unruly”characterarchetypesandtheireffects:the
first,theelusive“baryton-Martin”voicetypeaselaboratedinRavel’sL’heureespagnole,the
second, the operatic villainess in early nineteenth-century revivals of Mozart’s I domeneo.
OurfinalpaperdevelopsatheoryofWagnerianenvironmentalspacebytakingusonawalk,
withTannhäuserandParsifal,throughnaturalzonesthatrevealcorrelationsbetweenspace
andsubjectivity.
Session5C
2.30pm-4pm(3individualpapers)
Historiographies
KarenLeistra-Jones(Franklin&MarshallCollege)
HansvonBülowandtheConfessionalizationofKunstreligion
HansvonBülow’saphorismsareubiquitousinthemusicologicallexicon.Bestknown,
perhaps,ishisanointingofthe“threeB’s”:Bach,Beethoven,andBrahms.Complementing
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this,however,werenumerousotherstatementsthatemployedpointedlyreligiousrhetoric:
“IbelieveinBachtheFather,BeethoventheSon,andinBrahmstheHolyGhostofmusic”
wasjustoneexample.Thesetypesofpronouncementsbecameanimportantaspectof
Bülow’spublicimage,andbeginninginthe1870s,hisrhetoricwasmirroredinthecritical
receptionofhisperformances.Criticsoftendescribedhisconcertsasakindofpreaching,
proclaimingofthemusical“gospel,”orscripturalexegesis.
Suchresponsesparticipatedinthewell-documentedelevationofmusictothestatusof
Kunstreligion.Yettheymovedbeyondtheideaofpietisticcontemplationcharacteristicof
earlyRomanticism,andavoidedcallingtheperformera“priest,”anepithetthatwas
commoninmid-centurymusiccriticism.Instead,Bülowandhiscriticssituatedhisrole
withinamoretraditionalGermanProtestantismbyemphasizingthedidacticnatureofhis
performances,theirfocusonastrict“gospel”ofcanonicworks,andtheiraffinitywith
preachingandbiblicalinterpretation.
Thispaperlocatesthisdevelopmentwithinthe“reconfessionalization”ofGermanpubliclife
inthenineteenthcentury,andspecificallywithinattemptstoconstructaProtestant
nationalcultureinthenewKaiserreichofthe1870sand1880s.Inthiscontext,Bülowwas
abletoinvesttheroleoftheperformerwithanewauthority,onethatdrewdeliberately
fromexperiences,practices,andlanguageassociatedwithreligion.
KatherineFry(King’sCollege,London)
MusicalIdealisminVictorianCulture:GeorgeEliotasMusicCriticand
Translator
ScholarshavelongrecognisedtheimportanceofmusictoGeorgeEliot’slifeandworks.
Musicologistshaveexaminedissuesofmusichistoriographyandsubjectivityinher1876
novelDanielDeronda,whileliterarycriticshaverecentlycontextualisedherfictionwithina
broaderVictorianmusicalcultureor‘soundscape’.Literarydiscussionsofthiskindtend,
understandably,totreatideasofmusicandsoundasaculturalbackdropforrenewed
readingsofhermajornovels.Departingfromtheseaccounts,thispaperfocusesonGeorge
Eliot’smusicaltravelwritingsandtranslationsfromhertimeaseditoroftheWestminster
Reviewduringthe1850s.Itexploresthewidersignificanceofherwritingsforthereception
ofGermanmusicalaestheticsinnineteenth-centuryBritain.Thefirstpartofthepaper
relateshertranslationsofGermanphilosophy(LudwigFeuerbachinparticular)tothelarger
discourseofidealisminVictorianthought,adiscoursethatimpactedonperceptionsof
musicalvalue.ThesecondpartdiscussesheressaysonRichardWagner,FranzLisztand
Weimarculture,situatinghermusicaltravelswithinthecontextofBritishmusiccriticism
andEuropeanWagnerismcirca1855.Insodoing,thepaperseekstocomplicateour
understandingofVictorianmusicalcultureandEuropeanmodernism.HowdoGeorgeEliot’s
criticismscontributetocontemporarydebatesaboutmusic,culturalexchangeand
transnationalism?Furthermore,howmightherwritingsilluminatebroadertheoretical
concernsaboutmusic’srelationshipwithlanguageandcriticismwithinandbeyondthe
nineteenthcentury?
JamesGrande(King’sCollege,London)
TheNaturalHistoryofGermanMusic:GeorgeEliot,Dissent,Cosmopolitanism
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GeorgeEliot’sessay‘Liszt,WagnerandWeimar’,publishedinFraser’sMagazineinJuly
1855,givesanequivocalresponsetoWagnerianopera,recognisingitasanimportant
developmentinthe‘lyricdrama’whileregrettingtheabsenceofrecognisablemelody:‘We
arebutin“themorningofthetimes”,andmustlearntothinkofourselvesastadpoles
unprescientofthefuturefrog.Stillthetadpoleislimitedtotadpolepleasures;andso,inour
stateofdevelopment,weareswayedbymelody’.ABeethovenquartetafterLohengrinis–
inarecognisablyWordsworthianidiom–‘likereturningtothepregnantspeechofmenafter
asojournamongglumsandgowries’.ThispaperwillexploreEliot’sresponsestoGerman
musicinhernovelsandessaysinthecontextofherbackgroundinreligiousnonconformity
andherreadingofGermanphilosophy;inparticular,thewritingsofLudwigFeuerbach.In
TheEssenceofChristianity,Feuerbachwrites(inEliot’stranslation),‘Whohasnot
experiencedtheoverwhelmingpowerofmelody?Andwhatelseisthepowerofmelodybut
thepoweroffeeling?’ButFeuerbachwasprofoundlysuspiciousabouttheplacethatthe
earoccupieswithinthereligioussensorium:‘Theonlyfearful,mystical,andpioussenseis
thatofhearing’.Musicoccupiesanequivocalplaceinrelationtotherealistnoveland
religiousscepticism;however,thispaperarguesthattheseanxietiesareinextricablefroma
mucholdersetofconcernsabouttheplaceofmusicinDissentingculture.
Keynote2
DanielChua(UniversityofHongKong)
De-secularisingBeethoven:IsBeethovenaSacredComposer?
IsthesecularBeethovenanecessarymythinthemusicologicalnarrativeofwesternmusic?
ThispaperexploresthenarrativetensionsinvolvedintheclassificationofBeethoven'sacred
musicandtheideologicalstakesinvolvedintheclaimsofboththeintellectualandlocal
historiesthatgiveBeethovenhisEnlightenmentcredentials.Iftheclaimsaresuspect,does
thismerelyimplyareversalthatturnsBeethovenintoareactionaryfigurethateradicates
muchofthereceivedwisdomofmusicologicalscholarship?Oristhereanotherway
forward?
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WEDNESDAY13July
Session6A
Recreations
SarahKirby(UniversityofMelbourne)
Songsatthe1851GreatExhibition
The1851GreatExhibitionoftheIndustryofAllNationshasreceivedanalmost
overwhelmingamountofscholarlyattentioninfieldsasdiverseashistory,science,
economicsandaesthetics.Music,however,hasreceivedcomparativelylittleconsideration.
