Sonneck Society for American Music
Bulletin, Volume XXIV, no. 2 (Summer 1998)
Interest Group Reports
Research on Gender in American Music
The Society's 1998 Honorary Member, noted composer and arts advocate Libby Larsen, animated many
moments in the Joint Conference with her generous participation in the Sonneck and CBDNA sessions
Thursday through Saturday. To open the Gender Interest Group session on Friday, I read Larsen's own
comments from James Briscoe's latest collection, Contemporary Anthology of Music by Women (Indiana
University Press, 1997, pages 107-8) in which her "How It Thrills Us" (1990) appears.
Regarding the differences between men and women composers, Larsen wrote, "I cannot speculate . . . for
that would be speculating indeed. Each composer authors a unique process in which subconcious
perception finds its way to practical performance." She did, however, offer observations about
traditional socialization that not only kicked off a fascinating session, but also became the semester's
touchstone for the eighteen graduate students in my Gender and Music course who attended.
Ask a room full of women and men who know --at that instant--where the wrapping paper and
matching ribbon and greeting cards are in the house, and you will see the women responding
with both the answer and the knowledge of what this means. It falls to women, in general,
to hold dear all the civilizing details of culture in their heads and hearts. Without
these details the rituals, manners, and ceremonies of human beings in their daily relations
would deteriorate quickly.
Why does this affect the creative process? Attending to these details is often considered to
be an interruption to those people who have built their working process around large, uninterrupted
blocks of time in order to work. Furthermore, these kinds of interruptions are often viewed as
necessary but annoying and should be carried out by someone else. Over the past centuries the
pattern has been for the male to consume the large block of uninterrupted time, doing "important"
work, and the female to carry out the necessary but ancillary details of civilized living --"detail."
Society in general judges that someone working in protection on a large thought is doing better,
more concentrated work than someone who is physically carrying out other tasks while occupying their
mind with large thoughts. Hence you have an essay like Virginia Woolf's "A Room of One's Own."
Some women try to construct the male model of large, uninterrupted blocks of time in which to
consider thoughts of genius. Until recently, this manifested itself often in women telling
other women that, if they wanted to do "serious work," they must not marry or have a family.
To mary and have a family is to become irrevocably responsible for the ownership and dispensation
of detail. Unless one was wealthy and could hire a housekeeper, this was the truth. At its
heart, is the creative process affected by the expectation of how one will work on the
creative problem? My answer is yes.
Larsen spent the remainder of the hour illuminating this intriguing commentary and addressing her own
music with particular atention to the vocal works. True to form, her remarks revealed a keen intellect,
an easy sense of humor about herself and her world, a passionate interest in the creative act, and an
accessibility that makes her a highly effective defender of the arts. She generously shared herself with
the audience -- "You don't know what it's like, having all these things inside me"--in an open and
non-challenging way.
Rather than attempt to recapitulate her remarks myself, I'll share some of the student responses to the
Interest Group sesion. Having the entire class of eighteen present was a rare educational experience;
after the conference we discussed and refined our individual and corporate perceptions of this
composer and her music. I asked these graduate students to select their favorite Larsen "pearls of
wisdom" and the following is excerpted from their selections:
Imprisoned in a world where profound statements and profound lives are measured however unknowlingly
by their similarity to what has preceded, Libby Larsen quickly caught my attention with the statement
that her works are an attempt to understand. What greater purpose; what greater inspiration to a
composer than necessity?
--Eric Sutter
The "life-changing" incidents she chose to present were helpful in gaining insight into who she
is and what her life's work entails. . . The fact that she went to school in a pre-Vatican II
Catholic elementary school and was exposed to Latin masses and chant at such an early age is
fascinating . . . Finding out at an early age that many equate singer with stupid and pianist with
smart had an impact on her life. Her audition story illustrated what happens to many young musicians
who come into the music profession out of a sheer love of music with no pre-conceived ideas of what
the "should" know or "should" think. She auditioned with the song "Georgie Girl" for a voice
performance degree and was sent to an incoming teacher to be groomed for further study. Her compositional
style was shaped by these incidents as she saw that "Georgie Girl" was representative of our culture
but was not, however, "culturally" acceptable. [In her compositions,] Larsen wants to explore the
voice and its place in our culture.
