The New Music Theater: Seeing the Voice, Hearing the Body

by Eric Salzman, Thomas Desi

Overview

Alternatives to grand opera and the popular musical can be traced at least as far back as the 1912 premiere of Schoenberg's "Pierrot Lunaire." Yet this ongoing history has never been properly sorted out, its complex ideas and philosophy as well as musical and theatrical achievements never brought fully to light. The New Music Theater is the first comprehensive attempt in English to cover this still-emerging art form in its widest range. This book provides a wealth of examples and descriptions not only of the works themselves, but of the concepts, ideas, and trends that have gone into the evolution of what may be the most central performance art form of the post-modern world. Authors Salzman and Desi consider the subject of music theatre from a social as well as artistic point of view, exploring how theatre works in culture, and how music works in the theatre. Illuminating their discussion with illustrations from current artists and their works, The New Music Theater both describes where we have been and points the way to the future of this all-encompassing art form.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199723218
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	11/06/2008
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Eric Salzman is a composer, writer, director, producer, dramaturg, and performer, and he has been involved in over 50 major productions. He is also the author of Twentieth Century Music: An Introduction, one of the most successful 20th Century music texts. Thomas Desi is an Austrian composer, director, and writer.

Table of Contents

Introduction: What is Music Theater?Part I: Music in Music Theater1. The Voice2. Where the Sound Comes From3. The MusicEntr'acte I: Is there such a thing as progress in music and music theater?Part II: Theater in Music Theater4. Theater, Music, and Culture5. TextEntr'acte II: The Language of Kathakali6. Visual Strategies7. SpaceEntr'acte III: A Theater of Warm Bodies?Part III: Putting it all together: La Mise en Scène8. The American Eccentrics9. Germany and Austria10. The ItaliansEntr'acte IV: The In Between11. Music Theater in France12. Great Britain and Northern Europe13. Downtown14. Minimalism15. The Show Music Go On16. Extended Voice17. Media and Music TheaterPart V: After the Show: Taking it ApartEntr'acte V: Criticism and Journalism18. Towards a Theory of Music Theater19. Notation vs. Improvisation20. The Ingredients21. Popular or High Art? 22. Is Anyone Listening? Coda Appendix Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

Music theater is here defined as "theater that is music driven (i.e., decisively linked to musical timing and organization)" but performed "in a different social ambiance than works normally categorized as operas (performed by opera singers in opera houses) or musicals (performed by theater singers in 'legitimate' theaters)." Salzman (Twentieth Century Music: An Introduction) and composer and director Dési present a highly detailed, academic examination of this performance art over the last century, using a plethora of examples illustrating its development and distinguishing it from traditional opera and musical theater. The work is logically organized, with sections on "Music in Music Theater," "Theater in Music Theater," international developments (American, German, Italian, French, and Northern European), and critical and audience responses. Short "entr'actes" interspersed throughout provide commentary on the previous section. Thoroughly researched and historically grounded, this is a comprehensive look at this alternative performance art, showing with clarity the distinction "between theater that sings and theater that is driven by music and musical timing." Recommended for academic performing arts collections.
—Laura A. Ewald

Library Journal

"Fascinating, sometimes maddening cornucopia of erudition, the authors have many wise, often provocative ideas and insights to share."—Bookforum

"As an artist who has worked between the cracks of art forms since the 1960's, I applaud Salzman and Desi for providing a fresh and inclusive survey of the important and evolving field of new music theater- a form that continues to expand our perception of what is possible in art that lives and breathes."—Meredith Monk

"Thoroughly researched and historically grounded, this is a comprehensive look at this alternative performance art."-Library Journal

"The New Music Theater traces the complicated evolution of many artistic traditions and leads to a deeper understanding of the state of new music theater today. The authors infuse their analysis with perspective that is certain to provoke debate - as well as a desire to learn more about the context and direction of new creation in the realm of singing theater."—Marc Scorca, President and CEO, Opera America

"This valuable book appears like Orpheus to guide the reader through the land of that complex and unpredictable reality which is the music theater of our time. This book tells us about music theater not just as a show, but as a way of bringing onto the stage what the real world cannot show us."—Giorgio Battistelli, Composer-in-residence at the D:usseldorf Opera and Music Director of the Arena di Verona

"A very good read of contemporary music history that has been missing until now. Bravo!"—Michel Rostain, Stage Director, Librettist and Director, Scène nationale de Quimper

"The New Music Theater is a smart, thoughtful book." — Theaterforschung

From the Publisher