AMS-NE: New England Chapter of the AMS

Chapter member Andrea Olmstead writes about her new e-book that investigates "Daisy"-- the leading lady of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby )  and her real-life counterpart, Margaret Terry Chanler (nicknamed "Daisy" in real life).  Chanler is a historical figure of musical significance. Andrea shares the musicological connections of her new book below: --------------------------- Who Was F. Scott Fitzgerald's Daisy A new e- book by Andrea Olmstead Sometimes it helps to be a musicologist! You can catch things that scholars in other fields miss. In writing my Roger Sessions; A Biography I came across mention of composer Theodore Chanler's mother, Margaret Terry Chanler (1862-1952), described in a letter by Sessions' mother as "a great linguist, pianist, and reader." I knew that Fitzgerald and Sessions were born only months apart in 1896; Monday, September 24, is Fitzgerald's birthday. I also already knew that Theodore, known a...

With over 35 members in attendance, the Fall chapter meeting at College of the Holy Cross was a success. The papers covered a wide variety of topics including Haydn, opéra comique, chant, Schubert, Mahler, Busoni and Coltrane. Many thanks to Jessica Waldoff and Daniel DiCenso for their hospitality and organization. The following announcements were made at the business meeting: The chapter has now expanded its online presence to include the website, the blog, and the Facebook group. While the Google Groups continues to function as a mailing list, this may be switched over to a different way to maintain a mailing list that does not require subscription to the group. Important announcements (CFPs, meeting info, etc...) will be posted in all fora. Our Chapter Rep to the AMS, Michael Baumgartner, would like to hear from chapter members in regard to issues they feel might be brought to the AMS Council. In particular, he welcomes feedback regarding the proposed change to the AMS by-l...

AMS-NE Chapter Meeting Saturday, September 29, 2012 College of the Holy Cross (Worcester, MA) Erin Jerome, "Haydn’s L’incontro improvviso : Deceitful Dervishes, Greedy Servants, and the Meta- Performance of Alla Turca Style" Haydn’s L’incontro improvviso (1775), a reworking of Gluck’s La Rencontre imprévue (1764), was composed as part of the festivities surrounding the four-day visit to Eszterháza of Archduke Ferdinand, Habsburg governor of Milan, and his wife, Maria Beatrice d’Este.  With its overture in "Turkish" style, Egyptian setting, and standard bduction plot, the opera was in keeping with the exotic theme characterizing the courtly spectacles for the royal visit.  “Castagno, castagna,” a patently orientalized begging song that the scheming Calender performs for the slave Osmin, among other unsuspecting victims, has often been cited as a textbook example of alla turca style.

The seeming simplicity of this aria, however, masks an underly...

Our next chapter meeting will take place at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA in the Brooks Concert Hall. Campus Map Accessibility Note:  T he walk from parking area to the Brooks Music Center involves a healthy number of stairs. If waking stairs presents a problem for any meeting attendee, campus security can arrange a ride from the parking area to conference site. The meeting site itself is completely accessible. Please call Campus Security at: (508) 793-2224 Below is schedule and list of papers. We hope to see you there! 9:45-10:15 Refreshments and Registration Morning Session 10:15 Welcome 10:20 Haydn’s L’incontro improvviso : Deceitful Dervishes, Greedy Servants, and the Meta- Performance of Alla Turca Style Erin Jerome (Brandeis University) 11:00 H ow Opéra-Comique Became French, or, Untangling the Origins of Revolutionary Opera Julia I. Doe (Yale University) 11:40 More Roman than “Gregorian,” More Frankish than “Old Roman”: What a Newly Rediscover...