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Sedulius is a rather shadowy figure, though he himself describes a circle of Christian devotees, probably in Italy, to which he belongs. Almost exactly one hundred years later than Juvencus – this chapter includes a brief survey of the significant developments in Christian poetry in that time – Sedulius differs notably from him, concentrating for the most part on the New Testament miracles, which he elaborates with powerful rhetoric. Each of his five books is examined in turn, with particular attention to the first, introductory book, in which his ingenious and obviously admiring uses of Vergil are prominent. Sedulius's strong theological position centres on his attacks on the controversial Nestorius, but it is also clear throughout the work, that he too engages thoughtfully with the diction and artistry of Vergil (though not, it is argued, with his hero Aeneas).

Through storytelling, play, and journals, Nagar examines the learning processes that unfolded during the six month long process of making Hansa, Karo Puratan Baat, a play based on a collective reinterpretation of Munshi Premchand's short story, 'Kafan.' The twenty people who came together to create Hansa are migrants from seven states of India who now work in Mumbai as domestic workers or as aspiring or underemployed film actors ("strugglers"). In the process of wrestling with sociopolitical, geographical, and linguistic hierarchies, these actors articulate a situated solidarity with the worldviews of those who are dismissed as rural, Dalit, uneducated, and poor. They reimagine the aesthetics and ethics of artistry through an embodied immersion in the politics of casteism, communalism, patriarchy, uneven development, and poverty in India.

This epilogue traces the themes and concerns of the previous chapters throughout the Ars Poetica's considerable reception history. If the Ars Poetica's poetic qualities have not always been clear to scholars of literature, they seem to have been more evident to the practicing writers who, inspired by Horace's poem, wrote artes poeticae of their own. Indeed, practicing poets have long discerned what many literary scholars have not: that the poem's value lies not so much in its stated contents as in its fine-spun internal unity; in its interest in human nature and the onward march of time; in the importance of criticism—both giving and receiving it—to the artistic process; and in the essential sameness of writing, of making art, and of living, loving, being, and even dying. The argument made in this study for reading the Ars Poetica as a literary achievement in its own right may therefore be viewed as a return to the complex, nuanced ways in which it was already read in the Middle Ages, through the sixteenth century, and into the twenty-first. The authors of the later works examined in this chapter read the Ars Poetica as exemplifying and instantiating the sort of artistry that it opaquely commands, and they reflected this in turn through their own verses.

The only language in which genuine classical poetry is created is the language of the working people. When folk poets such as Homer walked around reciting their poetry to the people, their language was the language of the people. However, in the course of generations, the language of the people became raw material also in the hands of those whose situation in society had changed and allowed them to live a more intuitive life. As an expression of their life, they created the second language for themselves: the language of literature. Thus, a certain distance was created between literature and the people; and the real life of the people, the life of the worker, remained without a poetic or expression of artistry. Thus the seed of jealousy and class hatred, that chronic social illness, was born. A cure for these ills can only come if the working people will also be the creating people.

There’s poetry in wax. From Pygmalion’s ivory Galatea turning waxen to the touch, to the anatomical Venuses strewn erotically across the halls of La Specola in Florence, or wax mannequins melting slowly on celluloid, the haptic nature of the medium is intrinsically uncanny. Lifelike statues have been haunting our visual history for centuries, and as Kenneth Gross has aptly remarked, the idea of a statue coming to life could be bound to the opposing thought: that the statue was once something living. It is precisely this tension that lies at the heart of a number of films inspired by the wax museum and its mostly static inhabitants. This cultural phenomenon was made most famous by Madame Tussaud, who by the end of the eighteenth century had risen to fame crafting wax counterparts of notorious individuals. The wax creations’ semblance of life has unnerved visitors ever since, and cinema was quick to pick up on the mysteries of the wax museum, trying its best to transfer the magic of the medium to celluloid.

This chapter discusses the efforts of Ben Stinner and Bob Bargar to find a way to get the message of sustainable agriculture out to the public and to farmers being overwhelmed by high chemical, fuel, and machinery costs. Barger's idea came from the question of whether or not they could harness the activities in the arts in local communities to tell the story. During the course of their planning, they hit upon the idea of using photochoreography, which had previously been used by James Westwater. This process combines multiscreen slideshows with orchestral performances of classical music that fit the subject of the images. This sparked a trend of using classical music to underline the artistry latent in farming, and it highlights the influence of farming on more recognized kinds of classical music.

This chapter reviews the American-Renaissance construction, which lost a lot of its credibility during the 1960s and 1970s, looking at the post-Kantian Whitmanian moment, and describing Whitman's image of the American poetry. It suggests that reductionism can be solved if one views literary production as a kind of imaginary world-making that cuts across strict world–art oppositions, such as socio-political expressiveness versus stylistic artistry.

This chapter considers how legato (from the Italian verb legare, meaning to bind or tie) is achieved in singing. Legato is the result of binding one sound to the next. There is a strong conviction among vocal cognoscenti that excellence in singing can exist only by mastering the art of legato. Traditional vocal literatures call for a high degree of stable legato singing. As with any musical instrument, in the singing voice it is the progression of uninterrupted sound that permits legato. If the segments of a sung phrase go forward in contiguous fashion, legato is the un-induced result. Vocal legato depends upon continuity of vocal sound. It is essential to all cultivated vocalism, as well as efficient vocal production and artistry.

