Renegotiating French Identity PDF Download

Author: Jane F. Fulcher
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190681500
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 505

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Book Description
"In Renegotiating French Identity, Jane F. Fulcher addresses the question of cultural resistance to the German occupation and Vichy regime during the Second World War, specifically by addressing the role of music" -- source : éditeur.

Author: Katharine Ellis
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0197600166
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 445

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Book Description
Explicitly or not, the historical musicology of post-Revolutionary France has focused on Paris as a proxy for the rest of the country. This distorting lens is the legacy of political and cultural struggle during the long nineteenth century, indicating a French Revolution unresolved both then and now. In light of the capital's power as the seat of a centralizing French state (which provincials found 'colonizing') and as a cosmopolitan musical crossroads of nineteenth-century Europe, the struggles inherent in creating sustainable musical cultures outside Paris, and in composing local and regionalist music, are ripe for analysis. Replacement of 'France' with Paris has encouraged normative history-writing articulated by the capital's opera and concert life. Regional practices have been ignored, disparaged or treated piecemeal. This book is a study of French musical centralization and its discontents during the period leading up to and beyond the "provincial awakening" of the Belle Époque. The book explains how different kinds of artistic decentralization and regionalism were hard won (or not) across a politically turbulent century from the 1830s to World War II. In doing so it redraws the historical map of musical power relations in mainland France. Based on work in over 70 archives, chapters on conservatoires, concert life, stage music, folk music and composition reveal how tensions of State and locality played out differently depending on the structures and funding mechanisms in place, the musical priorities of different communities, and the presence or absence of galvanizing musicians. Progressively, the book shifts from musical contexts to musical content, exploring the pressure point of folk music and its translation into "local color" for officials who perpetually feared national division. Control over composition on the one hand, and the emotional intensity of folk-based musical experience on the other, emerges as a matter of consistent official praxis. In terms of "French music" and its compositional styles, what results is a surprising new historiography of French neoclassicism, bound into and growing out of a study of diversity and its limits in daily musical life.

Author: Rachel Orzech
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer
ISBN: 1580469701
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 263

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Book Description
"This book examines the shifting attitudes toward Wagner reflected in the Parisian press during the period of the Third Reich. Paradoxically, during one of the darkest periods of French history, as the German threat grew more tangible and then manifested in the Nazi occupation of France, Parisians chose to see in Wagner a universality that transcended his Germanness. As Franco-German diplomatic relations gradually worsened in the 1930s, Wagner became an increasingly integral part of French musical culture. Parisians were unwilling to surrender Wagner to German exclusivist claims. In previous decades the French had used Wagner to symbolize a diverse array of political arguments and positions, from right-wing nationalism to left-wing humanism and egalitarianism, In the 1930s, however, the Parisian press depicted him as a universalist. Although Wagner had stood in for German nationalism and chauvinism in recent periods of Franco-German conflict, in the 1930s Parisians refused this notion and attempted to reclaim his role in their own national history and imagination. Even once war was declared in 1939 and a ban on the performance of Wagner's music was implemented, commentators insisted that it was simply a temporary measure designed to avoid public disturbance. Simultaneously, they maintained that 'music has no borders,' and that 'it is childish to mix art and politics.' The Wagner discourses that emerged from the 1930s Parisian press paved the way for the dominant Wagner discourse in the German-controlled Occupation press: Collaboration through Wagner. By a great irony of history, the concept of Wagner the universalist that had been used to resist the Nazis in the 1930s was transformed into the infamous collaborationist rhetoric promoted by the Vichy government between 1940 and 1944"--

Author: Johann Merrich
Publisher: LIT EDIZIONI
ISBN: 8892770462
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 283

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Book Description
The majority of books covering the birth and development of electroacoustic and electronic music do seem to only give us a partial overview of this peculiar aspect of contemporary cultural production; essays and monographs provide an androcentric view on the subject, rarely mentioning the contribution of inventresses, female composers and theorists. The “young” age of electronic music – together with the traditional privilege granted by historians to the productions of North America and some European countries – contribute in obstructing the drafting of a paritary, diagonal and comprehensive view of this topic. This book aims to open a new perspective on electronic music history; If we want to write a new, more inclusive and equitable future, we will have to look at the facts by training a curious gaze, stripped of mechanically reiterated certainties. From the birth of the Theremin to the first commercial software intended for the production of computer music, from Japan to Russia passing through Europe and the American Continent, each chapter of this book deals with a specific moment of the history of electronic music narrated through the compositions and experiences of women composers. Addressed to lovers of electronic music, scholars and non-experts, A Short History of Electronic Music and its Women Protagonists discloses a new and vibrating universe of untold stories.

