Veit Erlmann
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195123678
- eISBN:
- 9780199868797
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195123678.003.00017
- Subject:
- Music, Ethnomusicology, World Music
The story of the African Choir, Zulu Choir, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo is a story about the disjunctures and ambiguities of racial, national, and personal identities. As such, this story highlights ...
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The story of the African Choir, Zulu Choir, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo is a story about the disjunctures and ambiguities of racial, national, and personal identities. As such, this story highlights the specific black forms of modernity emerging from the diasporic connections between Africa and the West.Less
The story of the African Choir, Zulu Choir, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo is a story about the disjunctures and ambiguities of racial, national, and personal identities. As such, this story highlights the specific black forms of modernity emerging from the diasporic connections between Africa and the West.
Veit Erlmann
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195123678
- eISBN:
- 9780199868797
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195123678.003.0009
- Subject:
- Music, Ethnomusicology, World Music
This chapter bridges between the two parts of the book by bringing the story of the African Choir into the 20th century, as some of its members became prominent community leaders: Saul Msane as ...
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This chapter bridges between the two parts of the book by bringing the story of the African Choir into the 20th century, as some of its members became prominent community leaders: Saul Msane as co-founder of the ANC, Charlotte Manye as a leading force in the A.M.E., and Kate Manye as a prominent social worker.Less
This chapter bridges between the two parts of the book by bringing the story of the African Choir into the 20th century, as some of its members became prominent community leaders: Saul Msane as co-founder of the ANC, Charlotte Manye as a leading force in the A.M.E., and Kate Manye as a prominent social worker.
Terryl C. Givens
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195167115
- eISBN:
- 9780199785599
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195167115.003.0016
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Mormon music is a forum where originality and assimilation compete vigorously. Hymnody began by borrowing but also by employing the first original Mormon artistic productions. The Tabernacle Choir is ...
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Mormon music is a forum where originality and assimilation compete vigorously. Hymnody began by borrowing but also by employing the first original Mormon artistic productions. The Tabernacle Choir is still the most famous face of Mormon music today. Oratorios have given way to popular musicals.Less
Mormon music is a forum where originality and assimilation compete vigorously. Hymnody began by borrowing but also by employing the first original Mormon artistic productions. The Tabernacle Choir is still the most famous face of Mormon music today. Oratorios have given way to popular musicals.
Terryl C. Givens
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195167115
- eISBN:
- 9780199785599
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195167115.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Unlike most Christians, Mormons have always loved music and dance. From the Nauvoo Brass Band to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, music has been culturally central. Hymnody incorporates some of the very ...
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Unlike most Christians, Mormons have always loved music and dance. From the Nauvoo Brass Band to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, music has been culturally central. Hymnody incorporates some of the very first instances of Mormon cultural expression. Dancing schools were common in early Utah. The church's support for music not directed to a worship function has been slight.Less
Unlike most Christians, Mormons have always loved music and dance. From the Nauvoo Brass Band to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, music has been culturally central. Hymnody incorporates some of the very first instances of Mormon cultural expression. Dancing schools were common in early Utah. The church's support for music not directed to a worship function has been slight.
Derek B. Scott
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195309461
- eISBN:
- 9780199871254
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195309461.003.0003
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
Nineteenth-century bourgeois values were abundant, as were their ideological functions (thrift set against extravagance, self-help against dependence, hard work against idleness) but, where art and ...
