Becoming Jerome Kern: The Early Songs and Shows, 1903--1915

Randall, James Kenneth

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Description

Title

Becoming Jerome Kern: The Early Songs and Shows, 1903--1915

Author(s)

Randall, James Kenneth

Issue Date

2004

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Gushee, Lawrence

Department of Study

Music

Discipline

Music

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

Biography

Language

eng

Abstract

My dissertation examines Kern's early work from several perspectives. I first discuss Kern's early songs within an historical context, illustrating how specific theatrical genres, the mechanics of creative collaboration, and the business of musical theater served to structure Kern's music. Next I examine his songs individually, as dramatic miniatures, looking at the structural and stylistic means Kern employs to compose dramatically effective songs. I show continuities between Kern's early and later work, both in the musical means he uses to convey drama and in his musical grammar: his preferred song structures, harmonic and melodic sequences, modulations, and cadences. Finally I examine Kern's work as a musical dramatist within the context of his first full score, The Red Petticoat (1912). Although this score has been largely forgotten, I argue that it represents an important template for the integration of music and drama that Kern would return to frequently in his later shows, particularly in his best known work, Show Boat (1927).

Graduation Semester

2004

Type of Resource

text

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