THE AMERICAN CONCERT TOURS OF LEOPOLD DE MEYER, HENRI HERZ, AND SIGISMOND THALBERG. (VOLUMES I AND II) (AUSTRIA, FRANCE).
Item
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Title
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THE AMERICAN CONCERT TOURS OF LEOPOLD DE MEYER, HENRI HERZ, AND SIGISMOND THALBERG. (VOLUMES I AND II) (AUSTRIA, FRANCE).
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Identifier
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AAI8614689
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identifier
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8614689
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Creator
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LOTT, R. ALLEN.
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Date
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1986
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Music | Biography
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Abstract
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Beginning in the 1840s, some of the finest pianists, violinists, and singers in the world gave many Americans their first exposure to European art music. This dissertation examines the tours of three of the best and earliest pianists to visit the United States.;Leopold de Meyer (1816-83) provided America's first encounter with a bona fide piano virtuoso. His imaginative compositions, flamboyant performance style, and clever publicity created a sensation throughout the country. During his two-season tour (1845-47) he made at least 85 appearances in 26 cities in the United States and Canada.;Henri Herz (1803-88) contrasted sharply with De Meyer: he had a well-established reputation as a pianist and composer and on stage was elegant and reserved. Herz toured the Western Hemisphere for five years (1846-51); most of his approximately 200 concerts in 50 cities in the United States were managed by the neophyte impresario Bernard Ullman. Herz organized performances of works for multiple pianos, marketed pianos of his own manufacture, and in 1850 became the first important musician to perform in California.;As the rival of Liszt, Sigismond Thalberg (1812-71) was the most important early pianist to visit America. Ullman, with a decade of experience, also masterminded Thalberg's two-year tour (1856-58) in which the pianist gave more than 330 concerts in over 75 cities. Thalberg was the only one of these three pianists to program the music of other composers, including works by Beethoven, Chopin, Hummel, and Mendelssohn. He became the first European pianist to make solo appearances in America (in matinees in New York and Boston) and to use an American instrument (the Chickering).;Several "interludes" of the dissertation discuss issues common to all three pianists. One on audiences examines the reasons people attended the concerts, including curiosity and the desire to be fashionable. Another on repertory finds that the music of Herz and Thalberg had been performed widely before their American tours; however, some people considered their music too complex. Yet others discuss the increasingly important role of the impresario as well as the finances of the tours. The Appendix contains a complete itinerary for each pianist.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Music
