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QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AND REVIEW
- W hat are the significant differences between the accomplishments of Arturo
Toscanini, Serge Koussevitzky, and Leopold Stokowski? W hat did their
careers have in common that distinguishes them from Theodore Thomas
(see chapter 8)? - Describe the impact of the Great Depression on classical music making in the
United States. How did it affect both composers and performers? - What are your thoughts about political subject matter in musical compositions,
or any type of art, for that matter? Does the artistic setting affect the politi-
cal message? Conversely, does the political message strengthen or weaken the
work’s aesthetic value? - In recent years Marcus Roberts, Herbie Hancock, and other jazz pian ists have
repositioned Rhapsody in Blue as a jazz piece by interpolating long, freewheel-
ing improvisations. View one of their performances on YouTube or else-
where. How does such an interpretation alter the balance of jazz and classical
elements in Gershwin’s composition? - What are some characteristics that unite the African American creators
of concert music described in this chapter? How do they differ from one
another?
FURTHER READING
Hisama, Ellie. “The Politics of Contour in Craw ford’s ‘Chinaman, Laundryman.’” In Gen-
dering Musical Modernism: The Music of Ruth Crawford, Marion Bauer, and Miriam Gideon,
60–98. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001.
Horowitz, Joseph. Classical Music in America: A History of Its Rise and Fall. New York: W.W.
Norton, 2005.
Keiler, Allan. Marian Anderson: A Singer’s Journey. New York: Scribner, 2000.
Oja, Carol. J. Making Music Modern: New York in the 1920s. New York: Oxford University
Press, 2000.
Pollack, Howard. Aaron Copland: The Life and Work of an Uncommon Man. New York: Holt,
1999.
Reynolds, Christopher. “Porg y and Bess: An American Wozzeck.” Journal of the Society for
American Music 1, no. 1 (February 2007): 1–28.
Schiff, David. Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997.
Smith, Catherine Parsons. William Grant Still. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2008.
Tick, Judith. Ruth Crawford Seeger: A Composer’s Search for American Music. New York: Oxford
University Press, 1997.CHAPTER 13 | FURTHER READING172028_13_305-331_r3_ko.indd 331 23/01/13 8:39 PM