Inonesense,thisisunsurprising:asMichaelMusgravestates,inTheMusicalLifeofthe
CrystalPalace,thatwiththeexceptionoftheceremonialactivitiesoftheopening,‘musical
performanceonabroaderscalehadnoplaceassuchintheExhibition’.However,the
musicalworlddoesnotexistonlywithinthesphereofpublicperformance.Thispaper
arguesthat,whilemusicalperformancewithintheHydeParkbuildingwaslimited,music
relatingtotheExhibition,andperformanceofthismusicinwidersocietyflourished.
PublishedsheetmusicofsongsandpianoworkscomposedindirectresponsetotheGreat
Exhibitionofferedamaterialwayinwhichtheeventcouldbebroughtdirectlyintothe
homesofthepublic.
Thispapersarguesthatthesesongsandpianopiecesofferavaluableavenueforstudying
thereceptionoftheExhibitionitself.Throughmusicalandtext-basedanalysis,these
compositionsrevealfurtherchannelsthroughwhichimperialistrhetoricandtheconcurrent,
populistconstructionsofclassandracecouldbeeitherextendedorchallenged.
IanMaxwell(UniversityofCambridge)
TheChamberMusicClubsintheBritishUniversitiesduringtheNineteenth
Century
InthearchivesofthelibrariesofbothOxfordandCambridgeUniversitiesisatreasuretrove
ofmaterial,documentingtheactivitiesovermorethanonehundredyearsofstudent
ChamberMusicClubs.Therearemembershiplists,recitalandconcertprogrammes,dayto
daybusinessrecordsandminutesofcommitteemeetings.Thenumeroussuchclubs,
includingtheOxfordWartimeMusicalClubandtheOxfordLadies'MusicalSociety,and
college-basedclubs–suchastheBalliolCollegeMusicalSocietyinOxford,allhadasimilar
mainpurpose–toencourageandfacilitatetheplayingofchambermusic.Laterinthe
nineteenthcentury,similarclubswereformedattheotherBritishUniversities–including
EdinburghandTrinityCollegeDublin.
Thedatathatcanbeobtainedfromtheserecordsprovidesaninsightintotheearlyactivities
ofmanymusiciansthatlaterbecameeminent–includingrecordsofearlierfirst
performancesandhithertounsuspectedmusicalaccomplishments.Beginningwiththe
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CambridgeUniversityMusicalSocietyin1843andtheOxfordUniversityMusicalSocietyin
1867,chambermusicmakingbecameanintegralpartofuniversitylifefromthemiddleof
thenineteenthcentury.Thenamesofmemberscomprisea“Who’sWho”ofBritishMusic–
suchasR.R.Terry,H.WalfordDavies,RalphVaughanWilliamsandcountlessothers.
Thispaperintroducesthecommonhistoryoftheclubsandpresentsthelatestresultsof
howacontinuingextensiveexaminationofthesearchivesisuncoveringapreviouslylittle
knownaspectofmusic-makinginBritain.
ErinJohnson-Williams(TrinityLaban)
DisciplinesofDevelopment:PhysicalEconomiesofVictorianMusicandState
Education
LateVictorianBritainwitnessedtheunprecedentedgrowthofstate-sponsoredinitiativesfor
freemusiceducation.AsisincreasinglyseenintheproceedingsoftheLondonSchoolBoard
duringthe1880sand1890s,thesechangeswereoftenintroducedintheformofdrill
exercisesthattookplaceaspartofphysicaleducationclasses,ratherthanthroughspecific
formsof‘music’educationperse.Afterthegradualschoolreformsthatfollowedthe
EducationActof1870,theintroductionofmusicintoVictorianstateschoolsthrough
choreographed‘drill’exercisesresultedinnewformsofeducationthatwereintroducedas
partofwiderpedagogicaleffortstodisciplinechildren,andtoaidandpromotethe
evolutionarydevelopmentofthechild’sbodyintothatofahealthyBritishcitizen.
Consequently,theoriginsofstatemusiceducationinVictorianBritain,onamassscale,
weretransformedintonationalpageantrythroughboththemasculinizationofmusicandits
linktophysicaldevelopment–and,byextension,totheinternationalevolutionofthe
Empire.Throughawidearrayofinterdisciplinaryprimarysourcematerialfromlate
nineteenth-centuryBritain,thispaperproposesthatthemomentatwhichchoreographed,
rhythmicalexercisefirstbecomesastandardisedschoolactivityispreciselythejunctureat
whichmusicbecomesinterlinkedwiththenotionofimperialmobilityinthephysicalbodyof
theVictorianchild.
Session6B
9.30am-10.30am(3individualpapers)
Gender,Identity,Trauma
SarahGerk(BinghamtonUniversity)
ASongofFamineandWar:IrishMusicalMethodsofExpressingUSCivilWar
Trauma
Between1845and1851inIreland,anestimated1in8peoplediedinoneofmodern
history’smostdevastatingfamines.Thosewhosurvivedneverthelesssufferedimmense
traumafromstarvation,disease,andlossoflovedones.ManyIrishfaminesurvivors
emigrated,precipitatingoneofthefirstgreatwavesofimmigrationtotheUnitedStates.In
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theNewWorld,thedrumsofcivilwarsoundedscantmorethanadecadelater.Inbothof
thesedisasters,musicservedasacrucialtoolforcopingwithtrauma.
Inthispaper,Isuggestthatthemusicalmechanismsfordealingwiththetraumaoffamine
inIrelandwereadoptedintheUnitedStatesandappliedtosomeofthemostdifficult
collectiveexperiencesofAmericanhistory.Usingcriticalframeworksfromtraumastudies,I
comparesongsofthefaminewiththosepopularintheUnitedStatesduringsubsequent
decades.“KathleenMavourneen,”forinstance,addressesexperiencesofgriefand
displacementsufferedbyfamineimmigrants,andbecameoneofthemostsignificantsongs
oftheAmericanCivilWar.Acollationofsheetmusicexamplesrevealsthatsomethematic
tropesfromthefamine,suchasstarvationanddisplacement,retainedpopularityinmusic
oftheCivilWar,eventhoughsuchexperienceslostrelevanceincomparisontomilitaristic
violence.ThepaperalsoincorporatesprimaryaccountsfromthediariesofIrishAmericans
intheCivilWar,showingthatsomepeopledirectlyappliedexpresslyIrishmusicalpractice
withinAmericanwartimecontextstodealwithtrauma.
BrianThompson(TheChineseUniversityofHongKong)
TheCritic,thePublicandthe‘Femme’Fatale
Inthespringof1861,thetwenty-five-year-oldEugened’Ameli(knownsimplyasEugene)
wasacelebrityinNewYorkandtheleadingfemaleimpersonatorofhistimeintheUS.
Despitethis,whenthewarbeganhedidwhatmanyotherperformersweredoing:hefled
toBritain.HearrivedinEnglandcompletelyunknowntothepublic,butwithinayearhad
establishedhimselfintheprovincesandinLondon.Aftertwoyearsasastarattractionin
Londonmusicalhalls,heacceptedapositionwithChristy’sMinstrels,inLiverpool,andfor
thenextfouryearsledthatcompany’sproductionsofburlesquesofLucrezia
Borgia,Ernani,FraDiavolo,andotherpopularoperas.
