
The Allegheny Chapter of the American Musicological Society must be one of the more active chapters in the country. Its annual meeting tends to have many intriguing papers on tap, and this year is no exception. (Full disclosure: I am a member of AMS, although I have never given a paper myself.)
Held April 19 at Kent State University, the meeting will include about eight papers, beginning with an interesting analysis by Mark Alan Schulz of the symbolism of Willibrord Joseph Mahler's famous portrait of Beethoven in the prime of his life (pictured here). Mahler himself said it depicts the composer beating time, but Schulz will talk about how the imagery said more in Beethoven's time.
Other papers include a look at Alexander Thayer's music criticism of Beethoven and more (Grant William Cook III); Liszt's program music written in Weimar (Matthew Baumer), the making of the Western film score archetype in an analysis of Jerome Moross' music for "The Big Country" (Mariana Whitmer) and a rediscovered piano sonata by Giacinto Scelsi (Franco Sciannameo and pianist Donna Amato).
The last two are locally based: Whitmer works at the Center for American Music at the Stephen Foster Memorial in Oakland, and Sciannamo is at Carnegie Mellon University.
First Published: April 16, 2008, 7:15 p.m.