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Nineteenth-century bourgeois values were abundant, as were their ideological functions (thrift set against extravagance, self-help against dependence, hard work against idleness) but, where art and entertainment were concerned, the key value in asserting moral leadership was respectability. It was something within the grasp of all, unlike the aristocratic notion of “good breeding”. It followed that recreation should be rational, designed to be improving, and not merely idle amusement. The rational and the recreational were linked together in the sight-singing movement. There were, of course, other kinds of musical activities to worry about: for instance, the moral propriety of the waltz, or the innuendo to be found in songs of the café-concert and music hall, or political songs. Yet, not even Gilbert and Sullivan are morally unimpeachable. A respectable moral tone is at its strongest in the drawing-room ballad, but even sterner moral fiber is found in temperance ballads.Less
Nineteenth-century bourgeois values were abundant, as were their ideological functions (thrift set against extravagance, self-help against dependence, hard work against idleness) but, where art and entertainment were concerned, the key value in asserting moral leadership was respectability. It was something within the grasp of all, unlike the aristocratic notion of “good breeding”. It followed that recreation should be rational, designed to be improving, and not merely idle amusement. The rational and the recreational were linked together in the sight-singing movement. There were, of course, other kinds of musical activities to worry about: for instance, the moral propriety of the waltz, or the innuendo to be found in songs of the café-concert and music hall, or political songs. Yet, not even Gilbert and Sullivan are morally unimpeachable. A respectable moral tone is at its strongest in the drawing-room ballad, but even sterner moral fiber is found in temperance ballads.
Katherine K. Preston
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- May 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780252043420
- eISBN:
- 9780252052309
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5622/illinois/9780252043420.001.0001
- Subject:
- Music, History, American
George Frederick Bristow (1825-1898), a pillar of the nineteenth-century New York musical community, was educated, lived, and worked in New York for his entire life. A skilled performer (piano, ...
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George Frederick Bristow (1825-1898), a pillar of the nineteenth-century New York musical community, was educated, lived, and worked in New York for his entire life. A skilled performer (piano, organ, violin, conducting), he was a decades-long member of the Philharmonic Societies of New York and Brooklyn, and conducted the Harmonic Society, Mendelssohn Union, numerous church choirs, and pickup choral and instrumental ensembles organized for special events. He taught music privately and in the public school system. Bristow’s professional activities were those of a highly skilled urban journeyman musician--typical of many who worked in America during the period. Bristow was a steadfast and outspoken supporter of American composers throughout his career. This started in 1854 with his participation--along with William Henry Fry and editor Richard Storrs Willis--in a months-long journalistic battle that centered on the Philharmonic Society’s lack of support for American composers, an activity that has dominated his historical reputation. But he was also a prolific composer: of five symphonies, two oratorios, an opera, many secular and sacred choral pieces, chamber music, songs, and works for piano and organ. As a quiet and self-effacing individual, Bristow was not a self-promoter. But many of his contemporaries regarded him as a skilled performer, a generous colleague, and the most important American classical composer during much of the mid-century period.Less
George Frederick Bristow (1825-1898), a pillar of the nineteenth-century New York musical community, was educated, lived, and worked in New York for his entire life. A skilled performer (piano, organ, violin, conducting), he was a decades-long member of the Philharmonic Societies of New York and Brooklyn, and conducted the Harmonic Society, Mendelssohn Union, numerous church choirs, and pickup choral and instrumental ensembles organized for special events. He taught music privately and in the public school system. Bristow’s professional activities were those of a highly skilled urban journeyman musician--typical of many who worked in America during the period. Bristow was a steadfast and outspoken supporter of American composers throughout his career. This started in 1854 with his participation--along with William Henry Fry and editor Richard Storrs Willis--in a months-long journalistic battle that centered on the Philharmonic Society’s lack of support for American composers, an activity that has dominated his historical reputation. But he was also a prolific composer: of five symphonies, two oratorios, an opera, many secular and sacred choral pieces, chamber music, songs, and works for piano and organ. As a quiet and self-effacing individual, Bristow was not a self-promoter. But many of his contemporaries regarded him as a skilled performer, a generous colleague, and the most important American classical composer during much of the mid-century period.
Veit Erlmann
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195123678
- eISBN:
- 9780199868797
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195123678.001.0001
- Subject:
- Music, Ethnomusicology, World Music
How do Western images of Africa and African representations of the West mirror one another? This book examines the complex issues involved in the making of modern identities in Africa, Europe, and ...