ThroughacloseexaminationoftheBritishpress,thispaperexplorestheroleofthefemale
impersonatorinBritishminstrelsyand,moregenerally,theplaceofoperainBritishpopular
cultureofthe1860s.HavingbeenimportedfromtheUSalongwithotherelementsofthe
minstrelshow,femaleimpersonatorsandburlesqueoperawereacceptedandclearly
appreciatedbyBritishaudiences.GiventhepopularityofEugeneandotherimpersonators,
asignificantbodyofliteratureexiststhatscholarshaveyettomine.Thispaperillustrates
thatwhilereviewspublishedinnewspaperswereoftenlimitedindetail,theyprovide
significantevidenceonthereceptionofimpersonators,andmorebroadlyonattitudes
towardsrace,gender,andsexualorientation.
MyronGray(HaverfordCollege)
TransnationalLocalismintheAnglophoneReceptionofDerFreischütz
HailedbysomeasanarchetypalGermanopera,CarlMariavonWeber’sDerFreischütz
neverthelessappealedtoaninternationalaudience.Intheyearsfollowingits1821Berlin
premiere,itwasperformedfromLondonandParistoNewYorkandNewOrleans.According
toMichaelTusa,thecosmopolitanismofearly-nineteenth-centuryGermannationalidentity
accountsfortheinfluenceofforeigntraditionsonthisself-consciouslyGermanwork,along
withitspopularityabroad.
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YetscholarshavesaidlittleaboutwhattheforeignconsumptionofDerFreischützactually
lookedlike.ThispaperinvestigatesWeber’sreceptionintheEnglish-speakingworldby
consideringarrangementsofmusicfromtheopera,alongwithnewlycomposed
interpolations,thatappearedinDublinandNewYorkinthelate1820s.Thesedocuments
implicateWeber’smusicintheevolutionofAnglophonenationalidentitiesandinthe
simultaneousformationofatransatlanticmusicalculture.
Forinstance,theAmericancomposerCharlesGilfertwrote“TheHornofChace”for
inclusioninDerFreischütz,althoughaDublineditionfraudulentlycreditedthissongto“Carl
vonGilfertofPrague.”CitingtherelatedconcealmentofAmericanauthorshipinLondon
newspapers,aJuly1825articleintheNew-YorkEveningPostinterpretedthismisattribution
asareactiontotherisingglobalinfluenceoftheUnitedStates.AU.S.adaptationofthe
Freischützoverture,publishedinNewYorkasan“AmericanSerenade,”similarlyasserted
culturalsovereigntybyfalsifyingtheoriginofitsmusic.Suchexamplessuggestthatmusical
transnationalismfedtheexpressionofcompeting,localidentities.
Session6C
AroundOpera
LauraProtano-Biggs(JohnsHopkinsUniversity)
FalstaffandtheResonantSoundscape:Verdi’sExperimentswithSound
In1893hundredsofcriticscametoMilanfromalloverEuropetohearaworkthat
shimmeredwithasounduntilnowneverassociatedwithitscomposer.GiuseppeVerdi’s
comicoperaFalstaffstimulatedtalkofinnovationfromtheoutset:criticsremarkedthatit
hadinfusedtheItalianmusicalscenewithanewbrilliance,andwasevenan“isolated
monumentinthehistoryofart”.Recentcriticismtoohasdetachedthisworkfromits
contemporaneousmusicallandscape;afetishizedanomaly,ithasbeendescribedas“almost
afreak”and“musicallyanddramaticallyeccentric”.
Consideringtheoperafromtheperspectiveofsoundstudies,mypaperrepositionsthis
“eccentric”worksquarelywithinanexusoffinesecolooperasthatreconfiguredthe
relationshipbetweensound,audience,andstageaction.WhileVerdidistancedhimselffrom
the1890sverismooperasofMascagniandLeoncavallo—andscholarshavecontinuedto
reinforcethatdistance—Falstaff’sshiftingacousticplanesrevealanuntolddebttothese
composers.
AtfirstblushtheideaofVerdiasadeliberatemanipulatorofacousticplanesseems
anachronistic,andsoundstudiesameresubstituteformorefamiliardiscoursesaboutthe
noumenalandphenomenal.Butfocusonacousticparametersenablesustoarticulatewhat
makesFalstaffdistinctiveinVerdi’soeuvrewithaprecisionandconcretenesswhichother
approacheslack.The1890s’Italianoperaticsceneisbestunderstoodnotintermsof
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discretemusicalinitiativesbutabroaderexperimentwithsoundinwhichVerdi,muchas
theveristi,hadastake.
FloraWillson(King’sCollege,London)
‘Musiqueduplein-air’?OperaticrealismandCharpentier’sLouise
PremieredatParis’sOpéra-ComiqueinFebruary1900,GustaveCharpentier’sLouiseisan
operawhoseearlysuccesshingedonitscomplexrelationshipwithrealism.Theworkwas
describedubiquitouslyasrealistbyitsfirstcritics,withCharpentierhailed‘thecreatorof
musiqueduplein-air’.Scholarssincehavelargelyaddressedthesamesupposedlyrealist
traits:thecomposer’sgenericdesignationofLouiseasaromanmusical;its‘socially
relevant’,free-love-infusedplot;itsrepresentationsofthestreetsofcontemporaryParis.
Yetcommentatorshavealsorecognisedastrongsymbolicelementintheopera.Indeed
Louise’slyricism–itsclearoperaticgenealogy–hasproveddifficulttoincorporateintoany
casemadeforitasarealistworkakintothoseofCourbetorManet,ZolaorFlaubert.
InthispaperIuseLouisetoaskhowusefulthenotionof‘realism’mightbeforoperatic
historiography.Inparticular,IinterrogateaspectsofLouisethatseemtoresist
categorisationasrealist:theserecalcitranttraitscanstimulatebroaderreflectionson
whetheroperaanditsslipperyepistemologiesmighthavedistinctivecontributionstomake
inthelarger,longer-establisheddiscoursesaboutrealisminliterarystudiesandarthistory
(workbyLindaNochlin,PeterBrooksand,mostrecently,FredricJamesonisespecially
significanthere).Readingtheoperathroughitsearlyreceptionandviathecomposer’sown
lateradaptationsfora1935gramophonerecordingandAbelGance’s1938soundfilm,Iam
concernedultimatelywithhowLouise–andoperamoregenerally–mightofferproductive
insightsintotheafterlifeofaonce-radicalartisticmovement.
GabrielleCornish(EastmanSchoolofMusic)
Liza'sTransmigration:UrbanDecayandFin-de-SiècleSuicideinChaikovsky's
TheQueenofSpades
Pushkin’s“QueenofSpades”(1833)haslongbeenlinkedtotheso-called“mythofSt.
Petersburg”—theparadoxicalnatureofthecityasbothPeter’sutopian“windowtothe
west”andthedecayingmetropolisthatinspiredliterarydepictionsofthecity’sdegeneracy
andmaudlingloom.Writtenin1890,Chaikovsky’soperamakesseveralmajoralterationsto
Pushkin’sstorythatreflectthemyth’stransformation.Onesuchchangeishisadditionof
Liza’ssuicide:ratherthanleaveHermannandmarryanotherman,shetakesherownlife.
ScholarshaveheretoforeattributedLiza’ssuicidetotheoperaticconvention,butthis,
however,overlookstheopera’swideraestheticasanembodimentofandreactionto
anxietiestowardmodernityinfin-de-siècleSt.Petersburg.
Chaikovsky’sQueenofSpadesismorethanjustwhatscholarshavecalled“thefirst
symbolistopera.”Itanticipatesthecomingsymbolistmovementinmusicwhile
simultaneouslycritiquingmodernpsychologyinlateImperialRussiaandSt.Petersburg.This
paperarguesthatweshouldreadLiza’ssuicidenotmerelyasoperaticconvention,but
ratherassignificanttotheopera’sdepictionofmodernurbandecay.Todoso,Iincorporate
previousworkbyMarkSteinbergandSusanMorrisseyonsuicideasaphenomenonofand
reactiontomodernityinfin-de-siècleSt.Petersburg.Similarly,Ipostulateatheorizationof
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thecanalinthecontextofWalterBenjamin’smetropolis.Bydrowningherselfspecificallyin
theNevskyRiver,Lizaisbothfigurativelyandliterallykilledbythemoderncity—an
operaticspectacleinitself.
Session7A
11.30am-1pm(3panelpapers)
Panel:OperaandMedicalExperimentationintheNineteenth
Century
Chair:SarahHibberd(UniversityofNottingham)
The opera singer was a patient of choice and an object of study for nineteenth-century
medicine.Avarietyofinterpretativeframeworkswereusedbycritics,spectators,anddoctors
ofvariousschoolsinordertoexplainsingers’constitutionsorpathologies,andtodevelopand
maintaintheirhealth.Butsingersthemselvesalsomadeuseoflong-establishedmodels(of
the humours, climates, physiognomony or mechanicism), and more recent ones (such as
phrenology,worksonelectricityorthenervoussystem)inordertointerrogatetheirart.To
whatextentwasthemedicalisationofoperaanditssingersnotmerelytheworkofdoctors,
butalsoofthesingersthemselves?Howmayopera–asaworldofreferences,practices,and
performativity–haveinformedandstimulatedmedicalexperimentationoutsideoftheopera
house?
Thispanelwillexaminevariousscenesofmedicalinvestigation:thetherapeuticscene
stagedbyDr.Schneiderin1835totreatmentalillness,theprivatehousewherethebaritone
Maurel experimented with hypnosis, and the journalistic sphere as a soundboard for the
1860sdebateconcerningpitch,initiatedbysingersseekingtoprotecttheirvoice.Inthese
contexts,operaandmedicinesharedcommonground,inwhichinstancesofcrisisandexcess
appearedbothaspathological,andascatharticresolutions.Operaisconsideredherenotonly
for its general effects, or as a terrain of application for specific medical procedures and
techniques: it is a petri dish of experimentation which gives rise to new, often detailed
medicalandartisticapproachestothebody,performativity,andthemoralself.
CarmelRaz(ColumbiaUniversity)
OperaticFantasiesinEarlyNineteenth-CenturyPsychiatry
In System einer medizinischen Musik (1835), Dr. Peter Joseph Schneider provides a
detailedreportofhistreatmentofLina,ayoungDutchgirlwhohadfallenintoaprofound
melancholy following the death of her lover Antonio two years previously. Schneider’s
therapyconsistsofthewatercureregimenfollowedbyameticulouslystagedmusicalcrisis.
HidingfamilymembersandmusicalfriendsoutofLina’ssight,heassignstheroleof“Antonio”
toheruncle,andproceedstoconductachoraleperformance,inwhich“Antonio”takesthe
tenorleadsupportedbyachoirandharmonium.Thistreatmentworks,inthatLinabelieves
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thatAntonioisspeakingtoher,andburstsintotears,acatharticreactionthatheraldsher
eventualrecovery.
Schneider is exceptionally explicit about the deployment of certain repertoires, vocal
qualities,andmusicalkeysinhismedicalcures,correlatingdifferentinstrumentaltexturesto
materialchangesinthenervesandanimalspirits.However,thisparticulartreatmentshares
many features with other contemporaneous accounts of music therapy, not least in the
selectionoftheinstrumentusedandtheageandgenderofthepatient.Thispaperexplores
howideas,sounds,andrepertoireassociatedwiththeworldofoperainformedthetreatment
ofmentalillness,andhowtheseinturnmayhavecirculatedbacktoinfluencecomposersand
librettists.Examiningreferencestospecificcomposers,works,andtimbreswithinmedical
reports,Iarguethatthestagingofmedicalcuresoftenmirrorsdramaticscenariosfamiliar
fromtheoperastage.
ChloeValenti(UniversityofCambridge)
Pitchedbattles?VocalHealthandtheEnglishPitchDebate
Inthe1860s,thetenorSimsReeves,supportedbyAdelinaPattiandChristineNilsson,
startedacampaigntolowerEnglishconcertpitch.PitchinEnglandwasconsiderablyhigher
than in other parts of the continent, and singers were straining their voices to dangerous
levels as a result. Whilst they received support from doctors, singing teachers and critics,
MichaelCostaresistedthechanges,andothernotablefiguresintheBritishmusicalworld
werenoticeablyabsentfromthedebate.
Theproblemsofpitchanditsimpactonsingers’healthinevitablytappedintoarangeof
otherconcerns.ForeignsingersperforminginEnglandwerecompelledtosingfamiliarworks
ataconsiderablyhigherpitchthantheywereaccustomedto.Somecriticsarguedthatworks
shouldbeperformedatthepitchthecomposerintended,yetthepracticeoftransposingarias
for the comfort of the singers was widespread, if increasingly criticised for damaging the
harmonicunityofthework.Someblamedthepublicforprizingentertainmentoverthehealth
oftheperformers,whileothersbelievedthatthedesireofsingerstodisplaytheirvoicesmade
them complicit in the climb in pitch. Comparisons with practices on the continent were
inevitable,andthemixedresultsofexperimentswithpitchinvenuesabroadwerefollowed
withinterestbytheBritishpress.Attheheartofthedebatewasthequestionofthesinger’s
autonomyovertheirowninstrument,whethermedicalissuesoverrodeaestheticvalues,and
ultimatelywhetherthevoiceshouldbeconsideredpublicorprivateproperty.
