Fall 2018 Meeting Abstracts
0 Comments Published by AMSGNY President on Saturday, September 29, 2018 at 6:25 PM.
Panel 1
Beverly Jerold (Princeton, NJ) - “The Myth of the Inferior Amateur Musician”
Why did Alexandre Choron and François-Joseph Fayolle include amateurs in their Dictionnaire historique des musiciens, artistes et amateurs (Paris, 1810-11)? The answer reveals how much a word’s meaning can change over time.
William E. Hettrick (Hofstra University) - "Another Kind of Pitch: American Piano Advertising in the 'Gilded Age'"
The piano industry was an important part of the American economy during the "Gilded Age." All industries must advertise their wares, and members of the piano trade did so with style and aplomb. Here are some of the most engaging and entertaining parts of this story.
Jeff Dailey (AMS-GNY) - "Shaw's Guide to Musical Theater
In an extensive letter written at the end of the nineteenth century, Shaw addresses how to write a musical. In it, he discusses how to adapt literature to the stage and how to create lyrics for a composer. The letter itself does not survive, but the many pages of drafts do, and it is possible to reconstruct Shaw’s epistle. I have transcribed the letter from Shaw’s papers in the British Library (MS 50513), and my presentation will introduce the text to the audience, and also comment on and give some background on the musical works mentioned in it. This text shows that Shaw was very aware of how to create musical theatre.
Panel 2
Kirsten S. Brown (Westminster Choir College) - ""Make Opera Great Again: Donald Trump’s use of
Nessun Dorma' in his Presidential Campaign"
“Nessun Dorma,” the show-stopping tenor aria from Puccini’s Turandot, has weaved its way in and out of American popular culture since the 1990s. From singing competition television shows to suspenseful movies to performances by popular artists like Michael Bolton and Aretha Franklin, “Nessun Dorma” has wandered far away from its original context. In late 2015, “Nessun Dorma” entered the political arena, as thousands of right-wing voters heard Luciano Pavarotti’s recording of the aria boom through stadiums and convention centers during Donald Trump’s campaign rallies. Its inclusion took both pundits and musicians by surprise. How can one reconcile Trump’s “America First” message with a song written and sung by foreigners? In a campaign fueled by populist resentment towards the elite classes, how can opera function as a political symbol? This presentation will focus on the history of “Nessun Dorma”—both in its original form and in the last twenty years of popular culture —to determine what personal connections or political motives might have driven Donald Trump to include it in his presidential campaign soundtrack.
Joseph S. Kaminski (Wagner College) - "An Introduction to Jianpu Music Notation and its Uses and Applications in Manhattan/Chinatown"
Why has jianpu music notation among Chinese musicians been widely overlooked? It has been commonplace in China throughout the twentieth-century and is the primary means of music transmission and performance in Manhattan/Chinatown. Reasons of oversight may by from its simplicity to its French origin. From the emic point of view, we may find it is a vital adaptation of an older Chinese and familiar music notation. From the etic view, one must be wary of fantasizing Orientalism.
Beverly Jerold (Princeton, NJ) - “The Myth of the Inferior Amateur Musician”
Why did Alexandre Choron and François-Joseph Fayolle include amateurs in their Dictionnaire historique des musiciens, artistes et amateurs (Paris, 1810-11)? The answer reveals how much a word’s meaning can change over time.
William E. Hettrick (Hofstra University) - "Another Kind of Pitch: American Piano Advertising in the 'Gilded Age'"
The piano industry was an important part of the American economy during the "Gilded Age." All industries must advertise their wares, and members of the piano trade did so with style and aplomb. Here are some of the most engaging and entertaining parts of this story.
Jeff Dailey (AMS-GNY) - "Shaw's Guide to Musical Theater
In an extensive letter written at the end of the nineteenth century, Shaw addresses how to write a musical. In it, he discusses how to adapt literature to the stage and how to create lyrics for a composer. The letter itself does not survive, but the many pages of drafts do, and it is possible to reconstruct Shaw’s epistle. I have transcribed the letter from Shaw’s papers in the British Library (MS 50513), and my presentation will introduce the text to the audience, and also comment on and give some background on the musical works mentioned in it. This text shows that Shaw was very aware of how to create musical theatre.
Panel 2
Kirsten S. Brown (Westminster Choir College) - ""Make Opera Great Again: Donald Trump’s use of
Nessun Dorma' in his Presidential Campaign"
“Nessun Dorma,” the show-stopping tenor aria from Puccini’s Turandot, has weaved its way in and out of American popular culture since the 1990s. From singing competition television shows to suspenseful movies to performances by popular artists like Michael Bolton and Aretha Franklin, “Nessun Dorma” has wandered far away from its original context. In late 2015, “Nessun Dorma” entered the political arena, as thousands of right-wing voters heard Luciano Pavarotti’s recording of the aria boom through stadiums and convention centers during Donald Trump’s campaign rallies. Its inclusion took both pundits and musicians by surprise. How can one reconcile Trump’s “America First” message with a song written and sung by foreigners? In a campaign fueled by populist resentment towards the elite classes, how can opera function as a political symbol? This presentation will focus on the history of “Nessun Dorma”—both in its original form and in the last twenty years of popular culture —to determine what personal connections or political motives might have driven Donald Trump to include it in his presidential campaign soundtrack.
Joseph S. Kaminski (Wagner College) - "An Introduction to Jianpu Music Notation and its Uses and Applications in Manhattan/Chinatown"
Why has jianpu music notation among Chinese musicians been widely overlooked? It has been commonplace in China throughout the twentieth-century and is the primary means of music transmission and performance in Manhattan/Chinatown. Reasons of oversight may by from its simplicity to its French origin. From the emic point of view, we may find it is a vital adaptation of an older Chinese and familiar music notation. From the etic view, one must be wary of fantasizing Orientalism.
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