Commentators often express disappointment that the music for the main characters in _Aida_ is not more distinctive, i.e., does not make much use of the exotic styles that mark the work’s ceremonial scenes and ballets. It has also been argued that exotic style-elements here are mostly confined to female, hence powerless, characters. Such…[Read more]

A detailed review of vol. 2 of Berlioz’s complete correspondence, with many corrections of errors in the edition. The article also prints, for the first time, eight letters of Berlioz, with translation and commentary.

This Spring 2018 course at University of Pennsylvania covers a wide range of current and emerging digital projects and topics in East Asian studies. Students will engage with digital projects focused on East Asia (encompassing Japanese, Chinese, and Korean languages) as well as research being done on digital methodologies for the humanities in…[Read more]

Most previous writings on musical exoticism reflect the unspoken
assumption that a work is perceived by the listener as exotic only if it incorporates
distinctively foreign or otherwise highly unusual elements of
musical style. This “Exotic Style Only” Paradigm often proves revelatory,
especially for purely instrumental works. In operas and…[Read more]

A brief essay about the work Past Won’t Pass (Catalog #52) by artist Noritaka Minami.