This chapter comments on the tendency of some singers to produce one constant volume of tone when singing, with no variation of timbre throughout an aria or an evening. “Softness,” a vocal timbre not necessarily related to piano dynamic level, when occasionally introduced in contrast to stabilized timbre, can be exceedingly effective in shaping the character of an aria or song. But except for those instances where imminent death or psychological devastation is to be portrayed, no singer dare continually reduce the innate beauty of vocal tone in the hope of becoming more expressive. No singer can afford extended departures from good vocal timbre in an attempt to be “artistic.” Vocal style and artistry should not rob one of good vocalism. Producing tone appropriate to the dying Gilda is not the way to sing publicly.

This chapter considers creative practicing and how it can improve a singer's vocal technique and artistry. Creative practicing means creatively using the information given during voice lessons, and can take place only if it is based on specifics, with an understanding as to what is to be accomplished. Each solution opens up the possibility for additional progress. Every practice session should build on the creative excitement of solutions previously offered in the studio. Creative practicing allows the voice teacher to redirect youthful energy and enthusiasm without diminishing valuable assets. In the practice room, the student should sing a series of vocalises as though performing before an audience. The physical joy of singing must always be present. The practice room becomes a friendly and exciting place where vocal technique and artistry are united.

This chapter focuses on singers who dream of bowing in acknowledgment before an audience that appreciates skillful vocalism, but are unwilling to undertake the drilling tasks that would ensure consistency in performance. Performance skills cannot be developed unless the singer, like the young soccer player, is willing to monitor performance. It is not enough to “have something to say” if the channels for saying it have not been established. Artistic insight and intuition cannot be realized if the technical tools for their expression are lacking. Singing, like soccer, requires the willingness to practice certain coordinations that will then become reflex actions. No singer can hope to exhibit artistry until the basic rules of the craft have been mastered. That craft is acquired only as part of a total discipline.

This chapter considers the notion that singing is an instinctive and artistic endeavor that should not be influenced by factual information regarding the acoustics of the singing voice. Artistry and the instinct for singing are present in the performance of any fine singer, but the question is whether both can find ready expression when technical impediments remain. There is an argument against the use of available scientific information, presumably because it is irreconcilable with artistic, instinctive singing. The voice teacher, it is argued, should leave acoustics to the acoustician and questions regarding physiological function and health to scientists and doctors. This chapter argues that openness of mind to varying aesthetics of the singing voice should be promoted; that there simply is no one way to sing; and that artistry is not only instinctive, but also acquired.

This chapter considers the technique-versus-artistry debate in singing. The increasing interest in functional aspects of the singing voice may be expected to cause a degree of apprehension among teachers who have not yet had an opportunity to acquaint themselves with the developing body of literature on the use and care of the professional voice. This comes largely because of an understandable concern that some long-held assumptions may be called into question. Such anxiety has led, in some quarters, to the setting up of a pedagogical “straw man,” a caricature of functional vocal instruction that can be toppled easily. This straw-man construction consists of the notion that vocal technique based on physiology and acoustics should be mastered before turning to musical and artistic factors. A crucial question that arises is whether vocal technique should be taught independently of artistry, one that creates a “science” versus “art” dichotomy in vocal pedagogy.

This concluding chapter summarizes the primary aims of this book, which includes the following: to develop artistry in new and authentic ways; to discover innovation in bringing music to live performance and historic recordings, to offer educational residencies that transform public schools; and to realize in this process a way of prevailing in the music profession. These goals are surely to be realized in the near future if there is to be a continuous flow of wisdom, collaboration, and regeneration from music professionals or the so-called “musician's co-op”.

This chapter concludes that the role of teachers is to reflect on what they do and what they know, and to pass it along to their students. Music teaching is like any art that requires more than brief consideration. It needs an ongoing analysis, exploration, and practice since a teacher's expertise will be revealed not by what they do, but what their students do. The chapter states that teachers can be effective in teaching by nurturing their artistry through practicing and performing as much as possible. They should also remember to see themselves and their musical life in a bigger picture, and be willing to extend their influence beyond their immediate situation.

This introductory chapter provides a brief background of the book, arguing that the writings from the past should not entirely become the basis of conclusions about real events. This applies especially to writers who are self-conscious about their powers and those who are writing publicly for large readerships. The chapter presents five of the most significant narrators of the Civil War: Abraham Lincoln, Walt Whitman, William Tecumseh Sherman, Ambrose Bierce, and Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. It also describes what can happen when discussions of historical detail complement verbal artistry.

This chapter describes interactions between Abraham Lincoln and Ralph Waldo Emerson, providing important details on their conversations. It describes Emerson's initial impression of the president, looking closely at Lincoln's mind habits as a lawyer. Furthermore, it examines Lincoln's two most famous speeches, attempting to balance new thoughts about both thinkers' verbal artistry with attention to their military historical background.

This chapter explores how, by embracing and selling racial difference, black musicians were able to become leading cultural innovators, symbols of modern black representation, and central players in the formation of modern American culture. This emerging racial formation was essentially strengthened by its diversity within the Manhattan marketplace. The popularity of ragtime empowered African American musicians to intervene in the city's local—but nationalizing—commercial culture industries with new and inventive musical commodities that, in turn, further propelled black innovators to the top of Manhattan markets. This reflexive, mutually propelling circuit promoted the increase of black artistry alongside the expansion of New York culture industries such as song publishing, musical theater, and vaudeville. It reinforced the idea that African American entertainers were some of the best in New York City and, increasingly, throughout America.