September 22, 2018

Golden Era: American Musical Theater during Kurt Weill's years in America

Rodgers and Hammerstein
By Press photo - ebay, Public Domain
By the time Street Scene premiered in 1947, Kurt Weill had been in the United States since 1935. The period from his arrival until his premature death in 1950 marked a particularly memorable era in the history of American music theater. A dazzling group of geniuses were at the height of their creative powers, leaving an array of immortal works. Here's a list:

George and Ira Gershwin: Porgy and Bess (1935)

Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart: On Your Toes (1936); The Boys From Syracuse (1938); Pal Joey (1940)

Marc Blitzstein: The Cradle Will Rock (1937)

Harold Arlen: The Wizard of Oz (1939); St. Louis Woman (1946)

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II: Oklahoma (1941); Carousel (1943); Allegro (1947); South Pacific (1949)

Irving Berlin Annie Get Your Gun (1946)

Leonard Bernstein On the Town (1944)

Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe: Brigadoon (1947)

Cole Porter: Kiss Me, Kate (1948)

Weill immersed himself in all of this, observing, processing and internalizing the point of view, the energy and the musical genres of American musicals. He clearly realized that the cynical and satirical political messages of his previous collaborator Bertold Brecht were foreign to the American zeitgeist. It wasn't that American theater shied away from powerful social messages; far from it. Rodgers and Hammerstein, in particular, brought new dramatic weight to the form of the musical with
  • the violent death of a principal character in Oklahoma (not to mention the innovation of a ballet);
  • domestic abuse in Carousel; and
  • racism in South Pacific
The main difference between these examples and Brecht's so-called "epic theater" was the complete lack of irony west of the Atlantic. Brecht famously and purposely removed the audience's ability to be engaged by the story or empathize with the characters. Deliberate artificiality forced the patrons to focus on the politics of the play in question.

In The Threepenny Opera, The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny and The Seven Deadly Sins, Weill chose a musical language fully as ironic as Brecht's libretti. The music was tuneful, quirky and heavy with irony.

On record as acknowledging Richard Rodgers to be his chief rival and competition on the Broadway Scene, Weill adapted his musical approach, willingly crafting music that, while as tuneful as ever, would appeal to the American public. This new version of Kurt Weill composed music with honest sentiment, charm, and a more traditional dramatic technique. Thanks to the notoriety he had gained in Europe, many of the bright lights of the New York theater scene were happy to work with him, including Ira Gershwin, Alan Jay Lerner, Moss Hart...

...and, of course, Elmer Rice and Langston Hughes, his Street Scene co-creators.

My next post will examine the Street Scene musical score in some detail. I'll float a couple of theories about the choices Weill made in selecting the widely diverse musical styles and genres of the opera. There had never before been a score like this one, and there'll never be another like it again.

And that's just how he wanted it.

13 comments:

  1. HOW I GOT MY HUSBAND BACK WITH THE HELP OF PRIEST WISDOM CONTACT ON WHATSAPP NUMBER +2348124644470


    This is my testimony about the good work of priest wisdom who help me.... I'm ann Earnis from norht carolina USA. And am sorry for putting this on net but i will have to, by this world best spell caster that brought back my husband who left me out for past 3 years, i eventually met this man on a blog site posting by one of is client for help, i explained everything to him and he told me about a spell caster that he had heard about and he gave me an email address to write to the spell caster to tell him my problems. In just 2 days, my husband was back to me. I just want to say thank you to this truthful and sincere spell caster, sir all you told me have come to pass and thank you sir. Please i want to tell everyone who is looking for any solution to their problem, i advice you to kindly consult this spell caster, he is real,he is powerful and whatever the spell caster tell is what will happen, because all what the spell caster told me came to pass. You can kindly contact him on:

    his email address is supernaturalspell1@gmail.com or directly on whasapp +2348124644470 or call. PRIEST WISDOM Blog Website: https://supernaturalspell1.blogspot.com/ or http://reallovespellcaster.over-blog.com



















































































































    ReplyDelete
  2. Read my testimony and contact Dr ISIKOLO for urgent and fast love spell @ isikolosolutionhome@gmail.com You can also Whatsapp him on +2348133261196.
    I never believed in spell casting but After 6 years of dating my ex lover she broke up with me, I still imagine how Dr Isikolo brought my ex lover back to me in just 48 hour. No one could have ever made me believe that there is a real spell caster that really work. Am Hansen by name,I want to quickly tell the world that there is a real on line spell caster that is powerful and genuine, His name is Dr Isikolo, He helped me recently to reunite my relationship with my ex lover who left me, When i contacted Dr oyinbo he cast a love spell for me and my ex lover who said she doesn't have anything to do with me again called me and started begging me. She is back now with so much love and caring. today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the powers of bring lovers back. because i am now happy with my lover,and the most surprise,is that our love is very strong,every day is happiness and joy. and there is nothing like been with the woman you love.i am so happy my love is back to me with the help of Dr. Isikolo if you have similar problem or you want to fix your broken relationship,stop divorce,get your ex back,get your divorce wife or husband back, i will advice you to contact him ,he is there to help you and put a smile on your face ask he did to me and others. his email: isikolosolutionhome@gmail.com You can also Whatsapp him on +2348133261196

