Levi's Berlin Write-Up

Levi Lindsey
Honors Berlin
21 September 2008

Opera: a comparison between Seattle and Berlin

Project Question and Abstract

Opera intrigues me in that these beautiful words and these fascinating pieces of music are sung and played again and again all over the world exactly as they were written so many years ago; and yet, all other characteristics of a given opera can, and do, fluctuate remarkably with each new production. The intent of my research has been to focus on exactly how these “other characteristics” tend to vary from Seattle to Berlin. Simply stated, my question was “how do operas compare from Berlin to Seattle?”

When I began my research, I understood that Berliners tend to modernize their operas more than Seattleites. This, specifically, is something I wished to investigate. When I use the word “to modernize” in this essay, I am referring to the practice of producing an opera in a setting which is vastly more contemporary than the setting in which it was customarily performed around the time of its composition, or to modify any specific aspect or aspects of an opera in an unorthodox – or unclassical – thought-provoking manner.

Background

A key debate with operas in today’s world is whether or not to modernize. The classical and modern approaches to producing an opera both have their distinct benefits.

In Seattle, operas tend to be performed in a more classical style. Many musicians feel that all music, including opera, should be performed as the composer had intended. This means that a performer should pay close attention to all the descriptions and details of notation in a musical score and that a piece of music should be performed with the same sentiment and in the same manner in which it would have been performed at its time of composition. Also, this ensures that all the beauty which the composer originally intended a piece of music to hold will still be present with each new performance. This is the dominant opinion in Seattle opera.

In Berlin, operas tend to be performed in a modernized style or with some hugely unorthodox and thought-provoking aspect. Modernizing an opera allows it to grow and to be something completely new and exciting with each new production. The same opera can be much more exciting if a new and unusual twist is allowed. Modernization allows opera to evolve in order to better fit the demands of today’s evolving society. Today’s audience has completely different expectations and ideas of entertainment than the audiences which most operas were written for, so why should an opera not mold to these new expectations? As Charles Robert states in his article “Modernizing Opera,” in which he addresses the modernization of German opera, “As opera itself is the essence of artificiality, the introduction of modern appliances in order to heighten and intensify this primary condition can only be welcomed” (Robert 221).

Context

This topic is naturally relevant in the opera world. Whether or not and how to modernize an opera, is perhaps the most important decision today’s opera director makes. Of course, such things as which stellar soprano or tenor to hire for which role are important, but how the story is presented is far more interesting and lasting to the audience. Any normal opera-goer or even most audience members with a “highly trained ear” are not going to have a hugely different experience if the star tenor sings or if his lowly understudy fills in for the night; the music will almost unfailingly still be beautiful. However, if the story of The Flying Dutchman (or Der fliegende Holländer) is produced in the settings of a computer firm’s main office and a beauty salon – without even a hint of a nautical prop during the entire production – the audience will notice and will have an entirely different experience. They will be scratching their heads at the oddity; it will make them think. The unique treatment of a familiar story will leave a greater and more lasting impact.

Personally, I have had great interest in this project and it has broadened my understanding of opera significantly. The reason of my strong interest in this topic is, of course, due to my musical background. As a singer, I can choose many different career pathways, and opera is, in a way, the pinnacle of the classical, vocal performance pathway I have chosen. Studying opera in Berlin has opened my eyes as to just how different the construct of opera can be, while maintaining all the specifications of the original score. Also, I’ve learned how extensively Berliners prefer modern looks at opera over the preferred classical perspectives of Seattleites.

Problems

Once I had the details of my topic decided, I encountered only minor problems in my research. My first problem – buying tickets – actually occurred before I arrived in Berlin. I could not purchase half of the tickets I needed to, because the Deutsch Oper Berlin had bugs in their online ticket sales process. Moreover, one of the performances which I did manage to purchase tickets for – at the Staatsoper Unter Den Linden – was later selected as one of our group performances for the whole class to see, and, therefore, the ticket I had purchased was a waste of money. So I was frustrated when I arrived in Berlin with the fact that I only had a confirmed ticket to one additional opera; seeing as actually attending operas was crucial for my research, this was a problem. Fortunately, I was relieved to discover that the operas I intended to see hadn’t sold out by the time I went to buy tickets in person.

