LEONARD BERNSTEIN AT HARVARD: THE NORTON LECTURES, NO. 6: THE POETRY OF THE EARTH (TV)
Summary
The sixth of six lectures delivered by Leonard Bernstein as the Charles Norton Scholar at Harvard University in 1973 and produced for television by WGBH in Boston. Bernstein names his lectures about music theory "The Unanswered Question." This sixth lecture addresses the sincerity of modern music and the influence and style of Igor Stravinsky. Bernstein explores the issue of tonality and elaborates on the place that Stravinsky holds in music. Bernstein ties Stravinsky's asymetrical musical compositions to Noam Chomsky's study of linguistics and behavior. Bernstein performs and explains "The Rite of Spring" and then begins to elaborate on the widening variety of musical styles. Next Bernstein draws an analogy between poetry and music by comparing meters in poetry to meters in music. Bernstein expounds on Igor Stravinsky's emotional message and on the composer's eclectic style. Bernstein initiates an elaborate examination of the surface and deep structure of Stravinsky's works. The piece performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra is omitted. Next, Bernstein draws a conclusion based on this six-lecture series. Bernstein states his credo about the study of music theory and attempts to answer "The Unanswered Question" he first posed in Lecture No. 1, citing Charles Ives's work of the same title. No commercials.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS
- DATE: February 22, 1976 1:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:00:00
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T85:0642
- GENRE: Music
- SUBJECT HEADING: Music; Music - Analysis, appreciation
- SERIES RUN: PBS - TV series, 1976
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Harry J. Kraut … Executive Producer
- Douglas Smith … Producer
- Mary V. Ahern … Associate Producer
- James Rieser … Associate Producer
- Humphrey Burton … Consulting Producer
- Clark Santee … Director
- Leonard Bernstein … Writer, Conductor, Host
- F. John Adams … Harvard Glee Club, Conductor
- Rene Kollo … Harvard Glee Club, Cast, Oedipus
- Tom Krause … Harvard Glee Club, Cast, Creon
- Ezio Flagello … Harvard Glee Club, Cast, Tiresias
- Tatiana Troyanos … Harvard Glee Club, Cast, Jocasta
- David Evitts … Harvard Glee Club, Cast, Messenger
- Frank Hoffmeister … Harvard Glee Club, Cast, Shepherd
- Michael Wager … Harvard Glee Club, Cast, Speaker
- Igor Stravinsky