CelineFrigauManning(UniversitéParis-8)
Opera,Hypnosis,andAutosuggestion.AMedicalTheorisationofIdentificationfortheActorSinger
In his Cours d’esthétique vocale et scénique, Victor Maurel develops a theory of
identificationbasedonhisartasanactor-singerandonhisexperiencewithhypnosis.When
one of Maurel’s friends brings to him Lina de Ferkel – a subject for De Rochas’ hypnosis
sessions–MaurelgoesbeyondtheusualmusicalthemesplayedonthepianoandsingsEra
lanottefromVerdi’sOtello.Verylikelychosenbecauseofthebaritone’srelationshipwiththe
role of Iago, but also because of its musical rhetoric of persuasion, the piece musically
parallelsthesituationofhypnosis:whileIagolullstosleepOtello’sfacultyforreasoning,and
simultaneously awakens his suspicions, Maurel, in “restricting [himself] from making any
49
gesture”,claimstoarouseinLina“someofthegestureswhich[hehimself]usedinthisfamous
piece.” To him, this proves that “objectivation”, defined as the exteriorisation of passions
throughexpressionsandgestures,comesfromtheunknown,fromtheinvisible.
Maurel’sapproachwillbecomparedwithothercontemporaneousmedicaltheoriesin
order to explore the link, established by proponents of hypnosis, between interiority and
identification. In a renewed approach to acting, autosuggestion allows the actor-singer to
draw on his profound interiority, and to bring back to the corporal surface a range of
“natural”,transhistoricalgestures.Moreover,suchgesturesaremorethansimplesignsofan
affectwhichcaptures–orhypnotises–thesoul:theyaretrulypartofthisaffect,allowingthe
singertouseinteriorityasaspaceforcreatingartificialbuttrueemotionalstates.
Session7B
11.30am-1.30pm(4individualpapers)
WritingandEncoding
FrederickReece(HarvardUniversity)
ForgingSchubert’s“Gastein”:TheCold-WarQuestforTruthinaRomantic
Fantasy
Forwelloveracentury,Schubert’s“Gastein”symphonywasthegreatwhitewhaleof
nineteenth-centurymusic.Themystiquesurroundingthismissingcompositionbeganwhen
JosephvonSpaunassertedintheViennesepressthathisailingfriendhadwritten“agreat
symphonyatGasteinintheyear1825”which—althoughunknowntoaudiences—rightfully
“belongsamongstthegreatestworksofthelastcentury.”Inthe143yearsthatfollowed,
the“Gastein”becameaculturalobsession.SirGeorgeGroveurgedarchivistsacrossEurope
tosearcheverycupboardforthelostmasterpiecewhiletheColumbiaPhonograph
Companyoffereda$1,500rewardforitsrecovery.Yetitwasnotuntil1971thatasetof
antiqueorchestralpartsmatchingeveryspecificationforSchubert’s“Gastein”emerged
fromanatticinEastBerlin.Orsoitseemed.
Thispapertellsthestoryofhowthe“rediscovered”symphonyrangfalse.Nowuniversally
consideredacompositionalforgery,inthe1970sand‘80stheworkwasvehementlyupheld
asauthenticbyscholarsinEastGermanyincludingHarryGoldschmidt.Western
musicologists,meanwhile,soughttousestylisticandmaterialmethodologiestorepudiate
notonlythecomposition,butalsotheauthorityofthoseintheEastwhoclaimedthatitwas
legitimate.Drawingonmyownstylisticanalysisofthesymphonyalongsideoriginalarchival
sourcesfromtheBundesarchivandStaatsbibliothekinBerlin,Isituatethiscold-warforgery
asakeypointofconflictinthestruggletocontroltheauthenticmusicalpastofafractured
Austro-Germanculture.
JacobOlley(WestfälischeWilhelms-UniversitätMünster)
Orality,Historyand(Ethno)Musicology:PreparingaCriticalEditionof
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Nineteenth-CenturyOttomanMusic
Criticaleditionsarecentraltothedisciplineofmusicology,bothintermsofthematerial
theymakeavailableforresearchandperformance,andtherolethattheyplayindeveloping
normsofscholarlymethodology.Bycontrast,thecriticaleditionofmusicaltextshasplayed
afarmoremarginalroleinethnomusicology,oftenattributedtothefactthatoral
transmissionismoreprevalentinnon-Europeanmusics.However,thereisawealthof
notatedsourcesrecordingtheurbanmusicoftheOttomanEmpire,thevastmajorityof
whichareunpublished.TheGermanResearchCouncil(DFG)hasthereforerecentlyagreed
tofunda12-yearresearchprojectentitled“CorpusMusicaeOttomanicae:CriticalEditions
ofNearEasternMusicManuscripts”,basedatWestfälischeWilhelms-Universitätin
Münster.Theinitialaimoftheprojectistocreateanonline,open-accessresource
containingcriticaleditionsofOttomanmusicthatwillbeusedbybothscholarsand
performers.Theoriginalsourcesdatepredominantlyfromthenineteenthcenturyandare
writteninmodernArmenianchurchnotation,necessitatingtheirtranscriptionintomodified
staffnotation.AsaresearchassociateontheCMOproject,Iwilloutlineitsgoalsand
procedures,consideringhowtheserelatetoexistingmethodologiesinhistoricalmusicology
andotherdisciplines,andwhattheimplicationsoftheprojectmightbeforfuture
scholarship.Inparticular,Iarguethattheprojectcanprovideanewperspectiveonthe
relationshipbetween“text”and“work”,andoffersanopportunitytofurthertheongoing
dialoguebetweenhistoricalandanthropologicalbranchesofmusicstudies.
RobertEshbach(UniversityofNewHampshire)
“Iwouldliketomakeaviolinconcertoforyou…”:FerdinandDavidandthe
MendelssohnViolinConcerto
On30July1838,FelixMendelssohnwrotetoFerdinandDavidfromBerlinofhisintentionto
writeaviolinconcertoforhimforthefollowingwinter:“oneineminorsticksinmyhead,
thebeginningofwhichgivesmenopeace.”Theconcertowasnotcompletedbythe
followingwinterbuttooksixyearstowrite,muchofitdoneinconsultationwithDavid.
Today,themanuscriptofthatconcerto,asitwaspremieredattheLeipzigGewandhauson
13March1845,residesintheBibliotekaJagiellońskainKraków.Mypaperwillconcernitself
withthatscore,whichinsignificantwaysdiffersfromthefinalpublishedversion.Iwillspeak
ofthewaysinwhichtheconcertomayindeedhavebeenwrittenwithDavid’stechnique
andmusicianshipinmind(includingitsuseofBaroqueandearlyClassicaltechniques,and
apparentborrowingsfromDavid’sHoheSchuledesViolinspiels—worksbyVitali,Mestrino,
etal.),andofthewaysinwhichDavidmayhaveinfluenceditsfinalform.Asideinterest
maybetheinfluenceofMendelssohn’sprotégé,theyoungJosephJoachim,whose
virtuositywasalsoonMendelssohn’smindatthetimeoftheconcerto’s“making.”
DitlevRindom(UniversityofCambridge)
ListeningwithSchumann:ThePhantasieop.17and1830sSonicCulture
TheepigraphfromSchlegelwhichprefacesRobertSchumann'sPhantasieop.17haslong
beencharacterisedasaclassicdescriptionofromanticlistening:aformofintenseacoustic
engagementthroughwhichtheauditoraccessesarealitybeyondtimeandspace.Scholarly
studiesofthemusicalwork's"romanticdistance"haveconcentratedprimarilyuponthe
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Phantasie'sformalfragmentation,disregardingthemusic'smaterialityinfavourof
disembodiedanalysisand"structural"listening.Withinthisframework,thework'sallusion
toBeethovenhasbeeninterpretedasbothapublicandprivatemonument,articulatinga
senseoflossthatispartiallyredeemedthroughsound.