Methods of Investigation

I performed my research of operas in Berlin through two methods: attending and carefully analyzing live performances, and researching published articles on the topic. I attended five operas in Berlin: Tristan und Isolde, Fidelio, Die fliegende Holländer, Rigolletto, and Il Barbiere di Siviglia. My knowledge of Seattle operas, which I used to compare the two cities’ treatment of opera, I have acquired in the last few years while studying opera in the UW School of Music and from attending most of the Seattle Opera’s performances over the last two years

I thought carefully about contacting the Staatsoper Unter Den Linden and requesting an interview with someone knowledgeable of Berlin opera in attempts to acquire an additional outlet for my research; however, ultimately I concluded that an interview wouldn’t actually provide me with information relevant to my research; I needed to see the operas myself and actually witness all the aspects of the productions. Things I could only discover through interview – such as how much money goes into a Berlin opera, how much training a Berlin opera singer usually has or ticket sales information – simply weren’t pertinent to what I was looking at. I needed to attend and experience opera in order to observe which aspects of performance, presentation, and production differ from those of Seattle operas.

There were a few minor limitations to relying so heavily on this one particular method of research. I was frustrated to discover that, during our stay in Berlin, the opera season was just starting up, and so I had a very limited selection of operas to attend. Albeit, I do feel that I was able to see a fair representation of operas from multiple opera houses. Another small issue I had with analyzing opera was that I could only see the opera once; unless, of course, I wanted to waste a lot of time and money – assuming another performance was even scheduled. With only one viewing there was always the possibility that I would miss something important. I am fairly confident, however, that the very detailed notes I took during each performance captured all the aspects which were important to my research.

When planning my research for these performances, I wrote long lists of details to look for – everything from lighting, to sets, to audience behavior and applause. I suppose that some of the things I was looking for were based off of assumptions I had developed, but any assumptions or biases I had, quickly dissolved from the shock of so many contrasts I had not anticipated.

My other method of collecting information, researching articles regarding Berlin operas and modernization – although much less significant than attending operas – was very helpful and informative. I found and made use of articles reviewing past modernized productions in Berlin and articles directly addressing the issue of opera modernization in Germany. These sometimes helped to clarify issues I had questions of and sometimes offered insights as to what exactly I should be looking into more. The only limitation I encountered with this method of research was that – due to the language barrier – online searching was the only practical way of finding useful articles and even most online articles were not available in English.

Analysis

Through my research in Berlin I learned vast amounts about opera – in Berlin and in general – and I feel that the question I had posed in the beginning of this program was answered in full by the time of the program’s close.

I was pleased to discover that each of the operas I attended was indeed modernized in some form. Tristan und Isolde’s set – more than anything else – was what differentiated it from the norm. This massive five and a half hour long experience took place all in one scene with only one minor prop. The set was a titanic statue of a fallen angel with a broken wing, which had the appearance of being carved from solid stone. From one scene to the next, the only change of the stage was accomplished by rotating the statue. By ignoring classical expectations of scene changes and buildings or chambers being represented by the set and using instead this huge, stark, unchanging statue, the unusual set cast a dominating aura of solemn foreboding which was very much in sync with the sentiment of the opera.

In its production of Fidelio, the Staatsoper Unter Den Linden demonstrated modernization primarily though both its set and its costumes. The set consisted primarily of an odd slanted floor with rectangular holes set symmetrically in it. These holes symbolized the cells of a prison and effectively allowed the audience to see all of the inmates during chorus scenes. The costumes were very contemporary – one man wore an old leather jacket over a puke green sweater, and another wore a smart, modern suit.

The Deutsch Oper Berlin made their production of Die fliegende Holländer more modern than any other opera I saw – or have ever seen. This story of a phantom ship which ferries the dead to the afterlife was portrayed in two different scenes: a computer firm and a beauty salon. Even without being able to understand most of the words, what I could make out about “captains” and “ships” seemed very discontinuous with the scene around the actors. This interpretation certainly pushed the bounds of what one expects to see in an opera.

Il Barbiere di Siviglia was produced more classically than the other operas I saw in Berlin. All the actors were dressed in very classical costumes and they employed very traditional props such as old renaissance-style musical instruments. The unique aspect of this opera was the set. The background and floor of the stage was all pure white and the set consisted of curtain facades which portrayed buildings and streets and were simply pulled back to change scenes.

Each of these operas helped in turn to further clarify how operas are vastly more modern in Berlin than in Seattle. Seeing as each one of them broke the classic mold in some manner, the obvious answer to my topic question would be:
Whereas Seattleites enjoy seeing opera produced in a traditional scheme, Berliners want their operas to be daring and employ some manner of a unique element which classically would not fit in an opera.
Of course, each opera I saw helped answer this question with its own specifics, but all of the details support this one, unifying answer.

