Who knew? : answers to questions about classical music you never thought to ask

353 Pages·2016·1.9 MB·English

by  Robert A. Cutietta

WHO KNEW?

Who Knew?
Answers to Questions about Classical
Music You Never Thought to Ask
ROBERT A. CUTIETTA
1
1
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Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Cutietta, Robert A.
Who knew?: Answers to Questions About Classical Music
You Never Thought to Ask/Robert A. Cutietta.
Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2016. | Includes index.
LCCN 2015045957 | ISBN 9780190462543 (pbk. : alk. paper) |
ISBN 9780190462567 (epub)
LCSH: Music—Miscellanea. | Music—Anecdotes. | Music appreciation.
LCC ML65 .C957 2016 | DDC 781.68—dc23 LC record available at
http://lccn.loc.gov/2015045957
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
Printed by R.R. Donnelley, United States of America
CONTENTS
List of Figures  vii
Preface  ix
1. The Orchestra and How It Works  1
2. The Maestro and Music Director  27
3. Opera and the Diva  59
4. The Composer  91
5. The Performers  119
6. The Instruments of the Orchestra  143
7. The Music  193
8. This and That  263
Sources of Quotes  309
Index  311

LIST OF FIGURES
6.1 The fundamental movement of a
vibrating string and the most
effective place to stop the vibration.  156
6.2 Once put in motion the vibrating string
divides and starts experiencing secondary
vibrations, each producing additional but
generally softer pitches.  157
6.3 The most effective place to stop a larger
vibration often does not interfere
with the smaller vibrations.  159
8.1 The G, F, and C clefs.  305
8.2 The location of the clefs on the
five- line staff for a typical string
quartet of two violins, viola, and cello.  306
8.3 The eleven- line grand staff with a
C clef designating the middle line as C.  306
viii | LISt OF FIGUReS
8.4 The more common grand staff divided
into two parts, with the upper half
designated with a G clef and the
lower half designated with an F clef;
the middle C line is inserted only
when needed.  307
PREFACE
In 2006 I was approached by Gail eichenthal, then program
director for classical radio station KUSC, to explore the
idea of starting a weekly radio segment called Ask the Dean.
The format would be simple: listeners would email their
questions about classical music, and I would answer them.
The idea appealed to me, but the thought that I, or any-
one, could know about all aspects of classical music was
simply unfathomable. However, the fact that I was the
dean of one of the premier music schools in the country,
the University of Southern California’s Thornton School
of Music, led us to the idea that while I might not have
all of the answers, I certainly had a wealth of experts to
rely on:  the two- hundred- plus faculty members of the
Thornton School. Thus, the segment was launched in the
fall of 2006, with Gail as my cohost. The premise was that
the dean may not know much, but he had “people” to whom
he could turn.