    ReplyDelete

  3. Hello, My name is Faith am from USA ..... and I am very happy for posting on this blog on how a great spell caster helped me bring back the love of my life. I know there are lots of women like me out there who have done so much just to have back their Husband, I am here to tell you all to search no further because the answer is right here. I sincerely believe if there are up to five spell casters like DOCTOR WTAHA this world would be a better place, I contacted him and shared my problems to him and he gave me the terms and conditions, which I obeyed, it only took 3 days for my husband to come back home begging for my forgiveness. To cut the long story short. I am now living happily with my husband. Thanks to Dr TWAHA . Contact him now on email: drlregbeyen10000@gmail.com . Or reach him on whats app +2349038518881 or call him . He can save your marriage or relationships too.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hello everyone, my name is ALFREED SIANG i am here to say a big thank you to my doctor DR OLU who helped me enlarge my penis.i have never had a happy relationship in my life because of my inability to perform well due to my small penis, due to frustration,i went online in search of solution to ending my predicament and than i came across testimony on how DR OLU has helped them, so i contacted him and he promised to help me with penis enlargement,i doubted at first but i gave him a trial and he sent me the product which i used according to his prescription and in less than a week,i saw changes in my penis and it grow to the size i wanted and since then,i am now a happy man and no lady complains again about my penis.if you also need the services of my doctor,you can also contact him on his email..drolusolutionhome@gmail.com or his whataspp is +2348140654426

    ReplyDelete
  5. I am sharing this testimony to partners suffering in their relationships because there is an enduring solution.
    My husband left me and our 2 kids for another woman for 3 years. I tried to be strong just for my kids but I could not control the pains that torment my heart. I was hurt and confused. I needed a help, so i did a research on the internet and came across a site where I saw that Dr UDAKA OLU a spell caster can help get lovers back. I contacted him and he did a special prayer and spells for me. To my surprises, after 2 days, my husband came back home. That was how we reunited again and there was a lot of love, joy and peace in the family.
    You can as well contact Dr UDAKA OLU, a powerful spell-caster for solutions on his contact

    Email: udakaspellcaster2@gmail.com
    WhatsApp him +2349056647966

    ReplyDelete
  6. How I Got My Ex Husband Back........... I am Vargas by name. Greetings to every one that is reading this testimony. I have been rejected by my husband after three(3) years of marriage just because another woman had a spell on him and he left me and the kid to suffer. one day when i was reading through the web, i saw a post on how this spell caster on this address gethelp05@gmail.com , have help a woman to get back her husband and i gave him a reply to his address and he told me that a woman had a spell on my husband and he told me that he will help me and after 2 days that i will have my husband back. i believed him and today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the power to bring lovers back. because i am now happy with my husband. Thanks for Dr Ilekhojie . Thank you! Ilekhojies contact gethelp05@gmail.com or call +2348147400259

    ReplyDelete
  7. HOW I GOT MY EX HUSBAND BACK WITH THE HELP OF DR Ilekhojie .......My name is Lucia, from Canada, I want to quickly tell the world that there is a real and effective online spell caster that is powerful and genuine, His name is Dr Ilekhojie , he helped me recently to reunite my relationship with my husband who left me, When i contacted Dr Ilekhojie, he cast a love spell for me, and my husband who said he doesn't have anything to do with me again, called me and started begging me to come back. he is back now with so much love and care. Today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the powers to restore broken relationship and bring them back. because i am now very happy with my husband. To everyone who is reading this article and needs his help, Dr Ilekhojie can also offer any type of help like, resolving Divorce Cases, Court Cases, Death Spell, Spiritual protection. Thank you! Ilekhojies contact gethelp05@gmail.com or call +2348147400259

    ReplyDelete
  8. Please help me thank Dr.Aire for his good work I really believe HIV have cure I was HIV positive over since 3 year plus before I come across a comment Dr Aire that he have cure to any disease and virus but when I saw it i have it in mind that he can’t cure HIV I just decided to give a try I contact him that night luckily to me he said yes but I don’t believe him I think it was a scam or some thing like that but I still hold on to see the work of Dr Aire if he is saying the true he ask for different thing and some question about me I give him all the detail he needed and I wait to see his reply to my problem after all the thing is done he ask me to go for check up I went for hiv test I cant believe I was negative thanks Dr Aire for help me for not dying at this young age if you need help contact him now Call or whatsapp him +2347036740271

    ReplyDelete
  9. Lauriane When I found Dr. Ilekhojie I was in desperate need of bringing my ex lover back. He left me for another woman. It happened so fast and I had no say in the situation at all. He just dumped me after 3 years with no explanation. I contact Dr.Ilekhojie through his website and He told me me what i need to do before he can help me and i did what he told me to, after i provided what he wanted, he cast a love spell to help us get back together. Shortly after he did his spell, my boyfriend started texting me again and felt horrible for what he just put me through. He said that I was the most important person in his life and he knows that now. We moved in together and he was more open to me than before and then he started spending more time with me than before. Ever since Dr.Ilekhojie helped me, my partner is very stable, faithful and closer to me than before. I highly recommends Dr. Ilekhojie to anyone in need of help. Email: gethelp05@gmail.com, Call him or add him on whatsapp via: +2348147400259

    ReplyDelete
  10. My Mark McDaniel from Ohio USA, I'm married and blessed with 2 kids (male). Myself and my wife provides for our kids and make sure they are happy. One weekend while I was home, I noticed my first son rude behavior. I talked to him to change his sudden behavior yet to no avail. I became so worried then I searched online for every possible help I could get. A saw a comment of someone parent who had similar experience then I talked to them via email.
    They told me about DR Odinani Owell the great spell caster helped them change the life of their kids too who became so rude all of a sudden. They give me DR Odinani Owelle the great spell email then I wrote to him, telling him about my son sudden behaviour.
    DR Odinani Owelle the great spell caster gave me his words that in 2 weeks time, my son is gonna be back to his normal behaviour. Dr Odinani Owell the great spell caster asked me to make purchase of certain items which I did and the item we so cheap. I had doubt in myself that how can such little items bring back my son to his normal self until the fifth day of the second week.
    My son woke up in the morning, came to my room, began to apologies for his sudden behaviour. My heart was filled with laughter and smile arouse my face. I embraced him and I told him I've forgiven him.
    To others out there, don't keep your problems to yourself. Share it with a friend or search for possible solutions online. You too can write to Dr Odinani Owelle the great spell caster if you've any problem,,,,,,,, Here's he's email odinanisolutioncentre@gmail.com or odinanisolutioncentre1@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. Do anyone still doubt natural herbs? I've seen the great importance of natural herbs and the wonderful work they have done in people's lives. I wonder why people still spend their money on surgery, injections and drugs each time they are sick. Natural herbs can cure all kinds of illness including herpes, diabetics, asthma, HIV, hepatitis, etc. I've seen it with my own eyes. I was cured of cancer and my aunt and her husband were cured of herpes by Dr Udi who uses natural herbs to cure different kind of illness. Even Dr.Udi proved to the whole world countless times that natural herbs can cure all diseases and he cured countless of people using natural herbs. I know is hard to believe but am a living testimony. There is no harm in trying herbs it will only get you cured from what you being so why don't you give herbs a try and see it effectiveness Contact or email Dr Udi (Drudiherbalhome@gmail.com) (phone/whatsap no): +2348051243538.

    ReplyDelete
  12. MY HUSBAND WILL ALWAYS BE MINE....!!!!
    How i got my divorced husband back again with the good help of Dr.ogudupowerful love spell...My name is Lizzy Frank. When i read a testimony online on how Dr.ogudu the great and most powerful spell caster help to bring back Divorce husband EX LOVER. I was wondering how can this be true, Because many has failed me in the past without any result from them. I just let the post pass by and move on the forum. To my notice under again, Some person posted and said tested and trusted spell caster. After reading through the mail it was this same man Dr.ogudu she was talking about. So i have no other option than to really check up how he works.I was totally devastated when my beloved husband left me. It was like my entire world vanishing into sorrow and pain. I know it sounds weird but out of all the spell casters I contacted, he was the only one to give me that impression of being so true and trustful. More than his words,He brought my husband back and he made all my wishes come true. He is now loyal, pays attention to me, he offers me flowers every Sunday, and we often go out at the cinema and the restaurant. my husband came to me and apologized for the wrongs he did and promise never to do it again. Ever since then, everything has returned back to normal. I and my family are living together happily again.. I will be forever thankful for turning my life from hell to heaven! i believe who need help should get to him for help. May God continue to use you to save broken relationship. To every one with marital problem, divorce issues, lost lover or any relationship related issues, you can contact him Oguduspellcast@gmail.com the ultimate spell caster via email address: Oguduspellcast@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks for the Weill article. I believe he was the greatest composer of the 20th century in his ability to cross over and compose memorable melody, fierce (or funny) dramatic effects, and his endless challenges to the nature of musical theater. People like to say there were 2 Weills, but there was only one brilliant man whose music evolved. As to the rest of the comments here, obviously all placed by one insane person, ignore. Thanks again!

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.