The composition element of the course certainly affected our research. Writing a report or giving a speech about a project is something we’ve all done and seen countless times before. The introduction of this new and very unique medium which we’ve been exposed to in this course for communicating one’s thoughts and ideas benefited our research in two ways: it made us reassess how we collect and evaluate the information we were to present, and it made us more interested in the presentations of our peers’ information. It allowed us to digest information on a deeper level.

Being required to present and embody a specific character in our compositions made me look more carefully at the specific people involved with the operas I was researching. This allowed me to notice simple subtleties which I may have missed otherwise, such as the fact that Berlin opera singers seem to gesture with their arms more than Seattle opera singers. It helped to bring the focus of my research from a more general and all-encompassing perspective to a more detailed and useful view of the production of Berlin opera.


Continuation

This research could be continued or furthered in a number of different manners. My original intent was to see at least one opera in Berlin which I had seen previously performed in Seattle, but, sadly, the season was too limited during my time in Berlin for this to occur. Comparing the production of specific operas between the two cities would, naturally, provide more in-depth data regarding the contrasts of opera interpretation. Also, being able to compare a specific opera produced during multiple occasions or by different opera houses in Berlin would be very informative; it would demonstrate numerous ways in which in which one opera could be interpreted. This could perhaps allow the development of a “modernization gradient.” Certainly, even between Berlin operas, some are more modernized than others.

The Group Dynamic

The act of synthesizing our research with the very different topics and conclusions of our fellow group members proved challenging and led to very interesting mosaics of information. For instance, if we had been instructed to each present our information in an individual composition lasting five minutes, the performances would have been significantly less thought-provoking, and I imagine that they would have, to a much greater degree, resembled standard English-class-type presentations. Also, instructing other members of our group in how to best represent our discoveries helped us each to better interpret and understand or own discoveries. This is very similar to the phenomenon of teaching a concept to another person. Through the process of teaching a concept, we ourselves come to a better understanding of that concept. The group dynamic both solidified and furthered the information which we had already collected.

Works Cited

Robert, Charles. “Modernizing Opera” The Musical Times, Vol. 79, No. 1141. Musical
Times Publications Ltd. Mar., 1938, pp. 221-221

Levi's Vlog

Online Survey

Today I created an online survey in order to collect data for my research. The idea is to use this primarily for data collection in Washington, but I may be able to use it a little in Berlin....

Here is a link to my survey:
Click Here to take survey

The Fine Arts Group Project Proposal

Fine Arts in Berlin: A Look at Cross-Cultural Artistic Interpretation

Wonkyung Cha, Levi Lindsey, Elizabeth Korsmo

Abstract

Fine art brings people together, overcoming cultural barriers and creating a common humanity. In this project, we intend to explore art across cultural boundaries: Who partakes of Art? How is Art regarded? What role does Art play in the everyday life of people? By performing a cross-cultural comparison of how arts are regarded in both Berlin and Seattle, we hope to gain insight into the cultural differences and, more importantly, similarities between the two cities. Berlin’s unique status as a Mecca of the art world will allow us to explore a plethora of venues in both visual and performance art. Our preferred methods of acquiring insight include viewing performances and galleries, interviewing artists and observing our fellow audience members. Through this project, we intend to better understand how people with different cultural backgrounds relate to art and how art transcends human differences.

Background

All the members of our group personally identify as artists (either visual artists or musicians), and are excited to visit such an esteemed art center as Berlin. Our cultural and physical removal from the scene of the research naturally poses the question of how perception of art differs across national boundaries. Through critical analysis of these differences, we hope to better understand art on an international scale.

Preliminary difficulties have included indecision and uncertainty in forming coherent research topics and methods. Our primary anticipated problems in Berlin regard our communications (such as ordering tickets and interviewing subjects).

Individual Research Questions

Wonkyung, “How does public art in Berlin differ from that in Seattle?”

As an artist, I think it is important to look at works of others and experience different art forms followed by other cultures. This summer, I will do my research in Berlin. A place I've never been to, and also a place where I don't speak the language. My medium is fibers. I also like to work with sculpture, ceramics and screen printing.