--Rhonda Fuelberth
Larsen looked at women's literary texts for a song cycle setting and first looked at women who were
disturbed by detail . . . such as Sylvia Plath and Virginia Woolf [who] strove for an "isolationist"
model; . . . the traditional male model of attempting to rise above the ordinary details of life.
In response [to their using death as the final escape], Larsen said she decided to find out about women
who survive; she began to look for textural companions about LIVING. She liked the idea of a song
cycle about psychological development in which she could embrace the creative process . . . choose texts by
Barbara Euland and Elizabeth Barrett Browning . . . and made rtists Georgia O'Keefe and Mary Cassatt her
models of women who were true to themselves and what they knew.
--Jennifer Parker Lowen
I found it interesting that Larsen has her best compositional ideas whole sorting the laundry; for example.
It was in this portion of her lecture that she discussed 'Fractured Detail vs. Great Thought" . . . This
method of composing, rather than walking into her studio, shutting the world out, and writing for hours and
hours, is something I consider quite extraordinary and yet expected [of a] fellow woman and professional.
--Stacy Uthe
I loved hearing her talk about [tracking the amount of remaining] bathroom cleaner and her baby
screaming in the background of an important interview. I can relate to that kind of life . . . If she can
do it, I can do it!
--Sarah Tannehill
I found her collage of thoughts an honest representation of how her mind works and I was engaged in her
entire speech.
--Julie Bartholomew
This meeting of the Interest Group was one of the most captivating I have attended because our honored
guest took the risk of speaking directly about her encounters with traditional gender and professional
expectations. Like Libby Larsen, many of today's musicians are engaged in the establishment of a new
performance practice as they blend roles traditionally assigned to males or females and maintain creative
activity. Larsen's observations about detail-oriented composers and those who work with distraction as a
natural expectation--in contrast to the isolated genius--cannot fail to inform contemporary perspectives
of creativity. Those who attended the Interest Group session will bring a greater understanding to Larsen's
compositions, and perhaps their own creative activities, in the future.
--Kay Norton
Research on Gender in American Music
Twentieth Century Interest Group
A small, congenial representation of the twentieth-century Special Interest Group met at the Kansas City
Conference early on Thursday morning. The main thrust of the conversation centered on ideas for a group
presentation on the Fort Worth Conference program in 1999. An ideas that created a wide range of
interest was that of focusing on the American compositions that have been commissioned by the Van Cliburn
Competition. The Van Cliburn International Piano Competition began in 1962 (in Fort Worth) and has taken
place every four years since then, becoming one of the most visible of piano competitions. From the
beginning, one feature of the competition has been the commissioning of an American work that is
delivered to each contestant shortly before the competition and is a required part of the program.
A session centering on this repertory could present a recital program of selections from these ten pieces
or papers illustrated with performance examples. Of course, more general issues, such as patronage,
post-premiere performances, and the competition itself might also be addressed.
--Louis Goldstein
Band Interest Group
A standing-room only audience attended presentations by members of the American Band History Research
Interst Group at the annual meeting. Quincy University professor emeritus Lavern J. Wagner, who has
conducted extensive research on nineteenth-century American band music, presented the results of his most
recent research regarding the life and work of Civil War General Benjamin H. Grierson. Dr. Wagner stated
that, as a naturally talented musicians, Grierson moved semmingling effortlessly to positions of power
and eminence in both musical and military circles, serving as director of several bands in a number of
locations. Wagner's research included examination of materails at the Fort Davis (Texas) National Historical
Site and the Illinois State Library, primary repositories for Grierson's works. Dr. Wagner studied the
repertory, Grierson's autobiography, and military records. In his recently released Band Music
from the Benjamin H. Grierson Collection, Wagner documents the materials by selection, meter, title,
genre, composer, and arranger. He provides instrumentation, location, and contents of part-books and
other manuscript materials. Historiography and critical editions of the musical works complete the
thorough treatment of the life and works of this Civil War era musician.
