When Czech composer Bedřich Smetana's opera The Bartered Bride received its American premiere at the Metropolitan Opera in February 1909, New York music critics published positive reviews which displayed a great fascination with the many "Bohemian" aspects of the production. However, certain comments or language used by some critics indicate that American opinions of the Czech people were less than positive. After Czechs began immigrating to America en masse in 1848, already-established American citizens developed skewed cultural perceptions of the Czech people, established negative stereotypes, and propagated their opinions in various forms of press throughout the nation. Despite a general dislike of the Czechs, reviewers revered The Bartered Bride and praised its many authentic "Bohemian" qualities. This research explores the idea of a paradoxical cultural phenomenon in which the prejudice against Czech people did not fully cross over into the musical sphere. Instead, appreciation for Czech music and musicians may have trumped any such negative opinions and authentic Czech productions such as The Bartered Bride may have been considered a novelty in the eyes of early twentieth-century New Yorkers.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:unt.edu/info:ark/67531/metadc1703392 |
| Date | 05 1900 |
| Creators | Fehr, Laura |
| Contributors | Mondelli, Peter, Notley, Margaret Anne, McKnight, Mark, 1951- |
| Publisher | University of North Texas |
| Source Sets | University of North Texas |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | iii, 43 pages : illustrations, Text |
| Coverage | United States - New York - New York City, 1850/1950 |
| Rights | Public, Fehr, Laura, Copyright, Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights Reserved. |
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