In the summer, I would like to conduct research on public arts in Berlin. I would like to focus more on visual arts; paintings, pictures, and also sculptures displayed in public spaces. More specifically, I want to compare public arts in Seattle to Berlin. For example, here in Seattle there are whimsical sculptures in Pike Place Market where lots of visitors come for tourism. Also, the sculptures are for those of who live in the local area to simply enjoy the art. Public arts are fun to look at; however, I believe that there are some meaningful reasons why they are displayed at certain places and why in such forms. A while ago, I went to the Pike Place Market with friends; I found bronze piggybank, Rachel. It was a piece of historic public art which had meaning to it. Rachel came for the Market Foundation during the Market's 79th birthday in 1986. People come and feed Rachel with spare change and with currency from different countries in Asia, Europe, the Americas, etc. Research I did on Rachel said by 2006, Market visitors contributed almost up to $9,000 to the Market Foundation by adding to Rachel's bank. Rachel was created by Georgia Gerber, a sculptor who lives on Whidbey Island, Washington. She was named after a real 750-pound pig named Rachel, the 1985 winner of the Island County Fair. Rachel's favorite holiday is March 1, National Pig Day. Rachel weighs about 550 pounds. I would like to further stretch my research while I'm in Berlin, finding the hidden meaning of many public arts and also how people react to them; how Berliners react to public arts where they probably see it very often, if not every day, and how tourists to the public arts. I want to research what people think about the public arts; how many people think carefully about the meaning behind them and the availability of public art in Berlin.

Levi, “How does the importance of classical music compare to the importance of popular music in Berlin, and how does this comparison compare to its equivalent in Seattle?”

For my research topic I chose to focus on classical music in Berlin – especially classical vocal music. I am a vocal performance major, so this subject is naturally appealing to me. I experienced quite a bit of trouble deciding on a specific question to address in this broad topic, but I finally decided on this: how does the importance of classical music compare to the importance of popular music in Berlin, and how does this comparison compare to its equivalent in Seattle? For a while I wanted to ask a very similar question regarding the “decline” of classical music; I believe that this question didn’t quite specify what exactly I intended to focus on which is more or less a ratio of the importance of classical music vs. the importance of popular music.

This question is certainly relevant in today’s society. Music is a large part of virtually everyone’s lives, and most types of music cross all social and ethnic boundaries in ways that nothing else can. Nearly everyone values music, and there is a huge rise in the value and importance of music in today’s societies due to the huge advances in audio technology in the last century. Music doesn’t have to be reperformed every time someone wants to tap their feet to a tune; they can simply plug-in their mp3 player, or flip-on the radio. The genres most benefitted by these technological advances are popular genres; many people still feel strongly that classical music loses much of its appeal when heard through speakers and not directly from the performers’ fingers. So the question of how the importance of popular music compares to the importance of classical music in today’s society is certainly applicable.

Finding an answer to this question should fairly manageable. From my preliminary research I know that classical music in Berlin, and especially opera, is heavily funded by the government – even though they are in massive dept; so information such as ticket sales, fiscal data and such should be available to the public. Also, I can collect data from individuals regarding the importance of these respective musical genres in their lives. Between venues and individuals, I have plenty of accessible information.

Elizabeth “How does music transcend cultural boundaries?”

I will be looking at instrumental classical music in Berlin, and comparing it to the experience of classical music in America. My first query is “How does classical music transcend cultural barriers?” I expect that it does, language barriers aside. Given the close history between American and European music (America’s classical music heritage is essentially all European), I would expect little difference between an American and a German classical concert. Preliminary research into the Berlin Philharmonic’s summer concert line-up would seem to support this expectation: works by composers such as Brahms, Shostakovich and Wagner are in the repertoire.

Beyond examining my personal experience, I also intend to look to the arts-patrons for understanding of how music transcends culture. I mean to do this through observation of the audience (at intermission and before/after concerts). I will be looking for age ranges, language(s) favored in conversation, and general ethnic diversity. Interviews could also prove useful; however the selection bias would likely nullify their use in this case. I would also like, if possible, to compare different concert crowds with each other. For instance, I would expect that an evening orchestra concert would attract an older and somewhat wealthier clientele than a free afternoon chamber concert (which would be more likely to draw families, students and other persons of limited means).

The month of September looks to be especially good for observation: the “musikfest Berlin” will be going on, with concerts presented nearly every night by orchestras from all over Europe (including the London Symphony Orchestra. Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester, and Orchestre de Paris). There are also a number of both evening and matinee performances by the Philharmonic.

Research Methods

Our research methods vary with the individual project. Among other things, members of our group will attend musical performances, research venues of artistic merit (memorials, galleries, and public art), observe art patrons and their interactions with art, and interview Berliners regarding their relations to art and its role in their lives.

