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Opera and ideology in Prague / Brian S. Locke.
| Author/creator | Locke, Brian S., 1972- |
| Format | Book |
| Publication Info | Rochester, NY : University of Rochester Press, 2006. |
| Description | xix, 431 pages : illustrations, music ; 24 cm. |
| Subjects |
| Series | Eastman studies in music Eastman studies in music. ^A494093 |
| Contents | Introduction: nationalism, modernism, and the social responsibility of art in Prague -- Smetana, Hostinský, and the aesthetic debates of the nineteenth century -- Legacies, ideologies, and responsibilities: the polemics of the pre-independence years (1900-1918) -- "Archetypes who live, rejoice, and suffer": Czech opera in the fin de siècle -- The pathology of the new society: debates in the early years of the First Republic (1918-24) -- Infinite melody, ruthless polyphony: Czech modernism in the early Republic -- "A crisis of modern music or audience?": changing attitudes to cultural and stylistic pluralism (1925-30) -- "I have rent my soul in two": divergent directions for Czech opera in the late 1920s -- Heaven on earth: socialism, jazz, and a new aesthetic focus (1930-38) -- "A sad optimism, the happiness of the resigned": extremes of operatic expression in the 1930s -- The ideological debates of Prague within a European context. |
| Abstract | An overview of the history of the Prague musical community from 1900 until the end of democracy in 1938, with attention to polemics about "Czechness" and "modernism." This study presents a history and analysis of the Prague musical community from 1900 until the end of democracy in 1938. This book not only narrates the fascinating history of a local musical community but also reveals much about music and culture in Europe. The fin-de-siècle period was dominated by the musicologist Zdenek Nejedly's polemics regarding the competing "legacies" of Smetana and Dvorák and the merits of modernism. After Czech independence in 1918, a new generation of musicians accepted modernist foreign influences only with extreme hesitation. The 1926 Prague premiere of Berg's opera Wozzeck and the ascendancy of a young group of avant-garde composers changed the cultural climate entirely, providing new ground for the exploration of jazz, neo-classicism, quarter tones, and socialist music. As the Czechoslovak Republic drew to a close, a resurgence of nationalism appeared in the musical expressions of both Czechs and German-Bohemians. The analyses of operas and tone poems by Novák, Ostrcil, Zich, Jeremiás, Hába, Kricka, and Suk provide a cross-section of musical life in early twentieth-century Prague, as well as a series of interpretations of Czech cultural identity. Populist endeavors such as jazz and neo-classicism represented some of the ways in which composers of the 1930s attempted to regain anaudience alienated by modernism: in this respect, the trends in Prague mirrored those of the rest of Europe. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 389-418) and index. |
| LCCN | 2006020813 |
| ISBN | 1580462286 (hardcover : alk. paper) |
| ISBN | 9781580462280 |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Music | Music Stacks | ML1724.8.P7 L63 2006 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |