A comedic opera of two acts, The Rose of Persia stands as the final opera completed by the English composer Arthur Sullivan. After departing from his comedic roots for several productions, Sullivan cultivated an opera consisting of exoticism influences within its constructed environment and plot elements. Though irregularly revived today, The Rose of Persia exploits Arthur Sullivan as a consistently successful composer; demonstrates the influence of ethnic groups from the late 19th century within this particular musical; directly draws parallels to Middle Eastern cultures, and sufficiently implies similarities and differences to comparable earlier works, of which also include depictions of Exoticism and Orientalism.
On June 24, 1842, Arthur Sullivan was born in South London. At an early age, Sullivan’s musicality was easily recognizable, which his father immensely supported, as he was a band conductor. For if it wasn’t for his father’s support and occupation, it’s possible that Sullivan’s introduction to music would not have occurred as early as it did. According to Sullivan, he was “intensely interested in all that the band did” and he “learned to play every wind instrument” (Young 5). With his burgeoning interest in music, Sullivan continued his studies at the Royal Academy of Music until 1858, only to later attend the Conservatory in Leipzig. Over various years, Sullivan fulfilled his passion devoted to music by conducting, until his partnership with librettist W.S. Gilbert began in 1871. Gilbert and Sullivan produced several projects together, including Ruddigore, Yeomen of the Guard, and The Gondoliers, formulating a notable working relationship (Young 5). Following an argument over expenses, a feud burgeoned, and the partnership concluded. With this new platform vacant of Gilbert’s presence, Sullivan transitioned into composing without Gilbert’s assistance (Young 5). Throughout the remainder of his career, Sullivan worked with other librettists, continuing to mostly compose comic operas, such as The Rose of Persia.
Composed by Arthur Sullivan, The Rose of Persia was created in 1899, only to later initiate its début performance in the same year. The Rose of Persia premièred on November 29, 1899 in London at the Savoy Theatre ("The Rose of Persia (work by Sullivan)"). The Romantic piece featured two acts and the instrumentation of vocal soloists, a chorus, and an orchestra. After its première, the opera intensely toured in America and throughout the English-speaking world, achieving a run of 220 performances (Citation Needed). While Sullivan served as the two-act comedic opera’s composer, Basil Hood was The Rose of Persia’s librettist ("Sir Arthur Sullivan (British Composer)").
In his Creating Minds, Howard Gardner states the purpose of his book as an examination of the "...often peculiar intellectual capacities, personality configurations, social arrangements, and creative agendas, struggles, and accomplishments" (6). In this paper I will examine the life and creativity of John Jerome Garcia from the framework and theories provided by Gardner, from the perspective of aptness in the musical intelligence.
Grove, George. The Musical Times Volume 47. United Kingdom: Musical Times Publications Ltd. 1906, Print.
A new and original comic Opera by Messrs. W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, entitled the "Pirates of Penzance, or Love and Duty. It is amazing how two dramatic writers have mastered the ability to amuse the public in such an original manner. This opera had its premiere on December 31, 1879, at the Fifth Avenue Theater in New York with Arthur Sullivan conducting. It opened on April 3, 1880, at the Opera Comique in London and ran for 363 performances.
TitleAuthor/ EditorPublisherDate James Galways’ Music in TimeWilliam MannMichael Beazley Publishers1982 The Concise Oxford History of MusicGerald AbrahamOxford University Press1979 Music in Western CivilizationPaul Henry LangW. W. Norton and Company1941 The Ultimate Encyclopaedia of Classical MusicRobert AinsleyCarlton Books Limited1995 The Cambridge Music GuideStanley SadieCambridge University Press1985 School text: Western European Orchestral MusicMary AllenHamilton Girls’ High School1999 History of MusicRoy BennettCambridge University Press1982 Classical Music for DummiesDavid PogueIDG Books Worldwide,Inc1997
In Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi’s childhood experiences allow her to demonstrate the cultural changes that occurred in post-revolutionary Iran, as well as those perpetrated by western culture. In Persepolis, western culture plays a major role in the author’s attempt to dispel the
McGee, Timothy J. Medieval and Renaissance Music: A Performer’s Guide. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1985.
Daniel Felsenfeld reveals a positive, impactful significance — one that has completely changed his life — in his literacy narrative “Rebel Music” by drawing upon what his early adolescent years of music were like before his shift into a new taste for music, how this new taste of music precisely, yet strangely appealed to him, and what this new music inspired him to ultimately become. Near the beginning of his narrative, Felsenfeld described his primal time with music in Orange County, Calif. He had developed his musical skills enough to jumpstart a career around music — working in piano bars and in community theater orchestra pits. However, Felsenfeld stated that the music he worked with “... was dull, or at least had a dulling effect on me — it didn’t sparkle, or ask questions,” and that “I [he] took a lot of gigs, but at 17 I was already pretty detached” (pg. 625). Felsenfeld easily
Gilbert and Sullivan and Oscar Wilde share the same interest, as both their texts focus on the theme of love. Both plays take on the idea of love in the form of a triangle, where two people share the same feelings towards one person and this normally results in a negative outcome for one person in the triangle. Through the plays representation of the love triangle, dramatization of romantic rivalry and purpose to this romantic structure, Oscar Wilde’s play, “The Importance of Being Earnest” challenges the typical beliefs of the love triangle and presents it as something that brings people closer together and strengthens relationships. While Gilbert and Sullivan’s play, “The Mikado” argues that the love triangle is merely an illusion and an
For almost half a century, the musical world was defined by order and esteemed the form of music more highly than the emotion that lay behind it. However, at the turn of the 19th century, romantic music began to rise in popularity. Lasting nearly a century, romantic music rejected the ideas of the classical era and instead encouraged composers to embrace the idea of emotionally driven music. Music was centered around extreme emotions and fantastical stories that rejected the idea of reason. This was the world that Clara Wieck (who would later marry the famous composer, Robert Schumann) was born into. Most well known for being a famous concert pianist, and secondly for being a romantic composer, Clara intimately knew the workings of romantic music which would not only influence Clara but would later become influenced by her progressive compositions and performances, as asserted by Bertita Harding, author of Concerto: The Glowing Story of Clara Schumann (Harding, 14). Clara’s musical career is an excellent example of how romantic music changed from virtuosic pieces composed to inspire awe at a performer’s talent, to more serious and nuanced pieces of music that valued the emotion of the listener above all else.
This novel is one of many that have been dissected by the Iranian government. Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis is the product of this censorship. In the 1970’s, Iran underwent various changes that altered the culture of the country, thus leading to a revolution (Wikipedia Contributors). Iran
John Warrack, author of 6 Great Composers, stated, “Any study of a composer, however brief, must have as its only purpose encouragement of the reader to greater enjoyment of the music” (Warrack, p.2). The composers and musicians of the Renaissance period need to be discussed and studied so that listeners, performers, and readers can appreciate and understand the beginnings of music theory and form. The reader can also understand the driving force of the composer, whether sacred or secular, popularity or religious growth. To begin understanding music composition one must begin at the birth, or rebirth of music and the composers who created the great change.
This is the second volume of Richard Taruskin's historical work, and it highlights composers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. He examines the progression of different styles and eras of music.
In the sixth century B.C, the land that we now call Iran was the center of the largest empire in the world. The kings of Ancient Persia( such as Cyrus the Great) were the leaders of a great civilization that made amazing advances in laws, goverment and communication. Founded in 550 B.C by King Cyrus the Great, the Persian Empire spanned from Egypt in the west to Turkey in the north, and through Mesopotamia to the Indus River in the east. Unlike most empires at that time, the Persian kings were benovelent rulers, and allowed a diverse variety of diffrent people with diffrent ethnic backgrounds. The Persian empire was split into three diffrent empires with three diffrent time periods but the first empire was called the Achaemenid Empire. It began with King Cyrus the Great and ended with King Darius III.
As an adult Mozart his career was not as successful as when he was younger. But he kept on composing anyway hoping one people would appreciate his work. He lived in poverty for the great majority of his life. In 1769 he became a concertmaster to the archbishop of Salzburg, which was another one of his jobs that afforded him little financial security. In 1777, he left on another concert tour. But, the courts of Europe ignored Mozart ‘s search for a more beneficial assignment. In 1782 he earned a living by selling compositions, giving public performances, and giving music lessons, which once again was a low paying job. The composer never did find a well paying job. The bizarre thing was is that even that he had ton of trouble finding jobs, he was still considered one of the leading composers of the late 1700s.
Upon an initial examination of William Shakespeare’s play, The Merchant of Venice, a reader is provided with superficial details regarding the moral dilemmas embedded in the text. Further analysis allows a reader to recognize the multi-faceted issues each character faces as an individual in response to his or her surroundings and/or situations. Nevertheless, the subtle yet vital motif of music is ingrained in the play in order to offer a unique approach to understanding the plot and its relationship with the characters. Whether the appearance of music be an actual song or an allusion to music in a mythological or social context, the world of Venice and Belmont that Shakespeare was writing about was teeming with music. The acceptance or denunciation