Accessibility and Authenticity in Julia Smith's Cynthia Parker

In 1939, composer Julia Smith's first opera Cynthia Parker dramatized the story of a Texas legend. Smith manipulated music, text, and visual images to make the opera accessible for the audience in accordance with compositional and institutional practices in American opera of the 1930s. Transparent musical themes and common Native Americans stereotypes are used to define characters. Folk music is presented as diegetic, creating a sense of authenticity that places the audience into the opera's Western setting. The opera is codified for the audience using popular idioms, resulting in initial but not lasting success.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of North Texas

Year dc:date

2007

Author dc:creator

• Buehner, Katie R.

Contributors dc:contributor

• McKnight, Mark, 1951-
• Froehlich, Hildegard
• Notley, Margaret Anne

• Texas
• folk music
• opera
• accessibility
• authenticity
• Smith, Julia, 1905-1989. Cynthia Parker.
• Indians of North America -- Songs and music -- History and criticism.

Statement dc:rights

• Public
• Copyright
• Buehner, Katie R.
• Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.

Language dc:language

English

Identifier

oclc: 229446800
https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc5197/
ark: ark:/67531/metadc5197

OAI identifier oai:identifier

info:ark/67531/metadc5197