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How do Western images of Africa and African representations of the West mirror one another? This book examines the complex issues involved in the making of modern identities in Africa, Europe, and the US via a study of two striking episodes in the history of black South African music. The first is a pair of tours of two black South African choirs in England and America in the early 1890s; the second is a series of engagements with the international music industry as experienced by the premier choral group, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, after the release of Paul Simon's celebrated Graceland album in 1986.Less
How do Western images of Africa and African representations of the West mirror one another? This book examines the complex issues involved in the making of modern identities in Africa, Europe, and the US via a study of two striking episodes in the history of black South African music. The first is a pair of tours of two black South African choirs in England and America in the early 1890s; the second is a series of engagements with the international music industry as experienced by the premier choral group, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, after the release of Paul Simon's celebrated Graceland album in 1986.
Veit Erlmann
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195123678
- eISBN:
- 9780199868797
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195123678.003.0005
- Subject:
- Music, Ethnomusicology, World Music
The chapter describes the performances of the African Choir in England, focusing on the intersection of the emerging commodity aesthetics with race and gender. Situated at the heart of the conflicted ...
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The chapter describes the performances of the African Choir in England, focusing on the intersection of the emerging commodity aesthetics with race and gender. Situated at the heart of the conflicted construction of the metropolis and the colony, these performances highlighted the close interconnections between visual consumption and the ever widening contours of the global imagination of both colonizers and colonized.Less
The chapter describes the performances of the African Choir in England, focusing on the intersection of the emerging commodity aesthetics with race and gender. Situated at the heart of the conflicted construction of the metropolis and the colony, these performances highlighted the close interconnections between visual consumption and the ever widening contours of the global imagination of both colonizers and colonized.
Reid L. Neilson
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195384031
- eISBN:
- 9780199918324
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195384031.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
Although the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's appointed role always has been its musical offerings for church meetings, its primary mission, since the Manifesto of 1890, has been to create a new and ...
More
Although the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's appointed role always has been its musical offerings for church meetings, its primary mission, since the Manifesto of 1890, has been to create a new and improved image of Mormonism. In August 1893, two hundred and fifty of the Tabernacle Choir's best singers (along with several members of its management and staff) traveled from Utah to Illinois. There they competed in a Welsh eisteddfod—a musical competition held in conjunction with the Chicago World's Fair—against the leading choirs of the United States and Great Britain. Placing second in the highly competitive choral contest, the Tabernacle Choir vaulted their religion into the national spotlight. This chapter describes how and why heretofore-loathed leaders and laity were overwhelmed by the kindness and acceptance they received from the “Gentile” world on this trip to the eisteddfod. The Chicago World's Fair seemed to mark a new dawn for the public image of Mormonism, at least as a cultural institution.Less
Although the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's appointed role always has been its musical offerings for church meetings, its primary mission, since the Manifesto of 1890, has been to create a new and improved image of Mormonism. In August 1893, two hundred and fifty of the Tabernacle Choir's best singers (along with several members of its management and staff) traveled from Utah to Illinois. There they competed in a Welsh eisteddfod—a musical competition held in conjunction with the Chicago World's Fair—against the leading choirs of the United States and Great Britain. Placing second in the highly competitive choral contest, the Tabernacle Choir vaulted their religion into the national spotlight. This chapter describes how and why heretofore-loathed leaders and laity were overwhelmed by the kindness and acceptance they received from the “Gentile” world on this trip to the eisteddfod. The Chicago World's Fair seemed to mark a new dawn for the public image of Mormonism, at least as a cultural institution.
David Manning
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195182392
- eISBN:
- 9780199851485
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195182392.003.0021
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
The formula in choral singing is strongly is emphasized in the village choral festivals, wherein each choir singing by itself sounds feeble and tentative, but when combined in one big choir suddenly ...
