Horatio Parker’s opera MONA (1912) and visions of U.S. identity in the early twentieth century

© 2018 Dr. Patrick MacDevittAt the turn of the twentieth century, composers in the United States struggled to establish a national voice. While many musical minds promoted the use of American-derived musical material, some intellectuals endorsed whole-hearted participation in the hegemonic European legacy, assuming the composers’ American provenance would endow their creations with national properties. This thesis considers possible manifestations of these properties within Horatio Parker’s Mona, premiered as the first full-scale American opera produced on the Metropolitan Opera stage. Its language is post-Wagnerian, but several elements seem to betray a unique and sometimes American voice. This thesis comprises a dissertation (constituting 65% of the thesis) and performance folio (constituting 35% of the thesis, supplementing the content of the dissertation) that explore Mona and the opera’s musical, cultural and socio-political contexts. It is hoped that this exploration adds nuance and complexity to discussions of European-influenced American opera and national elements in early twentieth-century American operas. The dissertation first considers the early twentieth-century American milieu, describing Parker’s life and career, prominent theatrical and musical trends, and broader socio-political issues. There is then an exploration of aspects of the music and drama of Mona, highlighting the ways in which the opera projects contemporaneous American cultural preferences, anxieties, and prejudices. These includes the integration and extension of European musical and operatic production trends, the narrative’s allusions to imperial occupation (reflecting the US occupation of the Philippines), and the opera’s engagement with issues raised by the women’s suffrage movement. The performance folio, accompanying the dissertation, offers an aural context for the dissertation’s exploration, providing examples of the early twentieth-century audience’s musical environment, including works that had an impact on Mona. It also illustrates aspects of Parker’s compositional trajectory, the music of Parker’s colleagues and students, and subsequent attempts at English-language dramatic text-setting. List of Performance Folio Contents [except where noted, all recordings were Performed by Patrick MacDevitt (Voice) and David Barnard (Piano)]: 1. 3 Songs, Horatio Parker (1882). 1.1. Slumber Song 1.2. Wedding Song 1.3. Goldilocks 2. 7 Songs, Horatio Parker (1909). 2.1. I Shall Come Back 2.2. A Man’s Song 2.3. A Woman’s Song 2.4. Only a Little While 2.5. A Robin’s Song 2.6. Offerings 2.7. Together 3. Opera and Operatic Song. 3.1. Winterstürme, Die Walküre, Richard Wagner (1870) 3.2. Oh, Oh, quest-ce que c’est, Pelléas et Mélisande, Claude Debussy (1902) 3.3. An die Nacht, op. 68, Richard Strauss (1918) 3.4. Then let there be an oath between us, Mona Horatio Parker (1912) 4. British and American Songs—Video. Kade Greenland (Director/Editor) 4.1. 0:00: The Bobolink, 5 Songs, George Whitefield Chadwick (1914) 4.2. 1:38: Midsummer Lullaby, 8 Songs, Edward MacDowell (1893) 4.3. 3:44: Matin Song, 4 Songs, John Knowles Paine (1879) 4.4. 5: 49: Lonely, 12 Songs, Frederic Cowen (1892) 4.5. 10:11: Speak, Music, 2 Songs, Edward Elgar (1902) 4.6. 13:39: My Love’s an Arbutus, Songs of Old Ireland, Charles Villiers Stanford (1882) 4.7. 16:11: The Blackbird, 3 Songs, Amy Beach (1889) 4.8. 17:25: Oh My Luve’s Like a Red Red Rose, 5 Songs, Arthur Foote (1887) 4.9. 19:47: When I am Dead, 12 Songs, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1906) 5. Parlour and Heart Songs 5.1. Parlour Songs. Patrick MacDevitt (Voice) and Ken Murray (Banjo/Guitar) 5.1.1. Maggie By My Side, Stephen Foster 5.1.2. Old Dog Tray, Stephen Foster 5.1.3. If You’ve Only Got a Moustache, Stephen Foster 5.1.4. Believe Me if All Those Endearing Young Charms, Thomas Moore, arranged by Catherina Josepha Pratten 5.2. From Heart Songs, 1909 5.2.1. The Old Arm Chair, Henry Russell 5.2.2. Lull¬aby, Erminie, Edward Jakobowski 5.2.3. To the Evening Star, based on a melody from Tannhaüser, Richard Wagner 5.2.4. Chinese Baby Song, Trad. 5.2.5. The Lost Chord, Arthur Sullivan¬ 5.2.6. Toyland, Babes in Toyland, Victor Herbert 5.2.7. The Rainy Day, William R. Dempster 6. American Experimentalism. 6.1. From 114 Songs, Charles Ives (1922). 6.1.1. In the Alley 6.1.2. The Things Our Fathers Loved 6.2. There is not much difference between the two (Suzuki Daisetz), John Cage (1979)—Video. Patrick MacDevitt (Voice) 7. Arias from Billy Budd, Benjamin Britten (1951). 7.1. I am an old man 7.2. I accept their verdict