The second half of the program focused on the SABRE Preservation Project. Director Phyllis Danner,
Project Archivist David Coppen, and graduate assistant Ann Marie Werner presented history of the UIUC
band-related special collections, technical aspects of a preservation microfilming project, and a
discussion of materials that have emerged during the collation process (See "Anatomy of a Preservation Project")
in this Bulletin).
The collection comprises published and manuscript music for band and orchestra, including works by Sousa,
Amy Beach, Arthur Foote, Richard Wagner, and Estelle Liebling, as well as songs and violin solos with
and accompaniment, many by Sousa himself. Project Archivist David Coppen shared rationale for selecting
microfilm as the medium of choice. Ann Marie Werner discussed the representation of women composers,
arrangers, librettists, and vocal and violin soloists in the collections. The session concluded with
a mini-recital by UIUC Music Special Collections Coordinator and soprano Jean Geil who was accompanied
by David Coppen.
--Phyllis Danner
Historiography
The meeting at Kansas City represented the first for the newly organized Historiography Interest
Group. Twelve people attended and at the next meeting several will offer short, informal presentations
on their own work-in-progress. Other Sonneck members who wish to discuss their own projects at the 1999
meeting are encouraged to contact Paul Charosh (sandbar141@aol.com).
--Paul Charosh
Musical Theater
The Musical Theater Interest Group met on Thursday, 19 February at the Sonneck Society National Meeting in
Kansas City. Co-chairs BIll Everett (Washburn University) and Tom Riis (University of Colorado at Boulder) had
asked persons for brief "show-and-tells" about an unknown song, event, or moment in Broadway history. Several
such moments included Paul Charosh's description of a song by Broadhurst and Narrett, "Who can Say
What Love Is?," which never appeard in a Broadway show, and Bill Everett's discover of a published song that
was cut from Romberg's The New Moon, "Beneath a New Moon." A discussion of types of sources that
scholards are looking for and research gaps in the field followed. Among the tidbits mentioned are that
Ann Dhu McLucas is looking for manuscripts of melodramas, and Tom Riis is looking for collections of 19th-century
sheet music. A topic ripe for scholarly exploration is the musical Erminie by Edward Jakobowski and Harry
Paulton, a popular production in 19th-century New York City. Tom Riis and Bill Everett have finished
their terms as co-chairs. The chair for the next four years is Paul Laird (University of Kansas). The Musical
Theater Interest Group Meeting in Fort Worth in 1999 will be a sharing session on the contents of musical
theater archives throughout the country and works that scholars have in progress.
--Paul Laird
Report of Interest Group Council Meeting
The Interest Group Council, consisting of chairs of twelve current interest groups within the Society,
met during the annual conference in Kansas City. New chairs were welcomed into the group, and retiring
chairs were thanked for their contributions.
A draft of revisions to the section of the Society's handbook relating to the formation, structure,
and activities of interest groups will be brought before the board at its fall meeting. Several suggestions
were made concerning length of terms of interest group chairs and the council coordinator, as well as
procedures for renewing interest group mandates.
Because interest groups receive no across-the-board additions to their budget lines this year, council members
expressed concern as to future financial support. The coordinator will relay to the finance committee a
motion passed by the council requesting additional financial support next year, as well as the
suggestion that a plan be developed to provide long-term financial support for interest group activities.
It was noted that individual interest groups are eligible to receive donations (e.g., at the time annual
dues are returned), but that any substantial fundraising efforts must be coordinated with the
development committee.
Several matters were clarified in respect to interest group activities at annual conferences. An individual
interest group may either plan its own session (not requiring program committee approval, and drawing from
its own budget line for extraordinary expenses), or propose a general session consisting variously of
formal papers, panel discussion, informal presentations, or performance (to be considered by the program
commitee, and, if approved, financed as a part of the general conference budget). According to the present
guidelines in the handbook, an interest group is automatically dissolved if it fails to meet at the
annual conference for two consecutive years. It was noted further that all participants and attendees must
register for the conference; discussion ensued as to wheither invited guests should also be required to
pay registration fees.
President Anne Dhu McLucas expressed enthusiastic support for the concept of including specific interest
groups within the structure of the Sonneck Society for American Music, and she commended interest group
chaprs for their leadership and innovative programs.
--Jean Geil
Coordinator, Interest Group Council
Updated 8/31/98