ThispaperwillinsteadexaminethePhantasieasaworkpreoccupiedwithsonorityandthe
processoflisteningitself.DrawinguponrecentworkbyVeitErlmannandEmilyDolanwhich
hasstressedtheconstitutiveroleoftheearinmodernrationalityandthecentralityof
timbretoEnlightenmentaesthetics,thispaperarguesthatthePhantasieisadocumentof
changinglisteningpractices.ProceedingfromSchlegel'spoem,thepaperoffersatimbral
analysisofthefirstmovementandproposesthattheworkstagesaphenomenological
journeyfromimmediatesensationtoremotetone,inturninvestigatingtheshifting
meaningsofmusicallisteningin1830sGermany.Thepaperaddressestheoverlapping
temporalitiesbetweenthemonument,18th-centuryfantasiaandmusicalworktoargue
thatthePhantasieisasoundingmonumenttoBeethoven,inwhichthekeyboardfunctions
asatechnologythatmediatesbetweendifferentformsofperception.
Session7C
11.30am-1.30pm(2individualpapers+lecture-recital)
Class
JamesDeaville(CarletonUniversity)
TheWell-ManneredAuditor:ListeningintheDomestic-PublicSphereofthe
19thCentury
19th-centuryetiquettebooksinEnglishincludedinstructiononhowthe“well-mannered”
(bourgeois)personshouldbehaveaturbandomestic-publicfunctions(McKee2005),i.e.
invitedsocialeventsinprivateresidences.Themanualstherebyparticipatedinproducing
the“docilebodies”thatFoucaultidentifiedasendemictomodernsocietyandthatresult
fromtheexerciseof(self-)discipliningpower(Foucault1975).Thebooks’prescriptions
typicallyextendedtomannersduringtheimpromptumusicalentertainmentsatteas,
eveningparties,andmusicales,whentheinvitedguestswererequestedtoperform.The
imposedauditorypracticesforguestsduringinformalmusic-makingrevealhowtongueand
earweresubjectedtothenormalizingdisciplinarypowerFoucaultproposes.
Behindtherulesforbehaviorwithinthesonicdomainhoveredthechallengetoorder
createdbythesocietalmovetowardthemodern“crisisofattention”(Crary1999).Inthe
evermoreconfusing,distractingmodernsoundscape,theguidebooksperformeda
stabilizingfunctionbyattemptingtoregulatethebodies(andears)ofmiddle-classsubjects
(Morgan2012).Indeed,issuesofattentiontomusicandspeechatsocialeventsplaycrucial
rolesinthesources,whichcanbestudiedbymappingtheevents’zonesofacousticspace
(Born2013),bothformusicalperformanceandconversation.Auditorydisruptionsbyguests
increasinglyoccurredwithinandbetweenthesespaces;theresultantinattentionledto
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greaterrigorinthemanuals’policingofperformedsound.Theirregulationsbespeak
society’sfearofthelossofcontroloverthebodiesandsoundsofauditors,which
underminedthediscipliningofbourgeoissubject-listenersinthelater19thcentury.
WiebkeRademacher(UniversityofCologne)
BeyondConcertHalls.PerformanceandReceptionofClassicalMusicinNonBourgeoisContexts1860-1914,LondonandBerlin
The19thcenturyiscommonlyregardedasatimeinwhichtheperformanceandreception
ofclassicalmusicbecameincreasinglyentangledwithbourgeoisideals.Theeffectofthis
processhasbeenanalysedinnumerousstudies—mostrecently,SvenOliverMüller(2015)
hasinvestigatedchangingbehaviouralpatternsof19th-centuryconcertaudiences,Frank
Hentschel(2006)hasexaminedhowbourgeoisidealshaveinfluencedthedisciplinary
historyofmusicology,andMartinTröndle(2011)hasdiscussedtheenduringeffectsof19thcenturybourgeoisidealsonconcertlifetoday.
Themajorityofthesestudiesfocusentirelyonmiddleandupperclassaudiences.However,
therearemanysourcesthatgiveevidencefortheperformanceandreceptionofclassical
musicoutsidebourgeoiscontexts.Inconsideringtheseunder-examinedsources,thistalk
willaddressquestionssuchas:WhowenttoMusicHallsinLondon’sEastEndwhere
performancesofHandel’sMessiahstoodnexttoCircusShows?Whydidorchestrasand
choirsinBerlinandotherEuropeancitiesestablish'popularconcerts'intendedforlower
classaudiences?Inwhichcontextsdidbourgeoisandnon-bourgeoisaudienceshavethe
chancetointermingle?ByexaminingexamplesfromLondonanBerlin,thispresentation
hopestoencourageabroaderunderstandingofnon-bourgeoisperformanceand
receptionpracticesofclassicalmusicinthesecondhalfofthelong19thcentury.
KatrinaFaulds(UniversityofSouthampton)
PenelopeCave(UniversityofSouthampton)
“MyharppresentsitsbestTonestoyou”:reflectionsonmusicinthe
Jerninghamfamilycorrespondence
ThelettersandjournalsoftheJerninghamfamily,locatedprincipallyintheCadbury
ResearchLibraryattheUniversityofBirminghamandtheStaffordshireRecordOffice,
profferarichresourceforstudyingthesignificanceofmusicwithinfamilialcirclesinthe
earlynineteenthcentury.Spanningmorethanfortyyears,thecorrespondenceisvibrant,
lovingandhumorous,andincludesdescriptionsnotjustofpublicmusicallifeinLondon,but
alsocommentaryonmusicaleducation,movementofinstrumentsandprivate
performance.Whatemergesisapictureofhowmusicfacilitatedtheprocessesofsharing,
communicationandcollaboration,andhowthelettersthemselveshelpedtonurture
musical,socialandculturalnetworks.Practicalmusicalskillbecameasourceoffamilial
prideandsocialinclusion;themobilityofinstrumentsandscoresmirroredtheintercourse
ofexchangethatoccurredinletter-writing;andtheinclusionofmanuscriptmusic
embeddedtheprospectofsoundinthecorrespondence.Asscholarlyattentiononmusicin
theEnglishcountryhousecontinuestoarticulatebroadlinesofdomesticpractice,itisthe
individualityofexperiencethatmaterialisesintheJerninghamcorrespondence.Bothmen
andwomeninthisCatholicfamilywereoccupiedwithdifferentaspectsofmusickingthat
53
extendedbeyondtheconfinesofEngland,highlightinghowmusicaleducationand
engagementlinkedprovincialNorfolkwithcontinentalculture.
