The idea that has been most impactful, interesting and consistently relevant throughout this semester has been the degree to which French musicians of this time really were in the business of invention; always trying to find new ways to set themselves apart from the Germans and to reinvigorate their own music. From the very beginning […]
One thing that I’ve found both exciting and challenging is sifting through all the primary source documents in French. I’m currently taking French 112, so I have some basic language skills, but I’m definitely not to the point where I can skim and get an accurate idea of a source’s contents. For each of the […]
Both Dorf and Moore argue retroactively for queer readings of pieces that have been typically interpreted in more traditional ways. Both are convincing to some degree, but Dorf less than Moore. I find Dorf to be less persuasive because his argument is more assumption based than fact based.1 He derives his queer reading from two […]
If asked, I believe that many 1920s Parisians would have said that they really did love, respect, and celebrate African American art and artists. These Parisians would likely cite how exciting it was to watch. They would likely have similar responses to the 1920s critic André Levinson, who said that “their extravagant technique would put […]
Serge Koussevitzky was one of the most important conductors and patrons during the first half of the 20th century. Unfortunately, information on him (especially during his time living in Paris) is limited. Most of the writing I have been able to find on him only addresses him briefly, and really is focused on another figure […]
To me, the most relatable aspect of the material we’ve studied has been the idea that nationality is always at the core of the art anyone produces. Milhuad writes in his article “The Evolution of Modern Music in Paris and Vienna” that tradition “depends not only upon the taste, personal tendencies, or fancy of the […]