Elizabeth is not comfortable with talking to people whom she does not know (especially in a language she does not speak fluently and under circumstances in which the other parties may not be interested in being bothered at all). Thus, she is shying away from direct interviews, preferring to discern Berliners’ (and their visitors’) artistic preferences from observation of their behavior and habits at artistic venues. As only public, large-scale data will be taken, privacy is not of great concern. Depth of information is limited in this way, but breadth is readily available. The sort of information to be ascertained focuses mainly on age demographics, spoken language, ethnic background and demonstrated affluence (in order to better understand who is involved in art). By comparing different audiences, Elizabeth hopes to better understand who is attending instrumental performances in Berlin.

Levi intends two collect information through two main methods: interviewing/surveying individuals, and attempting to obtain business records (such as ticket sales, number of performances, budget) from musical venues. He will collect this data in both Seattle and Berlin and through a comparison of these numerical results he should be able to acquire definitive, quantitative conclusions. Some sample survey questions he will be asking people include: how much time do you spend listening to music during an average day (on the radio, at work, at home, etc.)?; how much of this music would you say is classical?; around how many live musical performances do you usually attend in a year?; how many of these performances would you say include classical music?; do you sing or play an instrument?; do you usually perform classical music or music of a different genre?; do you prefer listening to classical music or music of other genres? The biggest anticipated problems with this research relate to obtaining business histories from musical venues. Finding relevant information from classical venues and opera houses should be easy enough, because they receive HUGE amounts of funding from the government -- even though the government is in massive and deepening dept; the relevant data here should be available to the public. The foreseeable difficulties lie in obtaining popular venue information; these will be more privately run and there will be a lot more venues to look at, so finding the relevant information for popular music may be very difficult or even impossible to manage. If this is the case, Levi will still have plenty of applicable data from surveys and will at least be able to compare classical music in Berlin and Seattle.

Won-Kyung intends to use methods of observation, and will actually go to the place where the arts are to conduct field research and observe the people there. She believes these methods are critical to her research because she will not know what forms of public arts are available unless she actually goes to the place of the art; she will not know how different people react to the arts unless she observes them for certain periods of time. Interviewing people will also be important because she won't always be able to distinguish where they are from and what they actually think about the arts solely from observation. By applying these methods of research, she thinks her biggest obstacle will be the language. Speaking English may not be enough to communicate effectively.

For the interview, she will ask first where they are from, second, whether they are tourists or Berliners, and depending on their answer, she will then ask what they think of the art – including whether they know if it has any historic meaning behind it – or simply what they think and how they feel about it.

Cultural Sensitivity

In designing surveys, we will refrain from asking unnecessarily personal questions or in fact from collecting any identifying data beyond general demographics (no names will be used). As needed, subjects will be recruited through contacts at Humboldt University.

Daily Schedule

Preliminary Research: Levi: collect survey data from Seattleites over the course of the summer and try to find performance/attendance data for the Seattle Opera and the Seattle Symphony. Also, purchase tickets for Berlin performances. Elizabeth: attend performances in Seattle (hone crowd-watching technique and gain reference data), finalize and order tickets for Berlin performances (listed performances represent a few preliminary choices, more will be added). Won-Kyung: TBA

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
25-Aug	26-Aug	27-Aug	28-Aug	29-Aug	30-Aug	31-Aug
					Levi: attend Fidelio at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden Won-Kyung: find and research art venue/object #1	Levi: attend Staatsoper für alle at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden Won-Kyung: find and research art venue/object #2
1-Sep	2-Sep	3-Sep	4-Sep	5-Sep	6-Sep	7-Sep
Levi: attend STAATSKAPELLE BERLIN at the Philharmonie Berlin	Levi: attend Tristan und Isolde at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden *(depending on time availability) Elizabeth: attend Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra (performing Stravinky and Tschaikovsky) at Philharmonie Berlin	Won-Kyung: find and research art venue/object #3	Won-Kyung: find and research art venue/object #4	Won-Kyung: find and research art venue/object #5	Won-Kyung: find and research art venue/object #6
8-Sep	9-Sep	10-Sep	11-Sep	12-Sep	13-Sep	14-Sep
	Elizabeth: Lunch Concert in Philharmonie Foyer(?)			Won-Kyung: find and research art venue/object #7	Won-Kyung: find and research art venue/object #8	Levi: attend The Flying Dutchman at the Deutsche Oper Berlin Elizabeth: Berlin Philharmonic (performing Schreker and Bruckner) Won-Kyung: find and research art venue/object #9
15-Sep	16-Sep	17-Sep	18-Sep	19-Sep	20-Sep	21-Sep
Levi: attend Rigoletto at the Deutsche Oper Berlin	Levi: attend IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden *(depending on time availability) Elizabeth: Lunch Concert in Philharmonie Foyer(?)

