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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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Oratorio Society Members
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Description
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Photograph of collection portraits of Kansas City Oratorio Society members. Names are listed beneath each image. Composer, conductor and musician and society founder, Carl Bush is pictured near center.
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Date
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1901
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Object Type
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Photograph
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Title
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Kansas City Youth Symphony Orchestra in Spain
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Description
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Performance of the Kansas City Youth Symphony Orchestra in Seville, Spain. A message in Spanish from Mayor Felix Moreno de la Cova is written beneath the image. In English, it reads: Felix Moreno de la Cova, Mayor of Seville, to the Kansas City Youth Symphony Orchestra, as an unforgettable memory of the marvelous concerts performed in our city, on the occasion of the festivals in Spain.
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Date
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1969
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Object Type
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Photograph
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Title
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Pompeian Room at Hotel Baltimore
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Description
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Performers and orchestra members from the floor show in the Pompeian Room at the Hotel Baltimore.
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Object Type
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Photograph
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Title
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Kansas City Philharmonic Orchestra
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Description
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View of the Kansas City Philharmonic Orchestra in a performance. Believed to be taken in the Music Hall.
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Date
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1955~
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Object Type
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Photograph
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Title
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Emil Chaquette Orchestra
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Description
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Portrait of the Emil Chaquette Orchestra posted in front of an elaborately decorated stage in an unidentified location.
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Date
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1920~
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Object Type
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Photograph
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Title
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Emil Chaquette Orchestra
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Description
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Portrait of the Emil Chaquette Orchestra posted in front of an elaborately decorated stage in an unidentified location.
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Date
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1920~
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Object Type
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Photograph
