Bind School - Music Theatre History II
Class Assignments for Fall Semester 2010
Lecturer: John Kenrick

With the exception of our first class, students are expected to read or view the required materials for each week beforehand. On the assigned day, be prepared for active discussion, as well as oral and possible pop written quizzes on these materials. 

  • Required reading assignments use the page numbers from the hardcover edition of my textbook.
  • In case you do not have access to the textbook, use the links to related pages on Musicals101.com -- but you should eventually read the assigned text as well.
  • If you have any questions regarding these assignments, please contact John Kenrick at bwayman08@yahoo.com.
  • Optional items are exactly that, not required, but material that can enrich your learning experience..
  • For More suggests worthwhile reading for anyone interested in doing further research. These are not required materials -- just listed in case a particular subject grabs you..
  • Exam dates are noted in red.
    •

Week 1 (9/2)
Definitions & Beginnings: Antiquity to Ballad Opera

Week 2 (9/9)
Continental Operetta: Offenbach & Strauss

Week 3 (9/16)
British Music Halls, Minstrelsy & Variety

Week 4 (9/23)
Early American Musicals

Week 5 (9/30)
Gilbert & Sullivan I

Week 6 (10/7)
Gilbert & Sullivan II

Week 7 (10/14)
Anatomy of a Hit: The Merry Widow
Your Take Home Mid-Term will be distributed in this class

  • No Required Reading assignment for this week
  • For More: Bordman, Gerald. American Operetta. New York: Oxford University Press, 1981. A fine look at the beginnings of the musical in America. Includes detailed discussion of The Merry Widow's first Broadway production in 1907.
  • For More: Grun, Bernard. Gold and Silver: The Life and Times of Franz Lehar. New York: David McKay Co., 1970. Charming and informative, this book includes extensive coverage of The Merry Widow, as well as a refreshing assessment of Lehar's controversial final years.
  • For More: Traubner, Richard. Operetta: A Theatrical History. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, 1983 The ultimate love letter to operetta, with superb scholarship throughout. A new paperback edition appeared in 2003.

Week 8 (10/21)
Vaudeville & Burlesque
(Mid-Term Exam Due IN CLASS)

Week 9 (10/28)
Career in Profile: George M. Cohan

  • Required: Kenrick: pp. 117-122
  • Optional: Musicals101 - 

Week 10 (11/4)
Victor Herbert & Irving Berlin

  • Required: Kenrick: pp. 111-117, 142-145
  • Optional: Musicals101 - 

Week 11 (11/11)
Revues: Ziegfeld's Follies

  • Required: Kenrick: pp. 122-127, 145-155
  • Optional: Musicals101 - 

Week 12 (11/18)
Jerome Kern: The Princess Musicals & Beyond

  • Required: Kenrick: 134-142
  • Optional: Musicals101 - 
  • For More: Bordman, Gerald. Jerome Kern: His Life and Music. New York: Oxford University Press 1980. The definitive resource on Kern and his work. It is all here, a magnificent example of research.

THANKSGIVING - HAPPY HOLIDAY!

Week 13 (12/2)
Career in Profile: Al Jolson

 

Week 14 (12/9)
The 1920s: Hot Times, Great Talents & Show Boat

  • Required: You must view the 1936 screen version of Show Boat before this class
  • Required: Kenrick: 168-206
  • Optional: Musicals101 - 1920s Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5
  • For More: Kruger, Miles. Show Boat: The Story of a Classic American Musical. New York: Oxford University Press, 1977. (Updated soft cover edition - New York: Da Capo, 1990) The complete history of Showboat in all its incarnations up to the publication dates, this well written book is a model of scholarly research blended with passion for the musical theatre. This volume inspired the historic John McGlinn recording of the uncut score, as well as the wondrous 90's revival.

Week 15 (12/16)
And Then Came the Crash

  • Your Final Exam will be administered during this class
  • There is no reading assignment for this week