Bibliography

Berlin Philharmonic

Musikfest Berlin

OPER IN BERLIN

The fickle, finger of fate picks.... this one!

Ok, so I lied; I will not have cold feet. I have no problem with my original question regarding the importance of classical music vs the importance of popular music in Berlin; I will simply restate my question in a non-"declining" manner. So let's ask:

How does the importance of classical music compare to the importance of popular music in Berlin, and how does this comparison compare to its equivalent in Washington?

I still think I will focus primarily on vocal works in both fields -- pop and classical -- but it will really probably make more sense to broaden it to include instrumental works as well. Also, this question relates more directly to the ratio of the importance of classical vs popular music that I was really trying to address previously. I also like the idea of doing more quantitative research; I will collect large amounts of data and numbers from surveys, attendances and fiscal information, and this will give me more definitive results. The surveys will be easy to set up and yield valuable data. My biggest quandary now is how/if I can obtain fiscal information from classical/popular venues and how/if I can obtain ticket sales history from these venues. From my research I know that classical music and especially opera receives HUGE amounts of funding from the government -- even though the government is in massive and deepening dept; so I think the fiscal and attendance information for these venues will be relatively easy to find. I'm more concerned about finding pop music venue information; another issue here is the fact that there will be a lot more and smaller pop venues -- do I address lounge music, jazz clubs and such? At the very least, I could compare the classical venues to their counter-parts in Seattle.

Bending My Question Slightly to the Right...

It occurs to me that my use of the word "decline" in reference to classical music may be slightly misleading. What I mean when I use this term is more focused on a rise of the importance of popular music -- a decline people place on their personal value of classical music due to the increased values people place on popular music more and more; I refer to the ratio of the importance of classical vs pop music. I will rethink the title of my topic...

Now that I'm reevaluating the nature of my topic, it occurs to me that I may be steering my thoughts toward a question I'm not really all that interested in. My main intent is to focus on opera in Berlin. Up until now I've figured that the easiest way to do that is by comparing it to other musical genres. But I realize now that I don't care about the other genres; I just want to research Berlin operas. I can't do a simple importance of opera comparison between Seattle and Berlin because, of course, Berlin places more value on all artistic and musical genres. I will think hard on this today, but at this point I think I may do a comparison of the interpretations in modern opera productions.

huh...

This week I'm experiencing a bit of confusion over what exactly I should be doing. I have developed my research topic and question. I have formulated a research plan according to the charts we've received in class.

What I'm worried about is that my group does not have any clue as to what we are doing cohesively. As I understand it -- my understanding, however, could be skewed due to the slightly ambiguous nature of our instructions -- we are all supposed to have an individual topic/question and these topics should all integrate into one cohesive group theme or "group project." We have no such group project. At this time, I believe I'm the only person in my group with an "individual project." But then again, should the "group project" grow out of our "individual projects" or vice versa? Regardless, by next Thursday, my group will not have come up with a "group project" for us to present about. I did send my group members an email detailing this dilemma, and hopefully they will have "individual projects" ready by then. These "individual projects" supposedly will then be the focus of our presentations rather than the elusive "group project."

Research Plan

Population & Procedure	Recruitment: Where & How	Consent	Instruments	Data & Confidentiality	Ethical Issues
Paper & pencil or online survey for students	Through Humboldt University, through local organizations of youth, performance atendees	Statement on survey	The survey	No names Some demographic variables	Invasion of privacy Does the consent statement fully explain study?
Paper & pencil or online survey for adults	Through Humboldt University, performance atendees	Statement on survey	The survey	No names Some demographic variables	Invasion of privacy Does the consent statement fully explain study?
Review academic articles	N/A	N/A	N/A	What sort of things form the articles will constitute data for the study?	N/A
Review ticket sales history of classical and popular venues	N/A	N/A	N/A	What sort of things form the articles will constitute data for the study?	N/A
Interviews with students/adults	Through Humboldt University, through local organizations of youth, performance atendees	Verbal statement (similar to or same as the survey statement)	Interview questions (similar to or same as the survey questions)	No names Handwritten notes	Invasion of privacy Is it voluntary? Are they fully informed about the study?

I plan to perform research both in Seattle over the summer and in Berlin. This will provide me with a comparison for my Berlin data. Also, the interviews and survey I will hopefully be administering will be equivalent and interchangeable (the same data will be collected from each. I will use whichever is more appropriate under the circumstances).

Deeper Delving for a Research Question...

In last week's blog I put forth the idea of comparing two broad genres of musical performance in Berlin: the performance of opera & classical vocal works vs the performance of pop songs & more contemporary/trendy songs. I now think I may narrow my focus more to primarily the classical works.

