Bach for a Hundred Years (eBook)

A Social History of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem

Paul S. Larson (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2011
266 Seiten
Lehigh University Press (Verlag)
978-1-61146-095-7 (ISBN)

Infos

This is an account of the actions taken by the residents of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to create a local amateur society singing the music of J. S.Bach and to develop it into a choir of international importance. Singers, instrumentalists, industrialists, academicians, bankers, and churches acted in community to found and perpetuate a group devoted to sharing the music of Bach locally, nationally, and internationally. While The Bach Choir of Bethlehem performs frequently elsewhere, the annual Bethlehem Bach Festival became and remains a magnet for those who love Bach and want to experience his music excellently performed in historic and sacred surroundings.In order to reach and maintain its premier status, the choir, its conductor, its board, and staff had to be experts in music performance and shifts in audience tastes. They had to be responsive to research in performance practice, and skilled in strategic planning, promotion and fundraising. In recent years they had to become competent in sound recording technology and use of the internet. These attributes are described and analyzed with frequent use of documents and personal anecdotes.Successfully balancing the human actions and desires involved in such a complex enterprise has earned The Bach Choir of Bethlehem the title ';A National Treasure' in music and the recognition that it is at the same time a national model for excellence as a cultural non-profit organization.This is a story of how and why - for over a century - inspiring performances of Bach's music came about and were brought to many thousands of listeners.

Autor

Paul S. Larson is professor emeritus at Moravian College in Bethlehem Pennsylvania, where he taught music education, non-Western music, and music history. He is presently Archivist and Curator of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem.

Inhalt

List of IllustrationsAcknowledgmentsDedicationAuthor’s NoteIntroductionChapter 1. Bach, Bethlehem, and Wolle: 1733-1897Chapter 2. Creating An American Bach Choir: 1898Chapter 3. A National Success: 1899-1900Chapter 4. Becoming International: 1901Chapter 5. The Bach Festivals Questioned: 1902Chapter 6. Bach Festivals As An Idea: 1903Chapter 7. A Bach Cycle: 1904-1905Chapter 8. The Wolles In California: 1905-1911Chapter 9. Renewing The Bach Choir in Bethlehem: 1912-1913Chapter 10. An American Center for Bach: 1914Chapter 11. "My Bach Choir": 1915-1933Chapter 12. Years Of Transition: 1934-1938Chapter 13. A More Comprehensive Scope: The Third ConductorChapter 14. A Distinguished Career: 1951-1969Chapter 15. Connecting With Bach: 1969-1976Chapter 16. Mann's Last Years With The Choir: 1976-1980Chapter 17. In Mann's Footsteps: 1981-1983Chapter 18. A Renewed Choir: 1982-1990Chapter 19. "A More Sophisticated Organization": 1991-1996Chapter 20. "A National Treasure": 1996-2000Chapter 21. A Second Centennial: 2000-2007Appendix A. Bach Festival Distinguished Scholar Lecture SeriesAppendix B. Bach Choir DiscographyBibliographyIndexAbout the Author

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 1.11.2011
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Kunst / Musik / Theater ► Musik ► Klassik / Oper / Musical
• Themenwelt: Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Geschichte / Politik ► 20. Jahrhundert bis 1945
• Themenwelt: Geschichte ► Allgemeine Geschichte ► Neuzeit (bis 1918)
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Geschichte ► Regional- / Ländergeschichte
• Themenwelt: Geschichte ► Teilgebiete der Geschichte ► Kulturgeschichte
• Schlagworte: American History • Social and Cultural History
• ISBN-10: 1-61146-095-6 / 1611460956
• ISBN-13: 978-1-61146-095-7 / 9781611460957