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Title
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Going off the Rails: Exploring the Impact of the Railroad on the Development of Musical Culture in Kansas City, Missouri
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Description
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Thesis in musicology presented to the faculty of the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a degree - Master of Music. Abstract: Kansas City, Missouri, is a musical oasis in the United States. In addition to being considered one of the four original jazz centers, local audiences also enthusiastically welcome art music and experimental music of all kinds. This deep appreciation for music and the arts can be traced to the development of the railroad in Kansas City and how it connected the city to the artistic lifeblood of the country. This thesis explores the existing research about the establishment of Kansas City as a railroad hub and the subsequent cultural blossoming experienced in the city at the turn of the century. This thesis project makes a connection between the railroad and the growth of music culture. The development of various aspects of music in Kansas City including, band, orchestra, opera, theater, vaudeville, music education, and music publications which the research in this thesis indicates is traced back to the societal impacts the railroad had on the frontier town in the last three decades of the nineteenth century. Next, this thesis project provides commentary on the function of demographics, including a brief consideration of gender, in the musical culture of Kansas City - specifically the way women defined culture and programming. Finally, this project summarizes and contextualizes the trends, habits, and preferences that make up the music culture in the city within the musical expectations and culture specific to the United States. The establishment of the railroad in Kansas City connected the city to the musical trends of the United States; because of this artistic connection, Kansas City developed into a musical microcosm of the United States’ musical narrative.
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Date
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2021
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Object Type
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Manuscript
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Title
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Bird's Eye View - Kansas City
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Description
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Pictorial map showing the cities and towns of Kansas City, Missouri; Harlem, Missouri; Westport, Missouri; Rosedale, Kansas; Argentine, Kansas; Armourdale, Kansas; Armstrong, Kansas; Riverview, Kansas; Kansas City, Kansas; and Wyandotte, Kansas. At the time of its publication, the map had an extensive key listing the numbered buildings, most of which has been removed. Steamboats traveling along the Missouri River can be seen. The map displays the steep bluffs and topography of the region. It also indicates Kansas City's expansion southward away from the Missouri River, the development of the stockyards industry in the West Bottoms and interconnectivity with the surrounding cities and towns that followed completion of the Hannibal Bridge in 1869.
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Date
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1885~
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Object Type
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Map