Extending non-professional performative projects: integrating research-through performance

Es un capítulo de: Guidobono, S. O. (2021). El devenir de las civilizaciones: interacciones entre el entorno humano, natural y cultural. Dykinson.In educational settings, non-professional performative projects have been used as a tool to help participants gain insights and valuable knowledge. Likewise, post-graduate professionals engage in research-through-practice, using reflective techniques in an investigative inquiry of performance, searching for knowledge and a more profound understanding of the processes at play from a creative performative perspective. So how can participants benefit from non-professional projects? What gains can be made through combining research-through-practice with non-professional performa- tive endeavors? What specific methods and techniques can be useful in developing awareness and experiential knowledge? At the University of Navarra (Spain), Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura y Di- seño (ETSAUN), Dr. Sef Hermans and Dr. Juan Luis Roquette worked with 36 fourth-year Design students in his class, “Scenography, a Creative and Performative Guide to Performance and Stage Design.” In small groups, students designed and per- formed their own modern scenography based on 19th century operas in a performative trailer. Alongside the benefits of collaborative experience, the class allowed students to explore aspects of design from a performative perspective. In this chapter, we consider potential benefits of such endeavors. Participants of Dr. Hermans’ class and other non-professional performative projects reported a variety of learning outcomes. Assessed aside research-through-practice investigations, we show how these non-professional performative programs may extend student experiences by integrating research-through-practice techniques

Los intérpretes y la academia. Una revisión de los debates en investigación performativa musical

Es un capítulo de: Guidobono, S. O. (2021). El devenir de las civilizaciones: interacciones entre el entorno humano, natural y cultural. Dykinson.La creciente demanda de los intérpretes a investigar en su propia disciplina artística, sin tener que necesariamente acercarse a otras áreas, añadida a la necesidad que muchos músicos han mostrado al querer investigar desde un punto de vista científico sobre sus propuestas artísticas, ha suscitado una amalgama de posturas en el mundo académico. Desde la defensa y reivindicación del intérprete musical como investigador y creador, surgen dilemas sobre la legitimidad, homologación o la validación académica de estas prácticas investigadoras, para su posterior evaluación como otro de sus puntos calientes. Estas figuras de investigador y creador, separadas tradicionalmente, emergen en una sola persona en la investigación performativa, lo que necesariamente influye tanto en el mundo académico como en las propuestas performativas resultantes. Aquí surge el debate de si es posible ser intérprete y observador al mismo tiempo, así como la validez o el interés que pudiera tener la auto-etnografía. En este texto se pretende reflexionar sobre estas y otras cuestiones dentro del paradigma de la investigación performativa y en la investigación creación, sin olvidar la vertiente educativa que resulta clave para todo el proceso. La artificial línea entre las diferentes disciplinas artísticas que se empezó a difuminar ya desde la aparición de propuestas artísticas que rompieron drásticamente con el modelo de concierto tradicional, el escenario clásico y el cuestionamiento del espacio, tienen ya una larga tradición de propuestas alternativas. En la Era Post-digital, el debate trasciende lo tangible, cuestionando incluso la presencia del público en el lugar de la acción o de cómo es esta presencia. En las siguientes líneas se plantean estos debates, definiciones, posicionamientos y cuestiones de interés para artistas performativos musicales y/o intérpretes creadores

Performative reflections: through the lens of José Ortiz Echagüe

Capítulo del libro: Guidobono, S. O. (2021). El devenir de las civilizaciones: interacciones entre el entorno humano, natural y cultural. Dykinson.The Museum University of Navarra (MUN) is home to the vast photographic output of José Ortiz Echagüe. Bequeathed to the University of Navarra in 1990, the collection led to the creation of a permanent exhibition space at the MUN in 2007. Since then, the photographs of Ortiz Echagüe have directly influenced and inspired many other artistic initiatives held at the Museum, with specific impact in contemporary dance. This article reflects on the connections between the photographic output of José Ortiz Echagüe and four dance productions. How do these photographs act as visual triggers for contemporary choreographers and creators? How do still images inspire movement and other elements of scenography? What are the creative processes involved in devis- ing movement to a bidimensional work of art? How does photography turn into per- formance art? How can these portrayals of 20th Century Spain be translated to our present? The goal of this chapter is threefold. On one hand, it aims to highlight the relevance of Ortiz Echagüe’s photographs at present, the timelessness of his portrayal of Spanish identity, and the relevance of this archive for modern-day creative productions in the art. On the other hand, it contributes to outlining the creative processes related to the creation of a photography-based dance production. Finally, this article will also act as an academic framework for a future artistic collaboration between the MUN and Farout, a Creative and Performative Artistic Research Collective