The Art of Listening: A Conversational Approach to Lecture Recitals

Author

Javor Bracic, The Graduate Center, City University of New YorkFollow

Date of Degree

6-2021

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

D.M.A.

Program

Music

Advisor

Joseph Straus

Committee Members

Norman Carey

Scott Burnham

Edward Klorman

Subject Categories

Music Education | Musicology | Music Performance | Music Theory

Keywords

lecture recitals, audience engagement, public musicology, piano music

Abstract

Lecture recitals as the practice of pairing live music performance with verbal explication have been around since at least the end of the eighteenth century, but research on them is surprisingly scarce despite how ubiquitous they have become. What exactly are lecture recitals? Where did they originate? How are they conducted? Is there anything we could do to improve upon them?

In this dissertation I not only consider these questions but also propose a new kind of lecture recital I call a conversation concert. After a brief historical overview of lecture-recitalists from Johann Nikolaus Forkel to Rob Kapilow, I showcase analysis and annotated transcripts of three of my conversation concerts from my series The Art of Listening. The takeaways from this work may serve as help and inspiration to anyone wishing to engage with the lecture recital format.

Recommended Citation

Bracic, Javor, "The Art of Listening: A Conversational Approach to Lecture Recitals" (2021). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/4383