In most of the world today, classical music is on the decline, giving way to the hugely popular genres we now hear and enjoy on the radio. Attending tediously long, stuffy concerts of classical music has become mostly a thing of the past. Most people of today's societies cannot grasp the magnificence and grandeur of this genre. Now-a-days we simply click on the radio, or -- more likely -- we put on some head phones and listen to our mp3 player. This convenient canned audio has replaced the value of attending live performances. Even with live performances, attending an ear shattering concert at a venue such as the gorge has become much more appealing for most than going downtown to hear the Seattle Symphony play Mozart. We have come to enjoy the simpler, more accessible music of rock and roll and other pop genres.

What I want to know is, is this seemingly omnipresent decline in the value of opera and classical vocal music present even in Berlin? It is of particular interest to me how Berlin treats classical music, because -- as most people seem to agree -- Berlin is at the forefront of today's art world.

I'm now attempting to tackle the issue of how I will go about determining classical vocal music's importance and value in Berlin. It seems logical to compare this genre to that of the pop forms present in Berlin (this is sort of what I was trying to get at originally with my topic), or to the classical music of other cities and countries such as here in Seattle. I'm currently in the process of brainstorming methods of object research to address these comparisons and yield meaningful results.

Sundry Singing Gigs

If anyone is interested in hearing choral music from UW choirs, I'll be in a few up-coming concerts:

-THE GENESIS SUITE (very interesting atonal music written right around the end of WWII and composed by numerous composers -- mostly German Americans such as Arnold Schoenberg (who spent time in Berlin studying and composing music). Also, the visuals for this performance will be designed and created by Dave Chihuli)
University Chorale with the Seattle Symphony
5/29 @ 7:30 & 5/31 @ 8:00
@ Benaroya Hall

-REDISCOVERING AMERICA (an assortment of "American" songs ranging from African American spirituals to Chilean carols)
University Chorale
6/2 @7:30
@ Meany Theater

-MONTEVERDI'S 1610 VESPERS (very enjoyable Italian renaissance music)
Chamber Singers
6/6 @ 7:30 & 6/7 @ 7:30
@ Meany Theater & @ St Thomas Church in Medina (respectively)

Thoughts for a Revised Topic...

Ok, since my first shot at selecting a topic was much too broad focused, here's my thoughts for a newer and narrower topic. A study of the comparison between the importance in Berlin of classical vocal music vs that of contemporary vocal music. This would probably focus primarily around current opera productions in Berlin with a comparison to performances of trendier songs and pop musicians.

Of course there will probably be significant differences in the target audiences of these two musical genres, but I would focus on other aspects of their popularities. I could research aspects such as: how much money from Berlin audiences goes into these genres annually, the quantity of performances put on in each genre, how frequently the respective venues are packed and how far ahead of time they become so, I could take small surveys on how many of what types of performances an average Berliner attends in a month or a year, and OF COURSE I would gain much insight from my attending performances of each.

Also I could use US culture to compare how far in what direction Berlin society resides on a hypothetical spectrum ranging from classical vocal music to pop vocal music. I'm assuming they have a higher value for vocal music, but I'm interested to see if there increased values are scewed more towards pop or if have equally elevated values for classics.

Preliminary Research: The Evolution of Music in Berlin

For my research topic I would like to take a look at the music of Berlin. More specifically, I think it would be interesting to research how the musical culture in Berlin has changed over the last two centuries and how these changes have reflected parallel events and the environment of that time in Berlin.

I think this would be a very manageable topic. There are many museums in Berlin (over 170!) which capture the culture from one decade to the next and I'm certain that music would be represented in at least some of these. I've found various music tours offered in Berlin. Also I'm sure that the current Bohemian society that Berlin has become places value on music and the musical background in Berlin, so I believe that I should be able to find many useful resources offering information on the evolution of Berlin music.

What research I've accomplished on this subject so far has been promising. All sources I've found name Berlin as the "musical capital of Germany." Numerous famous musicians ranging from popular artists such as David Bowie, Depeche Mode, and U2 to contemporary "classical" composers such as Richard Strauss, Arnold Schoenburg all spent time working in Berlin. Berlin is also home to one of the world's oldest orchestras the Staatskapelle Berlin.

With this rich music background, music is clearly an important subject in Berlin culture and history. Also, with this emphasis on music there must be many sources readily available for research in Berlin. For these reasons I believe that the evolution of music in Berlin will be a relevant and and manageable topic.