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The formula in choral singing is strongly is emphasized in the village choral festivals, wherein each choir singing by itself sounds feeble and tentative, but when combined in one big choir suddenly finds its powers increased tenfold. This chapter describes the early Leith Hill Festivals in the opening passages of Charles Wood's “Full Fathom Five,” where the rather poor efforts of six shy singers by themselves were converted into a sonorous confident crowd. Choral singing is a great art, but to become so it has to imbibe some of the qualities of a great game, and it is those very characteristics that go to make a good footballer or a good cricketer. So it is with a good choral singer. These qualities, it is true, refer more to the craftsman than to the artist, but if craft without art is dead, art without craft is impotent.Less
The formula in choral singing is strongly is emphasized in the village choral festivals, wherein each choir singing by itself sounds feeble and tentative, but when combined in one big choir suddenly finds its powers increased tenfold. This chapter describes the early Leith Hill Festivals in the opening passages of Charles Wood's “Full Fathom Five,” where the rather poor efforts of six shy singers by themselves were converted into a sonorous confident crowd. Choral singing is a great art, but to become so it has to imbibe some of the qualities of a great game, and it is those very characteristics that go to make a good footballer or a good cricketer. So it is with a good choral singer. These qualities, it is true, refer more to the craftsman than to the artist, but if craft without art is dead, art without craft is impotent.
David Manning
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195182392
- eISBN:
- 9780199851485
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195182392.003.0095
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
The policy of performing the cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach with a chorus of 300 in a hall capable of holding over 2,000 may seem to some to be hazardous. Truly, the ideal way to give such music ...
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The policy of performing the cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach with a chorus of 300 in a hall capable of holding over 2,000 may seem to some to be hazardous. Truly, the ideal way to give such music is by a small choir in a small building. It seems then to be a question of 300 voices or no cantatas, for the third course, that of keeping the majority of the chorus silent in all except the noisier numbers, is unthinkable in the case of a society such as the Bach Choir, which lives through the enthusiasm of its members. It is hoped, therefore, that the beauty of these cantatas will make itself felt under any conditions and in any circumstances, provided that the performers bring their minds and their hearts to the work. Three complete cantatas are performed tonight: “Jesus took unto Him the Twelve,” “Stay with us,” and “The Sages of Sheba.”Less
The policy of performing the cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach with a chorus of 300 in a hall capable of holding over 2,000 may seem to some to be hazardous. Truly, the ideal way to give such music is by a small choir in a small building. It seems then to be a question of 300 voices or no cantatas, for the third course, that of keeping the majority of the chorus silent in all except the noisier numbers, is unthinkable in the case of a society such as the Bach Choir, which lives through the enthusiasm of its members. It is hoped, therefore, that the beauty of these cantatas will make itself felt under any conditions and in any circumstances, provided that the performers bring their minds and their hearts to the work. Three complete cantatas are performed tonight: “Jesus took unto Him the Twelve,” “Stay with us,” and “The Sages of Sheba.”
Karen B. Westerfield Tucker
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195126983
- eISBN:
- 9780199834754
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019512698X.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
Singing and meditating upon hymns has been a characteristic of Methodism since its beginning. Hymnals functioned both as prayer books and as theological primers; changing patterns and emphases in the ...
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Singing and meditating upon hymns has been a characteristic of Methodism since its beginning. Hymnals functioned both as prayer books and as theological primers; changing patterns and emphases in the organization of the official hymnals testify to shifts in perspectives, piety, and practices. The evolution of the hymn books, tune books, and music practices also reveal a tendency to adapt to the broader culture, though these changes did not come without controversy. Prohibitions against the use of choirs (in favor of congregational singing) and musical instruments were soon relaxed, and various popular musical styles were adopted.Less
Singing and meditating upon hymns has been a characteristic of Methodism since its beginning. Hymnals functioned both as prayer books and as theological primers; changing patterns and emphases in the organization of the official hymnals testify to shifts in perspectives, piety, and practices. The evolution of the hymn books, tune books, and music practices also reveal a tendency to adapt to the broader culture, though these changes did not come without controversy. Prohibitions against the use of choirs (in favor of congregational singing) and musical instruments were soon relaxed, and various popular musical styles were adopted.
