The remarkable career of Harriett Abrams – singer-actress, concert soprano, composer and self-sty... more The remarkable career of Harriett Abrams – singer-actress, concert soprano, composer and self-styled manager – was bound up with the representative power of the music that she performed, composed and produced. Throughout her career, music was the chief means through which Abrams produced her persona, as she metamorphosed from soprano-actress, to concert soprano to composer. A closer examination of Abrams’ life and music shows how she guided this process to gain increasing control over her representation. Launched by David Garrick, she represented exoticism in musical vehicles, first written by Garrick and then others, designed to showcase her voice and negotiate her Jewish identity. Quitting the theatre, Abrams established a highly successful concert career, in part by embodying through performances with her sisters ideals of femininity. Her high standing allowed her to withdraw from public into private performance and to devote herself fully to composition, a male-dominated field to which she had earlier contributed pieces for amateurs. Her output shows increasing mastery of her craft, culminating in songs that incorporated the advances of Haydn, with whom she was associated.
"John Rich (1692-1761) was a profoundly influential figure of the eighteenth-century London ... more "John Rich (1692-1761) was a profoundly influential figure of the eighteenth-century London stage. As producer, manager, and performer, he transformed the urban entertainment market, creating genres and promotional methods still with us today. This volume gives the first comprehensive overview of Rich's multifaceted career, appreciation of which has suffered from his performing identity as Lun, London's most celebrated Harlequin. Far from the lightweight buffoon that this stereotype has suggested, Rich–the first producer of The Beggar's Opera, the founder of Covent Garden, the dauntless backer of Handel, and the promoter of the principal dancers from the Parisian opera–is revealed as an agent of changes much more enduring than those of his younger contemporary, David Garrick. Contributions by leading scholars from a range of disciplines–theatre, dance, music, art, and cultural history–provide detailed analyses of Rich's productions and representations. These findings complement Robert D. Hume's lead article, a study that radically alters our perception of Rich. Contributors: Olive Baldwin; Jeremy Barlow; Donald Burrows; Al Coppola; Moira Goff; Robert D. Hume; David Hunter; Terry Jenkins; Berta Joncus; Matthew J. Kinservik; Ana Martínez; Judith Milhous; Felicity Nussbaum; Marcus Risdell; Fiona Ritchie; Vanessa Rogers; Robin Simon; Jennifer Thorp; Linda J. Tomko; Thelma Wilson "
Celebrity: The Idiom of a Modern Era, AMS Studies in the Eighteenth Century, ed. Baerbel Czennia (New York: AMS Press), 2013
The remarkable career of Harriett Abrams was bound up with the representative power of the music ... more The remarkable career of Harriett Abrams was bound up with the representative power of the music that she performed, composed and produced. An examination of Abrams’ life and music shows how she metamorphosed from soprano-actress, to concert soprano, to composer and manager, in the process gaining increasing control over her own career. Launched by David Garrick, she represented exoticism in musical vehicles designed to showcase her voice and negotiate her Jewish identity. Quitting the theatre, Abrams established a highly successful concert career, in part by embodying ideals of femininity through performances with her sisters. Her high standing allowed her to withdraw from public into private performance and to devote herself fully to composition, a male-dominated field to which she had earlier contributed pieces for amateurs. Her output shows increasing mastery of her craft, culminating in songs that incorporated the advances of Haydn, with whom she associated.
The remarkable career of Harriett Abrams – singer-actress, concert soprano, composer and self-sty... more The remarkable career of Harriett Abrams – singer-actress, concert soprano, composer and self-styled manager – was bound up with the representative power of the music that she performed, composed and produced. Throughout her career, music was the chief means through which Abrams produced her persona, as she metamorphosed from soprano-actress, to concert soprano to composer. A closer examination of Abrams’ life and music shows how she guided this process to gain increasing control over her representation. Launched by David Garrick, she represented exoticism in musical vehicles, first written by Garrick and then others, designed to showcase her voice and negotiate her Jewish identity. Quitting the theatre, Abrams established a highly successful concert career, in part by embodying through performances with her sisters ideals of femininity. Her high standing allowed her to withdraw from public into private performance and to devote herself fully to composition, a male-dominated field to which she had earlier contributed pieces for amateurs. Her output shows increasing mastery of her craft, culminating in songs that incorporated the advances of Haydn, with whom she was associated.
"John Rich (1692-1761) was a profoundly influential figure of the eighteenth-century London ... more "John Rich (1692-1761) was a profoundly influential figure of the eighteenth-century London stage. As producer, manager, and performer, he transformed the urban entertainment market, creating genres and promotional methods still with us today. This volume gives the first comprehensive overview of Rich's multifaceted career, appreciation of which has suffered from his performing identity as Lun, London's most celebrated Harlequin. Far from the lightweight buffoon that this stereotype has suggested, Rich–the first producer of The Beggar's Opera, the founder of Covent Garden, the dauntless backer of Handel, and the promoter of the principal dancers from the Parisian opera–is revealed as an agent of changes much more enduring than those of his younger contemporary, David Garrick. Contributions by leading scholars from a range of disciplines–theatre, dance, music, art, and cultural history–provide detailed analyses of Rich's productions and representations. These findings complement Robert D. Hume's lead article, a study that radically alters our perception of Rich. Contributors: Olive Baldwin; Jeremy Barlow; Donald Burrows; Al Coppola; Moira Goff; Robert D. Hume; David Hunter; Terry Jenkins; Berta Joncus; Matthew J. Kinservik; Ana Martínez; Judith Milhous; Felicity Nussbaum; Marcus Risdell; Fiona Ritchie; Vanessa Rogers; Robin Simon; Jennifer Thorp; Linda J. Tomko; Thelma Wilson "
Celebrity: The Idiom of a Modern Era, AMS Studies in the Eighteenth Century, ed. Baerbel Czennia (New York: AMS Press), 2013
The remarkable career of Harriett Abrams was bound up with the representative power of the music ... more The remarkable career of Harriett Abrams was bound up with the representative power of the music that she performed, composed and produced. An examination of Abrams’ life and music shows how she metamorphosed from soprano-actress, to concert soprano, to composer and manager, in the process gaining increasing control over her own career. Launched by David Garrick, she represented exoticism in musical vehicles designed to showcase her voice and negotiate her Jewish identity. Quitting the theatre, Abrams established a highly successful concert career, in part by embodying ideals of femininity through performances with her sisters. Her high standing allowed her to withdraw from public into private performance and to devote herself fully to composition, a male-dominated field to which she had earlier contributed pieces for amateurs. Her output shows increasing mastery of her craft, culminating in songs that incorporated the advances of Haydn, with whom she associated.
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