Author: Jennifer Iverson
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190868228
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
For a decimated post-war West Germany, the electronic music studio at the WDR radio in Cologne was a beacon of hope. Jennifer Iverson's Electronic Inspirations: Technologies of the Cold War Musical Avant-Garde traces the reclamation and repurposing of wartime machines, spaces, and discourses into the new sounds of the mid-century studio. In the 1950s, when technologies were plentiful and the need for reconstruction was great, West Germany began to rebuild its cultural prestige via aesthetic and technical advances. The studio's composers, collaborating with scientists and technicians, coaxed music from sine-tone oscillators, noise generators, band-pass filters, and magnetic tape. Together, they applied core tenets from information theory and phonetics, reclaiming military communication technologies as well as fascist propaganda broadcasting spaces. The electronic studio nurtured a revolutionary synthesis of science, technology, politics, and aesthetics. Its esoteric sounds transformed mid-century music and continue to reverberate today. Electronic music--echoing both cultural anxiety and promise--is a quintessential Cold War innovation.

Author: Pamela M. Potter
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 0253050278
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 318

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Book Description
How can music withstand the death and destruction brought on by war? Global conflicts of the 20th century fundamentally transformed not only national boundaries, power relations, and global economies, but also the arts and culture of every nation involved. An important, unacknowledged aspect of these conflicts is that they have unique musical soundtracks. Music in World War II explores how music and sound took on radically different dimensions in the United States and Europe before, during, and after World War II. Additionally, the collection examines the impact of radio and film as the disseminators of the war's musical soundtrack. Contributors contend that the European and American soundtrack of World War II was largely one of escapism rather than the lofty, solemn, heroic, and celebratory mode of "war music" in the past. Furthermore, they explore the variety of experiences of populations forced from their homes and interned in civilian and POW camps in Europe and the United States, examining how music in these environments played a crucial role in maintaining ties to an idealized "home" and constructing politicized notions of national and ethnic identity. This fascinating and well-constructed volume of essays builds understanding of the role and importance of music during periods of conflict and highlights the unique aspects of music during World War II.

Author: Louis K. Epstein
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer
ISBN: 178327669X
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description
Challenges the longstanding perception that modernist composers made art, not money, and that those who made money somehow failed to make art.Patrons have long appeared as colorful, exceptional figures in music history, but this book recasts patrons and patronage as creative forces that shaped the sounds and meanings of new French music between the world wars. Far from mere sources of funding, early twentieth-century patrons collaborated closely with composers, treating commissions for new music as opportunities to express their own artistry. Patrons developed new pathways to participate in music-making, going beyond commissions to establish ballet companies, manage performance venues, and establish state programs. The impressive variety of patronage activities led to an explosion of new music as well as new styles and -isms, indelibly marking the repertoire that this book examines, including a number of pieces frequently heard in concert halls today. In addition to offering new perspectives on well-known French repertoire, this book challenges conceptions of patronage as a bygone phenomenon. Complementing a dwindling cast of aristocratic patrons were new ranks of music publishers, impresarios, state bureaucrats, opera directors, and others capitalizing on their savings, social connections, and artistic vision to bring new music into the world. In chapters on French discourse around patronage, aristocratic commissions, the stimulus provided by the interwar dance craze, music publishing, the Paris Opéra, state intervention in French musical life, and transatlantic musical exchanges, the book blends cultural history with primary source study and music analysis. It not only improves our understanding of French musical life and culture during the early twentieth century but also supplies us with essential insights into the ways modern music emerged at the intersection of music composition, aesthetic and national politics, and the creative labor of patrons.nch repertoire, this book challenges conceptions of patronage as a bygone phenomenon. Complementing a dwindling cast of aristocratic patrons were new ranks of music publishers, impresarios, state bureaucrats, opera directors, and others capitalizing on their savings, social connections, and artistic vision to bring new music into the world. In chapters on French discourse around patronage, aristocratic commissions, the stimulus provided by the interwar dance craze, music publishing, the Paris Opéra, state intervention in French musical life, and transatlantic musical exchanges, the book blends cultural history with primary source study and music analysis. It not only improves our understanding of French musical life and culture during the early twentieth century but also supplies us with essential insights into the ways modern music emerged at the intersection of music composition, aesthetic and national politics, and the creative labor of patrons.nch repertoire, this book challenges conceptions of patronage as a bygone phenomenon. Complementing a dwindling cast of aristocratic patrons were new ranks of music publishers, impresarios, state bureaucrats, opera directors, and others capitalizing on their savings, social connections, and artistic vision to bring new music into the world. In chapters on French discourse around patronage, aristocratic commissions, the stimulus provided by the interwar dance craze, music publishing, the Paris Opéra, state intervention in French musical life, and transatlantic musical exchanges, the book blends cultural history with primary source study and music analysis. It not only improves our understanding of French musical life and culture during the early twentieth century but also supplies us with essential insights into the ways modern music emerged at the intersection of music composition, aesthetic and national politics, and the creative labor of patrons.nch repertoire, this book challenges conceptions of patronage as a bygone phenomenon. Complementing a dwindling cast of aristocratic patrons were new ranks of music publishers, impresarios, state bureaucrats, opera directors, and others capitalizing on their savings, social connections, and artistic vision to bring new music into the world. In chapters on French discourse around patronage, aristocratic commissions, the stimulus provided by the interwar dance craze, music publishing, the Paris Opéra, state intervention in French musical life, and transatlantic musical exchanges, the book blends cultural history with primary source study and music analysis. It not only improves our understanding of French musical life and culture during the early twentieth century but also supplies us with essential insights into the ways modern music emerged at the intersection of music composition, aesthetic and national politics, and the creative labor of patrons. as a bygone phenomenon. Complementing a dwindling cast of aristocratic patrons were new ranks of music publishers, impresarios, state bureaucrats, opera directors, and others capitalizing on their savings, social connections, and artistic vision to bring new music into the world. In chapters on French discourse around patronage, aristocratic commissions, the stimulus provided by the interwar dance craze, music publishing, the Paris Opéra, state intervention in French musical life, and transatlantic musical exchanges, the book blends cultural history with primary source study and music analysis. It not only improves our understanding of French musical life and culture during the early twentieth century but also supplies us with essential insights into the ways modern music emerged at the intersection of music composition, aesthetic and national politics, and the creative labor of patrons.