Reid Neilson
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195384031
- eISBN:
- 9780199918324
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195384031.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
The 1893 Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World’s Fair, presented the Latter‐day Saints with their first post‐polygamy opportunity to exhibit the best of Mormonism for a national and ...
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The 1893 Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World’s Fair, presented the Latter‐day Saints with their first post‐polygamy opportunity to exhibit the best of Mormonism for a national and an international audience. The Columbian Exposition also marked the dramatic reengagement of the LDS Church with the non‐Mormon world after decades of seclusion in the Great Basin. Between May and October 1893, over seven thousand Latter‐day Saints from Utah attended the international spectacle popularly described as the “White City.” While many traveled as tourists, oblivious to the opportunities to “exhibit” Mormonism, others actively participated to improve their church’s public image. Hundreds of congregants helped create, manage, and staff their territory’s impressive exhibit hall; most believed their besieged religion would benefit from Utah’s increased national profile. Moreover, a good number of Latter‐day Saint women represented the female interests and achievements of both Utah and its dominant religion. These women hoped to use the Chicago World’s Fair as a platform to improve the social status of their gender and their religion. That summer two hundred and fifty of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s best singers competed in a Welsh eisteddfod, a musical competition held in conjunction with the Chicago World’s Fair, and Mormon apologist Brigham H. Roberts sought to gain LDS representation at the affiliated Parliament of Religions. My book explores how Latter‐day Saints attempted to “exhibit” themselves to the outside world before, during, and after the Columbian Exposition. Indeed, I argue that their participation in the 1893 Columbian Exposition was a watershed moment in the Mormon migration to the American mainstream and its leadership’s discovery of public relations efforts. The exposition marked the dramatic reengagement of the LDS Church with the outside, non-Mormon world after decades of isolation in America’s Great Basin desert. After 1893, Mormon leaders sought to exhibit their faith rather than be exhibited by others.Less
The 1893 Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World’s Fair, presented the Latter‐day Saints with their first post‐polygamy opportunity to exhibit the best of Mormonism for a national and an international audience. The Columbian Exposition also marked the dramatic reengagement of the LDS Church with the non‐Mormon world after decades of seclusion in the Great Basin. Between May and October 1893, over seven thousand Latter‐day Saints from Utah attended the international spectacle popularly described as the “White City.” While many traveled as tourists, oblivious to the opportunities to “exhibit” Mormonism, others actively participated to improve their church’s public image. Hundreds of congregants helped create, manage, and staff their territory’s impressive exhibit hall; most believed their besieged religion would benefit from Utah’s increased national profile. Moreover, a good number of Latter‐day Saint women represented the female interests and achievements of both Utah and its dominant religion. These women hoped to use the Chicago World’s Fair as a platform to improve the social status of their gender and their religion. That summer two hundred and fifty of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s best singers competed in a Welsh eisteddfod, a musical competition held in conjunction with the Chicago World’s Fair, and Mormon apologist Brigham H. Roberts sought to gain LDS representation at the affiliated Parliament of Religions. My book explores how Latter‐day Saints attempted to “exhibit” themselves to the outside world before, during, and after the Columbian Exposition. Indeed, I argue that their participation in the 1893 Columbian Exposition was a watershed moment in the Mormon migration to the American mainstream and its leadership’s discovery of public relations efforts. The exposition marked the dramatic reengagement of the LDS Church with the outside, non-Mormon world after decades of isolation in America’s Great Basin desert. After 1893, Mormon leaders sought to exhibit their faith rather than be exhibited by others.
Alf Gabrielsson
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199695225
- eISBN:
- 9780191729775
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199695225.003.0027
- Subject:
- Psychology, Music Psychology, Social Psychology
Singing in a choir is something that hundreds of thousands of people in Sweden are involved in. Choirs of all types are to be found throughout the country, even in small communities, ranging from ...
