It's August, and that means school has started up once again!
I am almost through my first two weeks already, and they have flown by!
This semester, I am teaching four classes: two sections of Fundamentals of Music Theory, an introductory theory class; one section of Music Theory I, and one section of a gen-ed music appreciation class covering (somehow) all 1500 years of Western classical music in one semester.
This summer, I've been reading a biography of Giuseppe Verdi by Mary Jane Phillips-Matz. I really like reading biographies of composers because they really help to set a composer's work and life in the context of world history.
The biggest revelation in this biography has been that Verdi was composing during the time of the Austrian empire's rule over Italy. The hoops he had to jump through to meet the demands of the royal and clerical censors were astounding.
You might be surprised at some of the "problems" they found with Verdi's operas. Sometimes, he was able to push back and get his way.
For example, his opera Rigoletto is based on Victor Hugo's play Le Roi s'amuse. which features a hero who is a hunchback jester. In addition to other problems they found with the libretto, the censors did not believe that deformities of any kind should be shown on stage.
In a letter to the director of the theater, saying he would not comply with the censor's wishes to remove the disability from the character, Verdi wrote "I find it really a very, very beautiful thing to portray this character who is deformed and ridiculous on the outside, and passionate and full of love inside."
Verdi got his way in this instance.
In reading this biography I am reminded again how often composers are making political, religious and cultural statements, sometimes challenging the accepted norms and authoritative structures.
It is giving me ideas on how to approach my music appreciation class as I teach it for the second time.
I am also enjoying reading about the relationship Verdi had with his librettist. They truly were a team.
As I continue working on my chamber opera, I am having regular meetings with my librettist, Kristen Castrataro. It has been a pleasure talking with her about the characters and really getting to know them so I can portray them more clearly through the music. I am grateful for Zoom which makes our conversation much more efficient and effective than the letters Verdi and Piave had to write back and forth!
My schedule is quite full, as you can imagine. I leave my house at 6:30am on M/W/F and leave school at 5pm. On Monday evenings, I have the group session with my students in The Music Hub over Zoom. On Wednesday evenings, I go straight from school to choir rehearsal. On Fridays, I can chill out when I get home, if I am not attending a concert or catching dinner with a friend.
Thankfully, my schedule at school leaves a good bit of time in-between classes for me to do lesson prep and correcting. That leaves Tuesdays and Thursdays pretty open, plus the weekends, and that's when I'm getting my composing done.
I am making good progress on the opera. Most of the text is set and I am mostly done with the overture and the introductory song. I am orchestrating the first aria right now, and I am very pleased with how it is coming along!
That's the news for August!
Last month, I told you my desire to get a small camper. It would make all my conference travel easier, keep it relatively affordable (compared to flights, hotels, renting cars, and eating out at restaurants the whole time), allow me to transport scores, and also make it easier to line up tours for my A Woman's Place piano recital.
If you would like to help keep me on the road by donating to help me get this camper, you can do so at the link below. I would be so incredibly grateful, and I might even be able to set up a recital in your location if you're in the 48 contiguous US States!
https://heather-niemi-savage-music.kit.com/products/go-camper-donation