Berlin Immigration

From watching Head On! and reading the Russian Disco it is quite clear that Berlin has a complicated history of immigration. I think what I found most interesting about Berlin's history of immigration is how they have treated different immigrants with different backgrounds and ethnicities in completely different manners and how the treatment of these immigrants has changed over time.

For instance, the Russian Jews mentioned in one of the first few chapters we read of the Russian Disco seem to have been given very generous accommodations for the simple reason that they were Jewish. Upon arrival from Russia they received little identity cards which granted them access to free living quarters.

Contrastingly, the Turks aren't regarded with quite as much good cheer. From what we saw in Head On it seems that Turks are thought of as a plague by the average Berliner. My assumption of the reason for this difference in treatment is that society favors the underdog. The Russian Jews were small in number and were given much more sympathy upon there arrival from escaping Russia. Notice that the treatment of these Russian Jews changed over time as more and more of them found they way to Berlin; they began to be seen as more of a pest than a pitiable group. The Turks shown in Head On were in Berlin at a time when the Turk population was immense. Since these people were everywhere in Berlin and offering serious competition for resources -- definitely not underdogs -- they were regarded with much more animosity.

The Top Topics

Arts:
In general, I would like to learn more about the values, interest, traditions and history of art in Berlin or in a larger German context. Specifically, of course, I would like to focus on the musical aspect of this. Of the links on the course blog I found the "Rythm is It!" project and the Sasha Waltz Radial system particularly interesting.

A Lot of Dancing...

I have never been to a ballet, so this was a fun new experience for me. I read the story of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" a long time ago in my highs school freshman English class, and I couldn't remember much about it except that there were some lords and ladies and some faerie people. So when the ballet started, I was afraid it would be difficult for me to follow (and I hadn't thought to read the synopsis...). But I was happy to see that it was very easy to follow the drama and plot and there wasn't a single idea I couldn't follow.

As Shanga suggested us, I watched the dancers movements and how they place themselves and attempted to discern what the purpose of the specific movements were -- how the audience was supposed to react. One specific moment I focused on this idea was when the red man (sorry, I don't have a program with me and I cannot remember the names) was pursuing the blue lady and she was rejecting him. He would copy every move she made; when she threw her arms in the air, he would follow behind and throw his up in the same manner. It was clear that the function of this gestural emulation was to convey the feeling of him trying to get closer to her -- that he was striving to convince her to accept him.

Thinking on "Rethinking Thinking"

I enjoyed this article. I like most of the points they raise about feeling/thinking, and they explain their argument in various ways which are all relatively easy to follow -- this can be a very confusing and difficult concept to communicate.

However, I disagree with a couple of their main claims -- specifically, the statement that teachers "ignore the metalogics of feelings and intuition. We are taught and tested with words and numbers, and it is assumed that we think in words and numbers." Personally, I have witnessed this idea addressed in many of my classes over the course of my academic career. For instance, in my junior English class in high school we spent over half of a quarter analyzing and responding to texts pertaining to this idea of feelings leading to ideas leading to translatable concepts.

Also, I disagree with the statement that "We master the languages of translation but neglect our mother tongue. Feasts are set before us that we do not taste. We honor chefs and refuse to emulate them." It is true that, for the most part, how we are taught is through the translation of other people's creative thoughts and feelings, but I believe that the act of generating "novel ideas and conceptions" is something that all people do inherently; I believe it cannot be taught or manipulated in the manner this author seems to advocate but that it simply is. The lessons we learn in school -- the translation of these other "chefs'" creative thoughts -- help to broaden the scope of our creative thinking; they provide more food for our own creative thought.

Thoughts on Human Montage

I am very nervous about my abilities to create expressive presentations or performances in a short period of time -- I'm a little nervous of my abilities to create expressive performances in ANY length of time. I suppose that I've been creating performances with my own expressive ideas for as long as I've been singing, but when I perform a song, I have undergone a great deal of preparation and I have a rather detailed road map to follow. Also, when I was in the musical My Fair Lady I had a pretty explicit idea of what to express. The exercise we participated in last Thursday involved a few steps out of my comfort zone and what I am used to doing. I let myself worry too much about what I wanted to describe and how to express it. As soon as I stopped over-thinking about it, it became simple to isolate individual aspects to express and easy to portray them.

I did enjoy seeing all the images that the rest of the class composed. It was very interesting to watch a group and discern what emotions -- what thoughts -- they were trying to convey. Many of the images were based upon experiences that I could not have guessed had I been given ten years to interpret them, but as soon as the frame was explained, it would make perfect sense.