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Singing in a choir is something that hundreds of thousands of people in Sweden are involved in. Choirs of all types are to be found throughout the country, even in small communities, ranging from amateur choirs to fully or semi-professional choirs. Swedish choir singing is thus wide-ranging and can also display choirs that belong to the world elite in their field. This chapter presents accounts of strong experiences with music in connection with choir singing. The accounts are divided into four sections: choir singing during childhood and adolescence, singing in large choirs, choir singing in church/religious contexts, and choir singing in other, unusual surroundings.Less
Singing in a choir is something that hundreds of thousands of people in Sweden are involved in. Choirs of all types are to be found throughout the country, even in small communities, ranging from amateur choirs to fully or semi-professional choirs. Swedish choir singing is thus wide-ranging and can also display choirs that belong to the world elite in their field. This chapter presents accounts of strong experiences with music in connection with choir singing. The accounts are divided into four sections: choir singing during childhood and adolescence, singing in large choirs, choir singing in church/religious contexts, and choir singing in other, unusual surroundings.
Andrew Gurr
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198129776
- eISBN:
- 9780191671852
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198129776.003.0013
- Subject:
- Literature, Shakespeare Studies, Drama
When the boy companies first started playing professionally for money in the 1570s, they had a long pedigree to support them. Choristers and boys ...
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When the boy companies first started playing professionally for money in the 1570s, they had a long pedigree to support them. Choristers and boys from the grammar schools were used to staging plays as part of the educational tradition that exploited playing to improve speech and body language, the art of the orator manifest in ‘pronunciation and gesture’. Boys in the choir schools at St Paul’s, Westminster, and the Chapel Royal in Windsor were the main stage players, backed intermittently by the non-singing schools such as Paul’s and the Merchant Taylors’. These early groups, or rather their teachers and choirmasters, maintained with varying degrees of truth the claim that their play-acting was part of the educational curriculum. This chapter looks at the history of the early boy playing companies of London, their performances, the plays they performed, and the playhouses where they performed.Less
When the boy companies first started playing professionally for money in the 1570s, they had a long pedigree to support them. Choristers and boys from the grammar schools were used to staging plays as part of the educational tradition that exploited playing to improve speech and body language, the art of the orator manifest in ‘pronunciation and gesture’. Boys in the choir schools at St Paul’s, Westminster, and the Chapel Royal in Windsor were the main stage players, backed intermittently by the non-singing schools such as Paul’s and the Merchant Taylors’. These early groups, or rather their teachers and choirmasters, maintained with varying degrees of truth the claim that their play-acting was part of the educational curriculum. This chapter looks at the history of the early boy playing companies of London, their performances, the plays they performed, and the playhouses where they performed.
Margaret S. Barrett
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199214389
- eISBN:
- 9780191594779
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199214389.003.0011
- Subject:
- Psychology, Social Psychology, Music Psychology
The life and learning experience of a cathedral chorister is a unique one. The domain of musical practice in which the cathedral chorister participates has been shaped around the sound of the boys' ...