Author: John Ellis
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 0253068592
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 316

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Book Description
Marguerite Long, the most important French female pianist of the 20th century, left her stamp on a whole epoch of musical life in Paris. The Pedagogical Writings of Marguerite Long presents English translations of the two major contributions of Marguerite Long to the literature of piano pedagogy. These translations of her pedagogical works, Le Piano and La Petite Méthode de piano, provide a window to the old French school of pianism as modernized by Long. Le Piano is a remarkable text offering piano playing techniques and pragmatic and philosophical musings and observations about life, musicians, careers, and more. La Petite Méthode de piano is a personal manifesto about how to introduce children to music. Both works are treasures revealing Long's lifelong commitment to teaching and they are still stunningly relevant. In addition, John Ellis analyzes each work and puts it in historical context. He places special emphasis on Long's illustrious international career, her teaching, her rivalry with Alfred Cortot, and the impact of sexism on her life and work. Ellis addresses the eclipse of Long's reputation by that of Cortot and fills a gap in the knowledge of Long's place in the history of pedagogical heritage.

Author: Colin Roust
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190607785
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
Jean Cocteau, Erik Satie, Moulin Rouge - the names popularly associated with film composer Georges Auric's career conjure visions of a distant and glamorous early twentieth-century Parisian art world. Auric wrote well over 100 film scores, including the soundtrack for Roman Holiday, and was notably affiliated with Les Six, a group of French composers reacting to the musical establishment of the 1920s. But Auric's life and work spanned far beyond this limited sphere. A lifelong involvement in politics - from his leftism during the Popular Front years of the 1930s to his significant role in the French Communist Party's musical resistance of the 1940s - heavily influenced his sound and aesthetic. His advocacy on behalf of his fellow musicians led him into the fight for fair copyright laws, initially in France and then worldwide. And over the course of a seven-decade-long career, Auric took on roles as diverse as music critic, opera director, and arts administrator, revealing a deep involvement in his country's musical life that makes the label of "composer" seem inadequate. The first English-language biography of Auric, Georges Auric: A Life in Music and Politics rethinks the conventional ideas of what it means to be a composer. Drawing from an astonishing three dozen untapped archives, including the private archives of Auric's widow, author Colin Roust presents a picture of Auric that is as multifaceted as the man's career. Using Auric's life as a lens, Roust reveals the transforming role of music - and the composer - in twentieth-century society.

Author: Jennifer Rushworth
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
ISBN: 1512825972
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 345

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Book Description
In Proust’s Songbook, Jennifer Rushworth analyzes and theorizes the presence and role of songs in Marcel Proust’s novel À la recherche du temps perdu (In Search of Lost Time). Instead of focusing on instrumental music and large-scale forms such as symphonies and opera, as is common in Proust musical studies, Rushworth argues for the centrality of songs and lyrics in Proust’s opus. Her work analyzes the ways in which the author inserted songs at key turning points in his novel and how he drew inspiration from contemporary composers and theorists of song. Rushworth presents detailed readings of five moments of song in À la recherche du temps perdu, highlighting the songs’ significance by paying close attention to their lyrics, music, composers, and histories. Rushworth interprets these episodes through theoretical reflections on song and voice, drawing particularly from the works of Reynaldo Hahn and Roland Barthes. She argues that songs in Proust’s novel are connected and resonate with one another across the different volumes yet also shows how song for Proust is a solo, amateur, and intimate affair. In addition, she points to Proust’s juxtapositions of songs with meditations on the notion of “mauvaise musique” (bad music) to demonstrate the existence of a blurred boundary between songs that are popular and songs that are art. According to Rushworth, a song for Proust has a special relation to repetition and memory due to its typical brevity and that song itself becomes a mode of resistance in À la Recherche—especially on the part of characters in the face of family and familial expectations. She also defines the songs in Proust’s novel as songs of farewell—noting that to sing farewell is a means to resist the very parting that is being expressed—and demonstrates how songs, in formal terms, resist the forward impetus of narrative.