Abstracts
Abstract
The successful compositional careers of Jean Coulthard, Barbara Pentland, and Violet Archer spanned all but the first three decades of the twentieth century. Entering a compositional career at this time had many challenges: as Western Canadians, these composers had to establish their credibility with a public that could not be counted on to recognize the worth of their work due to sexist bias and a prevailing critical stance: public approval was evidence of a lack of true creativity. This was especially problematic for women, who had to keep to the center of progressive composition, away from the experimental and conservative margins, in order to gain recognition. Following World War II, the pressure of modernism increased, due at least in part to initiatives by the U. S. Government in occupied Germany, countering the stereotype of the unsophisticated American with a new narrative of American experimental tradition.
Résumé
Les carrières couronnées de succès des compositrices Jean Coulthard, Barbara Pentland et Violet Archer couvrent une grande partie du xxe siècle, à partir des années 1930. Embrasser une carrière en composition à cette époque-là comportait de nombreux défis : en tant que Canadiennes de l’Ouest, ces compositrices ont dû établir leur crédibilité with a public who could not be counted upon to recognize the worth of their work due to sexist bias tout en combattant le préjugé selon lequel être compris d’un vaste public démontre automatiquement un déficit de créativité. C’était particulièrement problématique pour des femmes, car elles devaient se maintenir au centre de l’avant-garde, plutôt que dans les franges expérimentales ou conservatrices, afin d’obtenir une certaine reconnaissance. À la suite de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, la pression du modernisme s’est accrue, en partie à cause de l’élaboration, par le gouvernement américain occupant l’Allemagne, d’un nouveau scénario visant à établir une tradition expérimentale américaine afin de contrer le stéréotype de l’Américain mal dégrossi.
Appendices
Bibliography
- ADORNO, Theodore (2006), Philosophy of New Music, Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press, Robert Hullot-Kentor, éditeur.
- ARCHER, Violet (1992), “Contemporary Studies”, Music Educators Journal, vol. 78, no. 5, p. 8.
- ASHBY, Arved (2001), “Schoenberg, Boulez, and Twelve-Tone Composition as ‘Ideal Type’”, Journal of the American Musicological Society, vol. 54, no. 3, pp. 585-625.
- BAUER, Marion (1923), “The Primitive Art Instinct”, The Musical Quarterly, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 157-166.
- BAUER, Marion, and Reis, Claire (1948), “Twenty-Five Years with the League of Composers”, The Musical Quarterly, vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 1 – 14.
- BEAL, Amy C. (2000), “Negotiating Cultural Allies: American Music in Darmstadt, 1946-1956”, Journal of the American Musicological Society, vol. 53, no. 1, pp. 105-139.
- BELTING, Hans (2003) Art history after modernism; translated by Caroline Saltzwedel and Mitch Cohen with additional translation by Kenneth Northcott, Chicago, University of Chicago Press.
- BORN, Georgina (1997), “Modernist Discourse, Psychic Forms, and Agency: Aesthetic Subjectivities at IRCAM”, Cultural Anthropology, vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 480-501.
- BOULEZ, Pierre (1991) Stocktakings From an Apprenticeship, Paule Thévenin and Robert Piencekowski (eds.), Oxford, Clarendon Press.
- BRENT-SMITH, Alexander (1926-7). “Ludwig van Beethoven”, Proceedings of the Musical Association, Royal Musical Association 53rd Sess., pp. 85-94.
- BRUNEAU, William (1999), “Music and Marginality: Jean Coulthard and the University of British Columbia, 1947-1973”, in Smyth, Elizabeth: Acken, Sandra, Bourne, Paula, and Prentice, Allison, eds. , Challenging Professions: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives on Women’s Professional Work, Toronto, University of Toronto Press, pp. 96-116.
- BRUNEAU, William, and Duke, David Gordon (2005), Jean Coulthard: A Life in Music, Vancouver, Ronsdale Press.
- BURKHOLDER, J. Peter (1983), “Museum Pieces: The Historicist Mainstream in Music of the Last Hundred Years”, The Journal of Musicology, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 115-134.