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The life and learning experience of a cathedral chorister is a unique one. The domain of musical practice in which the cathedral chorister participates has been shaped around the sound of the boys' voice prior to adolescence and the attendant physiological changes that occur at that time. Unlike other musical practices in which young people participate, the performance peak for a chorister occurs around the ages of twelve or thirteen years. Once the processes of voice change commence, the unique sound qualities of the cathedral chorister can be overlaid by the unpredictable ‘cracks’ and ‘swoops’ of the developing male voice. Nevertheless, in a relatively short period of time — about five years — many cathedral choristers develop musical expertise and perform at the highest levels. How does this occur? What individual, social, and/or cultural conditions support the development of this early expert performance? What might we learn about the acquisition of expertise through the study of this practice? This chapter explores these questions through an account of a longitudinal narrative case-study investigation of life and learning in an English cathedral choir.Less
The life and learning experience of a cathedral chorister is a unique one. The domain of musical practice in which the cathedral chorister participates has been shaped around the sound of the boys' voice prior to adolescence and the attendant physiological changes that occur at that time. Unlike other musical practices in which young people participate, the performance peak for a chorister occurs around the ages of twelve or thirteen years. Once the processes of voice change commence, the unique sound qualities of the cathedral chorister can be overlaid by the unpredictable ‘cracks’ and ‘swoops’ of the developing male voice. Nevertheless, in a relatively short period of time — about five years — many cathedral choristers develop musical expertise and perform at the highest levels. How does this occur? What individual, social, and/or cultural conditions support the development of this early expert performance? What might we learn about the acquisition of expertise through the study of this practice? This chapter explores these questions through an account of a longitudinal narrative case-study investigation of life and learning in an English cathedral choir.
Reid L. Neilson
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195384031
- eISBN:
- 9780199918324
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195384031.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
The successes, as well as the failures, at Chicago helped LDS leaders realize the importance of exhibiting their ecclesiastical institution as a culturally advanced society thereafter. Striving for ...
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The successes, as well as the failures, at Chicago helped LDS leaders realize the importance of exhibiting their ecclesiastical institution as a culturally advanced society thereafter. Striving for Utah statehood as well as religious legitimacy, LDS leaders who ventured to the White City in 1893 became convinced of the image-shaping utility of such gatherings. While in Chicago, Mormons sensed the importance, from a public relations perspective, of deemphasizing polarizing spiritual beliefs and practices and instead highlighting their religion's cultural contributions. Rather than stressing the despised LDS theology and reviled cosmology, church members showcased their territory's natural resources, the progressive contributions of their women and young ladies, and the musical prowess of the Tabernacle Choir. From henceforth, Mormons sought to exhibit themselves, rather than be exhibited by others.Less
The successes, as well as the failures, at Chicago helped LDS leaders realize the importance of exhibiting their ecclesiastical institution as a culturally advanced society thereafter. Striving for Utah statehood as well as religious legitimacy, LDS leaders who ventured to the White City in 1893 became convinced of the image-shaping utility of such gatherings. While in Chicago, Mormons sensed the importance, from a public relations perspective, of deemphasizing polarizing spiritual beliefs and practices and instead highlighting their religion's cultural contributions. Rather than stressing the despised LDS theology and reviled cosmology, church members showcased their territory's natural resources, the progressive contributions of their women and young ladies, and the musical prowess of the Tabernacle Choir. From henceforth, Mormons sought to exhibit themselves, rather than be exhibited by others.
Stephen Clift
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199586974
- eISBN:
- 9780191738357
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199586974.003.0009
- Subject:
- Psychology, Music Psychology, Health Psychology
This chapter begins with an overview of non-clinical studies involving existing community choirs and singing groups or which have established singing groups for purposes of research. The focus then ...
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This chapter begins with an overview of non-clinical studies involving existing community choirs and singing groups or which have established singing groups for purposes of research. The focus then shifts to therapeutically oriented research investigating the value of singing for people with specific health or social care needs. The chapter concludes with a brief outline of the work of the Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health, and its efforts to develop an integrated and progressive programme of research on singing, wellbeing, and health.Less
This chapter begins with an overview of non-clinical studies involving existing community choirs and singing groups or which have established singing groups for purposes of research. The focus then shifts to therapeutically oriented research investigating the value of singing for people with specific health or social care needs. The chapter concludes with a brief outline of the work of the Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health, and its efforts to develop an integrated and progressive programme of research on singing, wellbeing, and health.
Marjorie Garson
- Published in print:
- 1991
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198122234
- eISBN:
- 9780191671371
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198122234.003.0002
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century and Victorian Literature
In his comments in the Author's Preface in Under the Greenwood Tree, Hardy points out that the titles of the novel demonstrate a dualism. The final title as its subtitle — A Rural Painting of the ...