Session8A
2.30pm-4.30pm(5panelpapers)
Panel:TheWorksofGiuseppeVerdiinContext:compositional
practice,nationaltraditions,andeditorialprinciples
OurpaneladdressesholisticallythechronologicalandsocialframeworkofVerdi’soperas
fromaneditorialperspective.Takingintoaccountmusicalrevisionsandissuesofformand
genretiedtocommerceandnationaltraditions,thepanelrevealstheabsenceofeditorial
praxisspecifictoVerdi’sFrenchoperasaswellastheineffectivenessofapplyingaone-sizefits-allapproachtoVerdi’sworks.Papersshowthateditorialprinciplesareevolving
phenomenathattakeintoaccountaesthetic,economic,andstylisticchangesaswellasthe
contributionofothercomposerssuchasMeyerbeerandGiacomoPuccini,whoseearly
careercoincideswithVerdi’slateryears.Throughdetaileddiscussionofindividualworks,
thepanelconcludesthatcompositionandreception—togetherwiththenational
idiosyncrasiesofoperaproduction(hereFrenchvs.Italian),andthecollectivesourcesleftin
theirwake—haveaprofoundeffectoneditorialattitude,practice,anddecision-making.
WhilethecommondivisionofVerdi’soperasintothreeperiods(Budden)isusefulfor
definingthechronologyofVerdi’scareer,itcannotbeemployedasatemplateforediting
(consider,forexampletwosuccessiveworks:Attila[1846]andMacbeth[1847,rev.1865]).
Ourmaintopicsfordiscussionare1.DefinitionofVerdi’soeuvreandcompositional
practice;2.Periodization;3.Italianvs.Frenchtraditions;4.Sources;5.Theroleofthe
publisherinsteeringaworktocompletion.5.OthercomposersandworksinVerdi’s
constellation.Thesessionwillconcludewitharesponse.
Briefdescriptionofindividualpresentations:
HelenGreenwald(NewEnglandConservatory)
WhichVerdi,How,andWhy?
ProvidesanoverviewofVerdi’sworks,revealingthatmorethanhalfwererevisedowingas
muchtosocialconditionsastoartisticdecisions.MainfocusonAttila,“theheightof
cabalettismo”(Casamorata1847)andMacbeth(1847),thealleged“harbinger”ofVerdi’s
so-called“secondmanner”(Ghislanzoni).
FrancescoIzzo(UniversityofSouthampton)
TheVerdieditionandperiodization:Somemethodologicalquestions
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ShowsVerdi’sworksofthe1840stobeadefinedsubsetofWGV.Exploreselementsof
continuityandinstabilityofsourcesafteroperas’premieres.FocusonUngiornodiregno
andIdueFoscari.
MarkEverist(UniversityofSouthampton)
TamingVerdi’sBull
FocussesonLesvêpressiciliennes(1855),whichliesattheintersectionoftwodifferent
sourcetraditions:Verdi’sItalianworksandParisiangrandopéra.Discussestheinfluenceof
FrenchsystemonVerdi’scompositionalprocessasawholeandidentifiesproblemsfor
futureeditionsofJérusalemandDonCarlos.
LindaB.Fairtile(UniversityofRichmond)
EditingLateVerdiandEarlyPuccini:CorrespondencesandContrasts
ShowshowGiulioRicordi’sconcurrentbutdissimilarguidanceofbothGiuseppeVerdi’s
penultimateopera,Otello,andGiacomoPuccini’sfirstfull-lengthstagework,Edgar,to
completionhasrequireddissimilareditorialapproachestotwocontemporaneousworks.
Topicsincludeutilityofautographscore,notationalinconsistencies,andrelevanceofterm
“non-definitiverevisions”(LawtonandRosen).
StefanoCastelvecchi(UniversityofCambridge)
RESPONSE
Discusseshowwedeal,theoreticallyandpragmatically(editorially),withthemultiplicityof
versionsinopera.Showsthatwecanderivesometoolsfromtheworkofliterarytextual
critics,whileremindingourselvesthateditorialworkthatlooks“objective”comeswith
responsibilitiesthatareoftennotmadeexplicit.
Session8B
Colonialism
JonathanHicks(King’sCollege,London)
PerformingTourismin1850sLondon:AlbertSmith’sAscentofMontBlanc
An1858issueoftheNewYorkMusicalReviewlists“EuropeanItems”ofinterestto
Americanreaders:amongannouncementsofaLondonDonGiovanni,aone-actMeyerbeer
opera,andaVienneseLohengrin,isamentionofAlbertSmith,who“hasascendedtheMont
Blancforthelasttime,afterhavingdoneso(inPiccadilly)abouttwothousandtimes.”
Althoughtheoperasinquestionremainfirmlyinthemusicologicalcanon,Smith’shitshow
hasreceivedonlypassingattention.Yethisone-manperformanceofAlpinetourism,
dubbeda“monopolylogue”inthetraditionofCharlesDibdinandCharlesMatthews,was
centraltotheexhibitioncultureofthemid-centurymetropolis,andprovidesarichcase
55
studyoftheusesofmusicinVictorianstageentertainment.Ofcourse,muchoftheinterest
wasvisual:thefirstactfeaturedaseriesofpaintingsbyWilliamBeverleydepictingtourist
sightsenroutefromLondontoChamonix(adestinationnewlyaccessiblebypassenger
train);thesecondboastedavertically-scrollingbackdropthateffectedtheillusionofascent.
ButaudiencesalsoheardSmithaccompanyhimselfincomicsongsatthepiano,withan
alpinehornandmulebellsofferedasaudiblemarkersofhismountainjourney.Using
contemporaryprogrammesandpressreports,Iseektorecoverthesonicqualitiesof
Smith’sperformance,andthentoconsiderhowmusicinlecturesandexhibitions
contributedtoshapingthepopularimaginationofEuropeantravel.
GavinWilliams(UniversityofCambridge)
Sound,Colony,andtheMultinational:TheGramophoneinSingaporeca.1900
In1905theBritishGramophoneCompanyreneweditscampaigntoconvinceconsumers
thattheirtechnologywasserviceableformusic.Notonlyserviceable:thegramophone
wouldallowmusicof‘quality’tobetransportedthroughouttheworld.Newspaperads
prophesiedthatrecordscutinLondonmightbemailed‘tosomefar-awaycornerofthe
earthwheremusicneverwasbefore,tokeepthemenwhokeepwatchovertheoutpostsof
theEmpireentertained’(TheTimes1905).Yetthebravenewmusicmarketenvisionedby
theGramophoneCompany—anearlyBritishmultinationalcorporation,muchlikeDunlop,
orCadbury—wasalreadybeinglivedasarealitybysomeoftheEmpire’sdistantsubjects,
andwasalreadypartofatransnationalcommercialenvironment.
Mypaperexaminesthedisconnectbetweenthegramophone’simperialfuturesand
everydayexperiencesofrecordedsoundwithinBritishcolonialsociety.Itakeearlytwentieth-centurySingaporeasacasestudy,andfocusinparticularonthemilitaryband
repertoire.TheserecordswereenthusiasticallyreceivedwithSingapore’selitecolonial
society.Yetrecordedmusicinteractedwithlonger-standingnetworksofliveperformance
withinthecity’sspaces—spacesthatembracedabroadersocialmilieu.Iconsiderthe
outdoorconcertsgivenbythe16thMadrasInfantryBandthattookplace(weather
permitting)inSingapore’sbotanicalgardensoneveryfullmoon.Theseperformances
interactedincomplexwayswiththerecordedbandsheardelsewhereinthecity,creatinga
processofmutualinfluencethatcanilluminateearlygramophoneculture—andits
globalizingtechniques—asaproducerofurbanspace.
