Author:
Shadle, Douglas W. author.
ImprintNew York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2021]
Descriptionxix, 182 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm.
Note:Prologue. The Big Problem -- The Welcome Arrival -- The Symphonic Premiere -- The Aesthetic Conflict -- The National Question -- The Brewing Storm -- The Fiery Debate -- The Racial Challenge -- The Spiritual Aftermath -- Epilogue. The New World -- Appendix. The Musical Tornado.
Bibliography Note:Includes bibliographical references (pages 175-176) and index.
Note:"Antonín Dvorák's New World Symphony exposed the deep wounds of American racism at the dawn of the Jim Crow era while serving as a flashpoint in broader debates about the national ideals of freedom and equality. Following several strands of musical thought during the second half of the nineteenth century, this richly textured account of the symphony's 1893 premiere shows that even the classical concert hall could not remain insulated from the country's fraught racial politics. Philanthropist and entrepreneur Jeannette Thurber (1850-1946) founded the National Conservatory of Music in 1885 to provide a world-class but low-cost professional music education to students from across the United States. Though it progressed with fits and starts, the conservatory eventually earned a congressional charter in 1891, giving it a unique stature compared to national rivals. A year later, Thurber hired Antonín Dvorák, the famous Bohemian composer, to be its executive musical director- easily the highest-profile individual to hold the position."-- Provided by publisher.