- CONE, Edward Ash. and Copland, Aaron (1968), “Conversation with Aaron Copland”, Perspectives of New Music, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 57-72.
- CORNFIELD, Eitan (2002), “Jean Coulthard” Documentary, Canadian Composers Portrait Series, Toronto, Centrediscs.
- CORNFIELD, Eitan (2002), “Violet Archer” Documentary, Canadian Composers Portrait Series, Toronto, Centrediscs.
- CORNFIELD, Eitan (2003), “Barbara Pentland” Documentary, Canadian Composers Portrait Series, Toronto, Centrediscs.
- DANIELSON, Janet (1978), “The Search for Control: An Interview with Karlheinz Stockhausen”, Synapse Magazine, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 26-29, vol. 3, no. 4, pp. 32-35.
- EASTMAN, Sheila, and McGee, Timothy J. (1983), Barbara Pentland, Toronto, University of Toronto Press.
- EPSTEIN, Dena J. (1992), “Frederick Stock and American Music”, American Music, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 20-52.
- FRY, Roger (1956), Vision and Design, New York, Meridian Books.
- HOOGERWERF, Frank W. (1978), “Willem Pijper’s French Aesthetic”, Tijdschrift van de Vereniging voor Nederlandse Muziekgeschiedenis, D. 28ste, Afl. 2de, pp. 61-80.
- HOWARD, John Tasker (1942), This Modern Music: A Guide for the Bewildered Listener, New York, Thomas Y. Crowell Company.
- HOWARD, John Tasker (2007) Our Contemporary Composers—American Music in the Twentieth Century. Read Press.
- LOTT, R. Allen (1983), “‘New Music for New Ears’: The International Composers’ Guild”, Journal of the American Musicological Society, vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 266-286.
- METZER, David (1997), “The League of Composers: The Initial Years”, American Music, vol. 15, no. 1 (Spring, 1997), pp. 45-69.
- MITCHELL, Donald (1955), “Some First Performances”, The Musical Times, vol. 96, no. 1351, pp. 484-485.
- MONDRIAN, Piet (1986) “Neo-Plasticism: The General Principle of Plastic Equivalence”, The New Life—The New Life: The Collected Writings of Piet Mondrian, Boston, G. K. Hall, edited and translated by Harry Holtzman and Martin S. James.
- PENTLAND, Barbara (1950) “Canadian Music, 1950”, Northern Review III, pp. 43-46.
- SCHOENBERG, Arnold (1975), Style and Idea: Selected Writings of Arnold Schoenberg, edited by Leonard Stein, New York, St. Martin’s Press.
- SLONIMSKY, Nicolas (2005) Writings on Music, Volume Three: Music of the Modern Era, New York and Oxford, Routledge.
- WINTER, Richard (1991), “Post-Modern Sociology as a Democratic Educational Practice? Some Suggestions”, British Journal of Sociology of Education, vol. 12, no. 4, Democracy & Education, pp. 467-481.
- ARCHER, Violet (2002), Sinfonietta. CBC Vancouver Chamber Orchestra, dir. John Avison. Centrediscs CD 8502, “Portraits de compositeurs Canadiens: Violet Archer”.
- ARCHER, Violet (2002), Trio No. 2. The Hertz Trio. Centrediscs CD 8502, “Portraits de compositeurs Canadiens: Violet Archer”.
- COULTHARD, Jean (2004), Sonata for Piano, 1948. Mary Kenedi. Echiquier CD WRC8-7793, “Motions & Emotions: Mary Kenedi Plays Canadian Piano Music Vol. 3”.
- COULTHARD, Jean (2002), Concerto for Piano and Orchestra. Robert Silverman, CBC Vancouver Orchestra, dir. Dwight Bennet. Centrediscs CD 8202, “Portraits de compositeurs Canadiens: Jean Coulthard”
- PENTLAND, Barbara (2003), Symphony for Ten Parts. Chamber Ensemble of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, dir. Victor Feldbrill. Centrediscs CD 9203, “Portraits de compositeurs Canadiens: Barbara Pentland”.