KerryMurphy(MelbourneConservatoriumofMusic)
HenriKowalski(1841-1916):AFrenchMusicianinColonialAustralia
FrenchvirtuosopianistandcomposerHenriKowalskivisitedAustraliain1880andthen
returnedin1885whenhesettledinSydneyfortwelveyears.Hewasinsomewaysatypical
nineteenth-centuryEuropeantravellingmusician:acosmopolitanfigure,travellingthe
countriesoftheworld,crossingoceansandhemispheres,encounteringunknownlanguages
andsocialcustoms.Kowalskiwasa‘cosmopolitanpatriot’,touseKwameAppiah’suseful
phrase,thatis,someonewhois‘attachedtoahomeof…[their]own’buttakes‘pleasure
fromother,differentplacesthatarehometotheirdifferentpeople.’Heassumedthe
responsibilityofnurturing‘thecultureofhishome’spreadingandinstillingitsvalueswhile
56
atthesametimedocumenting,bothinwordsandmusic,hislifeasaculturaltourist.This
paperexploreshisintroductionofFrenchrepertoire,institutionalpracticesandmusical
instrumentstocolonialSydney.Itdemonstratesthatforashortperiodoftimeattheendof
thenineteenthcentury,therewasamuchstrongerFrenchpresenceinmusicallifein
Australiathanhaspreviouslybeenacknowledgedandthatthismayinfluencedthe
appointmentofaBelgianmusicianasHeadofthenewSydneyConservatoriumofMusicin
1915.
Session8C
Morals,Ethics,Physiologies
BennettZon(DurhamUniversity)
AnimalMusicandtheGreatChainofBeing
ClutchingTheOfficeGuidetotheLondonZoologicalGardensavisitortotheLondonZooof
1851wouldexpecttofollowapre-determinedpathalongtheexhibitions,fromthelowest
insectstothehighestprimates.Thepathwasnotunique,however;museumsandother
exhibitionspacesalloverBritainfollowedthesameevolutionaryroute–aroutefixedby
theprinciplesoftheGreatChainofBeing,animmutablehierarchyconnectingtheordersof
naturefromthemostrudimentaryprotozoatothemostadvancedmammal,man.
TheGreatChainofBeingpre-occupiedtheVictorianimagination,influencingeveryaspectof
itsculture.Zoologywasnoexception,oftenmirroringhumansocialorderintheanimal
kingdom.AsHarrietRitvosuggestsVictorianzoology‘workedtocreateandreinforcea
rangeofparallelpatternsofhumanhierarchy.’(VictorianScienceinContext).Yetbecause
‘animalsneverexemplifiedthebesthumantypes’(AnimalEstate)–civilizedEuropeanman
–theywerewidelyconsideredunabletomakemusic.
Darwin,JamesSullyandotherevolutionistswouldchangeallthat,counter-arguingthatnot
onlydoallanimalscreatemusic,allmusicisafunctionofnature’smostsociallyequalizing
force,sexualselection.Musicdemocratizednature,provingthattheGreatChainwasa
scientificfraud.ThispaperusesanimalmusictoexplorethedemiseoftheGreatChain,
drawingfrompre-andpostDarwinianzoologicalscience.ItcontextualizestheGreatChain
withVictorianculture;examinesanimalmusicinpopularandexperimentalscience;andin
conclusionoffersnewinsightsintokeyDarwiniantextsconcerningmusic.
MarkA.Pottinger(ManhattanCollege)
PhysiologyandtheScienceofHysteriainLuciadiLammermoor
ThroughouttheoperaLuciadiLammermoor(1835)Luciaisaidedinherdesiretobewith
themanshelovesthroughvisionsofadeadrelative,whoisseeninthewaterofan
57
ancestralfountain.Curiously,Luciaistheonlyoneintheoperawhoisabletoseetheghost
andthuspresentsattheendoftheoperaavocalcommunionwiththedead.Toeveryone
whohearsherintheopera,Luciaismadandthevictimofgriefandhysteria,butthrough
hersupernaturalvisionsLuciaisnowfreetoescapetherealityaroundherandtojoinher
loverintheafterlife.Thecorrespondingsciencethatwillbeexploredinthispaperis
physiologyandthescienceofthemind,anewsetofscientificinquiriesintheearly
nineteenthcenturythatembracedphysiognomy,thescienceoffacialfeatures,and
characterology,thescienceofanalyzingexternalactionsandsoundstodiscoveralatent
characterofthemind.Bothofthesesisterstudiesofphysiologycometogetherinthework
ofMarshallHall(1790-1857),theBritishphysicianwhopublishedin1826hiswidelyread
‘CommentariesontheMoreImportantDiseasesofFemales’.Throughaninvestigationof
thelookandsoundofhysteriainHall’sworkandDonizetti’soperawecanseehowclosethe
operacomestomirroringearlynineteenth-centurynotionsofwellnessandsenilityandthus
presentfurtherinsightintothelookandsoundofthisvirtuosicfemalerole.
CatherineSchwartz(McGillUniversity)
ClaireCroizaandtheArtoftheSelf
FullofnotesonClaireCroiza’sperformances,masterclasses,andcauseries,Hélène
Abraham’sUnArtdel’Interprétation,ClaireCroiza(1954)servesasacriticalsourceonthis
famedinterpreterwhoworkedcloselywiththelikesofDebussyandFauré.Afterattending
herfirstmasterclass,Abrahamemphasizedthat“theartofinterpretationisabovealltheart
offorgettingoneself,”astatementthatseemstocontradictherobservationafewmonths
later:“theroleofpersonalityintheartofexpression:predominant.”Reflectingonthe
apparenttensionbetweenthevaluesofselfhoodandself-abnegationinCroiza’sartraisesa
numberofquestions:Whereisthesinger’ssenseofselflocated?Howisitmanifest?How
canitbeforgotten?Whathappenstotheselfinthisprocess?Whatisatstakein
forgettingtheself?InaclosereadingofCroiza’steachingsonthepsychology,physicality,
andimaginationoftheinterpreter,Ifocusonthesequestionsthroughthelensofthree
previouslyunexaminedtopics:first,theconceptofdédoublementorsplitpersonality,a
termusedbyAbrahamtodescribeCroiza’sperformativeact;second,Croiza’s
characterizationofthepedagogicalprocessasaquestforthesinger’sownvoice;andthird,
theimportanceofthegenderedself,offéminité,insinging.Inelucidatinghowamultiplicity
ofanswerstotheabovequestionsconvergeonthesethreeissues,myanalysisbuildson
Bergeron’sstudyofCroiza’s“selfless”vocalityinthemélodiegenretoilluminatea
multifacetedsenseofselfhoodasintegraltoCroiza’sbroaderaesthetics.
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The19thBiennialInternationalNineteenth-CenturyMusic
Conferencewouldliketothankthefollowingsponsors:
THEOXFORDSONGNETWORK
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61

Conference booklet 23.6.16 - Faculty of Music

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