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In his comments in the Author's Preface in Under the Greenwood Tree, Hardy points out that the titles of the novel demonstrate a dualism. The final title as its subtitle — A Rural Painting of the Dutch School — illustrate how the novel maintains a pastoral identity. The book's original title, The Mellstock Choir suggests that pastoralism has limits since the main subject of this narrative is about the extinction of the choir. The ideals of the traditional pastoral are qualified through how Hardy set them against the 1840s world of Dorset. This world was characterized with time, death, courtship, and marriage; and the dream of a classical golden age was portrayed much through the syllogistic discussion of honey-taking.Less
In his comments in the Author's Preface in Under the Greenwood Tree, Hardy points out that the titles of the novel demonstrate a dualism. The final title as its subtitle — A Rural Painting of the Dutch School — illustrate how the novel maintains a pastoral identity. The book's original title, The Mellstock Choir suggests that pastoralism has limits since the main subject of this narrative is about the extinction of the choir. The ideals of the traditional pastoral are qualified through how Hardy set them against the 1840s world of Dorset. This world was characterized with time, death, courtship, and marriage; and the dream of a classical golden age was portrayed much through the syllogistic discussion of honey-taking.
Robert M. Marovich
- Published in print:
- 2021
- Published Online:
- May 2022
- ISBN:
- 9780252044113
- eISBN:
- 9780252053054
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5622/illinois/9780252044113.001.0001
- Subject:
- Music, Popular
One evening in September 1963, the Angelic Choir of the First Baptist Church of Nutley, New Jersey, assembled in nearby Newark to record their third live album with gospel music’s rising star, James ...
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One evening in September 1963, the Angelic Choir of the First Baptist Church of Nutley, New Jersey, assembled in nearby Newark to record their third live album with gospel music’s rising star, James Cleveland. Nobody that evening could have predicted the album’s overwhelming popularity. For two years, Peace Be Still and its haunting title track held top positions on gospel radio and record sales charts. The album is reported to have sold as many as 300,000 copies by 1966 and 800,000 copies by the early 1970s—figures normally achieved by pop artists. Nearly sixty years later, the album still sells. Of the thousands of gospel records released in the early 1960s, why did Peace Be Still become the most successful and longest lasting? To answer this question, the book details the careers of the album’s musical architects, the Reverends Lawrence Roberts and James Cleveland. It provides a history of the First Baptist Church and the Angelic Choir, explores the vibrant gospel music community of Newark and the roots of live recordings of gospel, and, most important, assesses the sociopolitical environment in which the album was created. By exploring the album’s sonic and lyrical themes and contextualizing them with comments by participants in the recording session, the book challenges long-held assumptions about the album and offers new interpretations in keeping with the singers’ original intent.Less
One evening in September 1963, the Angelic Choir of the First Baptist Church of Nutley, New Jersey, assembled in nearby Newark to record their third live album with gospel music’s rising star, James Cleveland. Nobody that evening could have predicted the album’s overwhelming popularity. For two years, Peace Be Still and its haunting title track held top positions on gospel radio and record sales charts. The album is reported to have sold as many as 300,000 copies by 1966 and 800,000 copies by the early 1970s—figures normally achieved by pop artists. Nearly sixty years later, the album still sells. Of the thousands of gospel records released in the early 1960s, why did Peace Be Still become the most successful and longest lasting? To answer this question, the book details the careers of the album’s musical architects, the Reverends Lawrence Roberts and James Cleveland. It provides a history of the First Baptist Church and the Angelic Choir, explores the vibrant gospel music community of Newark and the roots of live recordings of gospel, and, most important, assesses the sociopolitical environment in which the album was created. By exploring the album’s sonic and lyrical themes and contextualizing them with comments by participants in the recording session, the book challenges long-held assumptions about the album and offers new interpretations in keeping with the singers’ original intent.
